Cast your mind back to 2012, it's a cold Friday night, and on the telly, Alan Carr is chatting an A-Lister's ear off, while diving into his globe trolley of the most unusual aperitifs you've ever seen. It was of course Alan Carr's: Chatty Man, and now that Alan is thriving on our screens in BBC's The Celebrity Traitors, we're feeling all nostalgic for the light-hearted and hilarious chat show. So why was it taken off air?
Back in 2009 Alan Carr's chat show aptly named Alan Carr: Chatty Man debuted on Channel 4, it ran for 16 seasons and featured interviews with everyone from A-List guests such as Justin Bieber, Ryan Reynolds, and Samuel L. Jackson, to British icons including Dawn French, Matt Smith and Tom Hardy.
During the show Alan interviewed the guests individually and invited each of them to have a drink from his globe shaped drink trolley. The show had a live studio audience and usually featured a musical performance.
So why on Earth was it cancelled? Back in 2016 it was announced the show was ending after 16 seasons and Alan revealed the main reason for the cancellation was due to the difficult of booking guests.
Speaking on This Morning, he said at the time: "Booking three guests on a Wednesday, you've got to have three guests on the sofa and it's just getting harder and harder."
Alan was also competing as a chat show host against Graham Norton and his now fellow Traitor, Jonathan Ross.
And Alan acknowledged the competition he had with Norton, saying at the time ahead of the cancellation: "I just think that the art of the chat show has evolved unless you can get the amazing guests all the time that Norton gets.
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think moving it to a Thursday was the best move. It feels like a party show, a Friday show.
“Three guests a week and Channel 4, God love ’em, extended it to 30 episodes — that’s 90 guests who are relevant and people are interested in, up against the amazing Norton and Jonathan Ross. I’ve gone as far as I can with Chatty Man. Won a BAFTA, won two NTAs.”
Despite the cancellation of Chatty Man, Alan has thankfully remained on our TV screens, but surely after his major role in The Celebrity Traitors we need him to bring back Chatty Man?
The Celebrity Traitors is available to catchup on BBC iPlayer
