Saturday, 20 June 2020

The Match is on

For the first time in 32 years an English top flight football game will be live on the BBC. Bournemouth play Crystal Palace. Due to covid-19 football matches were delayed. And now the season has resumed. The BBC has seen ITV and various satellite broadcast live games but for now they are back on the BBC.

Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Marcus 1 Boris 0

Most people don't think of  Footballers as social warriors but today that will have changed. Marcus Rashford expressed his dismay at Government plans to axe vouchers for school meals. This set off a massive of support for Rashford. And despite one Government minister (Therese Coffgey of the Department of Work and Pensions) giving a snide response there has a been an U-turn by the Government and the scheme is. The lesson from this? Footballers do have a lot of support.

Saturday, 13 June 2020

Gone with the times

Given that some content has been dropped  by some providers these are some programmes that you will never see.

The Black and White Minstrel Show

The idea of a group of performers singing show tunes might seem harmless enough. But when you consider the male members of the troupe are in black face then things change. Amazingly it ran for 20 years.

Curry & Chips

Starring comedy legends Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes. Milligan plays an Irishman with Pakistan heritage with the one time Goon using make up to do this. The show was taken off air complaints of racism.

Mind Your Lanague

A sit-com in which a group of over seas students go to night class to learn English  It's use of stererotypes means it is not likely to get an airing

Heil Honey I'm Home

Without a doubt the most tasteless premise British TV has known. Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun find out their new neighbours are Jewish. Taken off air by BSB after just one episode aired though right minded will say one was too many.

Thursday, 4 June 2020

Bouncers back on the beeb

It has been announced that top flight international Cricket will be on BBC TV for the first time in 20 years. In 1998 Channel 4 made the shock poaching of Test Cricket which they covered until 2005. From that point on Sky Sports have had live coverage and Channel 5 showed highlights. Under the new deal Sky retain live coverage while the BBC have highlights. The new deal starts this summer.

Friday, 29 May 2020

Best of Blackadder

Rowan Atkinson plays the different incarnations of the scheming Edmund Blackadder. As always by his side is Tony Robinson's Baldrick who always has a cunning plan for every dire situation they get into. Here are the 10 best episodes.

1. Sense and Senilty

In order to improve Prince (Hugh Laurie) George's public image hires 2 actors to coach the Regent in public speaking but Edmund falls out with them. So he mentions the Scottish play a lot.

2. Beer

Edmund accepts a challenge from Lord (Stephen Fry) Melchettt over who would win a drinking contest, Though there are 2 problems, Blackadder's puritan Aunt and Uncle are coming to visit him on the night of  the contest.

3. Blackadder's Christmas Carol

The Dicken's classic is given a twist as the Ghost of (Robbie Coltrane) Christmas  Past a kinder Blackadder what horrors his ancestors were. It has the opposite effect.

4. Captain Cook

Eager to avoid the big push against Germen lines answers a call for artists. 2 problems, he does not have any talent and the post is not what it seems.

5. Potato

Blackadder has a bet with Francis (Simon Jones) Drake. To win it he recruits an old sea dog played by Tom Baker who is legless in more than one sense.

6. Dish and Dishonesty

New Prime Minister Pitt the Younger vows to cut Prince George's finances. So Blackadder concocts a plan to make Baldrick a MP but as usual things do not go to plan.

7. Head

Given the role of executing The Queen's enemies Blackadder tries to quicken things up so he can have some spare time.  But problems arise when the wife of one prisoner is given permission to see her husband one last time. Trouble is he may have already been beheaded.

8. Amy and Amiablity

Cash is running low in The Prince Regent's household. Blackadder tries to marry him off failing that Edmund becomes a high way man only to find he has a rival.

9. The Archbishop

The Ding (as played by Brian Blessed) declares his son Edmund to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He does not in particular when 2 knights come to kill him.

10. General Hospital

Sent to s field hospital to find a Germen spy but finds himself falling for an nurse played by Miranda Richardson. But is she what she seems?

Monday, 25 May 2020

By any other name

On Today's BBC Breakfast there was a discussion the Dominic Cummings lockdown breaking incident. billed as political writer for The Daily Mail. Hodges then corrected the presenter by saying he worked for The Mail on Sunday. The same thing happened a few weeks ago, this time with Peter Hitchens. Is the name power of The Daily Mail so huge that no one takes notice of it's Sunday sister?

Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Slim pickings

2 shows into the latest run of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? and 6 contestants have taken on the challenge. And 4 of them have won a thousand pounds each. This is less than half of what the average Tipping Point winner wins. There are rumours that a contestant will face the million pound question thereby saving the producers from having even more red faces.