An archive of blog entries about UK TV programmes and production.
Mirabilis Deus (or something more accurate in Latin)! Todd Carty – yes, Tucker from the first series – is in negotiations to appear in a film of Grange Hill! Of course, he’s been in EastEnders and The Bill since, but to many, he’ll always be Tucker.
Headline says it all. I can’t help hearing Ricky Gervais’ words echoing in my ears: “When was the last time you told a joke, Les?”
I failed completely to watch Bring Back… The A-Team last night, despite wanting to see what the cast were up to these days (apart from slagging off the new series of Battlestar Galactica, that is). I think that’s because my extreme loathing of Justin Lee Collins was too much for me; my subconscious blanked the programme from my mind and I simply forgot all about it.
Instead, you’ll have to read Sam Wollaston’s review in The Guardian to find out what it was like. Sorry.
It doesn’t sound like it was that good: they couldn’t get Mr T into the same room as Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz, for one thing, and they failed to even look for the other members of the team – that bloke who played Frankie in the final season, the guy who played Face in the pilot episode and either of the women from the first two seasons. Set their sights a bit low, there. Tsk, tsk.
From today’s Times (and other papers):
Poles apart
The BBC has scrapped plans for a celebrity pole dancing show after protests from women’s groups. Zoë Ball, Natasha Kaplinsky and Fiona Phillips had been linked with the one-off programme for Sport Relief. The Poppy Project, a women’s support group, said that pole dancing exploited women.
Nothing like pole dancing for charity, is there? Insert punchline as to what next year’s “but it’s all in a good cause” idea will be…
The Cybermen are back! The Cybermen are back! Yeah. Whoop-dy do.
I was kind of looking forward to last Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who. But not much. Those publicity shots of everyone’s favourite cyborg who isn’t called Jamie, Steve or Murphy took away my enthusiasm. Star Trek had had the Borg, but these new Cybermen looked almost cuddly in comparison, even 15 years on. Nice one Beeb. The Cybermen could have been the stuff of nightmares. Instead, they’re ‘The Cybies’ in metal moon boots.
So I went into it with low expectations for the Cybermen. Instead, I was keeping my eye on the direction: Graeme Harper, famed and hallowed among classic Who directors, was telling the Cybermen what to do.
All things being equal, though, I wasn’t wholly impressed by Graeme’s first New Who, but then I don’t think he had much to work with. It was an interesting story that I suspect has just enough plot for one and a half episodes. Since they’re spreading the story over two episodes, rather than compressing it down to one, that left the first part distinctly flat and mostly set-up. Part two, however, is going to be worth waiting for since it’s going to be non-stop action.
So what was good?
What was bad?
So not bad. Not brilliant either. I suspect part two is going to be outstanding though.
Incidentally, I know they have some strange music choices in Doctor Who Confidential, but the opening track from Clockwork Orange?
Since this is the second Who posting of the day, I’ve saved up the two Tennant images quota to give you one movie of his being interviewed by John Barrowman. Am I kind or what?
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