No shame

Shame there’s not more like this

I have my girlfriend to thank for getting me into Shameless, a slice of divine lunacy with a vibrant core of truth pulsing through the middle. David Threlfall is superb as the feckless but fertile Frank, who meanders through life in a haze producing more and more kids along the way. The supporting cast are amazingly natural, with a special mention for Maxine Peake as next-door neighbour Veronica.

This is a real quality working class drama. Remember quality working class drama? Our soaps used to provide it every week until they all piled on the episodes past saturation point.

Thanks to E4’s First Look strand I watched two sublime episodes. The one featuring Kev and Veronica’s fostering experience was pure comedy gold.


Depravity

Over on Albert Square, Dirty Den was living up to his name in a very sleazy storyline featuring his son’s girlfriend. I suppose we should be grateful that he’s moved on, twenty years ago he was seducing schoolgirls.

Twenty years ago though, EastEnders had a social conscious and addressed many serious and poignant issues in a responsible way. These days it just seems to be salacious and shocking as possible, which is a shame really.


Chilling

Before Prince Harry decides on his next fancy dress costume, he could do worse than to view BBC Two on Tuesday nights. Auschwitz: the Nazis and the “Final Solution??? is a disturbing six-parter. If anything can convince him that his outfit was wholly inappropriate, it will be this history of a place that became a factory of the mass killing of human beings.

While the imagery is shocking, the interviews with those that took part in the holocaust chill to the bone and should convince even a pampered member of the Royal family that the Nazis are no laughing matter.

Political suicide

Much has been made of the fact that people are more engaged in reality TV than politics these days. ITV1’s Vote for me is no way to turn the tide.

This was just another freak show, only this time instead of tone deaf singers we had people with ideas so dangerous, I’m not sure all of them should be at liberty, let alone seeking public office.

I think it was Billy Connolly who said that the desire to be a politician should bar you for life from ever being one. This show reinforced his point.

As for Lorraine Kelly as a political heavyweight, what were they thinking?

On the right track

Unfortunately, my Big Brother duties have curtailed my TV viewing this week, but something I’ve taped for future entertainment is The Last Train currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Last seen on ITV1 a few years back, this is a neat piece of “what if??? fiction with a talented cast lead by James Hazeldine and the superb Christopher Fulford. If you missed it first time around, it’s well worth a look.