February 2009 Archives

The latest episode of The Stage Podcast is now online. As well as talking to TV presenter and pantomime producer Paul Hendy about his latest comic novel, Who Killed Simon Peters?, you can hear my interview with two of the BBC’s biggest names from their popular drama serials: Richard Armitage and Robert Glenister.

As well as talking about the previous series of their respective series, Spooks, Robin Hood and Hustle, they also discussed some possibilities for the shows’ future.

Some hints at what they talk about (which include some mild spoiler information) is after the jump.

• The Stage Podcast episode 16: Richard Armitage, Robert Glenister and Who Killed Simon Peters?
• Subscribe to The Stage Podcast in iTunes

Moving Wallpaper (Friday 9pm, ITV1)

Like 30 Rock and the much-missed Studio 60…, Moving Wallpaper is a hard sell to a mass audience, despite the fact that it’s sharp, funny and very watchable. It’s just sharp and funny about the business of making TV, which non-media smug types find about as entertaining as Parents of the Band. Shame - but this retooled second series stands a better chance of succeeding, freed as it is from the albatross of Echo Beach. This time, outrageous TV producer Jonathan Pope (Ben Miller) is tasked with siring a pilot for a zombie series - starring Kelly Brook and Alan Dale. Brilliant! Highly recommended.

30 Rock (Friday 9pm, Five USA)

A star-studded double bill of the excellent US sitcom, with guest appearances from Steve Buscemi, Jackie Mason and Carrie Fisher. It’s flawed, yes, but utterly fantastic.

Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder (Friday 9.30pm, ITV1)

Al Murray steps away from the Pub Landlord for this new sketch show. Like most entries into the genre, it’s a bit hit and miss, but there should be something here for most palates, from Prurient Dad to the politically correct coppers.

Casualty (Saturday 8.50pm, BBC1)

Nick Jordan, he’s a funny old character. Michael French has been playing the hokey-cokey with the miserable medic for years, with two separate stints across Holby since 1999, and now he’s been back in Casualty since last year. And Nick isn’t coping too well, hiding a mystery illness that manifests at crucial moments in the running of a busy A&E department. How long can Nick convince himself, let alone his team, that all is well? Casualty: watchable in the same way a pot noodle is edible.

Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (Saturday 9pm, BBC4)

Nicely handled documentary from Paul Merton, giving the same treatment to Alfred Hitchcock as he gave some of his silent movie idols a while back. It effectively focuses on the techniques that the master of suspense established throughout much of his work and makes it accessible for a wide audience to appreciate the work of a craftsman. You can also watch the classic Hitch films The Lady Vanishes and Rebecca at either side of the documentary.

Lark Rise to Candleford (Sunday 8pm, BBC1/BBC HD)

Sunday nights were made for Lark Rise. Laughter, tears and winsome homilies from Dorcas Lane. When it’s Lark Rise night, all is well with the world.

Being Human (Sunday 9pm, BBC3)

The highly enjoyable Being Human comes to an end with a script from series creator Toby Whithouse. It’s an evening of big decisions for our trio of mis-matched flat mates, with Mitchell deciding to take on Herrick once and for all, George choosing between staying or a life with his lady, and ghost Annie discovering new things about the haunting business. The series took a while to warm up for me, but has ended up being a thoroughly satisfying watch - and pleasingly, series two has been confirmed.

Damages (Sunday 10.20pm, BBC1/BBC HD)

I have no absolutely no idea what is going on in this twisty turny US drama, but it’s still fantastic.

Looking for Ripley Radio 4, Saturday 10.30am
The Saturday Play: The Talented Mr Ripley Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
This week, BBC Radio 4 begins a season of adaptations of Patricia Highsmith’s novels featuring one of literature’s most endearing serial killers, Tom Ripley. The first novel in the sequence, The Talented Mister Ripley, is this week’s Saturday Play, starring Ian Hart as Ripley and Stephen Hogan as Dickie Greenleaf. Stephen Wyatt’s adaptation sticks rather closer to the original novel than Anthony Minghella’s movie version. Earlier on Saturday, crime writer Mark Billingham explores the origins of the character, and the public’s ongoing fascination with psychopathic antiheroes.

SCIFI SEASON: The Wire: Salmonella Men on Planet Porno Radio 3, Saturday 9.30pm
Possibly the most intriguingly-named element of the BBC’s science fiction season, this tale of a planet when plants, animals and humans can mate interchangeably also ties in (loosely) with recent celebrations of Darwin’s bicentennial. When barriers between flora and fauna have broken down, how does the concept of ‘survival of the fittest’ work? This being The Wire, this is an intense piece, adapted by Julia Dover and Mat Thompson (who also directs and produces) from a translation of Japanese writer Yasutaka Tsutsui’s story.

SCIFI SEASON: Classic Serial: Rendezvous with Rama Radio 4, Sunday 3pm
One of Arthur C Clarke’s best novels receives a new two-part dramatisation by Mike Walker, concluding next week. A mysterious space object (dubbed ‘Rama’) appears in the solar system, and the spaceship SV Endeavour is dispatched to investigate. What they find tests both their physical and mental limits…

SCIFI SEASON: The Sofa of Time Radio 7, Sunday 11.30pm
A six part sitcom from 2002 that receives its first Radio 7 airplay. Nick Frost and Matt King write and star as Milton and Parker, two factory workers who stumble into a magical world called, oddly, ‘Gravy’. Mark Heap and Kevin Eldon also feature.

