Charlie Brooker

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People Elevated to God-like Status: the inaugural members

27 February 2007 Rob Buckley 3 Comments

People elevated to God-like status logo

Today marks the start of a new category on the blog: people elevated to God-like status (do you like the banner? Impressive, huh?). There are actors, writers, performers and other creative types who produce things that fill our lives with joy. Then there are people who hold opinions so right, so accurate, that they are as gods, walking among us. This category will celebrate them.

Today, I’m going to launch the category with two inaugural members: Charlie Brooker and Stewart Lee. Really, I was just going to start with Stewart Lee but then I realised that that would mean Charlie Brooker wouldn’t be the first member of the elite, which just wouldn’t do. So they’re both going in at the same time.

I’m not going to say much about Charlie Brooker, since I’ve already said rather a lot. Instead, I’m going to focus on Stewart Lee. Now, whatever you think about a certain opera, Fist of Fun and a whole load of other things he’s done over the years, he was automatically granted membership of this glorious category purely as a result of comments he made on Charlie Brooker’s Screen Wipe this week. I will let his wisdom speak for itself.

Christ, I’ve just realised Chris Morris needs to be in here, too. Okay. That’s three then.

TMINE

Schedule for the week

2 January 2007 Rob Buckley 6 Comments

John BarrowmanHappy New Year everyone. Did you all have nice holidays? Feeling rested and geared up for another 365 days? Thought so.

Christmas is a funny time. It’s a time for eating and watching loads of television, apparently. I know this because Radio 1 told me so – while simultaneously berating the quality of Christmas TV – as I was driving over the Severn bridge. The funny thing is, despite being MediumRob, I hardly watched any tele.

In part, that’s because of Bastard. ‘Bastard’ is the new name for my PVR. Why am I anthropomorphising my PVR? Because just like the rest of us, it took a break for Christmas. Everything fine until December 23rd but then it took a little rest until I got back on the 28th. Ah diddums.

I managed to catch up a bit thanks to the beauties of digital TV and its constant repeats, but I still have a bit of a backlog of viewing because of my Christmas presents. As a little glimpse into my life (and what people think I’d like for Christmas), here’s a list of all the presents I got that didn’t include ‘voucher’ or ‘chocolate’ in their name.

Not quite as much sci-fi as you might have suspected, huh? I do in fact have more than one layer. Two maybe. I wouldn’t say more than three, though. Anyway, given a choice between watching Stanley Tucci and Daniel Benzali at the height of their acting powers or watching insipid Christmas TV, I plumped for Murder One. And everyone assembled agreed it was the right choice and could they have copies, too? (I said no, because that would be completely illegal).

So I’ve still to make my way through a few shows, and will be bunging up reviews later in the week than might have been expected. It’ll give you all some time to settle in. After the jump are some blipvert-style reviews of a few of the shows I’ve already managed to watch, since they probably don’t merit their own entries.

There was one extra present, though: Doctor Who Top Trumps (“Doctor Who Top Trumps…?!” “Oh you love it really.” Sigh). Anyway, there I was, Christmas Day, playing Doctor Who Top Trumps in the Celtic Manor. I mention this not to show off, but because at roughly the same time, John Barrowman and his family were in Wales’ other five-star hotel. I’m hoping that through some form of symmetry, they were playing “Snooty TV Reviewers Top Trumps”:

John: Rob Buckley? Never heard of him. Oh well, cheap sarcasm – nine.

John’s Dad: Damn. There you go.

John: Next card… Worth to society – one.

John’s Dad: You got the Clive James high card?!

Wouldn’t that have been fun?

TTFN

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Events

Christmas and the New Year on BBC4

19 December 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Greg Wise in Number 13

The BBC4 Christmas newsletter has arrived in my inbox, highlighting all sorts of goodies.

First up, Charlie Brooker is going to get a Christmas and a New Year special for his Screen Wipe review show. The first is this Thursday, so keep your eyes peeled.

Following the success of last year’s Ghost Stories season, there’s another mini-season of ghost stories, starting on Thursday. Most of it is repeats from last year’s season, but Greg Wise will be appearing in a new adaptation of MR James’ Number 13 on Friday.

After gobbling up everyone’s memories from their web site, My Science Fiction Life has chosen the weirdest and the whackiest to represent all science-fiction fans everywhere. That’ll be airing on the 29th. Looking forward to it?

Finally (well, there’s other stuff, too, including seasons on Fanny Craddock and John “England is best and all other races are inferior” Buchan), there’s a special edition of The Thick of It. Unsurprisingly, it doesn’t feature Chris Langham…

Another smokescreen to save myself from Internet wrath

25 August 2006 Rob Buckley Post a comment

I’ve not heard anything from Adam Buxton in reply to my email yet. Ah well, he’s probably busy or trapped under something heavy or something. C’est la vie.

To divert attention away from myself even more, I’d just like to point out that someone else has just reviewed series two of Screen Wipe for Off The Telly and he was more scathing about the first series than I was.

Go. Fly my pretties.

Meanwhile, also on Off The Telly, I was quite nice about Property Ladder…

TMINE

Oh God. I’ve been spotted

21 August 2006 Rob Buckley 5 Comments

Charlie Brooker in Screen WipeI knew it. I knew this was going to happen. I knew it wasn’t just paranoia.

I’ve been spotted. By Adam Buxton, no less.

Not an Adam Buxton. The Adam Buxton.

Adam’s taken exception to my review of the first pilot episode of Charlie Brooker’s Screen Wipe, which aired on BBC4 earlier this year, saying “most of Rob’s points are I believe, utter bollocks”, although most of his problems seem to be with my take on Robert Popper’s segment on Star Quality.

I hate Internet fights. Even the slightest hint of conflict gives me sleepless nights. Don’t believe me? I was over on the Struggling Author’s blog at 1am this morning, leaving comments about in-flight security, and I had to be up at six to go jogging with my brother-in-law. Today, coffee is my friend.

I haven’t been so mortified since Danny Wallace found out I didn’t like the sound of his new game show. Maybe I’ll hide behind Scott, since he seems to be able to take on irate television people with the courage of 40 men.

Anyway, to ensure pan-web peace, I’ve sent Adam an email to let him know that actually, I like the new series of Screen Wipe very much, to congratulate him on his new series and to point out the general ‘Brooker love‘ round here.

But just to answer (for which read ‘clarify my initial review and add in a bit more background’. Don’t read it as ‘let’s have a real fight’. Please.) some of Adam’s points, which is going to take a little time…

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