TV review: Walliams and Friend
9:30 pm. Friday BBC!
David Wallims will always be know for his partnership with Matt Lucas, their most famous creation being Little Britain. For his new programme Walliams has decided to have a different partner each week for his new programme, hence the friend in the title. The first to take on this title was Jack Whitehall. Like Little Britain it takes a look at the many strands of British society plus there is also a rather risque take on Sherlock. the show is bit of a hit and miss affair. The 2 best sketches bookend the show The first being a mickey take on dating shows like Take Me Out with Walliams as the host and Whitehall as the constant who after giving a series of very tame answers goes for full blown smut. The another will be of particular delight to those who abhor Jeremy Kyle, Waillims plays the contesrvial host while Whitehall plays an upper middle class son who complains to his parents after they go on a skiing holiday, this leads to an number of revelations. Overall it could have been worse yet it could have better, plus you are left wondering what it would be like with Lucas appearing.
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Friday, 25 November 2016
Calling Dr Kermode
There is an ongoing campaign to get Mark Kermode to be installed as the host of the BBC Film programme. Ever since Jonathan Ross left the programme and was replaced by the pairing of Claudia Winkleman and Danny Leigh. Audiences complain that there is too extraneous chat that gets in the way of the point of the programme which is to talk about films. This has increased since Zoe Ball took over. Kermode has for a long time declared that he has no interest in taking over. One wonder was to pair him with another for Siskel and Ebert style format would interest him?
There is an ongoing campaign to get Mark Kermode to be installed as the host of the BBC Film programme. Ever since Jonathan Ross left the programme and was replaced by the pairing of Claudia Winkleman and Danny Leigh. Audiences complain that there is too extraneous chat that gets in the way of the point of the programme which is to talk about films. This has increased since Zoe Ball took over. Kermode has for a long time declared that he has no interest in taking over. One wonder was to pair him with another for Siskel and Ebert style format would interest him?
Thursday, 24 November 2016
Top 5 most righteous kills on Game of Thrones
Every now and again a baddie gets what is coming to them. Obviously given the tiltle of the list there will be
SPOILERS
1. Ramsay Bolton
This violence for pleasure psycho got his just desserts after the Battle of the Bastards. First Jon Snow unleashed a series of blows to his face. And for the coup de grace he is then fed to his own starving dogs by one time bride Sansa.
2. Joffrey
Most people would have put the moment when the spooled, product of incest was poisoned on his wedding day at the top of this list. Why not? Given the poor hell his uncle Tyrion goes through as he is accused of being behind his death, then for reasons for being more cathartic Ramsay's is top of this list.
3. Walder Frey
The head of the Frey clan was always a loathsome character when he first appeared. But he garnered new levels of hatred for his part in the Red Wedding. When he lusts over the serving game he does not that payback is coming for him when it turns the serving girl is Arya Strark in disguise and reveals she had been serving his sons cooked in a pie before slashing his thoart.
4. Meryn Trant
The Kingsguard thug met his end when he decided to indulge in his paedophile tastes in a brothel. Again it is Arya using her disguise skills to gain payback for her dancing master.
5. Roose Bolton
What happens when you raise your son to be a psychopathic, backstabbing loon? Yes that's he kills you. Karma provides Roose Bolton one final lesson in response for his part in the Red Wedding.
Every now and again a baddie gets what is coming to them. Obviously given the tiltle of the list there will be
SPOILERS
1. Ramsay Bolton
This violence for pleasure psycho got his just desserts after the Battle of the Bastards. First Jon Snow unleashed a series of blows to his face. And for the coup de grace he is then fed to his own starving dogs by one time bride Sansa.
2. Joffrey
Most people would have put the moment when the spooled, product of incest was poisoned on his wedding day at the top of this list. Why not? Given the poor hell his uncle Tyrion goes through as he is accused of being behind his death, then for reasons for being more cathartic Ramsay's is top of this list.
3. Walder Frey
The head of the Frey clan was always a loathsome character when he first appeared. But he garnered new levels of hatred for his part in the Red Wedding. When he lusts over the serving game he does not that payback is coming for him when it turns the serving girl is Arya Strark in disguise and reveals she had been serving his sons cooked in a pie before slashing his thoart.
4. Meryn Trant
The Kingsguard thug met his end when he decided to indulge in his paedophile tastes in a brothel. Again it is Arya using her disguise skills to gain payback for her dancing master.
5. Roose Bolton
What happens when you raise your son to be a psychopathic, backstabbing loon? Yes that's he kills you. Karma provides Roose Bolton one final lesson in response for his part in the Red Wedding.
