Another weekend, another slab of light entertainment goodness! With How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? saying goodbye, farewell… (oh, you get the idea) last week, the way is clear for the Geordie Hobbits and Simon Cowell to rule the Saturday ratings roost.
Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway(Saturday 6.05pm, ITV1) is starting to show signs of fatigue, but is still the perfect way to kick of the evening’s viewing and clear indication that LE is far from dead. This week, Al Murray and Harry Hill take on the lads in Beat the Boys, and Beyonce (who?) plugs her new single. There is talk of this being the last outing for the format, which, however well it still performs, might be the best move to ensure the continued longevity of Ant and Dec’s careers.
And, it’s business as usual for The X Factor, but this week, The Three Who Rule will discover which category they will be coaching through the rest of the competition. It’s still pot noodle television, naturally, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
After That Mitchell and Webb Look’s merciless skit on Casualty (Saturday 8.20pm, BBC1) with a medical drama that eschews the techno-babble (“Quick, get the medicine in here!”), it’s become that little bit harder to take Casualty seriously anymore. Nevertheless, after 20 years, the show is still a ratings mainstay of the Saturday night schedules, and the anniversary is marked with a double header of episodes to open the new series.
And look – it’s Duffy! Cathy Shipton returns to remind us where Casualty began, and now she’s opening a clinic in Cambodia and Charlie, Guppy, Abs and Comfort have gone over to help. I still think Holby City has the edge over Casualty, but these episodes (part two is on Sunday at 8pm) are a good opener. One thing is still a mystery – where did Duffy’s impenetrable Bristol accent from series one disappear to? Is it still floating round Holby A&E, waiting to be rediscovered down the back of an ECG monitor?
Elsewhere, Afterlife (Saturday 9.20pm, ITV1) is still worth watching, mainly this week for David Threlfall’s creepy turn as an imprisoned murderer that reminds us there is more to this great actor than his Shameless persona. My misgiving about Afterlife is that I can’t help but feel it would work better on the BBC. Auntie seems to have a much better track record with slightly esoteric fare like this.
Is Casualty and Afterlife aren’t for you, the even money will have you going for a repeat of Elizabeth I (Saturday, 8.20 pm, Channel 4), a timely showing in light of Helen Mirren’s tour de force turn in The Queen, currently in cinemas. Watching again, it’s not hard to see why this drama, epitomising the word lavish in both cast, script and direction, bagged itself nine Emmy awards. Alongside Mirren, Jeremy Irons is note perfect as court favourite, the Earl of Leicester.
BBC1 has the drama pick of the weekend with a four-part adaptation of Jane Eyre (Sunday 9pm, BBC1), and not even the presence of Toby Stephens as Rochester can put me off this (sorry, I just don’t get him). After a swift gallop through Jane’s early days, the drama can get down to business and focus on the core relationship between Ms Eyre and Rochester. Let’s face it, it’s what we’re all here for, and such is the Beeb’s skill with costume drama, this is like pulling on a comfy pair of slippers (Square eyes apologises for the blatant use of analogy in this edition).
It was encouraging to see debutant US show Entourage (Sunday 10pm, ITV2) piling a good few thousand on its viewing figures across the first few episodes thanks to positive word of mouth. It’s still early days, but this is bedding in for a welcome stay in Freeview Land and could prove to be the real making of ITV2.
If you are so inclined, stick with the ITV younger sibling directly after Entourage for the debut episode of season two of The Office: An American Workplace (Sunday 10.40pm, ITV2). BBC3 has missed a trick in not picking up this second series up, as it really is knock out. In many ways, this is a spooky recreation of the BBC2 original, but Steve Carell’s performance as Michael Scott transcends anything that Ricky Gervais is capable off (sorry Ricky). From a shaky start, this is now a bona fide hit in the States, and with a 22-episode run this season, highlights the brilliance of the original format.
The South Bank Show (Sunday 11.10pm, ITV1) provides a nice trailer for the upcoming Cracker with a profile of Robbie Coltrane), but Square Eyes would advise sticking with the US theme for the evening. The third season of Arrested Development (Sunday 11.15pm, BBC2) kicks off with two episodes of this devilish family drama. Michael (the beautifully understated Jason Bateman) discovers it was his Uncle George who has been banged up all this time, not his father, George Sr, and in the second episode he heads to Britain to investigate claims that a Blighty-based company framed his dad in the first place. The life expectancy of Arrested Development is never assured, so it’s best to catch this while you can.
October???
Am I flying through time already...?!