Major public gatherings are cramped, near-desperate attempts to watch staged spectacles of minor importance: the dropping of the New Year's ball in Times Square or the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
While Lucas lists his hobbies as "eating crisps, watching football, eating chocolate, watching stage musicals, sleeping, eating crumpets", Walliams cites the love of swimming that propelled him across the Channel three years ago.
The National Football League has confirmed that Justin Timberlake will perform at Super Bowl LII in February, marking his first return to that closely watched stage since he infamously exposed Janet Jackson's breast during a performance at the 2004 Super Bowl.
Graham Little, presenter of ITV4's The Cycle Show I'll be watching stage two at Ballycastle, a beautiful spot and also the start and finish of the Giant's Causeway Coast Sportive that I help organise!
While young he enjoyed watching stage performances, such as wayang puppetry and the traditional dance form tayuban; at times he would furtively leave his home after bedtime to watch the productions.
An early credit warns of "select re-enactments," and since we're never later told whether we're watching staged scenes, it's fairly safe to assume that everything is staged.
The technique constantly reminds us that we are watching staged reality, and though the actors flawlessly reproduce every breath and syllable, every halting hum and haw, the disconnect between words and performer brutally exposes the machinery of representation.
I am genuinely baffled every four years when the otherwise intelligent people I know invest themselves fully in watching staged cable news shows and sharing clickbait articles they probably didn't even read.
Audiences drag up to watch the stage versions.