Wednesday, 23 November 2016
National Lottery exiled
A piece of news emerged in the last few days that a decade ago would have caused much fury in the press but has caused barely a ripple now. Camelot the organisation that runs the UK National Lottery has agreed a new with the BBC to cover the Saturday night draw, but here comes the part that will raise an eyebrow. The draw will no longer go out on it's traditional Saturday night slot on BBC1 but on the online I-player service. The story is apparently Camelot could not find any one to bid for the draw so they had to go to the BBC as they had first refusal as current rights holder so they paid a bare minimum price and to go the I-player route. To say this marks a bit of a change is the understatement of the year. When it was lunched in 1994 the National Lottery became an obsession with the country with winners of jackpots becoming subject of much media scrutiny. The TV programmes that were broadcast were ratings winners, originally they highlighted were the money was going such as restoring museums, park maintenance etc. But then the National Lottery name became a name to hang an number of game shows on to, the 2 best known examples being Winning Lines originally hosted by Simon Mayo and then later by Phillip Scholfield and Jet Set with Eammon Holmes. But ratings have declined and programmes have dropped out on the BBC1 top 30. Why has this situation came about? Well the market became so overloaded with so much completion with some endorsed by Camelot themselves that the general public has probably lost interest in watching it live and are just catching it up via other mean hence the BBC's I-player decision. This just goes to show if you overload the public with something they give up on it.
A piece of news emerged in the last few days that a decade ago would have caused much fury in the press but has caused barely a ripple now. Camelot the organisation that runs the UK National Lottery has agreed a new with the BBC to cover the Saturday night draw, but here comes the part that will raise an eyebrow. The draw will no longer go out on it's traditional Saturday night slot on BBC1 but on the online I-player service. The story is apparently Camelot could not find any one to bid for the draw so they had to go to the BBC as they had first refusal as current rights holder so they paid a bare minimum price and to go the I-player route. To say this marks a bit of a change is the understatement of the year. When it was lunched in 1994 the National Lottery became an obsession with the country with winners of jackpots becoming subject of much media scrutiny. The TV programmes that were broadcast were ratings winners, originally they highlighted were the money was going such as restoring museums, park maintenance etc. But then the National Lottery name became a name to hang an number of game shows on to, the 2 best known examples being Winning Lines originally hosted by Simon Mayo and then later by Phillip Scholfield and Jet Set with Eammon Holmes. But ratings have declined and programmes have dropped out on the BBC1 top 30. Why has this situation came about? Well the market became so overloaded with so much completion with some endorsed by Camelot themselves that the general public has probably lost interest in watching it live and are just catching it up via other mean hence the BBC's I-player decision. This just goes to show if you overload the public with something they give up on it.
Sunday, 20 November 2016
People I avoid on TV
A list of people I avoid watching on TV
Frankie Boyle
Not many people can make you feel sorry for Katie (Jordan) Price, he did so with remarkable ease.
Leigh Francis
Or to be more precise Keith Lemon. Why people find his frankly creepy and juvenile act funny is beyond me.
Michael McIntyre
His over hyper active act is enough to to make you wish you were at the dentist having root canal
A list of people I avoid watching on TV
Frankie Boyle
Not many people can make you feel sorry for Katie (Jordan) Price, he did so with remarkable ease.
Leigh Francis
Or to be more precise Keith Lemon. Why people find his frankly creepy and juvenile act funny is beyond me.
Michael McIntyre
His over hyper active act is enough to to make you wish you were at the dentist having root canal
Friday, 18 November 2016
Game, Set and Match. BBC
It has been announced that the BBC has agreed a deal with the All England Club to extend exclusive coverage of the Wimbledon Championships until 2024. It is a rare bright spot for the BBC's sport department in the face of an ever decline portfolio. It is now nearly 10 years since Grandstand came to an end because of a lack of sports even though the London Olympics were on the horizon. The All England Club is one of the few sporting bodies that values the BBC name in covering it's event, the organisers of both the Grand National and Royal Ascot horse racing meetings were not reportedly not happy when as part of a blanket deal involving the whole sport they found that they would be covered by Channel 4. How ever they have cases of events leaving the BBC only. As I have written about before (The Perils of Going Commercial) The Boat Race switched to ITV only to be dropped when the station decided to plough most of it's money in gaining Football rights and the event went back to the BBC who paid less money than ITV did when they brought the rights.
It has been announced that the BBC has agreed a deal with the All England Club to extend exclusive coverage of the Wimbledon Championships until 2024. It is a rare bright spot for the BBC's sport department in the face of an ever decline portfolio. It is now nearly 10 years since Grandstand came to an end because of a lack of sports even though the London Olympics were on the horizon. The All England Club is one of the few sporting bodies that values the BBC name in covering it's event, the organisers of both the Grand National and Royal Ascot horse racing meetings were not reportedly not happy when as part of a blanket deal involving the whole sport they found that they would be covered by Channel 4. How ever they have cases of events leaving the BBC only. As I have written about before (The Perils of Going Commercial) The Boat Race switched to ITV only to be dropped when the station decided to plough most of it's money in gaining Football rights and the event went back to the BBC who paid less money than ITV did when they brought the rights.
