Chart Throb Audiobook By Ben Elton cover art

Chart Throb

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Chart Throb

By: Ben Elton
Narrated by: Glen McCready
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.43

Buy for $17.43

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

The ultimate pop quest. Ninety-five thousand hopefuls. Three judges. Just one winner. And that’s Calvin Simms, the genius behind the show.

Calvin always wins, because Calvin writes the rules. But this year, as he sits smugly in judgement upon the mingers, clingers, and blingers whom he has pre-selected in his carefully scripted ‘search’ for a star, he has no idea that the rules are changing. The ‘real’ is about to be put back into ‘reality’ television, and Calvin and his fellow judges (the nation’s favourite mum and the other bloke) are about to become ex-factors themselves.

Ben Elton, author of Popcorn and Dead Famous returns to blistering comic satire with a savagely hilarious deconstruction of the world of modern television talent shows. Chart Throb. One winner. A whole bunch of losers.

©2006 Ben Elton (P)2009 Random House Audio Literature & Fiction Witty Comedy
All stars
Most relevant  
I like most of Ben Elton's work, and this one is pleasant enough. However, I think it's a bit on the long side and lacking a bit of subtlety, with several similar bits in the middle. Perhaps this was the "cunning plan" to make it feel like we watching a reality TV show?
The narrator was very good.
I'm looking forwards to more unabridged Ben Elton audiobooks.

Ok, but bit a bit repetitive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have read this book before but this time i found it tedious and hard to kisten to attentuvely

Not his best work

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
May have to return this. Am gritting my teeth to get through the last 2 hours. It's taking about as much determination as it does to get through a single episode of American Idol.

I normally love Ben Elton books, I have never found one I disliked. He is normally SOOO funny, topical and sarcastic.

With this book through, it is just repetitive. I got the point in the first hour. The show is a fake, reality TV is staged and all the celebs are self-serving egotists. OK, now repeat the above for next 11 hours, dissect every shot, every staged reaction, every scripted sound-bite and that is the book.

In addition - there are no redeemable characters. Even the female lead is weak.

Don't waste a credit.

As boring as the real show!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love Elton but this was ridiculous, unbearable and a waste of money. I couldn’t finish it. Listen to everything else from this author but not this weak satire. Lame, boring and just kind of stupid.

Awful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.