TV
Load of old cobbles
So Katy Harris finally did the deed that has been heavily trailed on ITV1 between almost every show. So heavily trailed in fact that there seemed little point in watching it. The death scene when it finally came was strangely uncompelling, but at least it marks the beginning of the end for this tedious family.
Of far more interest was the return of Ray Langton. The return of Tracy’s deserter dad and the impact this will have on the entire Barlow mob is far more interesting tham anything dullard Katy can get up to with a monkey wrench.
Popping Off
I’m actually enjoying Top of the Pops which as I’m pushing forty must mean that producers are getting it spectacularly wrong or that the current crop of music buying teenagers merely have great taste.
It seems a shame then that the show is losing its BBC One slot just when it was becoming decent viewing again.
Boxed Off
As well as jettisoning ToTP, BBC One also waved goodbye to Professional Boxing this week with Clinton Woods' successful world title attempt bringing the corporation’s sporadic coverage of the sport to a close.
It’s hardly surprising that the Beeb hasn’t pulled in the viewers given that they’ve barely if at all promoted their coverage and scheduled it when many sports fans were tucked up in bed.
I grew up with a BBC that covered a wide and diverse range of sports via Grandstand and Sportsnight and to me that’s a duty of a public service broadcaster. They shouldn’t be wasting their sports budgets on things such as the Premiership, which can easily be covered by a commercial broadcaster. Those vast sums could be ploughed into coverage of the likes of ice hockey, judo and gymnastics.
There is more to sport than just soccer and rugby.
Mining a rich seam
Faith was an interesting piece but if you’re going to set a drama against the backdrop of something as political as the miners' strike, you’ve got to expect accusations of bias. The whole thing was a bit slanted to the left but still an entertaining piece.
At the centre of it all was a stand out performance from Christine Tremarco as a miner’s wife who finds that the strike gives her a purpose while not realising that her husband has lost his in the process.
Unearthed Classics
I used to love UK Gold in it’s early days when they really did reshow television classics rather than reshow BBC One dramas that are sometimes less than a year old.
As part of UKTV’s 1sts season, this week we’ve been treated to classic Hancock and Steptoe and even more blissfully, the early episodes of The Likely Lads. It was great to be able to see Bob and Terry again. Having revived Auf Wiedersehen, Pet successfully, it would be marvellous if Clement and La Frenais could do an update on these two cheeky chappies, forty years on.
I hope that these old black and white shows do well in the ratings, as I’d love to see more. How about some classic Wednesday plays or top seventies stuff such as Terry Nation’s Survivors?
The Wrong Formula
Rule changes have been brought in to make Formula 1 a more exciting spectacle. Sadly, much of the impact of this was ruined by poor direction on TV coverage of the opening race in Melbourne. Key moments and pit stops were missed, replays of exciting moves were virtually non-existent and although we can’t blame ITV for those, it being at the mercy of the host broadcaster, we can blame them for their intrusive ad breaks.
Could you imagine them leaving a crucial Champions League game in mid flow to show commercials? Me neither.
Thankfully, Sky+ let me sort out my own replays and as I time shifted the race by half an hour, I was able to fast forward those pesky ads.
The plus side was the entertaining and informed commentary from an excitable James Allen and the gloriously cynical Martin Brundle. Brundle’s grid walks are TV gold as he blusters his way through the millionaire throng, shoving his microphone into the faces of A- List celebs.
It’s only a matter of time before someone whacks him one.
A Song for Europe
It must have been sweet for Javine to win a public vote when topping the poll in Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up but I have to confess that although she had the best song and gave the best performance, I was rooting for Katie Price.
Why?
Well, Eurovision isn’t about picking the best song, never has been, it’s all about political voting, less about European unity and more about nationalistic jingoism and what takes the edge of the nastiness of that is it’s inherent kitsch.
When it comes to kitsch, Jordan knows where it’s at and the sight of her eight months pregnant on a Eurovision stage would have been terrific.
