Set around a reality show singing competetion, Chart Throb delivers figures recognizable to the British viewing public. The competition, Chart Throb, features three judges: harsh, bullying producer Calvin Simms, who loves a challenge; former rocker male-to-female transsexual Beryl Blenheim, a one-note character with an obsession with "mothering"; and Rodney Root, a two-bit "manager" who is more or less the butt of all jokes. They stand in for Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh of X-Factor fame. Though The X-Factor and it's judges are mentioned in the book by name, it is clear that Ben Elton didn't care much about hiding who the characters were supposed to be.

I sped through the book quickly, despite the pages numbering above 400. The reason for that is, unfortunately, the complete lack of plot. The point of the novel seemed to be that reality television is scripted down to the last second, the contestants are coached and every decision is made to manipulate the viewing audience; a fair point to be sure, however, it wears thin after only a few pages of constant malicious manipulation. The same jokes and lines are repeated over and over, highlighting not only the repetitiveness of Chart Throb (and likewise The X Factor, Pop Idol, American Idol, Britain's Got Talent, etc) but the sheer pointlessness of the novel.

Elton doesn't actually deliver anything but a straightforward, bare bones "behind the scenes" look at the show until page 350, which I found to rather late to attempt to insert some sort of drama or plot. The characters were at best one-note and two dimensional and what I think was the "final twist" was not only lame but completely lacking in sense. Elton seemed less interested in fleshing out characters and providing actual plot than in showing ad nauseum how unblinkingly cruel these types of television shows are.

A fun quick read if you're not looking for a character to care about and a novel you'll forget within five minutes. ( )

Chart Throb is a must read for any fan of X-Factor, Pop Idol, etc. Elton's story follows the next evolutionary step, where the talent search genre is full of exploitation, double-crossing and weirdos. Chart Throb is an unpredictable and entertaining journey through one season of the show, where all the bets are off (except for all the rigged entrants!) and chaos reigns. It's a great read, however don't be expecting plenty of belly laughs. The humour is wry and would be entirely missed by those who have never been caught up in the reality TV that spams the civilised world. Interesting characters and an intriguing plot will help the TV stay off until you turn the very last page. ( )

Another hysterical look at reality TV from a talented, wry author. Highly recommended especially if you have ever wondered what it might be like behind the scenes on a show like American Idol. Elton is a master at this type of satire- it rings just true enough to make you squirm a bit before busting a gut laughing at his over the top characters. I picked this up at an airport in Europe and was convulsed on my long flight back. ( )

Satirist supreme Ben Elton [Black Adder, Thin Blue Line] has sent up yet another sacred cow of popular culture in Chart Throb, his latest novel, based on the successful reality TV Idols genre.

Calvin Simms – based on Simon Cowell – is the richest and most influential man in showbiz, thanks to his cynical manipulative abilities. When his new wife threatens to take his fortune in a divorce settlement, he challenges her to propose an outrageous candidate for Chart Throb, whom he will manipulate into winning.

She chooses the unpopular and ridiculous Prince of Wales, and Calvin starts to work his magic. Elton has already given us his take on Big Brother in Dead Famous I can’t wait to read his delightful expose on Survivor! ( )

Terrible.

I have this weird thing with Ben Elton books, where I feel compelled to start them and read them through to the end, despite being drowned by his incessant preaching. Usually, the conclusion which I come to is, "that was a decent read, but it would have been so much better without the obvious agenda". Well Chart Throb didn't even have that.

Realising that Elton was by no means being subtle, there are still only so many times you can hear the same 3 jokes about the same 3 points. I mean, we get it - reality TV is soulless, manipulative, and horrid. Its participants are but victims, whose 5 minutes of fame are being plundered by the man for millions. Who DOESN'T already realise that?

I didn't care what happened in the book, the "twist" was appalling, the whole thing took months to get through (I couldn't bring myself to pick it up again), and I felt completely drained when I did finally complete it. ( )