UK TV

Review: Merlin 1×1



 

In the UK: Saturdays, BBC1, 7.30pm
In the US: NBC, some time in the 2008-9 season. Probably

Ever since the return of Doctor Who made Saturday evenings viable viewing slots again, the onus has been on broadcasters not to fill their schedules with rubbish. ITV1 has tried to compete using shows like Primeval as well as a 1,001 singing and dancing shows; the Beeb, since you can’t have Doctor Who all year round, has done likewise but also rolled an updating of Robin Hood into the mix, to not great success. 

Now here comes its latest effort: Merlin. You remember Merlin, don’t you? Son of a demon/dragon, lives his life backwards? Welsh wizard pal of King Arthur?

Ah. Apparently, most of that was wrong. Because we’re in for a good dose of ‘Welsh washing’ here for a slightly less whimsical version of Harry Potter.

Continue reading “Review: Merlin 1×1”

Audio and radio play reviews

Review: Torchwood – Lost Souls

Lost Souls

JACK: Okay, listen up fucktards. It’s Torchwood here. We’re below the law, beside the government and over the top and we’re here to educate you about the Higgs Boson.

MURMURS OF PROTEST FROM AUDIENCE

JACK: Yes, you idiots. You know nothing about CERN or the large hadron collider or really difficult science things. So Radio 4 have asked us to come and educate your asses for Big Bang Day.

MORE MURMURS OF PROTEST FROM AUDIENCE

JACK: Shut it or I’ll make you smell my coat. I haven’t washed it since I first got it and I was buried in peat for 2,000 years.

GWEN: Ych y fi, Jack!

JACK: Right, the Higgs Boson. It’s… Hmm. Anyone know? Gwen?

GWEN (ON PHONE): Can I phone a friend? Rhys? Oh, Rhys man! What are you doing? I loves you. You knows I loves you!… But Rhys… Why her?…

JACK: Maybe not then. Tosh? Oh sh… she’s dead. Owen. Oh sh… he’s dead too. Christ, they were the only ones who knew anything. Martha?

MARTHA GIGGLES AND IMPERSONATES A PIECE OF WOOD

JACK: Ianto?

IANTO TRIES TO AVOID JACK’S EYE BY READING THE CRACK-A-JOKE BOOK AND LAUGHING UNCONVINCINGLY

JACK: Guess it’ll be me then. Erm, it’s a thing that you, like, see. Erm, inside rain drops. Protons? Are we clear yet?

MORE MURMURS, THIS TIME OF RIDICULE FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS WELL EDUCATED RADIO 4 AUDIENCE

JACK: What do you mean Torchwood know sweet FA about science, so much so it’s embarrassing? Oh…Look over there. It’s an eagle. No really. Look! Look!

AUDIENCE LOOKS STAGE RIGHT

JACK: Quick, Ianto – the rear entrance!

Excerpt from Torchwood: Lost Souls

Continue reading “Review: Torchwood – Lost Souls”

Friday’s House and house news

Doctor Who

Film

British TV

  • Disney to adapt Welsh radio sitcom
  • T4 most likely to be cut by Channel 4 in budget round
  • David Starkey to profile Henry VIII
  • Press pack for BBC2 comedy Beautiful People
  • Trailer for Charlie Brooker’s “BB meets zombies” drama Dead Set
  • Channel 4 commissions full series of School of Comedy

US TV

Thursday’s slacker news

Doctor Who

Film

  • Arnie might be T4 after all [pic and vid]

British TV

US TV

Friday’s 30 rocking news

Doctor Who

Film

Commercials

Theatre

British TV

US TV

  • Gossip Girl girls to guest in 30 Rock
  • …and footage of Jennifer Aniston on-set
  • Mitch Hurwitz and Jason Biggs working on sitcom for CBS
  • Aliens land with Greg Berlanti and Rene Echevarria for The Return for ABC
  • Anthony Edwards and Noah Wylie to appear in ER‘s final season
  • Michael Rodrick to guest on 24 and Without a Trace
  • Jodie Foster to play Maggie in The Simpsons; Anne Hathaway also to appear
  • Swingtown creator to develop BiCoastal for Showtime
  • New Amsterdam‘s Zuleikha Robinson cast in Lost