Our job is to nurture the arts – it’s not all about clickbait

While the continuing drama of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s live-streamed trial might stay top of the charts for a while – there is more to life than traffic, writes Charlotte Cripps

‘Who’s Lorraine…? Lorraine’s a legend’ (Getty)

It’s been a week of TV host dramas. Boris Johnson asked “Who’s Lorraine?” at the end of his interview on Good Morning Britain as Susanna Reid went to hand over to Lorraine Kelly for her daytime programme.

Reid replied: “Who’s Lorraine...? Lorraine’s a legend.” Viewers who watched the interview mocked Johnson on social media for his seemingly out-of-touch remark. “Made my morning,” Kelly reacted to Johnson not knowing who she is.

Anne Robinson also made headline news this week when she announced that she was stepping down from Countdown after only a year amid rumours of a rift with Rachel Riley.

And Donald Trump declared “its over” for “crazy” Piers Morgan during a rally in Nebraska after TalkTV’s new show Piers Morgan Uncensored bombed following the pair’s explosive interview.

We are always monitoring the stories that are doing well – like these ones – making sure we are promoting them on our social media, from Instagram to Twitter.

But it’s not just about chasing clickbait. It’s a balance for the culture desk between what a reader wants and what should be reported. While a four-star Royal Ballet review of Frederick Ashton’s works might have a starry cast of dancers, including Marianela Nunez, we know it won’t perform for us as well as a review of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – even though it only got a two-star review from us.

Maybe ballet is not for everybody – it’s a niche target audience – but it doesn’t make it any less important. For us, dance, theatre, art and books have a loyal fanbase.

Our readers want to know that the revival of Jez Butterworth’s hit play Jerusalem is worth seeing, or that Alan Bennett’s House Arrest: Pandemic Diaries is one of our must-reads of the month. “The week on stage” roundup covers not only big West End shows but also Fringe theatre, while our New Sensations series of interviews showcases new talent each week.

While Ozark’s disappointing finale and the continuing drama of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s live-streamed trial might stay top of the charts for a while – there is more to life than traffic. It’s about nurturing the arts and reporting on what’s culturally important.

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Culture writer