Anton Savage: Gregg Wallace could have done with a reality whisperer stationed beside him
The TV presenter has had what can only be described as a spectacular fall from grace
Originally published in the Business Post.
Legend has it that victorious Roman generals would parade their legions into the city, slaves, plunder and chattels in tow. As the crowds hailed them and poured praise upon the general, beside them a slave would walk whispering “Memento mori” – you are mortal. In other words, “Don’t get too big for your boots, lad, this can all disappear right quick.”
TV celebrities could do with hiring someone to provide a similar service. Being at the helm of a large TV show isn’t quite the same as being Marcus Aurelius, but it still goes to the head easily.
Massive financial investment, thousands of work hours and preparation come to fruition in a recording requiring dozens of people, and at the focal point of all this is The Talent. Even the term is designed to make you lose touch with just how mortal you are, not to mention that it is often also a complete misnomer.
All of this can be turbocharged if the presenter also serves as a judge on whatever the show might be (think X-Factor, Apprentice, etc). The ability to make or break contestants’ dreams adds a Stanford Prison Experiment element to proceedings that greatly catalyses the tendency to fly up your own posterior.
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