It’s Scotland Jim, but not as we know it
I’m glad that the BBC has remade Kidnapped for a modern audience. My first exposure to the tale was a rather dodgy movie version featuring an even dodgier Scots accent from Michael Caine as Alan Breck.
The marvellous Iain Glen takes on the role this time while James Anthony Balfour makes a far better David Balfour than Hawaii Five-O’s James Macarthur did all those years ago.
I hope it encourages kids to pick up the book. There is a whole literary world beyond J.K. Rowling for them to enjoy.
If you like the scenery though, don’t head off to the Highlands for holidays, the whole thing was shot in New Zealand. It seems that since Lord of the Rings, you can’t move in the Kiwi countryside for film crews and Tolkein obsessed anoraks.
The exploitation project
I’m not a massive fan of The Friday Night Project. It is the wrong vehicle for Jimmy Carr’s talents, though seemingly Channel 4 thinks it’s clearly wrong to make any sort of entertainment show without him.
He looked decidedly uncomfortable with having to cope with breast flashing guest host Brigitte Nielsen and positively scared when she invited him to play with her artificially enhanced glands.
Just when you thought the show couldn’t get any worse, they brought out McCririck; clad only in his greying Y-fronts to arm wrestle the Great Dane.
Even Anatomy for Beginners wasn’t as disturbing as that sight.
…and finally
Who would have thought that the best piece of telly this week would come from Sky’s Monday Night Football
TV legend Delia Smith, who may or may not have been at the cooking sherry, unwisely took to the pitch at half time to rally the long suffering supporters of her beloved Norwich City.
“Where are you??? she slurred to looks of amazement from the canary coloured throng. It looked to me as if a couple of strong coffee would be required.
Delia’s team sadly lost and look doomed but that ill judged rant will haunt her long after the actual game has been forgotten.
You got to love her though, I only wish the chairman of my favourite team would show that sort of passion.
 |
| Rover Returns |
So Katy Harris finally did the deed that has been heavily trailed on ITV1 between almost every show. So heavily trailed in fact that there seemed little point in watching it. The death scene when it finally came was strangely uncompelling, but at least it marks the beginning of the end for this tedious family.
Of far more interest was the return of Ray Langton. The return of Tracy’s deserter dad and the impact this will have on the entire Barlow mob is far more interesting tham anything dullard Katy can get up to with a monkey wrench.
Popping Off
 |
| Getting better |
I’m actually enjoying Top of the Pops which as I’m pushing forty must mean that producers are getting it spectacularly wrong or that the current crop of music buying teenagers merely have great taste.
It seems a shame then that the show is losing its BBC One slot just when it was becoming decent viewing again.
Boxed Off
As well as jettisoning ToTP, BBC One also waved goodbye to Professional Boxing this week with Clinton Woods' successful world title attempt bringing the corporation’s sporadic coverage of the sport to a close.
It’s hardly surprising that the Beeb hasn’t pulled in the viewers given that they’ve barely if at all promoted their coverage and scheduled it when many sports fans were tucked up in bed.
I grew up with a BBC that covered a wide and diverse range of sports via Grandstand and Sportsnight and to me that’s a duty of a public service broadcaster. They shouldn’t be wasting their sports budgets on things such as the Premiership, which can easily be covered by a commercial broadcaster. Those vast sums could be ploughed into coverage of the likes of ice hockey, judo and gymnastics.
There is more to sport than just soccer and rugby.
Mining a rich seam
Faith was an interesting piece but if you’re going to set a drama against the backdrop of something as political as the miners' strike, you’ve got to expect accusations of bias. The whole thing was a bit slanted to the left but still an entertaining piece.
At the centre of it all was a stand out performance from Christine Tremarco as a miner’s wife who finds that the strike gives her a purpose while not realising that her husband has lost his in the process.
Unearthed Classics
I used to love UK Gold in it’s early days when they really did reshow television classics rather than reshow BBC One dramas that are sometimes less than a year old.
