Out Of Order is a brand-new game show hosted by the inimitable Rosie Jones, alongside team captains Judi Love and Katherine Ryan, as well as celebrity guests.
In each episode, teams engage their snap judgements and compete to place ‘Rosie’s Regulars’, a panel made up of members of the public, in order according to a question. Questions such as: who has been married the most times? How many sickies they’ve pulled to get off work? And who’s the biggest collector?
To help them decide who are the most or least likely candidates for answers to these questions they can chat to the participants and see if they can get a read of their characters. The tables turn for the final round, when one of the ‘Regulars’ has a chance to win £1,000 if they correctly line up Rosie, Katherine, Judi, and their two guests, in response to a prompt question of their own.
This is a show that embraces human nature and shines a light on our instinct to make assumptions about people at first glance. Rosie is an engaging and ebullient host, full of joy at having the freedom to curate her own space. Katherine and Judi are the perfect choices for team captains: outspoken, hilarious, and acutely observant, without ever punching down.
The brilliant Amy Gledhill provides the voiceover with charm and wit. We are big fans of these four women who have all taken part in the Funny Women Awards; Judi was a semi-finalist in 2018, Rosie and Amy were finalists in 2016 and 2012 respectively, and Katherine won back in 2008.
There is a level of trust between the comedians and regulars that they developed through the process of making the show. This enables us to relax when we hear the banter between them, which can be very pointed and open, and might seem jarring without that intimate relationship.
The entire cast (and we’re reliably informed, the crew) are from diverse backgrounds, in terms of ethnicity, race, age, disability, education, life experience… What’s striking about this is how important it is, and simultaneously, how little it matters. It’s not a box ticking exercise, this is a comedy game show where everyone has something unique to bring to the table and everyone counts. A life lesson writ large.
Described as ‘a party that everybody’s invited to’, we’re told that the initial footage had even grizzled television executives ugly crying with laughter. Inevitably, people are already commenting on it being an all-female led show, but this should not detract from the fact that this show is fronted by three of the UK’s brightest and best comedians, regardless of gender, doing what they do best – being funny.
We’re so excited to have been invited along to the party, too.
Out Of Order is a Rumpus Media Production for Comedy Central and the first episode goes out on Monday 26th February.
