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Amanda Ross has admitted "we got some things wrong” with the first episode of "The TV Book Club” on More 4. The show has been the focus of http://forum.tvbookclub.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3537" target="_blank">some criticism, despite attracting an overall average audience of 350,000 viewers.
In an interview with the Independent, the Cactus m.d. conceded: "We got some things wrong with the first show. Our guests were so carried away by being critics, they forgot to mention that all the 10 books we've chosen are really good books."
She added, "I want a lively debate. We chose books that would incite a lively debate. It would be so boring if everyone sat there and said, 'It's really great' wouldn't it?"
According to the newspaper, "none of the quintet [of judges] sounded at all comfortable in their unfamiliar role”, and "you didn't have to be V S Naipaul to feel that good books deserved better coverage.”
When asked if the judges possibly hating a title might send negative signals to a TV audience, Ross defended the show: "You know how, sometimes, you read a book and, though you might not like it, you still think it's a worthwhile experience, that's opened your eyes to a different kind of writing? We've picked books which are representative of what's out there, and we tell people they're worth reading, and they're not going to waste their £6.99."
As for the choice of judges, she said ""We had so many people to please. The broadcasters and sponsors had their own ideas about who'd be good.”
"The only criterion was, we didn't want known critics."