History Main / WITTYBANTER

* Most recent showings of the EurovisionSongContest have featured a pair of hosts (male and female) exchanging excruciatingly scripted WittyBanter, usually by way of "flirting." Usually in English, which is not their first language. On at least one occasion (Denmark, 2001), rhyming couplets were employed for the purpose.

* This is one of the main features of the widely-known "Eyewitness News" format (not all of the stations using the EWN name emphasize this trope).

* ''[[Radio/TerryWogan Wake Up To Wogan]]''.

* Spoofed on ''MurphyBrown'': During a FYI airing, Miles tells Murphy and the gang at the last minute to talk amongst themselves so that the footage can be played during the end credits to give the show a "friendly atmosphere". However, he adds that the audio will not be recorded, prompting this exchange of dialog:

* Frequently parodied in ''Series/TheDayToday'', the show in which Series/AlanPartridge originated; the segues between host Chris Morris and the other correspondents parody these tactics in different ways. With the travel reporter Valerie Sinatra, Morris would make no effort to conceal the fact that he had a heavy crush on her, which she would politely attempt to rebuff; with the business correspondent Collaterlie Sisters he would openly insult her, and he would psychologically torment Alan in a variety of different ways, including [[HoYay flirting]] and overly aggressive interrogation.

* ''{{Anchorman}}'' parodies this straight to hell. The two hosts hate each other; their on-screen banter is all scripted, and over the station credits they improvise:
--->'''Ron Burgundy''': I'm gonna punch you in the ovary, that's what I'm gonna do. A straight shot. Right to the babymaker.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' you wind up fighting a [[EvilKnockoff robot clone]] of local wise cracking TrickArrow expert Manticore. The robot's text files are incomplete, so he winds up throwing error messages during his taunts.
** --> Oh yeah? Aren't you the MISSING FILE BELITTING_INSULT.TXT
** (after defeating someone) --> That sure was MISSING FILE ONE_LINER.TXT
[[/folder]]

** 'The toss', the segue from ''The Daily Show'' into ''The Colbert Report'', is scripted witty banter - one toss hung a lampshade on it by having Stewart note that the purpose of the toss was to allow the viewers to share in their cameraderie, upon which they both instantly [[BadBadActing went wooden]].

* A fictional example: The entire point of the radio stations in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' series is the witty banter. Good news? It's actually witty. Bad news? Eventually it runs out.

* WordFunk is a podcast where the three presenters (one of which presents the very informative speculative series RenegadeCut) try to talk about news stories, movies, television and videogames, but more often and not descend into this, teasing and joking about random topics that have nothing to do with the things they are meant to be talking about.

* On ''Series/{{Room 101}}'', the show where people nominated things to be permanently removed from the world, one of Dara O Briain's choices was banter. He noted that in RealLife, all of us engage in pointless small talk to smooth over social situations that would otherwise be awkward; the mystery is why anyone thinks those moments should be televised.

* Frequently parodied in ''Series/TheDayToday'', the show in which Alan Partridge (mentioned above) originated; the segues between host Chris Morris and the other correspondents parody these tactics in different ways. With the travel reporter Valerie Sinatra, Morris would make no effort to conceal the fact that he had a heavy crush on her, which she would politely attempt to rebuff; with the business correspondent Collaterlie Sisters he would openly insult her, and he would psychologically torment Alan in a variety of different ways, including [[HoYay flirting]] and overly aggressive interrogation.

* In ''CityOfHeroes'' you wind up fighting a [[EvilKnockoff robot clone]] of local wise cracking TrickArrow expert Manticore. The robot's text files are incomplete, so he winds up throwing error messages during his taunts.

->''"I'm not talking about movie chemistry, like the crackling sexual energy between [[HumphreyBogart Bogey]] and [[LaurenBacall Bacall]] or [[Creator/KatharineHepburn Hepburn]] and Tracy. No, in breakfast or daytime telly, "chemistry" is a euphemism for an [[AbhorrentAdmirer overly matey bloke]] and [[IHaveToWashMyHair a woman who wouldn't give him one in a million years]]."''
-->-- '''Marina Hyde''', [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2010/sep/02/daybreak-adrian-chiles-christine-bleakley Lost in Showbiz]]

Occurs most often in non-fiction shows with more than one host. The hosts will trade supposedly funny and or witty comments back and forth instead of presenting what they are supposed to be presenting. They may also [[WikiWalk digress into talking about their personal lives]]. Viewers often profess to be bored or irritated with it.

Young, hip viewers might assume that the [[ExecutiveMeddling execs]] are out of touch for encouraging the banter, but most viewers find this kind of thing entertaining. According to an Ipsos-Reid poll taken in 2004, over 85% of viewers preferred shows with banter to those without ''even if they had previously claimed not to like banter''. This ''includes'' young, hip viewers! Producers know what viewers want, and it's apparently lots of small talk.

