Thanks for those kind words about Uncommon Knowledge, K-Lo. (I suppose you felt you had to sweeten me up after making me feel superannuated.)

The way we shoot the show is pretty simple. We sit down, make sure everybody has a cup of coffee, then let the cameras roll–typically for about 30 or 35 minutes. Since we owe PBS exactly 27 minutes, our brilliant young director and editor, Ian Albert, always does some nipping and tucking before we hand the videotape over. (During one recent shoot I said “Iraq” every time I meant “Iran” and “Iran” every time I meant “Iraq.” By some miracle of editing, Ian saved me.)

But the magic, I’ve always felt, lies in the talk. Americans watch hundreds of hours of television a month, but how often can they hear a real conversation? Get Hitch and David Brooks to the studio, choose a fascinating topic such as Orwell, then let it happen.