The Celeb Hunter: 2 Chairs, 1 Chat

7 February 2014

Chris Stark has an idea – to make his own mobile chat show. Armed only with his dad’s camping chairs he wants to meet some of the greats face to face. But can the sidekick who managed to charm Jennifer Aniston do it?

Everybody’s got to start somewhere; all the best hosts have all had to cut their teeth with an awkward interview or two. Having worked his way up from Hospital Radio, Chris gained infamy for his wonderfully unorthodox interview with Hollywood A-lister Mila Kunis for BBC Radio 1’s The Scott Mills Show. The video went viral and got over 12 million views.   

More than a little confused and intrigued by the modern world of celebrity he’s out to prove that celebrities are normal people; pretty much anyone can meet them if they try hard enough, and if you talk to them like you’re having a pint down your local they really are just normal people.

Followed by BAFTA award winning director Matt Rudge, Chris plans to put his charm and unique interviewing skills to the test but first he needs to find the guests. He and his mates have gone down the pub and put together their ultimate list of famous faces, including Elton John, Derek Akorah, Verne Troyer, Ricky Hatton, Johnny Knoxville and Carol Vorderman.

Despite a career in the ‘media’ he doesn’t have a phone book filled with celebrity numbers so instead he calls on his local football team, Watford FC, and its fans to help find his celeb guests. His mobile phone is inundated with messages but with callers claiming to know Margaret Thatcher and the Queen it seems that this way of crowd sourcing might prove a dead end.

Eventually through persistence, a lot of loitering and crashing a wedding show, he gets his chance to chat to some real celebs but there are still a few things he needs to learn.

A skilled host will always ask a good question – has a celebrity mum ever been asked to compare giving birth with man-flu before? A good host will always be well turned out - would Parky ever reveal to an A-list guest that he’s had a heavy night and as such had dressed a little ‘scummy’? An experienced host will always make their guest feel comfortable – well, at least everyone Chris interviews is offered the chair with two cup holders.

Pulling in favours, twisting arms and crossing fingers Chris meets an array of weird and wonderful celebrities, learning more about the unique worlds around them and giving them a fascinating insight in to his, sometimes hilarious and often bizarre, world.

It takes a lot to be a good chat show host and, just maybe by the end of this, Chris will be one step closer to being up there with the greats.

 

Director: Matt Rudge
Executive Producers: Matthew Clifton, Mark Roberts
Production Company: Mentorn Media