Reception
During recording of the first episode, a number of audience members (who are selected from Lily Allen's "online friends" list) walked out before the end of the show, some newspapers claiming this was because of boredom, a lack of humor, an uncomfortable recording atmosphere and late taping time; by the end of the recording, just over half of the audience remained. However Allen later dismissed the newspaper reports and said that because the recording went on for longer than intended, some members of the audience had to leave to catch a train.
The BBC was criticised by several teacher unions for a video aired on 18 March 2008 show that apparently showed a student running up from behind and pulling down his teacher's trousers. The unions said airing this clip was irresponsible and greatly added to the teacher's embarrassment. While introducing the clip Allen called it kegging and said “It's very childish, but very funny”.
As the tickets are simply distributed by an online ticket agency which anyone can apply for in an identical way to other TV shows, there was comment passed on whether statement "the audience consists entirely of Lily's online friends" was valid.
It was reported that during an interview with Paddy McGuinness, Allen exposed her breast to the audience for three minutes.
Read more about this topic: Lily Allen And Friends
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“To the United States the Third World often takes the form of a black woman who has been made pregnant in a moment of passion and who shows up one day in the reception room on the forty-ninth floor threatening to make a scene. The lawyers pay the woman off; sometimes uniformed guards accompany her to the elevators.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)
“He’s leaving Germany by special request of the Nazi government. First he sends a dispatch about Danzig and how 10,000 German tourists are pouring into the city every day with butterfly nets in their hands and submachine guns in their knapsacks. They warn him right then. What does he do next? Goes to a reception at von Ribbentropf’s and keeps yelling for gefilte fish!”
—Billy Wilder (b. 1906)
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)