Behind the scenes with On Side

Called to the bar: Edwards, Torrance and Quinn

BBC Sport Online's Adrian Harte goes behind the scenes at the BBC One sports chat show, On Side.

Heard the one about the Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman in a bar?

No it's not a joke, but the filming of the opening scene of Monday's edition of BBC One's sports chat show On Side.

Three-and-a-half hours before the show goes on air, Jonathan Edwards, Niall Quinn and Sam Torrance are being served by the show's host John Inverdale.

The three guests arrived just minutes before, but the programme's preparation and planning has been underway for weeks.

It's a sport programme but its also an entertainment programme, so its no good having people on who all they can talk about is six-foot putts or penalty shoot-outs

  John Inverdale

With my perception of chat shows off-camera formed by the Larry Sanders show it was both relieving and refreshing to see the seamless professionalism of the show's production.

There were no histrionics or technical glitches with producer Paul Davies and assistant editor Peter Allden directing a well-oiled machine.

Meanwhile, John Inverdale belies his reputation for being almost horizontally laid-back, writing intros and recording links throughout in a burst of creativity.

Chasing the game

Taking a brief break from the organised clamour, Inverdale detailed his routine on the day of the programme.

He said: "I get in here about lunchtime, have a chat about what we're going to discuss with the guests, what things have changed since our last meeting on Thursday and then rehearse.

"Rehearse is a loose phrase for a shambolic run-through.

"Then about 1900GMT the guests arrive, we record the top of the programme because its complicated and we want to get it right.

"If you don't make a good start then you are chasing the game."

Secret of success

To this outsider, the shambolic run-through seems perfectly polished.

Inverdale is at his desk at 1640GMT and up in the production gallery within 50 minutes, quickly jotting down his text for the introduction pieces for the guests.

By 1800GMT, the studio is again empty, save for a solitary figure applying a fresh coat of paint to the giant "O" of the letters spelling out the show title on the set.

John Inverdale on the set of the show

With seven full-time staff involved in production and an ancillary crew of 50 in action on the day of the show, On Side is a large-scale operation.

But the planning is such that by the time the guests arrive an hour before recording begins, much of the work is done.

Indeed, the show's cachet is such that the rota of guests for the current series is already full.

Producer Paul Davies said: "The guests for the series are all pencilled in, which is not typical for these sort of shows, although we do like to leave room free for topicality."

Edwards, Quinn and Torrance are briefed by researchers and file into the "green room" (which is actually blue), while Inverdale puts the finishing touches to the show's trailer.

This period is crucial for the show's success.

"The guests go straight to the green room and it is important to have the guests interplaying, which makes their conversations much more interesting."

As Inverdale and Davies both say, "there is no knowing what will happen" on the show, but a rapport quickly develops between hosts and guests and between the guests themselves".

That translates into an excellent show and after my brief glimpse behind the scenes I can see that this is no fluke and explains why On Side is still on air after five successful series.