SCIFI SEASON: Woman’s Hour Drama: The Death of Grass Radio 4, Monday-Friday 10.45am (repeated 7.45pm)
John Christopher’s post-apocalyptic novel is set in a 1950s world where a virus has wiped out all the rice crops from South-East Asia. John Custance (Darrell Brockis) and family visit his brother’s farm in Cumbria, confident that the virus could not reach there. But then the virus begins to spread…

Percy Edwards Showdown Radio 4, Wednesday 9pm
Percey Edwards was a much loved impersonator of animals, and this year sees the 100th anniversary of his birth. Naturalist David Attenborough hosts this tribute programme, which rather unusually combines the usual elements of archive interviews with a panel game in which celbrity guests must try and identify bird calls from Edwards’ impersonations.

SCIFI SEASON: Afternoon Play: The State of the Art Radio 4, Thursday 2.15pm
Iain M Banks’ novella, first published in 1991, sees a ship from Banks’ futuristic utopian society visit the Earth of 1997. Adapted by sci-fi novelist, accomplished comic book writer and occasional Doctor Who scribe Paul Cornell, Anthony Sher plays The Ship, with Paterson Joseph and Nina Sosanya taking the roles of Culture agents Dervley Linter and Diziet Sma. As Linter decides to go ‘native’ on Seventies Earth, can Sma change his mind and bring him back to the Culture?

Nat King Cole Radio 2, Friday 7pm
First of a four-part series profiling one of the all-time great musical artists of the 20th Century.

It was with great sadness that TV Today heard of the death of actress Wendy Richard at the age of 65, announced earlier today by her agent Kevin Francis. She passed away at a Harley Street clinic following a battle with cancer.

Richard had been a well-known face on the British television landscape ever since playing the role of Miss Shirley Brahms in the classic BBC sitcom Are you Being Served? from 1972. But her career stretched back to the very early 1960s, with roles in popular shows like Danger Man and The Likely Lads.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Richard would be kept busy with parts in No Hiding Place, Up Pompeii, Dixon of Dock Green and the TV special Carry On Again Christmas, as well as popping up in the film Carry On Matron along the way.

Clearly the big story of the day is the notion put forward by ITV that the UK’s main commercial broadcaster could merge with both Channel 4 and Five to form one super broadcaster.

Erm…

I’m honestly not quite sure what to say to that beyond shrugging vaguely. Does anybody behind this idea (reportedly one of a number proposals ITV is toying with to save its bacon) think it has a cat in Aidensfield’s chance of happening?

It would unbalance British television more than Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand managed a couple of months ago. In fact, this has such a slim chance (i.e. none) of happening that the biggest story of the day becomes a non-story within seconds.

Oh well. And there I was, all set up for a rant.

Ho hum…

As The Stage revealed back in September, BBC Radio is embarking upon a major cross-network season of science fiction programming, backed up by a ever-so-slightly-freaky advertising campaign (above) which, for some reason, implies it’s a Radio 4 only season.

In fact, as we discussed at length, there’s more on Radios 3 and 7 as well. Our Turn off the TV weekly radio round-up covered Sunday’s version of The Time Traveller on Radio 3. The BBC has helpfully compiled a list of the dramas involved, so I heartily recommend bookmarking that page — each entry links to the relevant programme information and, in turn, to iPlayer links for shows once they have been broadcast.

In addition, the Radio 7 website has three short features promoting its big original commission, Planet B.

Of course, TV Today will be showcasing the best of the week’s radio, including (but not limited to) all the great science fiction content coming up in the weeks to come, so keep an eye out for our regular Turn off the TV feature every Friday.

Heroes (Monday 9pm, BBC2)

It’s Volume Four and make or break time for Heroes. In this series, the producers are attempting to go back to basics and make this once hot new thing about character and story again. If it’s done with economy and common sense, Heroes may yet be a contender… Otherwise this once-feted show could seriously face cancellation…

Law and Order: UK (Monday 9pm, ITV1)

Scott looked at this most-interesting of shows a few weeks back, but it’s worth mentioning here again as it’s a huge, high-profile launch for the resurgent ITV drama. Taking scripts from the US juggernaut, L&A: UK is an effective crime drama in its own right, and should develop more of a unique identity as it goes on. There’s a great cast here, with particularly effective performances from Bradley Walsh and Jamie Bamber as detectives Brooks and Devlin. With ratings healthy for this Monday night slot, the hopes are high for a hit with L&A:UK.