As part of UKTV’s 1sts season, this week we’ve been treated to classic Hancock and Steptoe and even more blissfully, the early episodes of The Likely Lads. It was great to be able to see Bob and Terry again. Having revived Auf Wiedersehen, Pet successfully, it would be marvellous if Clement and La Frenais could do an update on these two cheeky chappies, forty years on.
I hope that these old black and white shows do well in the ratings, as I’d love to see more. How about some classic Wednesday plays or top seventies stuff such as Terry Nation’s Survivors?
The Wrong Formula
Rule changes have been brought in to make Formula 1 a more exciting spectacle. Sadly, much of the impact of this was ruined by poor direction on TV coverage of the opening race in Melbourne. Key moments and pit stops were missed, replays of exciting moves were virtually non-existent and although we can’t blame ITV for those, it being at the mercy of the host broadcaster, we can blame them for their intrusive ad breaks.
Could you imagine them leaving a crucial Champions League game in mid flow to show commercials? Me neither.
Thankfully, Sky+ let me sort out my own replays and as I time shifted the race by half an hour, I was able to fast forward those pesky ads.
The plus side was the entertaining and informed commentary from an excitable James Allen and the gloriously cynical Martin Brundle. Brundle’s grid walks are TV gold as he blusters his way through the millionaire throng, shoving his microphone into the faces of A- List celebs.
It’s only a matter of time before someone whacks him one.
A Song for Europe
 |
| Out of Europe |
It must have been sweet for Javine to win a public vote when topping the poll in Eurovision – Making Your Mind Up but I have to confess that although she had the best song and gave the best performance, I was rooting for Katie Price.
Why?
Well, Eurovision isn’t about picking the best song, never has been, it’s all about political voting, less about European unity and more about nationalistic jingoism and what takes the edge of the nastiness of that is it’s inherent kitsch.
When it comes to kitsch, Jordan knows where it’s at and the sight of her eight months pregnant on a Eurovision stage would have been terrific.
It’s Scotland Jim, but not as we know it
I’m glad that the BBC has remade Kidnapped for a modern audience. My first exposure to the tale was a rather dodgy movie version featuring an even dodgier Scots accent from Michael Caine as Alan Breck.
The marvellous Iain Glen takes on the role this time while James Anthony Balfour makes a far better David Balfour than Hawaii Five-O’s James Macarthur did all those years ago.
I hope it encourages kids to pick up the book. There is a whole literary world beyond J.K. Rowling for them to enjoy.
If you like the scenery though, don’t head off to the Highlands for holidays, the whole thing was shot in New Zealand. It seems that since Lord of the Rings, you can’t move in the Kiwi countryside for film crews and Tolkein obsessed anoraks.
The exploitation project
 |
| Uncomfortable |
I’m not a massive fan of The Friday Night Project. It is the wrong vehicle for Jimmy Carr’s talents, though seemingly Channel 4 thinks it’s clearly wrong to make any sort of entertainment show without him.
He looked decidedly uncomfortable with having to cope with breast flashing guest host Brigitte Nielsen and positively scared when she invited him to play with her artificially enhanced glands.
Just when you thought the show couldn’t get any worse, they brought out McCririck; clad only in his greying Y-fronts to arm wrestle the Great Dane.
Even Anatomy for Beginners wasn’t as disturbing as that sight.
…and finally
Who would have thought that the best piece of telly this week would come from Sky’s Monday Night Football
TV legend Delia Smith, who may or may not have been at the cooking sherry, unwisely took to the pitch at half time to rally the long suffering supporters of her beloved Norwich City.
“Where are you??? she slurred to looks of amazement from the canary coloured throng. It looked to me as if a couple of strong coffee would be required.
Delia’s team sadly lost and look doomed but that ill judged rant will haunt her long after the actual game has been forgotten.
You got to love her though, I only wish the chairman of my favourite team would show that sort of passion.
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