“Welcome to Late Nights in Egham!”, is the tagline accompanying Philipp Carl Kostelecky’s new project, a late-night talk show set in “our wonderful town of Egham”. Kostelecky’s pet project came to life after more than a year of discussions, writing and set up, with him dressed in a snazzy suit and ready to be the charming late night talk show host we have come to expect.
His biggest inspirations come from Conan and Eric Andre, both of which he has drawn from to influence his own talk show idea. The idea was conceived on a long plane ride last summer and Kostelecky and the rest of the production team are extremely excited to see it “finally come into fruition”. Kostelecky says that he “thought the idea of a late night talk show in Egham would be fun”. The show concept was originally quite different to the final product, as it was supposed to be more “behind-the-scenes” by showcasing how the show itself would have come together, focusing on the “production side of it” but keeping it comical. After some careful contemplation, Kostelecky decided that a comical talk show idea would work better and be more fun.
Kostelecky’s show is “shot like an American talk show”, accompanied by Kostelecky’s co-host Guy Cole and an in-house band headed up by the talented Jimmy Butts. The in-house band is, coincidentally, called The Jimmy Butts Orchestra and provides apt entertainment along the likes of Jimmy Fallon and The Roots.
They bring in students from Royal Holloway as guests, mostly “campus celebrities and people that are well-known around Royal Holloway, such as Presidents of societies”, Kostelecky tells me. These guest conversations are followed by performances and sketches from people at RHUL.
Kostelecky likes that the show is “weird and different” where parts of it may confuse you and get you asking “why is this funny?” and “other parts where there are clear jokes for you to laugh at”. A interesting, and odd, aspect of the show is that there is no live audience, as there usually is with other late night talk shows. Kostelecky comments on this and states that this, in itself, “is kind of funny” as he will “gesture to the audience and there is no response”, which is “weird but also very interesting and unique”.
Kostelecky is “very impressed” with the production team and finds that this project is a good opportunity to meet “some very talented people here on campus”. It is co-directed by Laurence Smither and James Burns, with Michael Guano operating the camera, Alfie Rackley in charge of casting and Georgia Johnson doing sound. Kostelecky is very clearly grateful to the team for their hardwork on his pet project. Not only are his team hardworking, he says, they also provide a lighthearted atmosphere to accompany a light-hearted show. Kostelecky gushes that the crew members are “amazing… with the project as a whole” and, as most of them are also his friends, it is fun and easy to work with them.
They aim to release its full episodes on YouTube in March. Until then, their social media channels allow for anticipating fans to follow along in the editing process and watch clips of the show before it is released. Follow them on @latenightsegham.