Mistresses (Tuesday 9pm, BBC1)

Hurrah for Mistresses in all its middle-class glory. Everybody is beautiful and lives in beautiful homes and they all do beautiful things. Last week’s opener set things up nicely, and tonight moves things along as Siobhan (what are you doing?!) is shocked when a new client is a recent one night stand. And he looks like he’s playing for keeps… Trudi meanwhile is moving in with Richard, which really can’t be a good idea…

Mad Men (Tuesday 10pm, BBC4)

It’s well made, well written and looks fantastic, but I do find Mad Men a bit of a chore. It’s so full of self-serving, arrogant character that the close of each episode leaves you feeling drained. And at the centre of it all is Don Draper, who is becoming crueller with each passing episode. Jon Hamm’s performance is quite stunning, but it doesn’t mean I want to watch it.

Nature’s Great Events (Wednesday 9pm, BBC1)

If there was a show that’s designed to show off why HD TV is great, it’s this. There are so many breathtaking moments brought alive here that watching on a HD set adds depth and colour to every frame. Even if you’re not watching in HD, it’s still a beautiful, required piece of viewing. Tonight, David Attenborough narrates the story of a pride of lions on the Serengeti plain, with some tragic scenes along the way.

The Rise of the Superchefs (Wednesday 9pm, BBC2)

The Money Programme goes behind the scenes on the culinary empires built up by the likes of Jamie Oliver, Rick Stein and the legendary Delia Smith. It’s a fascinating look into a breed of TV superstars who used television to showcase their cookery genius and become rich in the process.

Masterchef (Thursday 8pm, BBC2)

There’ll be tears, tantrums and inappropriate hyperbole from Gregg Wallace before the end of this year’s Masterchef final. The three finalists (well I know who I want to win) will be sent to three of Europe’s finest restaurants to raise their game even further, and then it’s back to Masterchef HQ to cook one final meal for John and Gregg. It’s all very tense, and always entertaining - cooking doesn’t get tougher than this, apparently.

Margaret (Thursday 9pm, BBC2)

A brilliant piece of biopic drama from the pen of Richard Cottan, sketching out the events leading to Margaret Thatcher’s resignation. A super cast bring the various men in Thatcher’s orbit to life, from John Sessions as Geoffrey Howe and Oliver Cotton as Michael Heseltine, to the always-excellent Ian McDiarmid as the loyal Denis. But it’s Lindsay Duncan as the Iron Lady herself who owns this, proving herself yet again as one of our greatest talents.

I hadn’t expected Let’s Dance to be very much cop, I’ll be honest. But the alternative on ITV1 was seeing people scream at coloured boxes, so the choice of what to watch on Saturday night wasn’t exactly hard. What I ended up watching — various celebrities attempt famous dance routines — ended up being good fun. And, in one case, one of the TV highlights of the year to date.

Robert Webb’s deserved win doesn’t just come down to his dance routine, emulating the epic audition routine from Flashdance. It started from the introductory video, where he teared up as he recounted the tale of an ordinary girl who just wanted to be left alone to be a welder but was forced to audition, and continued until his double act partner David Mitchell’s pre-recorded message of support (“I hope we still have a career”).

The centrepiece was, of course, the dance itself — which was not only hilarious, but also technically accomplished — which just added to the humour. A place in the final in three weeks’ time followed, along with an encore performance. Quite why the judges let Dick and Dom through as well, when the superior John Partridge (paired with the game for a laugh Cliff Parisi) deserved that second place more, is beyond me.

But then, it’s all for charity, so I won’t grumble too much.

• Let’s Dance
• BBC Red Nose Day 2009 website
• Comic Relief Red Nose Day website

Taggart (Friday 9pm, ITV1)

A bizarrely fun episode of the perennial crime drama sees DCI Burke’s brow furrowed by a psychic’s involvement in the case of an abducted student. It amazes me that this show manages to keep going, especially at a time when ITV is looking to chop away dead wood from the schedules. But on the basis of tonight’s episode, there’s life in this old Scots dog yet.

30 Rock (Friday 9pm, Five US)

The best show that nobody is watching, despite it being one of the most brilliantly constructed sitcoms of modern times. The opening salvo in the new series of Tina Fey’s masterwork sees TV comedy legend Jerry Seinfeld guest star as himself. If 30 Rock has one problem is that it’s possibly a bit too clever, but you will laugh out loud if you give it a go, that I promise you.

Harry Hill’s TV Burp (Saturday 6.05pm, ITV1)

After a much needed break over Christmas and New Year, Harry is back to firing on all comedy cylinders, with the last couple of weeks finding him on fine form (and pulling high ratings). Fun for all the family, and it’s not very often you can say that about a TV show.

Casualty (Saturday 8.10pm, BBC1)

Ouch, the BBCs Saturday evening schedule is looking a little limp at the moment - with Casualty the best thing on all night (still liking The Old Guys, though). It’s business as usual at Holby A&E this week - Jordan has a lapse while screening a patient, and Big Mac stops a robbery. And there’s some stuff about medicine chucked in there somewhere.

The Bourne Identity (Saturday 9pm, ITV1)

We rarely recommend a film here at Square Eyes Towers, buy my god, tonight’s schedule is as limp as limp as a collapsed chocolate fondant on Masterchef. Matt Damon as the eponymous spy on the run is superb in this tense and slick thriller that showed Bond how it should be done. Crack open the wine and enjoy.

Wild at Heart (Sunday 8.15pm, ITV1)

Summat about animals. The milk will probably be off again.

