Month: July 2006

UK TV

The changing naming conventions of kids TV

13 July 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Shuriken SchoolRemember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well, they’ve been making a comeback recently so the answer to that is probably “yes”. But they first appeared during the 80s in a comic and then later a cartoon series. Back then, the idea of a cartoon series with the word ‘Ninja’ in the title was so upsetting to the BBC, they forced the series’ makers to rename it Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles.

Times have moved on. I was looking through the schedules yesterday and came across Shuriken School over on children’s ITV. It’s a cartoon series about a ninja training school, it turns out.

For the unenlightened, a shuriken is one of those ninja throwing star things*. And the Beeb was worried about the word ‘ninja’? What next? Uzi School? Two-by-four-with-a-rusty-nail-in-it school?

I’m not that fussed. I’m just amused by the change in standards…

* Okay, there are other kinds of shuriken, too, not just the star-shaped ones. But how do I know what a shuriken is? My first encounter with these lovely things was back in 1985, form 2(iii). I was walking along merrily when my spidey sense started to tingle. I stopped and a second later a razor-sharp metal star embedded itself in the wooden door about six inches in front of me. It was Steven King’s (not Stephen King the author, but Steven King) shuriken – he was practising his throwing technique and hadn’t noticed me, he claimed. Hmmm. He also carried a box of home-made HNTD explosive around with him, and stashed wooden nunchaku in his school bag. Ah, we had happy times growing up in SE London…

News

Teach the Bible using Doctor Who

12 July 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Doctor Reverend WhoAn enterprising vicar down in Emsworth plans to teach the Bible to kids by dressing up as Doctor Who.

The Rev Tom Kennar says, “Any child who watches Doctor Who will be familiar with the idea of time travel, so they’ll understand going back in time to meet biblical characters. I can’t promise there’ll be any Daleks or Cybermen but we will be meeting some of God’s heroes of the Bible, and some genuine villains.”

About 120 children will get to watch daily episodes of Doctor Who alongside water play, cooking and craft activities at the club, which runs from July 25 to 28 in St James’s School in Emsworth. How fun does that sound?

US TV

Review: Psych 1×1

12 July 2006 Rob Buckley 7 Comments

Psych

In the US: USA Network, Fridays, 10/9C

In the UK: Acquired by Hallmark and the BBC. Hallmark has the first-run rights, the Beeb second-run. No air date yet.

There’s something a little eerie about the USA Network’s new series Psych. I’m not talking about the fact the main character is a psychic with an uncanny gift for solving crimes. For one thing, Shawn Spencer (James Roday) isn’t a psychic. He was just raised by his cop father (Corbin Bernsen) from a very early age to be extremely observant. Every time they’d go into a diner, his father would make his shut his eyes and answer questions about things he’d seen (‘How many people are wearing hats?’ ‘What’s the manageress’s name? She greeted you on the way in and it was on her name tag’). Now Shawn just has to observe a crime scene and the behaviour of the suspects to know exactly what’s been happening.

No, the eerie thing is James Roday: he is a homeopathic Will Ferrell.

Continue reading “Review: Psych 1×1”

US TV

Third-episode verdict: Kyle XY

12 July 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Kyle XY at home with the non-AspiesAs is tradition round here, once they’ve reached the third-episode stage, I report back again on shows whose first episodes didn’t totally suck. Kyle XY showed quite some promise, so I’ve stuck with it and here’s how it’s going.

After the promising start, we’ve continued to have more mysteries throw at us, with precious little extra information – ‘Did you miss any clues?’ the continual pop-ups demand. Clearly, I have.

How did Kyle manage to go for two weeks without sleep? How can he jump from the roof of a house and land unharmed? Why can he only sleep in a bath tub? How come a teenager has completely perfect teeth, like they’ve never been used? Why does Nicholas Lea from The X-Files keep stalking Kyle in a battered pick-up truck? And why did Lea murder that man yet leave the body lying around in the middle of nowhere, right where Kyle was found, with an odd playing card by his side? Who is that man Lea keeps phoning?

No answers yet, although I’m heading towards the ‘genetically engineered super-soldier, grown in a vat’ theory of Kyle’s existence.

We’ve also started veering into heart-weaming morals territory. This week, the lesson was “lying is bad”, although there was enough nuance in it that any grown adult watching didn’t laugh their socks off.

But, I’m prepared to wait and put up with the morals. It’s not quite as intriguing as it was, but I can understand why they wouldn’t want to divulge all the secrets just yet. It’s got just enough mystery to make you want more, but not so much that you’re wanting to throw a rock at the tele and shout, “Just tell me something, will you!”

Since this is airing on the ABC Family channel, I’m also wondering if perhaps Kyle XY is Asperger’s/autistic propaganda:

“Hey, shallow stupid high school kids! You’re dumb and malicious aren’t you? But you know that guy at school who acts a bit odd and you all take the piss out of? You know, the one who likes maths and computers? Really smart, bit child-like and naive, has a monotone voice, muted emotional reaction, doesn’t know how to act in social situations, intense stare? Well, isn’t that exactly like that really hot Kyle XY guy? Accept him and his gifts for he has much to offer. Plus he could be a genetically engineered super-solider. Or an alien.”

Which sounds like an admirable thing to me. So along with supporting the return of John Doe in teenage form and family programming that doesn’t suck totally, you can help Aspie kids get accepted by society by watching Kyle XY.

Here’s a clip from this week’s episode, presented in association with my sponsor Sour Patch Kids.