Read this: The Great British Nostalgia Trip

BBC sounds music Radio podcasts hi, I'm Julian worricker, and this is the media show from BBC Radio 4 hello have you turn television recently and thought it all looked a little bit familiar Laurence llewelyn-bowen boisterously doing up people's living rooms Ruby Wax looking back at celebrity interview.

She did in the past and then look what's coming out nevermind the Buzzcocks Blankety Blank Sex and the City it's a long list welcome to the area of the reboot and age when TV executive team to be pouring over doggy at copies of the radio Times looking for formats.

They can restore to our screens or why this trend and why now is it because the 90s and the noughties were Golden Age of television after all or is competition for viewers now.

So face that commissioners are too quick to fall back on what they see as trusted hits from yesteryear will let me.

Introduce you to my guests rubywaxx needs very little introduction actor comedian writer mental health campaign and worked with Ruby is her producer for many years including on that famous interviews with the likes of Donald Trump and Imelda Marcos the name but but a couple what's it like to be reunited the pair of you via via zoom on Radio 4 this afternoon, please we are touched by Bloch there's a lot of interaction between our limbs so it's nothing but luckily his burnt spaces like a Beat so I'm very turned off.

She's not in the same room as you say what was Ruby like to work with and after 20-years you're both very welcome Layla Smith is head of objective Media

What are the TV giant all3media and before that she was controller of entertainment at ITV I'm a lady you're looking after a huge selection of programs at objectives, what big hits at the moment with new gameplay.

It's back again this year and there are the shows that we are formed from other and that I think is notable as a time when you but actually you do you do look back at the things that have been brilliant and think how they can be brilliant will dip into the cube a little bit later for sure and Mark salmon is the executive producer of changing rooms now back on our screens Mark welcome.

Hello, thank you.

Why?

Now the right time to bring back changing rooms.

I guess what I have touched her already Julie and the fact that the title often cut 3 and my job at the time at Shine TV with to find shows that will get commissioned brand new shows that we're innovating but also to win this mess plainly so changing rooms is something that was available that I was able to pitch him develop, but I suppose I should also saying it's absolutely true that I love viewer first time round.

I think if you're going to sell anything new or reboot.

You need to go in with some passion.

So if you could leave you is a great show grateful that his heart you're letting in your neighbours are your friends with a designer to come in and makeover a room in your home, so it's like if I golden format.

Why wouldn't I wasn't we take that back out again after 1920 years worth of those who've never seen it and I'm sure there must be somebody out there who falls into that category.

Let's have a brief listen to what you've done this thing happening in designer.

Ok Auntie minimalism and it's about being really crazy and policy.

Orientated is quite feminine doesn't like that was Laurence llewelyn-bowen sorting out Claire's living room.

This is a reboot Mark clearly.

How much did you want to go back to the original and copy it?

At least come close to coughing it how much did you want interviews elements that are entirely new I think you want to do both.

Don't you the original in I've been I've been doing this a long time now.

I've been on both sides of the fence.

I seen reboots come and go and some did incredibly well and some just after the first thing for us when we looked at changing rooms is looking at what people love about it being a actually we don't want to lose all of that and then you look back at the show that was you analyse it and you go.

Oh my god, how did that sustain and why did you watch that because actually we cost chase differently we cut them differently now so the bits at the bit that we changed were actually about how you feel me.

How are you cast it you know how you tell that story how you hold onto that audience have so much.

Changing rooms went and Disappeared because people will come in for the first 5 minutes and then come back for the reveal at the end normally switching over to watch the soaps on TV at the time and actually said those other bits that we we really works on and that we really changed but it was about preserving the essence of the you know that you played a good clip there and you can feel and hear it from Lawrence accompanist and the playfulness and it's an entertainment show ultimately doesn't like pink So What what colour did you go for pink? Yeah of course of course and that's hopefully going to keep the view hanging around.

I actually really important for us to take it seriously and I know that's ridiculous after you've just played I'm sure lots of people watch the original hope.

