hen we think of talk shows, one of two things come to mind. The work of Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, or the controversial antics of Amir Liaqat on national TV. Oprah has re-invented her show a couple of times to appeal to a wider audience. Her show is immensely popular and has featured quite a few celebrities in an effort to be as culturally relevant as possible. Similarly, Ellen de Generes’ talk show has a huge fan following as she has her own unique way of conducting her show, despite the controversies surrounding her professional conduct. Quite a few celebrities have tried to emulate their successes by hosting talk shows but not all of them were successful and quite a few fell by the wayside.

Most of the talk shows being hosted by celebrities on television in Pakistan are an insult to the viewers’ intelligence. Whether it is Hassan Sheharyar Yasin trying to be Pakistan’s next Karan Johar or Ahsan Khan with Time Out or the sickeningly sweet Samina Pirzada, they don’t have a clue about how to host talk shows. Even Koffee with Karan, which seems to have inspired these, has lost its initial appeal and charm, making it difficult to sit through an entire episode. Most of the guests appear to be following his lead as he dictates their sartorial choices, making it seem disingenuous. Anupam Kher’s talk show was far more entertaining and the guests were also more interesting. Kher, his anti-Pakistan rhetoric aside, has a knack for hosting talk shows and lets his guests speak at length, prodding them on with questions at a decent pace. The conversation flows and the viewers’ interest does not dwindle. In many of our local talk shows the conversations seem forced and it is quite obvious that the joviality and the hilarity is being faked in an effort to sustain the momentum.

Our morning talk shows, if you can even call them that, like the one hosted by Nida Yasir have little to offer in the way of quality entertainment. The emphasis is mostly on what people are wearing, and rather than discussing matters of substance, trivial issues are given a lot of importance. Most of the guests on these talk shows are also not great conversationalists and have to be forced to speak. Most morning shows revolve around clothes and jewellery, making them insufferable. The format needs to be altered and social and societal issues discussed.

The political talk shows, apart from a few, are usually quite difficult to sit through because nobody is really listening to anyone. Everybody appears keen only on adding their two cents’ worth to the conversation. Hamid Mir, Mubasher Lucman and Sana Bucha come to mind when we speak of political talk shows. Quite a few celebrities now host talk shows but most are nothing to write home about and do not really give the viewer any food for thought. Many are being aired just to fill up screen time. These supposedly analytical shows have become platforms for controversy as some guests frequently threaten others and scream at them.

The main problem with our talk shows is that most of the hosts continue to talk over the guests and do not let the guests speak. At times, the guests do not know how to conduct themselves either, so it is up to the host to fill the air with anything and everything to prevent the episode from coming to a standstill. Some hosts also seem to lack the appropriate body language and tenor needed for a decent talk show. Samina Pirzada, for example, does not alter the tone or pitch of her voice. She has a pained expression on her face throughout the programme, which takes away from whatever she is covering. Kher, by comparison, keeps the conversation going and acts as a facilitator, prodding his guest now and then with reminders, questions or shared experiences so as not to let the tempo falter. The interest is genuine and the hilarity is not forced.

Ahsan Khan’s talk show is downright insulting to the guests and the viewers. The kind of antics his guests are forced to tolerate and indulge in to keep the momentum going is really degrading. Yasir Hussain also thinks that he is a jack of all trades as he acts, hosts, produces and directs plays and films. However, his hosting skills leave something to be desired. Despite being a decent actor, producer and director, he has yet to master the art of hosting TV shows. A lot of celebrities in Pakistan have jumped on to the talk show bandwagon, hoping apparently to broaden their fan base and prove their versatility. However, they would benefit by changing their strategy, taking a back seat and making the programmes shorter to start with while they figure out a successful strategy. The guests should be advised to keep their conversations short and sweet and the hosts should refrain from resorting to ridiculous measures to rake in TRPs. The controversial and the ridiculous might get them attention in the short term but is unlikely to sustain a desirable viewer base.

The writer is an educationist and can be reached at gaiteeara@hotmail.com