The Elba Room with Idris Elba

I’m a big fan of Idris Elba and what I particularly admire is his simmering. In my favorite Idris Elba performances (The Wire, Luther), the actor builds tension just with his world-weary looks, a particular set of his eyebrows, or, if he’s really getting close to losing it, a rub of the hand over the face. He’s proven in dramatic roles how applying these techniques heightens tension; but I suspect there are untapped comedic applications for his brand of simmering as well.  

If I ever met Idris Elba I would pitch him on hosting a talk show called The Elba Room with Idris Elba. 

It’s not a straightforward talk show. More of a talk show about talk shows (like The Larry Sanders Show, which, honestly, this idea is very similar to). 

Idris Elba would play himself. Except in this version of reality he’s a talk show host. And everyone around him is inept.  

Ineptitude reigns on The Elba Room. His producer careens from personal crisis to personal crisis. The crew are apathetic and disrespectful. The studio has infestation problems. Viewership is way down. 

The guests on The Elba Room are a major source of ineptitude. Animal trainers who can’t control their animals. Nobodies at the fourteenth minute of their fifteen minutes of fame. 

In a given episode Idris Elba would spend most of his time simmering. Glowering at the ineptitude. He’s the boss, and everyone knows the boss is wrathful, but they still can’t help themselves, they are inept by nature, and have their own agendas in life that have nothing to do with God. 

It’s not easy being God. You do everything you can to set the people up for success, and what do they do? Mess it all up. Every time. 

So then comes the wrath. All that simmering builds to one big blowup. Idris Elba blows his top. Doors are slammed, heated words exchanged, ultimatums issued. Holes are kicked in flimsy set walls.   

Then — apologies. Fences mended. Catharsis.  

By some miracle Idris Elba not only puts on a great show at the end, but also, drawing on a deep well of generosity, comes to the aid of the producer in solving one of their many personal problems. And the producer finds a way to let Idris Elba know he is loved and appreciated. 

It’s about friendship, then. A friendship between man and God. I see comedic potential in this dynamic.