What's the reaping but we could have been quite silicone we could have gone in and said I'll let some lessors play that always give them pink or green or purple when they don't want it but actually we didn't actually I think that stands the key hopefully to it sustaining audience designers wanted to give them an indoor bespoke that they would hopefully love that's a real jeopardy, because otherwise if you know that they're playing that reg and if we do now syllable TV makers and we tried that he was pretty quickly so you know we try all I think we we we had to remember and stay true to the father.

We needed to give them a special experience a big room that she really is that you mention the cube coming back later this year and as you said had the million-pound Specials aired last year again for those who haven't seen it.

Let's go field guide the viewer through on a typical episode of The Cube is a tagline to PL7 looks in for the deceptively hard games try and win £1000000 and inside the confines of the perspex cube games are incredibly hard, so that's the game 9 series on ITV over the last gosh, how many years 15 years and it's been off air but we did change it up quite a lot we felt needed new elements to come back and it wasn't just million-pound.

That was a discussion.

We have ITV about creating a week but we felt like to play a game would make it more interesting we introduced a different lifeline as a result of that because we felt like it's great to have something evergreen.

It's a format so hard to get right if you've got one that.

Don't change that will accept accept calls at some point somebody must have decided that it didn't work at least not sufficiently for it to stay on the television and then then what 5 years elapse you'll come back and decide I actually now is the moment to revive it.

I wonder I wonder what they said with Dynamics of all that is ITV4 many years was on and I think what you do with it.

All.

Shows is you tend to look at it and does it need something changing up do we change elements of it to be freshen up a format when it's game show it might be different for you know that's about really brilliant interview, but I don't think that happened with the cube.

So actually it's not so much that the format is broken but actually view as do demand a freshness.

Play content you don't just want the same thing and view and we did you've gone to some of your classic celebrity documentary interviews from the 90s and the noughties again.

Why is now a good moment do you think to revisit those I didn't I didn't realise we will rebuilding the show and I don't know the shop 25 years.

I had an interview with Louis Theroux's question why that might be no, am I assume because somebody was Louis god bless him.

He will encourage this to happen encourage all of us somebody took my bank transfer and is a female I have no choice so I emailed out my time and that was the end of it, but I said I'm grateful because I would have never gone Oxford and have a lovely life.

For an old celebrity Google please put me on an island.

I leave my young so I'm paid for but because between Clyde and Louis will show got commissioned just because it happened to write my stuff that I think they were 1000 between my showing with so interesting about Goldie Hawn so gets mind waiting around you know I have a life and then it's nice that they put it on before I die because now I get to do my obituary when you look at them now.

What do you think? I think she looks like she's having the time of her life and I think they could have been deported, but I was very young and I think I could have played it more Louis like which means don't get in front of the camera.

Go behind it because I was a good interviewer, but my personality was holding the screen.

I think that's good for two years, but we will have to try so I could.

Single dance councilwoman, so I can tell people either get tired or man comes along and takes 2 times again.

Get me a new life, but you know if I didn't have a new life.

I be quite better between you you visited some massive stars are of their day.

How did you get access to some of these combination of it was also very distinct timing in history if you want to know because it was just before social media is just before the internet.

You'll remember this Tuesday when we have a guest used to call up the clippings library and then somebody would you get older photocopies of remember that we used to do masses of research and I think we would just and also a lot of the American stars in those days, Britain

Soldiers regarded as you know it's like doing an advert in Japan they didn't really care.

They were like it's you know nowadays, because you know soon as you do get an interview.

It's on YouTube it's on everywhere.

It would be very very hard to get the kind of access.

We did do and then Ruby and I would work incredibly hard and explore every Avenue so you know and then Ruby is a post which you sometimes and sometimes would then be basically almost performing a kind of one woman chauffeur Roseanne or Goldie or somewhere that guests would think I've got up my game is really small cut out that but it was it was always and quite often edition.

Have we didn't know Ruby would say what will they do? What can we do it nice a look if I ask anymore questions they will shut the door.

