Why Dead Celebrities are Resurrected For New Media | "How much money can you make if you're dead?"

Has Gladiators won the Saturday night ratings war with a splash of nostalgia? Talking of nostalgia, do we need more holographic tours of dead musicians in light of the news that George Michael may well be heading to a stage near you soon? Talking of ghosts, is there an issue in the world of literature with celebrities taking credit for ghostwritten books?
Richard and Marina dig into it all on this The Rest Is Entertainment episode.

[@m.j.nicholls]

I agree with Marina about celebrity novels diluting the quality of literature on the shelves - so many authors now have no chance of mainstream publishing, and the best work is often left to small publishers. The idea that books are just another thing a famous person can do when they run out of options is insulting.

[@philipellis7039]

On the early Gladiators there were cheerleaders and Donna Derby choreographed and lead them. Donna is married to Bradley Walsh and is the mother of Barney so there’s a family connection to the original show.

[@NinaGray-eq9on]

Without mortality, things become meaningless. Yes, music lives on, though we don't need to be stuck in a time when our favorite musicians continue perform at their 'peak', people should be encouraged to embrace their aging, which includes accepting that our favorite musicians age/die.

[@RobDW24]

I really wish somebody would bring back You Bet, it is weird that it has never had a reboot, as it seems so perfect for nowadays TV. Where else could you have seen somebody naming the cast of The Bill by just seeing their ears.

[@stevenmclennan1953]

Pretty sure Ant and Dec tried to revive it in America recently and it flopped. It'll come back eventually though.

[@ComputerRouter]

I think Brucie was the original, it was rebooted with Matthew Kelly But, I agree time for another

[@AndrewMcColl]

I bought Geri Halliwell's new novel for my niece for Xmas after listening to a mid-strike Gran Turismo interview where they couldn't talk about the movie. As she tells it, she's writing because she now has kids of her own, and the reason she's moved from her young kids books to this is because he daughter is now old enough for them. I was also pleasantly surprised to see included with the book was a QR code to music she had written to accompany the book as you read. That was a nice touch.

[@iancross5370]

Question for you both... Why do program makers constantly add the "coming up" section just before the ad break!! Totally spoils the next part of the program. Just wondering your thoughts on this.

[@tomgidden]

23:17 re: Harper Lee and how bringing out "Go Set a Watchman" didn't "do her memory any favours". Lee was alive when it was published, and made a statement that she was happy it was to be published but did try to set expectations with it being a largely unrefined early work. There was controversy, and she did die the following year, but it wasn't a posthumous release as with the other examples.

[@tomleigh7478]

What a beautiful podcast this is. I'm very surprised the viewing figures haven't shot up after Gary linekars push. 'Push'? There is a better word which I can not think of right now cos I'm really stoned. Brilliant info from a couple of lovely people

[@johnstirzaker6832]

I love Richard Osman, he's like the drinking man's Melvyn Bragg.

[@thebagelsproductions]

😂😂

[@AlmostYearly]

Richard seemed to forget Dr Who at 04:17. Although of course ironically Bradley was the best thing in it.

[@richards2936]

He also forgot Doctor Who when talking about TV that appeals to the whole family. It just happened to be the biggest drama on TV on Christmas Day, which I think qualifies it as a success... Ingrid will be very upset with him :)

[@ltlbuddha]

One problem with digital version of real people is that acclimatises audiences to digital performances, reducing the demand for real ones. It will kill creativity even more than the corporatisation of music has already

[@AndrewMcColl]

Conversely, more 'digital' performances could actually work in the favour of living artists. For example, Beyonce's world tour barely dipped below the equator, while the Eras tour visited Australia but not New Zealand. Imagine if either artist had a digital version of their concert for places it wasn't monetarily viable for them to normally visit. Would they be as good as the 'real' thing, of course not. Would it open up options for people who otherwise couldn't afford the extra cost of international travel? Absolutely. It's like when streamers have a concurrent cinema release. There's the big screen option for people who want to make a thing of it, and the at-home-in-your-pants option for those who don't.

[@ltlbuddha]

@@AndrewMcColl For established artists, sure. Not for everyone else, though

[@AndrewMcColl]

@@ltlbuddha that's why I used two of the most 'established' artists currently touring as examples.

[@ltlbuddha]

@@AndrewMcColl Established artists are fairly immune to things like this, so don't really come into the equation. Not in my book, anyway

[@AndrewMcColl]

@@ltlbuddha no, I'm sorry. You're right. The use of digital performances by exclusively. Well established performers, who may or may not be dead, will absolutely kill the /checks notes/ live music scene. Best we just bin the technology in its entirety right now and not work on sensible ways to use it moving forward. Music is always at its best when produced and performed in a way that has remained unchanged for centuries.

