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I spoke to Gavin Wratten, the executive producer of the sixth season of Idols on M-Net, who talked to me about going with two hosts for the reality show this season and why, how he thinks ProVerb as the new addition is doing, what he won't be surprising viewers with (and what will be a surprise!) as well as how moving the Idols Results Show from a Monday to a Tuesday has affected production.
See what Gavin Wratten tells me about having just three permanent judges and bringing in guest judges for Idols, the new opening theme, what he thinks of the contestants and why he says ''the format is staying true to what Idols has been''.
For my full interview with Gavin Wratten, click on READ MORE below.
The Idols opening theme for the sixth season on M-Net is different, why did you decide to change it this year?
Well, we follow the international format. They upgraded their graphics and we gave them a call when the contract was renewed and said make us a new opening sequence which they did. So its just keeping up with what is current and the rest of the world.
Bringing ProVerb on as the second co-host; then deciding to have him on the stage and Liezel van der Westhuizen in the back - why?
Well, it's very difficult getting two presenters together. Getting an Ant and Dec is like, very rare. We took the decision - M-Net and ourselves - and said lets not have them together because to try and get that rapport going is quite difficult. So we decided to split them and give them different roles and play to their strengths. Liezel was quite heavily involved and still is in Channel 199 (Idols Extra), ProVerb more on stage, Liezel behind the stage getting the gossip from the kids which will come out more.
And will that change?
It will change a little bit but that's basically the idea. Liezel is sortof getting the inside goss to what is going on, she's spending more time with the contestants and getting to know them, getting more inside information, and ProVerb is doing the nuts and bolts of the show.
And how has ProVerb been for you?
I think ProVerb has come across really well. He's a great guy to work with. And for me its not really how it works for me, but how the media, you guys and the viewers respond. And we've had an overwhelming positive response.
Moving the Idols Results Show from a Monday to a Tuesday on M-Net at 19:00, how does that change the production cycle and schedule behind the scenes? Easier or more difficult?
Funny enough at the beginning I was thinking that it would be an extra day; that we may even have a day off, but actually its working out worse because we have to fit even more stuff in on Mondays and then Tuesdays come along and we're already in rehearsal on Thursdays and Wednesdays we shoot inserts. We're on a seven day production schedule. It hasn't made it any easier but I don't think its made things any more difficult.
Is it making things easier or more difficult having just three permanent judges and a guest judge?
I've really enjoyed having the guest judge because its added a new dimension and a new spin to how they see the show. Then three judges on the Tuesday Results Show - it is only a half hour show - and they do tend to talk quite a lot, so I'm quite happy. I must say overall both M-Net and ourselves feel that the format is really working. We see it in the ratings, we're seeing it in the response from the audience. Overall we're quite happy that we managed to hit the nail on the head.
Production wise, anything you're doing differently from previous years?
When M-Net offered the contract to my company we went and sat down and looked at the whole season - every aspect of it - and said: How can we make this better? From what the judges sit on to the backdrops, to how we move from city to city, to the contestants we're looking for, how we interview we've taken every single aspect of the production and tried to do something better with it. I think we've achieved quite a lot.
A lot of critics panned the last season of American Idol with Nigel Lythgoe gone and Simon Cowell leaving and that they've made too many changes and the viewership is also down. Are you surprised by how much life there is still left in Idols in South Africa?
For me the biggest change I've seen on Idols and why I think it's so successful here is that the contestants have become musically mature. In the beginning I think a lot of people just thought this would be a fun thing to enter. Now, if you look at the top ten, nine of them are probably seasoned musicians. They've already done the hard work. Now they just want that extra break. That's what the audience is getting into. They're picking up that these guys really want it, that they're professionals. The standard of musician has become better.
I know you're not going to tell me about the surprises in store but can you tell me about surprises coming.
Definitely from an on-stage production value point of view - how you see the contestants, what they perform, how they perform - that's definitely going to be a lot bigger. There's some nice surprises coming there. Then apart from the judges' save we're not going to throw any surprises in that way that is going to make the audience feel upset with the format. So the format is staying true to what Idols has been but we're going to make it look really good on screen.
Idols VI Spectaculars, Sundays, M-Net at 17:30
Idols VI Results Show, Sundays, M-Net at 19:00