The Victorians (Sunday 9pm, BBC1/BBCHD)

Jeremy Paxman’s excellent documentary series continues as he examines the role of the home in the life of the Victorians and finds a double standard of respectability tinged with a seedier side. It’s a fascinating thumbnail of an historical age and presided over by Paxman with effortless, intelligent charm.

Damages (Sunday 10.20pm, BBC1)

More twisty-turny legal shenanigans in the excellent US drama starring the superb Glenn Close and Blighty’s very own Rose Byrne. Ellen continues in her quest for revenge against Patty as she works with the FBI, while Patty herself has other things on her mind. Brilliant.

Jonathan Ross Radio 2, Saturday 10am
This week, Jonathan’s guests in the studio include Freema Agyeman and Ben Daniels, part of the CPS team in Law & Order UK, which starts on Monday.

The Saturday Play: The Lady in the Van Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
Maggie Smith returns to the role of Miss Shepherd, which earned her an Olivier nomination in 2000. Alan Bennett’s autobiographical play reprises the stage version’s mechanism of portraying two different versions of Bennett: here, Bennett plays himself the writer, while Adrian Scarborough plays Bennett the Camden resident “torn between compassion and hatred for his unwanted tenant”, as Stage reviewer Peter Hepple summarised the original production.

Michael Ball’s Sunday Brunch Radio 2, Sunday 11am
Paul O’Grady Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
No Elaine Paige on Sunday this week - the grande dame of British musical theatre is on tour doing her day job, so Paul O’Grady fills in for her. Meanwhile, Michael Ball’s guests include a musical theatre star on tour - one Miss Elaine Paige.

Desert Island Discs Radio 4, Sunday 11.15am (NB: not on iPlayer)
Kirsty Young’s guest this week is David Walliams, actor and one half of the Little Britain duo. With such a reputation for portraying extreme characters, it will be interesting to hear more about the man himself.

Drama on 3: The Time Machine Radio 3, Sunday 8pm
Kicking off a mammoth, month-long season of science fiction drama that will run across Radios 3, 4 and 7, this new adaptation by Philip Osment of the classic HG Wells sees Robert Glenister as the Time Traveller and William Gaunt playing HG Wells himself.

Words and Music Radio 3, Sunday 10.25pm
A special edition of the programme dedicated to Harold Pinter, who died in December. Included are readings by Pinter of poetry by Thomas Hardy, Nazim Hikmet and himself, while Michael Gambon and Penelope Wilton contribute new recordings of Pinter’s writings.

Monday to Friday previews continue after the jump.

In the couple of years before its 50th anniversary, Blue Peter has walked a very rocky road, full of scandal, the unjust removal of a talented producer and dwindling ratings. And now the continued survival of a British institution is once more under threat as the Beeb seeks to reverse the sliding fortunes of the home of sticky back plastic…

Richard Deverell, controller of children’s programmes for the BBC, has indicated that Blue Peter needs to seek a trendier image and emulate the style of a huge BBC success story.

“We think [Blue Peter] needs to generate the same playground buzz as shows like ‘Top Gear’.”

he has recently been quoted.

After eighteen years of hardy service (save for a one-off hat tip to the movie), The Simpsons’ famous title sequence is getting a makeover in preparation for its first ever HD episode.

Truth be told, high definition is probably overkill for the overbite capital of the world, but animation advances have been such that the production quality of the opening titles fell way behind that of the main show some years ago. So this spruce up is much welcomed.

Of course, we would neither expect nor want the titles to be this long all the time. Even with the old titles, segments would get cut out depending on the running time of the main show. But as a one-off it’s a glorious celebration of the wide variety of Springfield’s population that has developed over the years.

A Wikipedia article has already sprung up detailing some of the main changes. For me, the biggest loss is Homer’s girly scream as Marge nearly runs him over — but other than that, it feels like a welcome makeover to a much-loved, but slightly droopy, old friend.

The new sequence will debut in the UK next Sunday on Sky One.

Whitechapel ITV1, Monday 9pm
Moses Jones BBC2, Monday 9pm
The head-to-head police dramas both come to a conclusion tonight. Both have been fun to watch, but as often with these three-parters, how the loose ends of each story get gathered together will affect how the serials as a whole are perceived.

The Shield Five USA, Monday 10pm
The sixth and final series of the Michael Chiklis-led police precinct drama leads the first night of the newly rebadged Five USA channel. Which is exactly like its predecessor, Five US, but with a different logo that matches Five’s rebranding.

Mistresses BBC1, Tuesday 9pm
It’s back! One of my favourite series from 2008 returns, with Sarah Parish, Sharon Small, Orla Brady and Shelley Conn continuing the variou sbed-hopping antics that were so guiltily enjoyable last year. The only concern is whether the characters, whose storylines in series 1 came to a natural conclusion (it being a self-contained series, and all) will work as well this time round. Or will it become another Hearts and Bones, with a superb series 1 followed by a lacklustre, please-put-it-out-of-its-misery series 2?

