That interpreting itself may be part of the show is indeed the case in what Delia Chiaro calls ad hoc interpreting, often used in TV chat shows and variety shows. Compères often provide language mediation, both conducting and interpreting interviews with foreign celebrities. Chiaro’s paper suggests that, while these performances may be rather questionable if conference interpreting quality criteria are used, they prove quite acceptable to the audience. Results of the author’s questionnaire-based survey show that, irrespective of the compère’s interpreting style or mistakes, her/his performance is more often than not given a pass mark. A possible explanation is that respondents’ opinions are coloured by the TV personality’s charisma. The findings of this survey may pave the way for a completely different approach to the whole issue of quality for interpreting on the air.