February 2010 Archives

Michael Winner’s Dining Stars ITV1, Friday 9pm
Take the competitiveness of Masterchef, fold in a dollop of Come Dine With Me’s laugh-at-people-in-their-own-homes — and then decorate with liberal helpings of one of culinary criticism’s more bizarre characters. Watchable, if only through one’s fingers. But at least he’s not AA Gill.

True Blood FX, Friday 10pm
The second season of the Deep South-set vampire series kicks off on digital telly (it’ll be on Channel 4 later in the year).

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross BBC1, Friday 10.35pm
Andrew Lloyd Webber guests to promote both Love Never Dies, his new West End musical that is a sequel of Phantom of the Opera and Over The Rainbow/The Wizard of Oz — apparently he reveals that he was written a total of six new songs for his new stage rework of the MGM musical.

Ant and Dec’s Push the Button ITV1, Saturday 7.45pm
A new game show presented by ITV’s light entertainment stalwarts (we’ll choose to draw a veil over the farrago of a Christmas show, which managed to make Noel’s House Party look like well-planned, well-executed fun). Two families compete against each other and the clock — the longer they take for each round, the less money there is in the kitty to win.

Being Human BBC3, Sunday 9pm
As it reaches the end of its second series, George and Annie are hoping for a “cure” from Kemp, but will Mitchell allow them to inflict the treatment? It’s a been a cracking series, and with news that a third has definitely been recommissioned should mean that we’re guaranteed a corking cliffhanger.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Saturday Play - Othello Radio 4, Saturday 2.30pm
Over a year ago, Kevin Berry reviewed the Northern Broadsides production of Othello at West Yorkshire Playhouse saying, “For a comedian, who is untrained in the dramatic arts, to venture into Shakespeare for the first time takes some courage… bearded and physically imposing, he is every inch the valiant Moor”. After a successful and acclaimed transfer to London’s Trafalgar Studios last autumn, the Northern Broadsides production is adapted for radio. Henry is joined by many of the original cast, including “Conrad Nelson’s slimy Iago is a masterly performance laced with sweetly relished asides. Richard Standing’s Cassio and Matt Connor’s Roderigo are both well played.”

If you missed it, the repeat of Lenny Henry Plays Othello which I highlighted last week and chronicles the rehearsal process up until the first night at the West Yorkshire Playhouse is still available on iPlayer until 2pm on Sunday. Click here to listen.

The rest of this week’s picks are after the jump.

Did you enjoy episode 8, ‘Mash-up’? Word is if you did, you’ll love next week’s episode. And if you needed any convincing, those lovely people at E4 have given TV Today readers not one, but two great clips to whet your appetite.

First of all, the episode summary:

When Artie’s chances of going to Regionals are in doubt, Will challenges the others to experience life from a different point of view by spending three hours a day in a wheel chair. Kurt and Rachel have their first ‘diva-off’ to decide who gets to sing their favourite solo song.

Quinn tells Finn to ‘man-up’ and figure out a way to support her and ‘his’ baby and one wonders whether Finn will ever figure out the truth. Without Finn realising, he has a ‘Dad off’ with Puck, as Puck claims that he says if it were his baby, he would do “whatever it takes.” Puck reels in the cash for Sectionals by turning a lousy bake sale into a success by getting the whole school hooked on his ‘special’ cupcakes.

And now the clips. First, there are sparks as well as cooking ingredients flying between Quinn and Puck in the home economics lab:

Next, Rachel and Kurt compete for the right to sing the lead in Defying Gravity at the impending Sectionals. Be warned - this clip does cut off a little too quickly:

• Glee, Mondays 9pm on E4 (repeated Thursdays on E4 and Sundays on Channel 4). For more information, go to e4.com/glee

Defying Gravity is a track on the newly released soundtrack album, Glee - Volume 1. To hear track previews and order individual tracks, use the widget below or use the following links to buy the complete album:

• Glee: The Music, Volume 1 [MP3]
• Glee the Music, Volume 1 [Audio CD]

