I know some people think that's what chat shows should be like, but really it depends on the guests. A chat show host whose reputation depends on his ability to listen has to have guests worth listening to. Fill up the guest list with soap stars and professional idiots, and explosions start to seem like a very good idea. I will allow you to prejudge for yourselves Parkinson's first guests on the new series. One of the fun things about watching Letterman in the UK is pretending to get the references to American sportsmen and minor politicians.
Beer helps, too.
Actually, I suspect this phenomenon isn't limited to foggy Albion, because the jokes I do get aren't remotely funny. It's the cymbal crash and the winning smile that get the laugh. Letterman doesn't pretend to probe the psychological depths with his guests. Most of the time he doesn't even have a guest. He just sits there sucking his teeth, tossing out lame one-liners and marvelling at how he gets away with this crap.