Category: TV

This kind of story really annoys me. The BBC put on something slightly more challenging than the heap of manure that is Footballers’ Wives, and they get attacked from all sides. Why should a drama that’s slightly more demanding be moved to BBC2. I really dislike this “move a show after two episodes” nonsense that’s…

Good to see that Jed Mercurio’s back in the medical TV saddle. We have a TV series based around his novel, Bodies, to look forward to. Some years ago, Mercurio wrote Cardiac Arrest, a series that I really enjoyed at the time. Based on the experiences during the first years of a junior doctor in…

I really really really hate it when people like Mark Lawson start talking about the shared experience that is tat like Footballer’s Wives. Can I just reiterate something – it’s not that popular! I know that some in the media don’t like to believe it, but the final episode in the last series had an…

US TV viewers sometimes don’t realise how lucky they are. Tanner ’88 is being repeated, with new introductions by Robert Altman and Gary Trudeau on the Sundance Channel. Regular visitors will know that I loved this series. Maybe someday those episodes with their new introduction will find their way onto DVD. One point I should…

Just spent the afternoon sprawled out on my sofa watching Horizon have an examination of the Atkins Diet. Nothing is completely certain from it, but the overall results seem to indicate that the make up of the diet act as an appetite suppressor. In particular, protein may be what does the trick. Eat more protein?…

I really am looking forward to this.

Emily Bell’s written an interesting piece in today’s Media Guardian abgut what our new regulator, Ofcom, should or should not do about “zero rated” programmes. What I find most curious is that she almost openly admits that it’s the likes of Mediaguardian, as well as Broadcast, that feverishly examine a programme’s ratings as the most…

Tuesday night seems to be new comedy night, and I certainly can’t claim to have watched any or all of them properly, but there’s something suspicious when a pair of programmes appear from 10.35 on BBC1 after the news without any notable previewing. First up there was Doctors and Nurses which stars Adrian Edmondson. This…

Just tapping away on this keyboard when Swingers comes on the television, and they reach this part which I love. Script lifted from here: NIKKI (recorded):Hi. This is Nikki. Leave a message. (beep) MIKE: Hi, Nikki. This is Mike. I met you tonight at the Dresden. I, uh, just called to say I, uh, I’m…

Channel 4 have made an early run for the most pointless show on television with their new “reality” format – Shattered. Yes, it’s a bunch of people trying to stay awake for as long as possible. Brilliant. That’s going to make fascinating telly isn’t it? Lots of people sitting around in a Big Brother type…

It’s interesting that the BBC seem to be airing a film, Wonder Boys, in its correct aspect ratio. This isn’t something you see too often, as the films tend to be reformatted to a 16:9 shape as many films are actually shot. But this time around we seem to be getting the full 2.35:1 which…

Nice piece in today’s Guardian about BBC4 by Toby Young. Sadly the one problem is that Freeview isn’t available universally, otherwise it’d be my parents’ default Christmas present.

Good article from the New York Times.