Local {{news broadcast}}s, daytime {{talk show}}s, and infomercials seem to especially love doing this, but you also get it between the [=DJs=] on music and radio programs. In news broadcasts, reporters who are [[BackToYouDave live on the scene]] will sometimes engage in this at the end of their segment.

Sometimes there exists a pair or trio of hosts who have good chemistry, and can do this spontaneously (this is key), without making it seem forced or artificial (also key). The producers may note this and insist on more of it, [[ExecutiveMeddling ruining]] the chemistry. More often it's a forced attempt to build chemistry that doesn't actually exist.

British news programmes are usually blissfully devoid of this, apart from the occasional half-hearted attempt at banter between the newsreaders and weather forecasters. In contrast, British music radio stations often rely on good banter more than on good music, to the extent that many people tune in to hear the hosts more than the music they play.

Local {{news broadcast}}s, daytime {{talk show}}s, and infomercials seem to be the worst offenders, but you also get it between the [=DJs=] on music programs (radio also suffers from this). In news broadcasts, reporters who are [[BackToYouDave live on the scene]] will sometimes engage in this at the end of their segment.

* In ''TheSimpsons'' the two [=DJs=] from the radio station KBBL engage in this all the time. The station's motto serves as a LampshadeHanging; "No sports, no talk, no information -- for mindless chatter, we're your station!" In "Bart Gets an Elephant", the voice-tracking machine that is going to replace them if they don't [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin give Bart an elephant]] comes pre-programmed with several different kinds of inane babble.

* MarkKermode and Simon Mayo, who are frequently referred to as an old, bickering, married couple.

* The entire point of [[ImAlanPartridge Alan Partridge]] is his complete failure at this sort of thing. His frequent attempts at witty banter are cringe-worthy and often offensive, but hilarious in [[CringeComedy a very different way]].

-->Presenter: Don't go there!
-->Weatherman: I won't go there!
* Frequently parodied in ''TheDayToday'', the show in which Alan Partridge (mentioned above) originated; the segues between host Chris Morris and the other correspondents parody these tactics in different ways. With the travel reporter Valerie Sinatra, Morris would make no effort to conceal the fact that he had a heavy crush on her, which she would politely attempt to rebuff; with the business correspondent Collaterlie Sisters he would openly insult her, and he would psychologically torment Alan in a variety of different ways, including [[HoYay flirting]] and overly aggressive interrogation.

* Smashie and Nicey on ''HarryEnfieldAndChums'' are a parody of radio [=DJs=] who seem to spend more time engaging it WittyBanter than actually playing records.
** ''[[SmallReferencePools Record]]''. Specifically, ''You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet''.

-->'''Frank''':''[cheerily]'' So Jim? What do you say we get together after work and go beat up Miles in the parking lot?
-->'''Jim''':''[cheerily]'' Good idea! We'll throw a blanket over his head! He'll never know what hit him!

-> "I'm not talking about movie chemistry, like the crackling sexual energy between [[HumphreyBogart Bogey]] and [[LaurenBacall Bacall]] or [[Creator/KatharineHepburn Hepburn]] and Tracy. No, in breakfast or daytime telly, "chemistry" is a euphemism for an [[AbhorrentAdmirer overly matey bloke]] and [[IHaveToWashMyHair a woman who wouldn't give him one in a million years]]."
--> '''Marina Hyde''', [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2010/sep/02/daybreak-adrian-chiles-christine-bleakley Lost in Showbiz]]

** In Britain most of this is either talked over, or at least commented on by TerryWogan who mercilessly rips it apart.

**** He has admitted, in at least one interview, that they keep a mini bar on hand while they're doing the commentary, and have gotten ''quite'' drunk during the ad breaks over the years.

* ''[[TerryWogan Wake Up To Wogan]]''.

* On ''Room 101'', the show where people nominated things to be permanently removed from the world, one of Dara O Briain's choices was banter. He noted that in RealLife, all of us engage in pointless small talk to smooth over social situations that would otherwise be awkward; the mystery is why anyone thinks those moments should be televised.

* In an episode of ''Friends'', Joey practices with Ross and Chandler before his audition for the role of a game show host. He jokingly berates Ross for introducing himself too verbosely. Chandler introduces himself as:

* SportsCenter or any likewise talk show on ESPN or any other channel devoted to sports, if there isn't a game on you can expect this.

For hero/villain banter, see YouFightLikeACow.

* ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway'' also has occasional bit of witty banter before and after skits between the performers and the host. Sometimes the subject of the banter becomes a small RunningGag and appears in the skits themselves.