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The studio floors have been given a fresh lick of paint and there’s a distinct back-to-school feeling in the air. The crew of The One Show have just returned from their annual four-week summer break and RT has been invited to the programme’s London headquarters to see how the live magazine and chat show comes together. The visit comes ahead of the show’s 20th birthday on Friday 14 August, which BBC One is celebrating with a special hour-long episode.
The hallways are lined with photos and quotes from some of the famous folk who have previously graced its sofa. There is one from Mel Brooks – “What a crazy show this is” – made in 2017 after host Alex Jones switched from celebrity questions to a story about a woman who had contacted the show in search of her long-lost father. “People always ask about what they call ‘gear changes’,” says Jones. “You just take a breath and move on. If you’re going to represent what’s happened in Britain on that day, there’s always going to be light and shade.”
Jones says a key part of her job is helping guests feel at ease on the famous green sofa. She does this alongside a rotating team of co-hosts, including Vernon Kay, who joins her for the 27 July episode when RT pays a visit, Roman Kemp, JB Gill, Clara Amfo, Lauren Laverne and Angellica Bell.
The joy of live TV is that it creates memorable moments, such as the time when Stephen Fry and Sheridan Smith got stuck in a lift minutes before filming began, or the occasion when the studio flooded and the team had to build a last-minute makeshift set in another building to welcome Hillary Clinton.
Jones joined The One Show in 2010 after years of presenting children’s programmes in Welsh. “Weirdly, I didn’t think the first show was that scary,” she recalls. “There was a lot of chat around it because Adrian [Chiles] and Christine [Lampard], who were brilliant, had left the show. It just felt lovely from the first night. There was Whoopi Goldberg, and I thought, ‘Oh, I love Ghost. I can’t believe this. This is amazing!’”
In two decades, the show’s format has remained largely unchanged. “There are fewer and fewer places where there’s room for people to be celebrated alongside somebody doing a live performance. This is one of the shows where all of that can happen in the same programme,” says Jones. “The show can move and adapt as society changes, so there’s no reason why it won’t be as relevant in 20 years’ time as it is now.”
On the day I join filming, the guests include actress Samantha Morton, discussing her role in The Odyssey, and Fake or Fortune? presenters Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould. The episode also features filmed reports about volunteer firefighters tackling wildfires in North Yorkshire and Commonwealth Games judo champion Sarah Adlington.
“There’s something wonderfully British about The One Show, because it reflects the whole nation,” says Kay. “We don’t have the dark stories about what’s going on, because people know about that.”
Kindness is clearly woven into The One Show’s work culture, with every room displaying a framed reminder that reads: “Please be respectful of each other and have a great show!”
Delivering a great show relies on a big team of dedicated people and meticulous planning. Here’s what happens behind the scenes to ensure The One Show goes live without fail every weekday at 7pm…
10AM: MORNING MEETING
The crew discuss the previous night’s show – what worked, what didn’t, plus any audience feedback – before looking ahead to tonight’s broadcast, including the guests and the pre-recorded video segments, known as VTs, that will feature.
“We open up the meeting to anyone at any level, whether it’s editorial, production or management,” says content editor Lee English, whose job is to ensure that every edition is topical, with content that is relatable, relevant and of a consistent standard. “It’s an opportunity for them to put forward anything people are talking about where they’re from in the UK.”
A show can be planned up to a year in advance. The films are made by suppliers from across the UK, with companies selected through an annual commissioning round. The wildfire story was one such commission. It wasn’t originally scheduled for this show, but it was turned around over the weekend beforehand because of the heatwave. There is also a reactive film team who produce content quickly when needed, while some films are kept in reserve as a back-up.
3PM: SCRIPT READ
Jones and Kay read through the script while watching the VTs, making suggestions alongside the rest of the crew. Today, the team decide that the clip introducing the story of The Odyssey isn’t clear enough and opt for a second version.
A tribute to Bill Oddie, a frequent guest on the show whose death had been announced earlier in the day, is also scheduled, but discussions continue as to the best way to approach it.
4.15PM: PRESENTERS’ HAIR AND MAKE-UP
While the presenters record voiceovers and head to hair and make-up, the script is updated to reflect the discussions from the meeting. The script runs to around 40 pages for a 28-minute show. The cut-off point for changes is approximately 20 minutes before the live recording, although urgent alterations can be made in the gallery and by the presenters on the studio floor while they’re on air.
4.45PM: CREW MEETING
Series live director Stephen Neal directed The One Show during its four-week pilot run in 2006, when it was produced from a studio in Birmingham, and has been working on it ever since.
Prior to rehearsal, he briefs the camera, sound and lighting crews, as well as the floor management team in the studio, discussing camera set-ups (there are five cameras for this edition, although there are sometimes fewer), the running order and providing context about the evening’s guests. He also speaks to the gallery, which is located in a different building, via microphone. He then watches the VTs and graphics, ensuring the correct images appear on the screens, including those sent in by the audience, which change every day.
It’s Neal’s job to help tell the story of the interviewees on the show, and he is one of the voices in the presenters’ ears. “I have to be really careful not to ever sound panicked or say things that don’t make sense. I can’t make everything sound like it’s the end of the world... unless it is the end of the world. I laugh a lot on talkbacks, so if things are going well, the presenters hear me laughing along with them. That’s quite encouraging, I think.
“I also have to listen to a lot. In the gallery, I’m hearing producers talking behind me, the guests and presenters talking to each other, and engineering colleagues. The key to directing is not how loud you talk or how much you say – it’s how much you listen, only speaking if you’re adding to the conversation. My crew know what they’re doing. I don’t have to call every shot.”
6PM: REHEARSAL
Jones and Kay run through the script one last time on the autocue and record a trail that airs on BBC One before the Six o’Clock News, reminding viewers that The One Show is back and teasing some of that evening’s show’s highlights.
The guests begin to arrive. Where possible, the team will have held briefing chats with them beforehand. “You want them to know who they’re on with, and then you get extra information and the untold stories, which is what we want,” says editor Joanne Vaughan-Jones, who joined the BBC as a runner 25 years ago and has been in her current role since 2023.
“We want viewers to hear something new and find out about their passions and their interests. If there are tricky guests, do we want them to come back? That’s a question we ask.
“We want guests who appeal to viewers of all ages. Hollywood and heartland together is absolutely our golden goal. Angela Rippon next to Hugh Jackman is one of the best pairings we’ve had!”
7PM: THE ONE SHOW GOES LIVE
From the script read to the final recording, it’s fascinating seeing how everything comes together in just a few hours. As The One Show celebrates its milestone year, whatare Vaughan-Jones’s hopes for the future? “Not losing touch with what our audience care about is key. Also, digital expansion and bringing in those younger viewers. I do very much feel how important we are to the BBC.”
7.30PM: THAT’S A WRAP!
As I set off, Samantha Morton hops into the same lift and comments on how quickly the recording had gone. “I thought they were going to ask me about judo and car boot sales,” she laughs. And that would have been entirely plausible. What a crazy show this is!
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