The Greatest Showman #1286 – The Dog is Restless

Lena Krabbe stood at the door of the elevator, her nerves on edge. Anxiety bubbled up inside her like boiling water, as though three emergencies had collided at once.

Her thoughts paused abruptly as a sudden urge to go to the bathroom hit her. However, this was clearly not the time to leave her post.

"Damn it!"

Choosing to work at a TV station meant dealing with accidents and crises daily. Coping with emergencies wasn't just a part of their routine during current affairs shows but also during the recording of talk shows.

From Lena's perspective, the unexpected situations involving top-tier superstars were more frequent and challenging than others. And each time one arose, it had to be handled with extreme care. There was no room for error—the good stuff was handled by the hosts and producers, while they bore the brunt of the chaos.

Today's schedule had been meticulously planned, with the first taping of a new season of The Norton Show.

The first segment featured the cast of Iron Man 3, the second had the Fast & Furious 6 crew, and the third included the Man of Steel team. Each segment was designed to last no more than three to four hours to ensure the entire day's recording could be wrapped up in time.

But at 11 p.m. last night, an unforeseen complication had arisen.

In the past six hours, the production team had been in near-constant discussion. BBC executives had suddenly decided to replace the Iron Man 3 crew with an interview featuring Renly, which meant the entire schedule had to be rewritten. The platform, Graham Norton, and the writing team had to rethink the jokes, topics, and guests.

This also raised the question: who could appear with Renly on the show? Who could fit into the last-minute reshuffle, both in terms of schedule and relevance?

To make matters worse, the new recording time had to be figured out. Robert Downey Jr. of Iron Man 3, Vin Diesel of Fast & Furious 6, and Russell Crowe of Man of Steel were all difficult to schedule. Any changes were bound to cause more headaches for the crew.

The sudden change meant the team had to act quickly. Renly's first UK TV appearance was a major event. After making history at the Olivier Awards, everyone was on edge, filled with excitement and caffeine.

Then the emergencies began.

First, the Iron Man 3 crew reported that Gwyneth Paltrow had fallen ill, suspected of food poisoning, and was going to the hospital. Her condition would likely delay their segment.

Next, Robert Downey Jr. requested that his segment be pushed to the afternoon rather than the morning, citing concerns over his interview questions. His request was further complicated by his schedule conflicts the next day.

Meanwhile, the Fast & Furious 6 crew insisted that the interview questions be changed to exclude certain topics involving Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, as Diesel had personal matters to address. The production team rejected this request, which led to Diesel's agent threatening to pull out.

On top of that, the Man of Steel crew called with scheduling issues, which only added to the confusion. After a quick inquiry, it turned out that the assistant in charge of the schedule had acted prematurely, assuming arrangements had been made without consulting the team.

Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner were furious about being moved to the early morning slot, which added another layer of stress to the situation.

As the situation worsened, Graham Norton, both the host and producer, decided to take charge. "If chaos is here, let's make it more dramatic," he said, determined to get everything under control.

By the end of the night, Graham had reorganized the entire schedule:

Renly would be the first guest, as planned.The Man of Steel crew would follow.The Iron Man 3 crew would be last.The next day, Fast & Furious 6 would be the first.

With all special requests addressed, including apologies to Russell and Kevin, who were upset about the schedule changes, Graham was satisfied with the solution.

However, one problem remained: Robert Downey Jr. had insisted on removing some jokes from his segment, particularly those regarding "comeback rumors." At the same time, Diesel pushed for a delay in the recording, needing more time to discuss the interview content.

By the time all the decisions were made, it was 4:30 a.m., and everything seemed under control—except for one last call.

Christian Wagner, Diesel's agent, claimed that Diesel was already dressed and ready to go, despite the fact that it was too early to make such a claim. Lena, who had been up all night, answered the phone. Her patience was running thin as Christian insisted on a first-recording slot for Diesel, demanding the program team honor the agreement made a month prior.

Lena quickly realized that Diesel's team was making excuses, and after some back and forth, it became clear: Diesel's issue was with Renly. Diesel didn't want Renly to overshadow his segment. This was the root cause of the ongoing tension.

Despite all the chaos, Renly had been calm and understanding. His only request was that the team review the program outline with him before recording, just to ensure there were no surprises.

The rest of the crew agreed to all the changes, and by 6 a.m., the team was ready to go. The chaos was managed, but the hard work behind the scenes would never be seen by the audience, hidden behind the laughter and fun of the show. It was all part of the game—managing big egos and bigger stakes.

By 4:30 a.m., everything was finally set. The chaos had been tamed, and the show would go on.

But as the Fast & Furious 6 crew called to confirm their slot, Diesel's agent insisted once more that they must be the first to record. "Fan is up now and ready to get dressed," Wagner said.

Lena, still barely awake, rolled her eyes. Diesel's bald head didn't take an hour to get ready, so who were they fooling?