EastEnders BBC1, Monday 8pm and ongoing
After the traumatic events of Friday’s live episode (still available on iPlayer until Friday), the repercussions will continue — not least because, down to the absolute secrecy regarding the identity of Archie’s killer, many scenes for the next few episodes have had to be written and played ambiguously, with the actors being asked to play scenes with subtexts that they didn’t necessarily know about or understand. Over on the BBC’s new TV blog executive producer Diederick Santer talks about the experience of keeping a storyline absolutely secret from cast and crew. But beware - if you missed Friday’s episode, the blog gives away the identity of the killer…

Married Single Other ITV1, Monday 9pm
Ever since Cold Feet curled up its toes and died, ITV has been seeking around for a new romantic comedy drama that will captivate the nation. This new attempt is closer than they’ve got for ages, although it’s not ever as funny as it thinks it is and only a couple of the characters are endearing enough to engage from the get go. Lucy Davis carries the programme as Lillie, who lives with her boyfriend (Shaun Dooley) and their three children, but who refuses to marry him. Amanda Abbington and Dean Lennox Kelly are an unhappily married couple, while Ralf Little is the singleton who finds himself getting very attracted to Spooks’ Miranda Raison.

Glee E4, Monday 9pm Puck and Rachel? Now there’s a mix that’s more incongruous than any mash-up Will can provide to the glee club. Watch our video preview of Puck singing Sweet Caroline, and check back after tonight’s episode for a preview of next week.

Above Their Station BBC3, Monday 9.30pm
A sitcom pilot starring and written by Rhys Thomas, currently also onscreen as the eponymous interviewer in BBC2’s Bellamy People. Perry, Len and Kelly are police community support officers who want to be real cops, constantly derailing investigations they shouldn’t really be involved in. Denis Lawson also stars as the chief constable.

On Expenses BBC4, Tuesday 9pm
Brian Cox stars as Commons Speaker Michael Martin with Anna Maxwell Martin as freelance journalist Heather Brooke, who fought for the right to expose MPs’ expenses claims under the Freedom of Information Act. While the headlines creating the resulting scandal came from documents leaked to the Daily Telehgraph, it was Brooke’s campaigning that kicked off the exposure. As the opening disclaimer states, while some dramatic licence has been used, most of what is documented here you couldn’t make up.

• Read The Stage’s interview with On Expenses director Simon Cellan-Jones

Damages BBC1, Tuesday 10.45pm
Patty Hewes is back, as Glenn Close returns as the ruthless lawyer. Her nemesis Ellen (Rose Byrne) is now working in the DA’s office, and finds herself prosecuting one of Patty’s close friends, accused of running a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme.

With TV talent shows responsible for boosting the UK singles market and artists incresingly turning to drama and comedy series to showcase their music, television could prove to be the op industry’s salvation writes Chris Bartlett

To his harshest critics, he’s the devil incarnate. For people who care about their music, he’s public enemy number one. But could someone like Simon Cowell, the media mogul whose stranglehold on Britain’s Saturday night entertainment schedules is almost as powerful as his position in the music business, actually prove to be the recording industry’s salvation?

Despite gloomy predictions to the contrary, the UK singles market enjoyed its best ever year in 2009. Figures from the British Phonographic Industry put sales at 152.7 million, of which 98% were downloads. Among the big sellers were X Factor judge Cheryl Cole and the 2008 series winner Alexandra Burke. And a quick glance at the Official UK Charts Company’s best-selling singles of the last decade reveals the dominance of shows like The X Factor, with five of the top ten placing acts — Will Young, Gareth Gates, Burke, Shayne Ward and Hear’Say — having come from TV talent shows.

And even recent moves to loosen Cowell’s grip on the charts have resulted in an increase in sales. An incredible 4.56 million singles were sold in the last week of 2009 alone, fuelled by a Facebook group with the chief aim of stopping the latest winner of X Factor from bagging that coveted Christmas No 1 spot for the fifth year running.

Prompted by music fan Jon Morter and his 750,000 Facebook followers, half a million downloaders gave Rage Against the Machine the Christmas No 1, giving the uncompromising Los Angeles rock outfit its highest British chart placing since Killing in the Name reached the top spot the first time round in 1992.