Movie Connections: Local Hero BBC1, Wednesday 10.45pm
More recent fare such as Four Weddings and a Funeral may overshadow it in the pantheon of British film, but Local Hero remains one of the most endearing comedies to come out of the UK. Unfortunately there is no showing of the film to go with this documentary about its making.

ER More4, Thursday 9pm
A treat for long-term fans of the series, as we delve into the backstory of new department boss Cate Banfield (Angela Bassett) and find some familiar faces: Mark Greene, Kerry Weaver and Robert Romano (Anthony Edwards, Laura Innes and Paul McCrane). An uncomfortable episode to watch, not only because of the traumatic and emotional storylines but also due to the reminder that this series was so much better in its early years.

With its share price being buffeted, the sale of Friends Reunited imminent and the recession biting on all fronts, Saturday’s viewing figures should come as something of a relief for ITV.

Central to the evening’s schedule was the first in a new series of And and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, which attracted an average of 7.3 million viewers comprising a 32% viewing share, up 0.5m and 2 share points on last series’ average. The light entertainment behemoth proved the cornerstone of a successful night, framed as it was by Harry Hill’s TV Burp gaining a series-best rating of 7.4 million viewers (a 33% share) and the one-off documentary Dancing on Ice: The Story of Bolero pulling in 7.2 million viewers, a 32% share — a whopping 10 share points up on ITV1’s average for that 9pm slot.

Such strong figures do tend to be seasonal, though, and the comparative weakness of BBC1’s Saturday schedule must surely play a part as well. Certainly, when the Corporation’s big hitters including Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing are in the schedule, even ITV’s mighty X Factor has to reallly fight for audience share. For the time being at least, the commercial broadcaster has the upper hand on Saturday nights.

The Geordie twosome’s success has clearly not gone unnoticed at TV Centre, though. The gameshow/light entertainment hybrid that has made Saturday Night Takeaway such a hit (as, in its day, was Noel’s House Party, in the days before Noel decided to come over all Peter-Finch-in-Network) could be making a comeback to BBC1.

Graham Norton is to host a non-broadcast pilot of a new show, Totally Saturday, which if successful could lead to a full series:

A source close to the production told The Stage: “It’s a pilot for a potential series called Totally Saturday, which is a multi-strand Saturday night entertainment and variety show involving the public. It’s still in pre-production, but it’s taking shape.”

Its unlikely that Jay Hunt would schedule such a show directly against Saturday Night Takeaway, with which it would share a core audience. For both broadcasters, it’s a sign that the shiny floor show, a huge ratings pull if done correctly, is likely to be ever more important in the schedules as channels demand higher ratings for lower costs.

The Saturday Play: Joan of Arc and How She Became a Saint Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
By the title, you’d expect an intense piece. By the cast list — Dawn French as Joan, with Jim Broadbent, Anne Reid, Marc Wootton, Beautiful People’s Samuel Barnett — you may expect a comedy. In truth, it’s a bit of both, starting out broadly but as events unfold everything takes a much darker turn.

Elaine Paige on Sunday Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
This week, EP plays host to Kathryn Evans, where they will no doubt swap tales of playing Evita and Norma Desmond — Evans’ turn as the latter at the Playhouse theatre has recently been nominated for an Olivier. And Kathryn Evans’ husband, Peter Purves, is on The Stage Podcast this weekend.

Classic Serial: Scoop Radio 4, Sunday 3pm
Tim McInnerny, Rory Kinnear and David Warner lead an awesome cast in Jeremy Front’s adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic newspaper satire.

Life with Lucy and Desi Radio 2, Tuesday 10.30pm
Carmen Miranda: The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat Radio 2, Wednesday 11pm
R2 celebrates two of of the twentieth century’s campest icons, Lucille Ball and Carmen Miranda.

Clare in the Community Radio 4, Wednesday 11.30am
A more than welcome fifth series for one of Radio 4’s funniest sitcoms — and we’re not just saying that because it is the creation of Harry Venning, The Stage’s TV critic and creator of porcine thespian Hamlet. Sally Phillips returns as the hapless social worker so self-obsessed she’s unable to see that she often needs more help than her clients. And God help us, she’s now a mother…

Blasted: The Life and Death of Sarah Kane Radio 4, Thursday 11.30am
Sarah Kane was only in her early twenties when her first play Blasted, caused a sensation in 1995 with its scenes of rape and cannibalism. Four years later, having become one of Britain’s most respected contemporary dramatists, she took her own life in the psychiatric hospital where she was a patient. Playwright Dan Rebellato looks at her life and work, with contributions from her family and professional colleagues.

Old Harry’s Game Radio 4, Thursday 6.30pm
I’ve never quite warmed to Andy Hamilton’s comedy about Satan and his minions, but there’s no doubt it’s phenomenanally popular — hence its return for another series.

Lenny Henry Plays Othello Radio 4, Friday 11am
We started the week’s previews with his wife playing Joan of Arc, and we end with Lenny Henry as he prepares to take on one of Shakespeare’s most demanding leading roles, in Northern Broadside’s Othello.

Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway ITV1 Saturday 7.45pm
ITV1’s light entertainment heavweights return with a mix of game shows, celebrity guests and comedy skits.