I said you I'll get you through the door and then the rest is.

We would carry.

I would carry a bag full of beards and then went and then Ruby would say to Sharon Stone can you go out on the street and then Sharon would say no I get recognised and she said if you wore a beard and have you got a beard and then we have Instincts about like with I had a feeling you're usually again making them liar and entertainment and go to spend some time, but I knew something would happen if we get on that I could pay your body double sorry, but I just had a baby so down to my knees and yes, I could and it was some of the most for test the same as I replaced on a beach but I mean.

Have you mentioned the advent of social media with social media now? You just couldn't do that anymore could have so much control and there's so much sort of the reason this series came back was that we started to look into our commissioning editor Michael Djokovic use a big Ruby found was that movie back on let's do-re-mi so we were going to try and go back and see some Pamela Rose and a couple of them were interested and then and then so we then actually let's just go back and look at the archive and then it changed with with with the Louis podcast and with and with his good breasts up and running and the audition you use the word auditions you used it on.

I think there was a sense of how the camera crew operated.

There was a degree of auditioning about how they did their jobs as well.

Say that and she was right the some cameraman.

Just aren't listening and can't do it so we would we would audition the camera men and women and they would come around to Ruby's house and then we would walk around the house.

They would have to fill my son.

It's Ruby said that picture up there if they didn't swing the camera and look at the picture and then come back to see your reaction.

They didn't make them.

They didn't make the squad you one of the cameras for personality celebrities in that kind of format were much more prepared to the guards down to a degree perhaps in a way that they hadn't on British television much before Did That leaders down a route towards programs like I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here many years thereafter.

Yeah.

I mean I'm sure which is Jim Allan who's someone that we all know very well.

Watch the Joanna Lumley programme that produced and it came from there.

We sat and sort it well.

You know what happens if it's not just Joanna on a desert island, what happens if you take some air and you're absolutely right.

It's not the celebrity interview, but it's from that sort of programming and that Instinct which is about is why I think I'm a Celebrity and yours today because there is a basic truth to it.

It's not just a reality concept.

There is a basic tree to say what happens if you take when you think that they are normally pampered all the different life and you strip that down there and then watch what happens as a result and you look I'm a Celebrity is now innit what it's something evolved, but still runs through and I think that's why people still watch it and it is very revealing and

Meet characters on I'm a celebrity.

Who are you? No more rounded becomes another kind of part of their career on Waze don't some people but it also definitely from the source of interviews that he's been doing where you really peel back the layers Let Me Stay With You on where we began really because you've all now given us some context to what we're talking about in terms of the specific programs that you're thinking about all bringing back working on and we are in this period where I mentioned a few names at the start, but there are clearly as you can add to this list of programs that are either coming back or about to come back or people at least considering it and I slightly suggested that there might be some lack of inventive ideas as as part of the reason for that happening is that fair?

Absolutely not because there are constantly thinking of new ways to do my batteries for challenge you sit and think there's only so many subject matters and areas, but what's the new approach? So what's the new way but we do this but but we are in a risk around everything in broadcasting because broadcasters always want viewers to watch and even if it's a public service broadcaster.

They want the right to watch then if it's not sure volume and that I think leads people to understand it leads people to play the game make you have his three new shows that I'm going to hit someone's got a brilliant way of bringing back.

The McKeown interesting position on this because you have both commissioned and pitched so you sat on either side of the desk during these kinds of conversations yeah.

Yeah, I mean Leila said it perfectly work with ITV when we're both in commissioning Matt you.

You're playing your odds aren't you your look safe bet and you're looking to innovate and if someone present something to you, but it's familiar but you will PR itself in the changing rooms has or that.

I've got a tonne barrel shorthands all shortcuts in get an audience that doesn't you know you've still got it to live for the good weather as a reboot or whether it's a new show you I don't think that's changed necessary.

I mean I was at ITV 12 years ago.

Maybe now and have permission to put Sky as well and Virgin media television.

