UK TV

An archive of blog entries about UK TV programmes and production.

Reason to hate the Daily Mail #1211616

1 June 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

So I’m staring over the shoulder of someone on the train at their copy of the Daily Evil aka the Daily Mail. I spy an article on Big Brother and this is the standfirst (as well as I can remember anyway. I get the feeling Marcia Wallace does/did voices on The Simpsons

Anorexia, confused sexuality, Tourette’s Syndrome, suicidal depression: five of the contestants have psychological problems. Marcia Wallace asks: Is this the sickest Big Brother ever?

So let’s get this straight. First of all, five contestants, four “conditions” – I guess we have to assume that two contestants have “confused sexuality”, which is apparently a psychological problem. So would that be Richard and Shahbaz because they’re gay? I tell you what, they both seemed really sure they fancied men so I’m not sure how confused they are.
Or have they forgotten that Shahbaz is gay and they’re talking about Sam because she’s a pre-op transsexual? Again, living your life as a woman for three years – presumably not that confused about her sexuality or are we to assume the Mail meant “confused gender”?
Then there’s the idea that Tourette’s Syndrome is a “psychological problem”. Hmm. Not sure you can actually cure Tourette’s with counselling, it being predominantly an inherited disorder.
God I hate the Daily Mail.

UK TV

Review: Doctor Who – 2×7 – The Idiot’s Lantern

29 May 2006 Rob Buckley 4 Comments

The Idiot's Lantern

I’m supposed to be writing a white paper on the Web 2.0 conference I went to in Edinburgh last Monday. So naturally, because I am the King of Procrastination, I’m writing about Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who.

On the whole, I’d say not bad. The 50s tele stuff made me all nostalgic for a decade I never lived through, which was quite impressive. The face-sucking was done nicely.

On the other hand, the union flag/jack debate annoyed me because Rose was just plain wrong (gasp, factual inaccuracies in Doctor Who!). The plot and the denouement had a few issues that really couldn’t be fixed in post. And the general bog-standard interpretation of the 50s – great decade for wife beaters, we fought in the war for the right to be lippy, etc – began to grate. Could we avoid the moralising please?

Basically, a reasonable filler piece as has been remarked elsewhere.

The Man Without A FaceOne last thing. Writer Mark Gatiss is a long-time sci-fi fan, something you may have noticed if you watched Doctor Who Confidential after the episode. He has, for instance, played Gold in the Big Finish Sapphire and Steel audio plays. So I wonder where he got the idea for the face-sucking in The Idiot’s Lantern. I’ll give you a visual clue: here’s the baddie in the fourth Sapphire and Steel TV ‘assignment’, as they’re called. Look familiar?

He does like his homages does Gatiss.

News

Gillian McKeith: the least frightening woman ever, it turns out

28 May 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

'Dr' Gillian McKeith You know ‘Dr’ Gillian McKeith, right? That nasty, humourless woman with the fake doctorate who turns up on Channel 4 to look at people’s poo and pronounce judgement on them? Yes, her. I’ve written a lot about her elsewhere, if you want to know a few more reasons why she should be shunned like a PlayStation-using Amish.

Anyway, some people think she’s scary. She’s not though. She attacked Louis Walsh and was so furious she fell over and sprained her wrist. Wow. Anyone not fancy their chances in a fight with her? Thought not.

There’s an obvious joke here. It’s so huge and obvious, it’s like a giant magnet sucking every other joke in its vicinity towards it. It involves the words ‘better diet’ and ‘wouldn’t fall over’. Anyone want to stoop ever so low and say what everyone else is thinking?

US TV

The rain in Spain actually falls mainly on Scotland

22 May 2006 Rob Buckley 7 Comments

So I’m in Scotland again. Edinburgh this time. Technically, right now I should actually be in the air above Scotland since my plane should have taken off about five minutes ago. Instead, I’m still in Edinburgh airport, clocking up time on a BT Openzone WiFi rip-off scheme. Why?

Edinburgh Airport

Because it’s absolutely pissing it down with rain in Scotland again. QFS. So now my plane is now going to lift into the sky at 22:12 apparently and land in London at about half eleven. Next – and last – train to London Bridge is at 12.15. Sigh.

To save me from night bus and train horrors, my lovely wife who is both lovely and lovely is going to pick me up from Gatwick. She is indeed a wonderful wife.

But that means no proper review of Doctor Who today. No finales guide. Just a rainy picture of Edinburgh airport.

Actually, I’m feeling kind. Since I’ve been bleating on about how House has the wrong theme tune in the UK for ages now, I thought I’d treat you to the proper title sequence. This is how it should look and sound – notice just how perfectly the music suits the titles in exactly the way the lift music they use over here doesn’t. Time to start a campaign, everyone.