New Town BBC4 Saturday 9pm
Mark Gatiss and Max Bremer star in an odd little drama about two Edinburgh architects for find themselves drawn in into a murder mystery. Written by The Book Group’s Annie Griffin.

Anthony Sher Night BBC4 Sunday from 9pm
Celebrating the life of one of the UK’s finest actors, a new interview in the Mark Lawson Talks To… series is bookended by two of Sir Anthony Sher’s television works, The History Man and Home.

Damages BBC1 Sunday 10.20pm
One of the finest US imports last year was the legal drama that cast Glenn Close as the scheming lawyer Patty Hayes. As the second series opens, Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) is scheming with the FBI to bring Patty down — but in a flash forward to an unknown point in the future, Ellen is involved in something far more serious…

With first Unforgiven and now Whitechapel causing a bit of a buzz in ITV1’s Monday night 9pm drama slot, February 23 sees a very different style of drama. At least, it’s different for ITV: for US audiences, or those of many of the digital channels which import its kin, Law & Order UK is incredibly familiar.

The veteran US franchise has at its heart a simple, but successful, formula: take one crime, and follow its progress through the legal system, from police investigation through to prosecution and, hopefully, conviction. That the whole process takes place over just one hour, including commercial breaks, means that the whole programme is paced in a way that is quite unlike British-sourced dramas.

As such, watching the first two episodes of the series gives one quite an odd sensation, almost as if the British cast are performing a script designed for Americans.

Which isn’t that odd, really, as that’s what they’re doing.

I know that TV Today has been a little quiet of late, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy. Our audio wing, in the shape of The Stage Podcast, recently hosted an in-depth conversation with Ruthie Henshall, one of the judges on ITV1’s hit Sunday evening entertainment show Dancing on Ice. Split into three episodes, the main topic is, of course, her long and varied musical theatre career, but naturally DoI gets a fair old mention.

You can listen online:

• Part 1: Dancing on Ice and her early career
• Part 2: From Crazy For You to the present day
• Part 3: Audience questions

Alternatively, if you have iTunes on your computer, go to our page in the iTunes directory and subscribe. The most recent podcast episode will download automatically: once you’ve subscribed, go to the ‘Podcasts’ section of your iTunes library and you can download older episodes by clicking on the arrow next to “The Stage Podcast” to show all available episodes, then the ‘GET’ button next to the older episode(s).

By subscribing to The Stage Podcast in iTunes, you’ll start to receive all future episodes automatically. Which will be a good thing, as there are several TV-related topics coming up:

• At the end of this week, we’ll have an interview with former Blue Peter presenter and Doctor Who companion Peter Purves.

• Next week, we’ll be talking to How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? runner-up Helena Blackman, about her latest musical theatre role in a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s rarely-performed Saturday Night

• In a couple of weeks, we’ll be returning to the annual BBC Showcase in Brighton with some big interviews. We’re still arranging some big name interviews, but they should be on a par with (or better than) last year’s, where we talked to the cast of Mistresses and Timothy Spall.

And that’s just the TV-related content over the next few weeks. There’s much more to come very soon!

Mad Men Tuesday, BBC4 10pm (repeated Wednesday BBC2 11.20pm)
It’s back to the 1960s advertising offices of Sterling Cooper, as the second series of Mad Men returns. The first series often seemed as if it were yearning for the more innocent days when men werwe men and women were for men to do with as the saw fit, revelling in the sexism more often than drawing attention to it. For all that, it remained a much better written evocation of the era than we’ve often seen — although I still have a soft spot for Frank Loesser’s musical, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

The second series opens fifteen months after season one ended. How is Don’s marriage holding up? What happened to Peggy’s baby? Has Pete managed to smarm around the office without once being thrown out the window? All these questions and more will be answered in the episodes to come…

Terry Pratchett: Living with Alzheimer’s Wednesday 9pm BBC2
The second part of this fascinating documentary sees Pratchett, one of our most eloquent and engaging authors, travel to America to explore the care and treatment options available across the Atlantic.

Stephen Fry and the Gutenberg Press Wednesday 10pm BBC2
One of Britain’s other most eloquent and engaging authors, Mr Stephen J Fry Esquire, documents the history of the printed press in this repeat of a truly fascinating documentary.

Minder Wednesday 9pm Five
The second episode of Five’s revived drama, and we’ll see whether the series can maintain the high ratings of its first episode. This week, guest stars Rik Mayall and Meera Syall appear in a tale of a wedding that, naturally, threatens to go horribly, horribly wrong.

Grandpa in my Pocket Thursday 5.30pm CBeebies
A miniaturised James Bolam is carried around in his grandson’s pocket. What’s not to love about that?

We Need Answers Thursday 10pm BBC4
A new comedy panel show, based on a successful run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, sees host Mark Watson and guests provide humorous answers to questions sent in to one of those text messaging companies. A colleague asked said text service “How freaking ace is We Need Answers going to be?” and received the answer, “We Need Answers will be one of the best programmes BBC4 has ever shown. It will be so good BBC1 will commission a 12 part series for late 09.” We think they may be slightly biased.

