EastEnders (Monday 8pm, BBC1)
My, my, but ‘Enders really is on form at the moment. The show seems to have remembered what makes a soap tick, having performed some sterling work in the character department, especially in strengthening the women of Albert Square - Roxy Mitchell and Tanya Branning springing to mind on that front. However, tonight there it’s out and out comedy as Bradley gets locked out of his house in the buff and the Millers win the lottery (oh really?). Elsewhere there is some socially relevant drama as Chelsea is nicking cash from the till to fuel the cocaine habit she’s developed within about 30 seconds.
The Great British Body (Monday 9pm, ITV1)
Trinny and Susannah try to get a bit more serious in this three part series that attempts to uncover the truth about the British body - are we a nation of skinny minnies or is the country running to fat? Rest assured, T&S will get to the bottom of it. So to speak.
Queen Victoria’s Men (Monday 9pm, C4)
She liked her men did Queen Victoria, according to this nice, if light, documentary peppered with reconstructions. Thanks to works like Mrs Brown, we know about her close relationship with her ghillie, John Brown, and of course her marriage to Prince Albert was something of a fairytale and long-lasting royal coupling. But there were others, as this documentary delves into, including Lord Melbourne (apparently it upset the Conservative Party, so that can only be a good thing). Enjoyable stuff, and now that Britain’s Got Talent has finished, what else are you going to be watching?
Emmerdale (Tuesday 7pm, ITV1)
Although the 5000th episode of Emmerdale was last week, this hour-long wedding caper seems to have been earmarked as the official celebration of Emmerdale’s enduring popularity. And it’s packed to the gills as the village prepares to celebrate the marriage of veteran Emmerdale regular Eric Pollard to Val Lambert. There’s a frankly silly kidnap plot underpinning proceedings, and a guest turn from Anthony Worrall Thompson as himself. It is silly, yes, but it’s also an enjoyable moment in Emmerdale’s long history - and not an exploding house in sight!
The Culture Show (Tuesday 10pm, BBC2)
A new slot for The Culture Show (which makes much more sense) as Lauren Laverne presides over a look at Ricky Gervais’s directorial debut, This Side of the Truth, amongst other high and low cultural endeavours. An extended repeat of the show is on Friday at 11.35pm, a nice fit for Newsnight Review just ahead of it.
The Apprentice (Wednesday 9pm, BBC1)
The penultimate edition of The Apprentice is always my favourite as this is where the playing field is not so much levelled as bulldozed into tiny pieces as the candidates finally sit down and get a proper drubbing in an interview environment. This is the one where Sir A’s business and golfing buddies give the remaining candidates a tense and serious interview and generally reduce them to gibbering wrecks. (Actually, I don’t know if Sir A plays golf - he doesn’t seem the type somehow). CVs are duly ripped apart, convictions challenged and arrogant swaggers shown the door. At the end of this, we’ll be one step away from knowing who The Apprentice 2008 will be. Love it!
Taggart (Thursday 9pm, ITV1)
It’s not often I say “Thank God for Taggart!”, but with the circus of horror taking place over on C4, I am thanking my lucky stars for some well made, well acted crime drama as a blissful alternative. I do think Taggart should have been put out to pasture a couple of years ago, but it remains an enjoyable piece of hokum to pass an hour. In tonight’s tale, the body of a private investigator is found after he was on the trail of a missing woman,
Big Brother (Thursday 9pm, C4)
With that tedious, shuffling inevitability, Davina McCall presides yet another depressing round of Big Brother. I’m mentioning it here because, well, it’s hard to escape, but I managed to live without it last year, and I’m looking forward to another blissful summer of no Brother. Please, do join me…
Leave a comment