–Hannah Gilbey contributed with this report.
So, you’ve just watched your favourite program – the theme music starts to play and the credits roll across the screen. You start to get up. But this time you are guided out by the floor manager, out of the studio and onto the street.
That may not sound familiar now, but more and more people are choosing to go and watch their favourite shows being recorded, rather than staying on the sofa. And it’s easy to get hold of tickets.
There is a whole online market for tickets to TV shows, that won’t cost you a penny. BBC tickets, Applause store.com and TVRecordings.com are just some of the websites where you can get free tickets online to a huge range of shows.
Usually, the only costs are your travel there and back, food while you’re there, and of course, any pre-show shopping. It’s a chance to get behind the scenes and see celebrities and TV personalities in the flesh, as well as the hard work that goes into producing shows.
While some shows are in high demand or have waiting lists, others are first come first served. So if you’re quick enough, you can bag tickets for anything, from Harry Hill’s TV Burp or Top Gear, to the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. In fact, you should be wary of any website that asks you to pay for a ticket to be in a TV audience, especially if they are for a popular show or appear on online bidding sites.
TV shows are often rarely what you expect. The sets will be smaller, presenters will read from autocues, and they will make mistakes or re-record certain parts – it is all about getting it right for the final cut.
It was only a few weeks ago that I was sat in the audience for Russell Howard’s Good News. I got to the London Riverside studios a couple of hours early and began to queue. There was already an air of anticipation, and the whole line of people was chatting excitedly.
After braving the cold for two hours, we were given stickers to mark our place in the queue and led inside. Don’t let first impressions put you off either. Often studios will seem glamorous from the front, but the back entrances to the studios will look very different!
Once inside and sat down, the producers explain what they need from the audience – whether its questions, applause, or silence. For Russell Howard, the briefing was done by warm-up comedian Ray Peacock – and the whole thing was more like a comedy gig!
Even when telling us that we couldn’t leave our seats for safety reasons, we were laughing. Apparently, when someone previously decided to stand up, they were knocked out by a “camera on a stick” which swings around the studio for a full view.
While mistakes and accidents are often edited out from the final TV show, in the studio audience they are still yours to see. Even if your favourite star is taken to A&E afterwards to have his hand put in plaster.
So, with a few clicks online and the price of a train fare, you could get behind the scenes of your favourite show and see much more than you think. Now that definitely deserves a round of applause!
Hi, I have tickets to go to see Russell in May, and my question was how early to start queuing? If the doors open at 6, is 4 too early or too late?
Thanks :)
Hi there, Hannah said that four is good, the earlier the better as its not guaranteed entry. Four is about as early as people start arriving, most people get there around 5. Being early means you’ll get in, but you WILL be waiting for at least an hour or two. Bring food and magazines, and an umbrella!
Hope this helps you :)