Ketch! and HIRO-PON Get It On Friday BBC3 11pm
A pilot episode of a new, dialogue-free comedy starring mohicaned Japanese identical twins Ketch! and HIRO-PON. We’re promised lots of sight gags, conjuring tricks and, as in the example sequence above, some clever backwards filming. Totally unlike anything else on telly at the moment.

Casualty Saturday BBC1 8.50pm
My love-hate relationship with Casualty has tended more towards the latter in recent weeks, especially since Matthew Needham’s Toby de Silva walked off into the Holby sunset. However, with the slow burn storyline of Adam’s brother Alex, whose death last week precipitates the key events of tonight’s episode, the programme may yet win me back. With Tristan Gemmill’s Adam punching Nick Jordan (Michael French) in the face, it looks as if the gloves are quite literally off. Although, when the punch is landed, I do have to refrain myself from saying out loud, “That’s for subjecting us to Crime Traveller, Mister French!”

The Story of Jackanory Sunday BBC4 7pm
First shown in 2007 to mark the return of the classic children’s storytelling programme, this trip through the history of the show with the simplest concept on television (actor reads story to children) is a wonderful nostalgiafest.

Lark Rise to Candleford Sunday BBC1/HD 8pm
Nothing much happens, as ever, in this slice of Sunday evening whimsy. But what does happen is so lovely, warm and fluffy that it’s like drowning in hot chocolate. Which, in this weather, is not a particularly bad way to go.

The British Academy Film Awards Sunday BBC2 8pm, BBC1 9pm
Jonathan Ross hosts the annual film bash. The only award of the evening voted for by the public, the Orange Rising Star award, is my main interest — Noel Clarke, who I interviewed for The Stage last August (with an additional interview online on TV Today), has been nominated. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that he wins — easily the most deserving of this year’s shortlisted names.

Being Human Sunday BBC3 9pm
This week, the focus of Toby Whithouse’s supernatural houseshare drama falls upon the ghostly Annie, who finds out more about why she is stuck in limbo. The series is still smarting from the loss of Andrea Riseborough, who played Annie in last year’s pilot; hopefully this week will allow her replacement, Lenora Critchlow, to finally lay that, erm, ghost to rest.

The Saturday Play: On the Ceiling Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
A story about the painting of the Sistine Chapel that doesn’t feature Michelangelo? That’s the whole point of Nigel Planer’s 2005 play, his first as a writer, which started at the Birmingham Rep before transferring to the Garrick. Phil Daniels and Bryan Dick take the roles of workmen Lapo and Loti, plasterers who doo al the hard graft for a master who rarely turns up for work. Gary Waldhorn and Roger Lloyd Pack also star.

The Wire: Sold on eBay Radio 3, Saturday 10pm
Inspired by the real-life tale of the man who auctioned his clothes, menial job and emotional baggage online, Australian playwright Van Badham creates an edgy comedy starring Claire Rushbrook and Bruce Mackinnon. Richard drunkenly puts his life up for sale on eBay, and then receives an offer he can’t refuse. Cut off from his old life, he discovers the extent to which people’s possessions define who they are.

Desert Island Discs Radio 4, Sunday 11.15am (repeated Friday 9am) NB: Not on iPlayer
The castaway this week is LAMDA graduate and RSC actor David Suchet. Included in his song choices are the theme to Agatha Christie’s Poirot, the ITV drama series in which he has starred for twenty years, and You’ll Never Walk Alone from Carousel.

Elaine Paige on Sunday Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
In a special Bafta-themed show, EP looks at the films up for music gongs at this weekend’s Orange Bafta Film Awards, including Mamma Mia! and Wall-E.

Woman’s Hour Drama: Reading Between the Lines Radio 4, Monday-Friday 10.45am (rpt 7.45pm)
When mystery writer RP Beckford dies, the police receive an anonymous note saying that his last novel contains clues to the death of Beckford’s ex-wife three years earlier. As DI Kate Duncan attempts to investigate further, she finds that no-one has actually met the mysterious RP Beckford — indeed, there seems to be doubt that he is even dead… Written by Mark Lawson (who also appears as himself) Lia Williams plays Kate Duncan, with support from Nickolas Grace and Hugh Ross.

The Yellowplush Papers Radio 4, Monday 11.30am
WM Thackeray’s comic novel, adapted in five parts by Stephen Wyatt, stars Adam Buxton as Charles James Harrington Fitzroy Yellowplush, a canny Regency footman.

Afternoon Play: The Need for Nonsense Radio 4, Monday 2.15pm
Andrew Sachs plays poet and painter Edward Lear in a play by Julia Blackburn based on Lear’s diaires and letters. Lear’s strong attachment to his servant and lifelong companion, Giorgio (Alexi Kaye-Campbell) is put to the test, as Giorgio has a secret — he has a wife and three sons back on his home island of Corfu.

Afternoon Play: Rumpole Returns Radio 4, Thursday & Friday 2.15pm
Welcome repeats, broadcast in tribute to the late John Mortimer, of two plays starring Timothy West and Prunella Scales as the redoubtle barrister and his wife, Hilda. Thursday’s episode, Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf, features one Matt “shortly to be the new Doctor Who” Smith as a teenager accused of sending emails deemed to be sexually harassing, and of an actual physical attack on a girl.

Oh dear.

I really wanted to like last night’s first episode of the TV adaptation of Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman’s popular Ladies of Letters series. I really did. The series has been running concurrently as books and Radio 4 dramas for Woman’s Hour since 1997, and is much-loved by young and old alike.

But this transfer to television mis-fired on just about every level. Perhaps I adore the radio version, starring Patricia Routledge and Prunella Scales, a bit too much. That may have blinded me to the good qualities that ITV3’s first original drama commission may have… but for the life of me I couldn’t see any.

There will have been much cheering at the London Television Centre this morning to greet the news that serial-killer drama Whitechapel scored a massive hit in the overnight ratings. The thee-part tale, starring Rupert Penry-Jones and Phil Davis secured a massive 8.1 million viewers with an audience share just shy of 30per cent.

This is an improvement by around 1.6 million viewers on the previous week’s final episode of the well-received Unforgiven, itself having pulled in decent numbers - especially for an ITV drama.

If there’s one thing we love here at TV Today, it’s the combination of television with the other passions of The Stage. And this latest collection of three short films, commissioned by Sky Arts to promote their sponsorship of the English National Opera, fits the bill perfectly.

Each film is set to a famous aria from the ENO repertoire (recorded by the ENO Orchestra and conducted by ENO Music Director Edward Gardner) and is directed by a luminary from the visual arts. The clip below is from a piece by pop video director, Dougal Wilson, who creates a pastiche of the early days of the silent film:

All three films in the series will be broadcast regularly on Sky Arts and Sky Arts HD, along with a behind-the-scenes documentary. More details — including links to watch them online — after the jump.

Who Do You Think You Are? (Monday 9pm, BBC1)

Return of the popular genealogy show. Rory Bremner is the first subject of this new series.

Moses Jones (Monday 9pm, BBC2)

A reasonably engaging thriller that’s perhaps getting more attention than it normally would have as it co-stars some young fella called Matt Smith, who, so I’m told, is going to be the new Doctor Who. I must have missed that memo. Shaun Parkes is the titular Moses Jones, a copper drafted into investigating the death of a businessman whose body is discovered in a suitcase in the Thames. Partnered with fellow detective Dan Twentyman (Smith), the pair look into the possible ritualistic nature behind the slaying…

Whitechapel (Monday 9pm, ITV1)

Run of the mill yet glossy serial killer yarn starring the square jaw of Rupert-Penry Jones as Detective Inspector Joseph Chandler, who is hot on the heels of a murderer whose shtick is to mimic the killings of one Jack the Ripper. It’s all very jolly (as far as these things go), and Steve Pemberton is on good form as a Ripper expert who assists Chandler in his investigation. Will it be another score for ITV drama in the ratings game?

Ladies of Letters (Tuesday 10pm, ITV3)

I remain to be convinced about this television transfer for a perennial Radio 4 comedy drama that still stars to this day Prunella Scales and Patricia Routledge. Here Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid take on the roles of fractious ladies of a certain age, Irene and Vera, who strike up an often minty correspondence after meeting at a wedding. I just can’t see how the concept (running on Radio 4 as part of Woman’s Hour since 1997) can work on TV. I also object to the recasting (although if you absolutely have to, Maureen Lipman and Anne Reid are clearly going to be top notch), and the pedigree behind the production is about the best - this served as one of Geoffrey Perkins final projects before his sad death last year. I am willing to be talked round on this one…

Minder (Wednesday 9pm, Five)

A few weeks ago, I waxed lyrical about the marketing campaign for this revival of Minder, starring Shane Richie as the nephew of Arthur Daley and Lex Shrapnel as his minder. Clearly this series is going to come nowhere near the greatness of the George Cole/Dennis Waterman original, but there is fun to be head with some cockney geezerness thrown in along the way. Richie is actually quite good here - he’s perfect for this kind of role, but whether Minder 2009 will strike a chord with the audience remains to be seen.

Terry Pratchett - Living with Alzheimer’s (Wednesday 9pm, BBC2)

This is going to be a difficult watch. I adore Terry Pratchett. I’ve been reading the Discworld books since the very beginning (I was still at school), and in this documentary the author opens up his life to cameras to document his life after being diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a brave thing to do on Pratchett’s part, but this is characterised by his determined work in raising awareness of the disease. There are some moments here that are tough to watch, so be prepared. The documentary concludes next week.

Hustle (Thursday 9pm, BBC1)

The team sting a corrupt a local MP who signed a dodgy property development deal. I’ve loved this series of Hustle, it has a nice energy that the last run lacked. I hope it leads to more - and let’s face it, after Bonekickers, Adrian Lester will probably take what he can!

It’s Time to Go Nationwide (Thursday 9pm, BBC4)

A lovely trip down memory lane as presenters of the legendary magazine programme recall their time with the show. It was the programme that brought the regions together, mixing news with frothier items, and made household names out of Sue Lawley and Frank Bough. It had a great theme tune too…

Skins (Thursday 10pm, E4)

I should like Skins - I can see how vibrant and brilliant and well made it is. But all it does is make me feel old. My loss, I guess…