The return of this show was welcomed most enthusiastically in our household, partly because we had so much enjoyed previous series and partly (of course) because of the first-born's latest comedy infatuation!
Obviously, there is always a concern when a show which seemed to have the perfect combination of personalities undergoes such an immense change, but for the most part the new cast doesn’t seem too bad; although maybe rather than just keeping the same old title, this series should be now billed as Argumental 2.0 just to distinguish it from the former.
I am still not quite sure how I feel about Sean Lock’s efforts as host. I think he is a brilliant comedian, don’t get me wrong, but that was a lot of the problem; his constant need to be heard did slightly grate at me, simply because that is not his purpose. It did quite make me think of the US version of ‘Who’s Line is it Anyway’, in which Drew Carey felt the constant need to write himself into rounds… I was half-wondering when we should expect Lock to announce a special round just for himself. This was the main reason the previous team worked well, John Sergeant was able to be funny without the egotistical need to be funnier than his co-stars. Part of me is a little annoyed, too, because with Lock now hosting, we won’t get to hear any of his rambling rants which always made him such a hilarious guest in previous series.
I did think new captains Robert Webb and Seann Walsh worked very well together. There is an obvious contrast between them in terms of age and experience but that can only help on a show with the sole focus being debate. There was obviously a lacking in the chemistry we saw from previous captains, Marcus Brigstocke and Rufus Hound but this I am sure will come as they both relax into the show. I did feel at times Webb was holding back slightly, although the softer side of me would like to think of it as an attempt to avoid taking over the show completely rather than to suggest he just was not trying; much like a father playing football with his son and clearly allowing the odd goal past just to boost his confidence slightly. Walsh performed outstandingly well in spite of being far less experienced than the others and the show was well worth watching a second time just for his brilliant impression of a women’s tennis match! I also think his stumbling, lackadaisical delivery is perfectly suited to such a format as this, lending to the ad lib nature.
Watch it – if you have access to Dave*, of course… if you don’t then I’m sorry. Unfortunately there is little I can do to remedy this, but to say that there are videos on the Dave website.
*As I have previously mentioned, there are places on the web that host TV shows for you to stream, but whilst the websites themselves claim it is perfectly legal, I still do not know for sure, so will not link to them… but you could find them if you looked I guess.
The next episode airs Thursday 11th November at 10pm with guests Jack Whitehall and Chris Ramsay.
Check here for details of the many opportunities to catch the show if you missed it!