[@michaelrobson3460]

If ghost written work was cancelled what happens to the ghost writers?

[@hannahjames3576]

Looking forward to you circling back to McFly Richard, love those talented men (and have done for 20 years 😆)

[@nigeljames5622]

Last I looked, all of Abba were very much alive, so not sure why that was referenced discussing dead people making money, unless it was just said to reference the George Michael thing

[@BdotRASS]

I would just like to thank the editor for the Noah's ark image, otherwise that quip would have entirely passed me by.

[@AndrewMcColl]

I could understand a George Michael hologram/AI concert, if they bill it as a Farewell Tour. And the profits go to his family, and all the charities he supported during his life.

[@michaelrobson3460]

If the panel were offered a £100k for their little minxes big book of summer holiday fun, written by the publisher and extolling their favourite themes, would they say no?

[@aaronachnid]

ah yes, the ol' outback of America.. Love you guys ;)

[@adamwright1106]

Good podcast

[@veronicamaine3813]

I think the AI thing works better in music than other media - basically your watching a really good impressionist but here’s the thing, I’ve watched James Dean and his performance is great in the context of that eras films, n its own it’s a little ‘formal’. And the worst part of Rogue One is Peter Cushing redux - it’s cringe.

[@scottchristie6734]

The Sky1 reboot already forgotten.

[@webbiedebby7842]

Each to their own but I wouldn’t want to see George as a hologram. I think George’s family won’t do it also think GM wouldn’t want it either. We have his music and his videos for ever more ❤ No need for holograms

[@tim2223]

“My kids say ‘he brexited him’”. That’s not true, is it Marina?

[@thegrinderman1090]

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel is one of the worst things I've ever seen on tv. They ask about 6 questions in an hour, and not fun ones. There are constant breaks for unnecessary, extremely cringeworthy, forced dancing. And Mckintyre himself, while mildly likeable, just isn't very witty. It's baffling to me. The 1% Club puts it to shame in every way.

[@ladyflimflam]

I’ve never found Michael McIntyre even mildly likeable. He’s just so try-hard and smarmy.

[@colinbaker3916]

Why doesn’t Marina go on House of Games?

[@kevinsoutham]

I watched Last Stop Larrimah. It was good but it suffers from having an entire cast of disagreeable characters. *spoiler alert* I had no sympathy for any of them - and every doc like this needs a lightning rod of sympathy (great name for a band by the way). Like this? I mean there is no body, no arrests, no trial...and no conclusion - it's a little aimless and I needed someone to feel for. It's not even clear there has actually been a murder. Anyway here the 'cast' are grotty people, back stabbers all of them. Well worth a watch though. Just make sure you turn the subtitles on - the accents are thick and one guy in particular is utterly unintelligible (through no fault of his own). Just one more comment - love the vodcast here on youtube. Just two minor criticisms - I'm not keen on the position of the cameras. We spend almost the entire vodcast looking at the side of their heads. It's almost like we are eavesdropping on a private conversation. Maybe that's the idea...but I'd like to them turn around towards the camera a little. I'd like to see their eyes! In Richard's case it's because they are obscured by his glasses, and in Marina's case almost her entire face is obscured by her hair which falls forward as soon as she moves. My second (very minor) criticism - Marina get a hair band! Maybe you like me have a dry scalp but it's frustrating to see her constantly play with her head, scratching her scalp, pulling her hair out of her mouth, and then five minutes ruffling the whole lot with both hands and starting again! Like I said, very minor criticisms on what is a very diverting 30 minutes or so.

[@annabraithwaite9611]

You kind of hinted at it but what are your opinions on celebrity children's books, or even the same old names getting all the attebtion in that space. There are some buitiful children's books out there that get lost

[@GuanoLad]

The additional trend in celebrity children's books that bothers me is how many seem to be about farts. I get it, but am also disappointed in it.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I enjoy this podcast because of the two people involved and their chemistry but I have come to realise that every game show (almost every game show) they praise to the heavens, I absolutely hate.

[@chaipup7045]

nostalgia isn't what it used to be

[@m.j.nicholls]

I remember when that used to be funny

[@lakrids-pibe]

I remember when there wasn't a constant stream of cranky, contrarian youtube comments ruining everything

[@bonezeno8770]

She is great....was listening in because of her and i stopped listening because of him