Literally or behind The pay-tv Wall and you're trying to get people to you.

So I think it's always been true that was been difficult your mention the money I mean changing rooms this time round is Made in with the paint company isn't it? Which day would have been allowed on the BBC the first time round least I don't think it would did that make any difference when you were touching it.

Yes, I think it's absolutely don't think it's the only recently I've done a lot of programming of commissioned it and I've made it for a number of broadcasters.

I'm really interested and so we took the decision to take changing rooms out and then present it to a broadcaster Channel 4 in this case with the money attached, but I've been unpitched other ideas ton of money attached and broadcaster dust Ilford naked it doesn't matter if it isn't a good idea.

They might be making a saving in that slot.

ITV4 rescue run in terms of your ad revenue in terms of not getting an audience too and you know the paint brands didn't save some skin in the game.

I think that's true it all out front of programming now the channel needs to pay some cash and climb looking back to when you Andrew by recording the interviews that we were talking about I mean clearly some of that wasn't cheap was it you were genuine off all over the world often without much advance warning and to get it when you were they will show you will get the interview when you got it was the only night.

We had a pretty good, but it was BBC1 prime time and I run and I don't know but we will make it in the house at the BBC sometime.

Would I have taken the risks that I took them that if it was my own company because we flew to Manila

Half an hour with somebody it's just before we go and get some jewellery.

I've got to wear good jewellery is Imelda Clough the jewellery and so we went to see Theo for now who we knew and the lenses £200,000 worth of jewellery Ruby sort of drink into the into the into the flat and in that first email the clock the jewellery and we had three or 4 days and she sang the original tea was half an hour and you ended up for 4 days and then show us so that was really a lot of foreplay.

Flashing and loving her and never asking a question, but I sent her but never being a stick of them either start so I'm which I to create this image that I was put the hello magazine.

I know you don't live in her rubbish in her garage getting the picture of me and the front.

I know you did that's right.

That's too much of a coincidence so she picked it up and she's on the cover sheet that from that moment and she took my hand she took me to pretty much cover me and I mean that was clever Ruby I was wondering about those like yourself in front of the camera.

We talked about changing trends and particular programs being reinvented and coming back.

How much are you conscious of that need to adapt as fashions?

Change in terms of what you do in front of the camera.

Will I wanted to produce after myself because I can't stop me like to win that by an injunction minded being behind the camera and butter production company next time next time we'll do anything better that was when I went to America they said would I do a shop from behind the desk and my scale I can get anything 5-minutes.

You know I need to go OK it's not my interest I suppose what I was getting out as well.

We talk about rebooting programs, but do the people in front of the camera have to sort of acknowledge the need to reboot sometimes as well movie stars with skills and destroy love spending time with them.

Happen again, so I would need to know how to invent something else.

I would make up another scholarship how far how much further do you think this rebooting trend has got to go I think I think I think it will be so I don't want cos I don't want to write off the kind of reboots coming so I know you just listed them, but I think they're a bit over it, but there was also make them here where there were certain shows that we're and I think we couldn't actually it's great to do a show that you know and you're not there was an audience, but it's fine because you know the show when that's fine if you put a new show that probably would work better with an audience, but you try the very first time reacting that might affect it doing well.

So you don't want to take that risk and I think that happened quite a lot during covered and I die.

And audiences but there's a sense of familiarity of people going back to what you know and I think that's playing out now across all schedules and I'll streamers and I think but I think it will always happen because I say it's happened forever and people will always I think if there's a new way of doing an old familiar form and why not think that we might see now.

I switch back into more originality again.

I think that Crest my change now because I think avid me people more risk-averse.

What is all we have time today? So thank you all very much.

Thanks to all my guests rubywaxx broadcaster and writer Clive tulloh executive producer of when Ruby Wax met Leyla best head of objective Media Group and Mark salmon, executive producer of changing rooms don't forget to push you can catch up with past editions of this program via the BBC sounds.

The media show will be back at the same time next week.

So thank you very much Andy for listening and goodbye.