By James Robinson: The TV channel Dave has commissioned a chatshow hosted by the former Red Dwarf star Robert Llewellyn, based on his web video format Carpool.
Carpool, in which Llewellyn interviews guests while driving them about in his car, will be funded entirely by its sponsor, Toyota Prius.
The web version of the show has been available to watch online for 18 months, after Llewellyn began filming it as “an experiment”.
Dave, the UKTV channel aimed at a young, male audience, is billing it as TV’s “most intimate and off the wall chatshow”.
The series of 10 30-minute shows is being made by RDF Contact, which was set up by the independent producer to make content in conjunction with big advertising agencies and brands.
RDF Contact’s Dominic Bowles says: “Having started as an online project before transferring to mainstream TV with the help of a commercial funding partner, Carpool is in many respects a case study for modern TV production.”
Llewellyn, who also co-hosted Channel 4’s Scrapheap Challenge, said: “I started Carpool 18 months ago as an experiment. A sort of talkshow recorded in a car as I drive busy people to meetings, events, gigs or just down the shops. The real joy is that people talk openly and intimately and it’s not only funny but a real insight into the interviewees.”
The online version has been downloaded more than 2 million times on iTunes and has been in the top 10 in the iTunes podcast chart.
Each individual show is viewed on average 50,000 times, according to Dave.
Previous guests have included Ruby Wax, David Baddiel, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross, Patrick Stewart, David Mitchell and MediaGuardian.co.uk’s Jemima Kiss.
This article originally appeared in © Guardian News & Media Ltd..

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