Wednesday, 16 November 2016
Best of: Bergerac
John Nettles is Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac in the the show that boosted tourism in Jersey to it's highest levels, Here are the 10 best episodes
1. A Man of Sorrows
An episode that actually takes place mostly in London and one of two episodes in series 7 to explore the greed is good mentality of the 1980's. Jim finds corruption in the highest of places. George Baker plays a menacing crook, in complete contrast to his most famous role as Policeman Reg Wexford which he had just started to play.
2. See You in Moscow
The Cold War comes to Jersey as a civil servant is persuaded by her KGB lover to go there to defect. Features an atmospheric conclusion at the German Underground Hospital. Watch out for a pre Buffy the Vampire slayer Anthony Head as the civil servants assistant.
3. Diplomatic Incident
What should have been the true end of the show, you will note no episodes from series 9 make the list. Jim finds himself called back to Jersey to protect a Swedish diplomat (played by Julian Glover) before vital talks. As is the case nothing goes to plan.
4. S.PA.R.T.A
The best episode for Lisa Goddard's Philipa Vale. The Ice Maiden finds herself on the wrong side of a group of ultra right wing thugs, but does not know why and so turns to Jim for help, The episode ends in an all action conclusion.
5, Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie
A journalist with a grudge against Charlie Hungerford returns to Jersey to thwart his political ambitions. But ends up dead when he comes across an another story involving a group of soldiers of fortune.
6. The Last Interview
A TV reporter (Barry Foster) moves to Jersey to get away from his past but finds it coming back in the form of an interview he did with a Mafia Don turned Supergrass. The Debut episode of Louise Jameson as Susan.
7. Burnt
The second series 7 critique of 80's greed is good. Jim finds himself assigned to a task force tracking the dealings of an insider trader trying to get away with his ill gotten gains. The tile comes to have more than one meaning.
8. Holiday Snaps
A Jersey woman is brutally murdered on a campsite in France and her Husband comes under suspicion. The episode prefigures the more psychological focused likes of Prime Suspect, Cracker, Luther etc.
9. Late for a Funeral
When the body of a scuba diver is found next to the wreck of a Luftwaffe plane, various parties come looking for the Nazi loot it may have been carrying.
10. The Other Woman
Susan finds herself as a suspect when the body of a writer turns up dead. Evidence then turns up to suggest that the murdered man and Susan had been having an affair.
John Nettles is Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac in the the show that boosted tourism in Jersey to it's highest levels, Here are the 10 best episodes
1. A Man of Sorrows
An episode that actually takes place mostly in London and one of two episodes in series 7 to explore the greed is good mentality of the 1980's. Jim finds corruption in the highest of places. George Baker plays a menacing crook, in complete contrast to his most famous role as Policeman Reg Wexford which he had just started to play.
2. See You in Moscow
The Cold War comes to Jersey as a civil servant is persuaded by her KGB lover to go there to defect. Features an atmospheric conclusion at the German Underground Hospital. Watch out for a pre Buffy the Vampire slayer Anthony Head as the civil servants assistant.
3. Diplomatic Incident
What should have been the true end of the show, you will note no episodes from series 9 make the list. Jim finds himself called back to Jersey to protect a Swedish diplomat (played by Julian Glover) before vital talks. As is the case nothing goes to plan.
4. S.PA.R.T.A
The best episode for Lisa Goddard's Philipa Vale. The Ice Maiden finds herself on the wrong side of a group of ultra right wing thugs, but does not know why and so turns to Jim for help, The episode ends in an all action conclusion.
5, Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie
A journalist with a grudge against Charlie Hungerford returns to Jersey to thwart his political ambitions. But ends up dead when he comes across an another story involving a group of soldiers of fortune.
6. The Last Interview
A TV reporter (Barry Foster) moves to Jersey to get away from his past but finds it coming back in the form of an interview he did with a Mafia Don turned Supergrass. The Debut episode of Louise Jameson as Susan.
7. Burnt
The second series 7 critique of 80's greed is good. Jim finds himself assigned to a task force tracking the dealings of an insider trader trying to get away with his ill gotten gains. The tile comes to have more than one meaning.
8. Holiday Snaps
A Jersey woman is brutally murdered on a campsite in France and her Husband comes under suspicion. The episode prefigures the more psychological focused likes of Prime Suspect, Cracker, Luther etc.
9. Late for a Funeral
When the body of a scuba diver is found next to the wreck of a Luftwaffe plane, various parties come looking for the Nazi loot it may have been carrying.
10. The Other Woman
Susan finds herself as a suspect when the body of a writer turns up dead. Evidence then turns up to suggest that the murdered man and Susan had been having an affair.
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