Review by Steve Bennett

"Everything you are about to hear is true," the preppy Bob Wiltfong assures us in the friendly, confident and authoritative voice that stood him in such excellent stead in the decade he spent as an American TV newsman.

This story is of his experience in the savage, cut-throat world of journalism ­ and why he chose to give it all up to become a comedian and improviser.

He describes himself as an "asshole", or a more Anglo-Saxon alternative, but one who could turn on the charm when needs be: the perfect attributes for a determined newshound who has to doorstep grieving relatives or persuade a convicted paedophile to appear on camera.

No one should be surprised at the cynicism of certain branches of journalism, and Wiltfong certainly does his bit to reinforce that image with a handful of reasonably amusing anecdotes that could have come straight out of Drop The Dead Donkey.

Some exploits are funnier than others. The way he changes his name as he moves from city to city up the greasy pole is amusing; but that he illustrated a story about water efficiency by seemingly appearing naked, his modesty preserved by the miracle of pixilation, isn't as hilarious as he thinks it is.

The second thread to this show is a very American tribute to Mom and Dad, though at one point he discovers hat his father had secret sexual yearnings that made the family bliss seem unconventional to say the least. This somehow becomes intertwined with his own dreams, though the reasoning is slight.

In a sentimental climax, he turns his back on his successful on-screen career to pursue his dream to be an entertainer, but it's a predictable and schmaltzy pay-off, especially to British sensibilities.

We had a few entertaining pit-stops along the way, but essentially Anchor's Away isn't that much less superficial than the news industry Wiltfong left behind.

Review date: 1 Jan 2004
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett