“British Oprah” (no jokes about it taking two people to equal one Oprah, please) Richard and Judy profiled in the NYT.

The “Richard & Judy” approach differs significantly from Oprah’s. While Ms. Winfrey invites a selected author into the studio for a discussion that is part interview, part cheerleading, the “Richard & Judy’’ authors never meet their hosts. For the summer reads, minor celebrities like soap opera stars, socialites and comedians describe the books while filmed on vacation posing (and occasionally reading) in a variety of spots: on the beach, by the pool, in the Jacuzzi.

Then the segment cuts to the studio, where Richard and Judy are joined by a panel of celebrities who discuss the book as if they were regulars in a monthly book club. “They are never experts and never book critics,” Ms. Ross said. “I want people to feel like it’s a group of friends chatting.”

Hmmm.