Randall and Boulton (Demented)

Well, I see that Adam Boulton has finally resurfaced - I had the misfortune to see him on Celebrity Mastermind the other week. Obviously, he could have been appearing on Sky News on a daily basis for all I know, as I don't watch Sky News. However, as far as I'm concerned, this is the first time that I've seen him on screen since his post-election mauling by Malcolm Tucker, sorry, Alastair Campbell. I was rather hoping that the Campbell debacle might spell the end of this particular political pundit's TV career. No such luck, apparently. Boulton is one of those insufferably smug and shouty 'journalists' that Sky News is fond of employing. They stride around offering their opinions as fact and telling us what the government should really be doing. Jeff Randall, their business correspondent is another one - if only the Treasury had just listened to him, then we could have avoided the recession. Apparently he'd been warning about the perils of easy credit for years. Rather surprisingly, as he shouts all the time, nobody seems ever to have heard these warnings.

Personally, I think that Sky should give those two their own show: Randall and Boulton (Demented). Modelled on the old Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) show from the early 1970s, this would feature our two intrepid investigative reporters trying to solve some political or economic crisis every week. The twist would be that white suited Adam Boulton would quickly find that nobody can see or hear him. Except his partner Jeff. Every time Boulton tries to interview a politician, or harangue some expert who holds a contrary opinion, he finds his questions falling o deaf ears, as they completely ignore him. No matter how loudly he shouts and jabs his finger at them, it is in vain. An increasingly frustrated and belligerent Boulton is forced to funnel all his questions via Jeff Randall. Of course, Randall's habit of apparently talking, and even arguing, with himself as the invisible Boulton communicates his increasingly barmy questions, results in all the interviewees thinking that he's mad. Which, in turn, just makes Randall ever more shouty and rabid. Much hilarity ensues. Another winner, I think - I'd certainly tune in, as would Alastair Campbell, I suspect.