Less Grange Hill. More lower-sixth debating hall. In the end, as scraps go, last night's leadership debate felt decidedly flat because the magic ingredient was missing: Competition favourite Boris Johnson chose to keep away.
He and his amour, Carrie, decided to stay in. Were they watching Countryfile instead?
One of the main charges against Boris in recent weeks has been that he lacks judgment. In this case, it looked like a wise choice. The ensuing action was not exactly edifying.
A quick summary would say that Jeremy Hunt was good. Govey not bad. Rory Stewart, Sajid Javid and whatshisname Raab, meanwhile, bobbed up and down like skiffs in the wake of an oil tanker.
A quick summary would say that Jeremy Hunt (second left) was good. Govey (left) not bad. Rory Stewart (right), Sajid Javid (middle) and whatshisname Raab (second right), meanwhile, bobbed up and down like skiffs in the wake of an oil tanker
If the Saj offered much by way of contribution it must have passed me by.
No doubts who the audience warmed too, though. Rory's interventions were met with rapturous applause.
Though considering Channel 4's metropolitan audience, this is very much his milieu.
The action took place in the broadcaster's Westminster studios, which had been reconfigured into a futuristic setting reminiscent of 80s sci-fi movie Tron.
Our host: Krishnan Guru-Murthy, a Porsche-driving thruster who's been waiting for his boss, dear old Jon Snow, to shuffle off for as long as I can remember.
The candidates hardly appeared happy to be there. Suited and booted, they really did resemble schoolboys having to attend an impromptu Sunday service of evensong.
Hunt was scathing about Boris's no-show. 'Where is he?' he jibed. 'If his team won't allow him out with five fairly friendly colleagues, how is he going to deal with 27 European countries?'
Dominic Raab and Rory Stewart got into an unseemly row over no Brexit later on when Raab accused Stewart of talking down the economy
There was a lot of early chat about the threat of socialist Labour. Jeremy Hunt said Jeremy Corbyn was
