The Nation Decides

Election night and I found myself flicking between the available coverage trying to make some sense of it all.

At ten o’clock both the BBC and ITV announced the results of their exit polls, except that they had used the same poll, denying us the opportunity to see which was the most accurate. Sky didn’t bother with an exit poll at all, preferring to estimate the result on real results, which seemed rather boring.

So the major networks predicted a Labour win with a reduced majority. Great, we could all go to bed, except that both channels then brought on the election analysts to tell us that we couldn’t trust the poll at all. It makes you wonder why they bothered with it, that being the case.

The next couple of hours saw loads of reports from Sunderland South and other early-declaring seats as the channels desperately tried to fill airtime with not much happening. While Peter Snow was mildly engaging with his virtual studio on the Beeb, it always going to be hard for him to compete with ITV’s Katie Derham in a daring dress that was a delight to the eye but meant that many red blooded males wouldn’t have actually been listening to a word she said as travelled around the London Eye with a procession of celebs.

Quite why anyone really wants to hear the electoral views of Victor Meldrew and Pussy Galore, I can't imagine but ITV seemingly can’t make anything these days without packing it with “celebrities.??? I suppose the channel’s next election coverage will be fronted by Ant and Dec.

As the real results trickled in something strange was happening. While the BBC and Sky’s seat counter was moving slowly, ITV’s was rolling along at an alarmingly fast rate. It turns out that ITV were calling results before they’d been declared, fast but hardly authoritative and therefore I decided to forego the pleasure of Katie’s cleavage from this stage and stick mainly with the BBC.

Over at the Beeb something odd was taking place as Paxman seemed to be morphing into something akin to a parody himself with dashes of Victor Meldrew thrown in for good measure. He seemed unable to control his guests, David Dimbleby telling him at one point that they couldn’t let things descend into a bun fight.

The wheels finally came off for Paxo when he attempted to rile successful Respect candidate George Galloway with a fatuous question regarding the race and sex of his defeated Labour opponent. Galloway came off best in caustic exchange but viewers were left to tune other channels to see a properly conducted interview with Mr. G.

In the end, the exit poll proved to be remarkably close to the real result.

So it’s over and hopefully we'll get real news on our news shows now.

Lenny Henry

I don’t know what you think but this sketch show, despite the topical bits of stand up, seemed really dated to me, to the point where you wonder whether they could have shown repeats of Three of a Kind and got a similar audience.

Gags were corny and the send up of Crime Scene Investigation just didn’t seem to work at all.

Gina Yashere’s monologue merely brought back memories of the far funnier Vicky Pollard and I could count the number of times I laughed out loud on the fingers of one hand, if I was wearing mittens.

That was a public information film

I’ve been wallowing in nostalgia this week ever since a copy of Charley Says plopped through my letterbox.

This is merely a collection of Public Information Films from wartime up to the Millennium bug and really takes you back. If you can remember, “Reach, Throw, Wade Row??? or Rolf Harris urging you to teach kids to swim then this package is for you.

There are some marvellous moments here, from a youthful Gillan Taylforth in s fireworks safety campaign to Shaw Taylor in the first of the Clink Click ads to get you to wear your seatbelt.

We even get to see the cast of Dad’s Army using a pelican crossing.

There could be a series in here or even a 100 Greatest PIFs show for Channel Four.

House

Hidden away on Hallmark, Hugh Laurie can be seen in quality US import, House.

This is a throwback in TV terms, focusing on a single medical drama each week, with emphasis on a good strong story and on characterisation.

Laurie is superb in the title role, despite being lumbered with an American accent and quality stuff like this deserves a better audience. Give it a go. It’s so nice to see a drama that’s been de-soaped.