Summery Of The Article

The article by Beatrice Colin states that Ronan Keating is taking on a role similar to Hughie Green and describes this as an unpleasant prospect. It claims that the type of talent shows associated with Hughie Green were abandoned about twenty years ago and “hastily forgotten.” It groups those shows together with The Black and White Minstrel Show and Lena Zavaroni, which it labels as “embarrassments” from that earlier era. The article argues that television never truly lets old formats disappear and presents the return of a talent‑show format as an example of this. It does not describe the new programme and focuses instead on linking it to past television styles the writer considers outdated.

About The Article

The article was written before the public had seen the programme, yet it gave no information about the show itself. It didn’t describe the format, the acts, or anything that showed the writer had watched it. The article included a photo of Ronan Keating with the caption “Mr Nice Guy: Ronan Keating,” but it did not name the programme he was presenting, which was Get Your Act Together.

Instead of discussing the new show, the writer used the space to attack talent shows in general. She brought up The Black and White Minstrel Show and Lena Zavaroni, even though neither had any connection to Get Your Act Together. Lena performed for around fourteen years and remains well‑known today, so calling her “hastily forgotten” is false. The Minstrel Show is remembered for different reasons now, but it was a major ratings success in its time and has never disappeared from public memory.

The article misuses both names to create a negative comparison that has nothing to do with Get Your Act Together. It isn’t a review or a preview of the new programme — it is a personal opinion piece using unrelated people and shows to push the writer’s own view.

The writer Wasn’t Comparing Talent Shows At All

  • The Black and White Minstrel Show → not a talent show
  • Opportunity Knocks (Hughie Green) → Thames Television (1968–1978)
  • Lena Zavaroni → not a BBC talent‑show winner
  • The new programme → not described at all, not even named