A topical look at news and politics, Crunch the News sees a different set of panelists each day tackling current events with an eye for humour and a knack for pithy put-downs. The panelists - each of whom is expected to come prepared with a news story they want to discuss, or simply mock - represent a broad spectrum of influence and opinion, from journalists to comedians to politicians themselves; a set up sure to encourage debate and raucous comedic heckling.
The anarchic nature of Crunch the News is something which works both for and against it. On the positive side of things, it provides spontaneity and off-the-cuff hilarity, as well as a sense of edgy risk-taking that good comedy always benefits from. On the more negative side, it means the show often lacks structure, and those moments or jokes that don’t go down so well are less easily rescued. The buzzer round suffers particularly from this; the host seemed to be reading the questions for the first time and many elicited few laughs and little reaction.
As well as comedy, the show provides the opportunity for more serious discussion, allowing political guests the chance to highlight issues that they want to discuss or that they feel need particular attention. This sounds potentially rather dull, but actually provides a new dimension to Crunch the News that helps it stand out from its more shallow contemporaries - the political panel show is, after all, a well-worn genre - as well as providing further coal for the comedic fire. It’s nice to hear from those actually involved in the political process respond to the easy jibes and jokes of the comedians around them.
This is a show to keep an eye on; it will surely go from strength to strength as it finds its feet and develops its own unique style further into the Fringe. For now, it’s a chaotic, rambling trip through current events that is nevertheless well worth its zero-cost admission price.
