Have you been in a TV audience?

A few of note:
The IT Crowd, s01e03, Teddington. Knowing very little about the show (other than who created it), it was great fun not just seeing a studio sitcom being filmed - they were in short supply in 2005 - the unexpected appearance of Noel Fielding was a treat too. It was a pain in the arse to get to, though, and I was grateful for the folks at the audience ticketing place for giving me priority tickets when they heard I was travelling by public transport from Acton.

The Late Edition, 2005 or 2006, TVC. At the time this was a prerecord for the same evening on BBC Four - but after a while of sitting in the studio, Marcus Brigstocke came out and said "you know how sometimes you've spent ages doing something on your computer and it just loses everything you've done? That's just happened to us." And we were sent back out to the Foyer, given a free beer, and did some waiting around before going back to the studio and they did it live. I note that later series were done live.

QI, TLS, sometime in 2008. My main memory of this is getting there straight from work, not having had time for anything to eat other than a bag of crisps from the newsagent across the road. It went on for *ages*, and by the end I was tired and hungry and not really in a mood to laugh.

HIGNFY, TLS, 2012. This was a bit better, because I'd taken heed of my previous experience. We ended up in front row seats right behind Ian Hislop, and it was interesting watching how much he spent making 'can you believe this?' faces at the audience, whether or not he was on camera.


I'd turn up for early shifts at TVC and people would be sitting in folding chairs at 8am, to make sure that they *definitely* got in. (I think once they'd got their numbered stickers added to their tickets, later in the day they'd head over to Westfield to change into their posh frocks).

I think the key takeaway here is that you need a lot of patience to be in a TV audience, and you'd be hard pressed to say that it's more enjoyable than sitting and watching it at home.

I've seen Graham Norton at TVC, I don't think I've seen any other studio-based shows.

I respectfully disagree with you, thegeek, that it's less enjoyable watching at home. I certainly wouldn't want to do it weekly(!) but I had a really fun time. There was a reasonable amount of waiting around (though really not too bad). But aside from that, it was a fun experience, even being outside TVC since it reopened and seeing how it looked now; seeing how the show was put together (not many surprises for geeky me, but interesting); and most of all, getting way more chat and laughs than the edited show. Like I say, wouldn't do it too often, but it was a good night out and something different.

I agree with the comments about how small studios seem in real life. I've been to a few others, including the current Blue Peter studio, and it's quite amazing how different they are on screen. Again, as a geek you know this, but it's still surprising.

Hislop is ‘wise’ enough to know that he is always on camera as all of them are recorded for post production purposes. The PA took away a stack of about a dozen cassettes after the studio recording.

I went to a couple of recordings for the Clare Balding show on BT Sport at their Stratford Studios, really impressive setup they have there, one was notable as we had to stand through the recording and the poor lady behind me fainted, she made quite a thud as she hit the floor, caused abit of panic at the time

It's not something I like to admit, but I was once in the audience for Trisha Goddard.

We went to see WILTY at Pinewood. The recording lasted over 4 hours, finishing about 10:45. Rob Brydon right at the end said, 'OK, that's the rehearsal done, let's go for the real thing now....'

That's something I've always wondered about. Not sure if it applies to Richmond's first appearance as it was a bit off-the-wall, but when there's a surprise in sitcoms, do they pull back a curtain or lift the lights off-camera to get the right reaction from the audience? Or do they just rely on the audience response to the characters? Or do it once to get the big laugh and then film it again?

Just something I've always wondered about (kinda triggered by the previous post) - how are sitcoms recorded with audience laughter? I can imagine interior scenes are recorded in front of the audience but how are different scenes recorded? For example in Only Fools and Horses would the scenery be changed For a scene in the Nags Head and then one in the Trotter's flat? Would scenes in the same location be filmed together? Also how is laughter recorded for outdoor scenes? Again using OFAH as an example would a scene in the market be filmed in front of an audience standing outside? Or would it be recorded then screened in front of an audience?

There would be typically three or four sets in front of the audience
So no need to restrike them as the action moved from pub to home .

Filmed inserts would be shown to the audience ... hopefully in sequence

Loathe as I am to recommend the show, Mrs Brown's Boys might give you some idea of how a sitcom studio might be laid out, Rolling News.

Worth noting that some sets are placed behind others, rotated 90º or more from the audience or otherwise out of sight – for these, action might typically be shown on screens in the same way that filmed inserts are for the audience reaction.

Here's another resource – http://www.tvstudiohistory.co.uk/tv%20centre%20history.htm – do a 'find in page' for 'Miranda' and you'll find a couple of images of a sitcom setup.

I’m trying to think of the tv shows I’ve been in the audience for. I was in the audience for the BAFTA tribute to Victoria Wood which was shot at a London theatre. I’ve done Later ... in TC1 and stood next to (almost amidst) a band called Miike Snow (no, me neither). I had tickets for dinnerladies but didn’t get in so watched it from TC8’s viewing gallery.

However one of note, which may be of interest was:

Bite Back c.1992. Wandsworth somewhere...?
This was a monthly BBC audience feedback debate show and the episode I was in the audience for came just after the passing of the Broadcasting Act 1990 and ahead of a charter renewal. There was much debate about the license fee, selling off or radios 1 and 2 and future media. (Sound familiar?!). The chair was Sue Lawley and the guest Will Wyatt. The studio was tiny and I remember the audience being no further than a few feet away from the stage, seated in an arc around the “hot seat” in three or four rows. I can’t remember where it was shot, but I seem to remember it wasn’t that easy to get to. It may have been Capital Wandsworth but looking at the TV Studio History website, it doesn’t look familiar and I don’t remember there being more than one studio in the complex.
There’s an example of the programme here and this also includes some excellent behind the scenes footage of the BBC election 92 gallery