Comedian Jason Goliath channels international icons into a homegrown talk show
|||A TITAN on the stage, stand-up comedian Jason Goliath is finally realising his dream of being a talk show host with SABC3’s Larger Than Life late-night talk show.
Thanks to Chief Operating Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s implementation of the 80 percent local quota at the SABC, some deserving talent are getting their chance to shine.
As far as talk shows go, not everyone is cut out to be a host – as Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu demonstrated with her numerous faux pas during her reign on SABC3.
Goliath’s sense of humour is disarming, and it works in his favour, especially as he is someone with deep footprints in the entertainment industry. He exudes confidence and is quick off the mark, which helps during those awkward moments with guests.
Bottom line, he is able to get a conversation going and that’s most of the battle won.
When Tonight got a hold of Goliath, who has become more synonymous with the Goliath & Goliath brand since the launch of their premium comedy club in Melrose Arch, he was chuffed to chat about his TV break.
He said: “I’ve been dying to do a late-night talk show for a while. I was not shy to tell industry people about it. And it kind of came together.”
Time was not a luxury he had after being approached. Goliath reveals: “I got a call 10 days before the first episode went out. No comedian in their right mind says ‘no!’ One of the main reasons I said ‘yes’ was the reference to it being the love child of The Graham Norton Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
As such, Larger Than Life has several elements to ensure viewers don’t get bored. Each episode boasts two topical guests, skits, a shotgun version of Trivial Pursuit and, to make things interesting, a hot-button question.
Goliath explains: “It’s similar to what Graham Norton does with a variety of guests on the couch. I wanted to be able to get under the surface of that, to find out about people’s journey, not just when they have made it. It’s a light-hearted show. We engage the celebrities on a fun platform. One of the major stipulations from my point is that I wanted the show to reek of Jason Goliath. SABC3 and I have established a mutual trust. We are going to push the envelope until we get a letter of complaint.”
He stresses the importance of having the guest feel completely comfortable: “This isn’t Special Assignment, we aren’t out to interrogate. My major gripe with similar formats is that hosts have to pander to the guest. I’m hoping to find the middle ground. It’s easier said than done. There’s a thin line between offending somebody and debating with them. We don’t want people to think we are out to get them. We want to find substance in a positive light, and, ultimately, give viewers the un-PR version of people.
“I chose Siv Ngesi to be among my first guests. We did a beer commercial and have become the best of friends. In fact, he gave me a huge push to do stand-up comedy. We have played a huge role in motivating each other. We have been in each other’s corner. It’s serendipitous that our first shows premiere in the same week and he was a guest on mine and I was a guest on his.”
Besides the fabulous reception of the comedy club, Goliath & Goliath were nominated in the Best Friends of Comedy category for this year’s Comic’s Choice Awards. They won the title last year.
On being in the running again, he admits: “We are very excited. The win last year is the industry seeing what we are trying to achieve and supporting us. That was the driving force to start our own comedy club. It was a lot of hard work and big risks.”
As someone who loathes hypocrisy in people, he ensures that he stays true to himself.
He offers: “I always try to be constant and myself on the show. That’s as real as it gets!”
In tonight’s show, he gets the lowdown on Top Chef SA’s host and co-judge, Lorna Maseko, and Top Billing’s Joshua Adams.
For those wanting to know more about South Africa’s darling couple, actress Jay Anstey and Top Billing presenter, Jonathan Boynton-Lee, tune in tomorrow night.
I can’t wait for Motsoeneng to make his debut on the Larger than Life couch.
Yes, it’s early days for the show. But it won’t be long before it gets the nation talking.
Larger than Life airs on SABC3 from Mondays to Thursdays at 10pm.