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The Last Leg With Adam Hills
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The Last Leg With Adam Hills (also known as The Last Leg) was a UK TV show that ran alongside the 2012 Summer Paralympics every night following the main coverage on Channel 4. Hosted by Australian comedian and television presenter Adam Hills and co-hosted by Josh Widdicombe and national TV newcomer Alex Brooker, it gave an alternative review of the day's events. Featuring a mix of comedy, guests and Paralympics highlights, the show received rave reviews and regularly pulled in more than a million viewers each night of the Paralympic Games. Reception Hills, who was quoted as saying "If the Paralympics is covered well, it can change the way you look at and treat people with disabilities" was praised for his witty take on the sporting action and his refreshing attitude to disability issues. Colin Robertson for The Sun said that the show's success was down to the simple fact that you can joke about disability — you just need to know what you can say. The programme provoked a discussion in the media about whether disability and comedy could work together on TV. The Independent described it as "a high risk venture" saying that Hills "reminds us frequently that he has a prosthetic leg, giving him licence to crack jokes that most of us wouldn't dream of."Frances Ryan, for The Guardian, described it as "often tasteless, sometimes awkward, always funny".Damon Rose for BBC News said that "Comedian Adam Hills' late night irreverent Para-chat show The Last Leg - a title reflecting Adam's lack of a segment of his lower limb - has taken mainstream viewers to dark and delightfully surprising places that only disability humour can go. And it has given a sense of permission for regular viewers to talk openly about things they may previously have shied away from". One of the main features of the show was the "Is it OK?" section where viewers tweeted questions related to disability or the Paralympics that they weren't sure were OK to ask. Channel 4 came under criticism for airing a tweet that asked whether if it is acceptable to hit disabled people. Guests Guests on the show included comedians such as Jimmy Carr and Sean Lock and Olympic and Paralympic medallists including Jonnie Peacock and Jason Smyth.
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