The campaigners won the Christmas battle, but Cowell can be seen as winning the war. X Factor winner Joe McElderry’s The Climb reached No 1 the following week and both acts benefited from increased sales following the press exposure that the fight garnered. Cowell may have called the campaign “stupid” and “cynical”, but it must have been manna from heaven for Sony Entertainment, which owns both SiCo — Cowell’s own record company that has exclusive management rights to The X Factor winners — and Rage Against the Machine’s label Epic.

So, while it is true that physical sales of music are down, in a steady decline spanning the last decade, the trade in legal downloads means in some areas the music industry is booming. One recent week saw more paid-for music being downloaded than ever before and, with downloaders favouring single tracks over whole albums, the pure pop produced by the Cowell/X Factor music factory, such as Leona Lewis, Burke and even Britain’s Got Talent success story Susan Boyle, chimes perfectly with the public’s prevailing musical appetites.

And it’s not just the winners who benefit from the hours of prime-time exposure The X Factor affords its participants.

EastEnders BBC1, Friday 8pm
It started with a death, and celebrates with another one. 25 years after Reg Cox’s body was discovered in the opening scene of EastEnders’ first episode, the ongoing mystery of who murdered Archie Mitchell on Christmas Day will be revealed in a live episode. Apparently the cast have been rehearsing multiple endings to the episode in an attempt to keep the final reveal as secret as possible — the cast themselves will only learn which ending to use during the programme.

EastEnders Live: The Aftermath BBC3, Friday 8.30pm
Immediately after the live episode concludes, George Lamb (son of Larry, who of course played Archie) and Kirsten O’Brien host a one-hour show live from the set, talking to the actors and production team about the experience of making the live episode, and their own reactions to discovering the identity of the killer.

Popstar to Operastar ITV1, Friday 9pm
It’s ridiculous, demented and by far more watchable than The X Factor. Darius and Bernie Nolan go head to head to discover which of them is the most capable of coming across as a knock-off classical crossover singer.

Let’s Dance for Sport Relief BBC1, Saturday 6.30pm
Steve Jones and Claudia Winkleman return to host another series of celebrities recreating famous dance routines, with varying degrees of success. Whether anybody could match Robert Webb’s leotard-clad Flashdance routine — or even the Paddy McGuinness/Keith Lemon reinterpration of Dirty Dancing — is doubtful, but if it’s half as funny as the last series it’ll be a good watch.

Pineapple Dance Studios Sky 1, Sunday 6pm
It’s a bonkers fly-on-the-wall documentary, thanks to the larger than life Louie Spence, the dance studios’ outrageously camp artistic director. Yes, it’s a real place, and these are real people. Sadly.

The British Academy Film Awards BBC1, Sunday 9pm
I’m a sucker for a good awards show (which means that the Brits don’t count). Jonathan Ross hosts rather more soberly than when he does the same duties for the Comedy Awards.

Saturday Play: Murder in Samarkand Radio 4, Saturday 2.15pm
Based on the memoir by Craig Murray, playwright David Hare creates a tale of a British diplomat who, on being assigned as Ambassador to Uzbekistan, discovers that the country is using torture techniques on its own citizens. When he tries to raise the matter with his superiors, though, they use his womanising, boozy ways to discredit him rather than acknowledge problems in a state that his superiors consider an ally in the war on terror. David Tennant stars as Murray in a tale all the more worrying because of its basis in truth.

Archive on 4: Please Give Generously Radio 4, Saturday 8pm (shorter repeat Monday 3pm)
The media’s relationship with charity fundraising comes under the microscope. Presented by Feargal Keane, the emphasis in Radio 4’s trailers have been on the BBC’s own Children in Need - now, of course, one of the largest telethons but which started life as a small radio appeal on Christmas Day in 1927.

Lenny Henry Plays Othello Radio 4, Sunday 1.30pm
In advance of the radio adaptation of Lenny Henry’s recent critically acclaimed turn as Othello, this documentary repeat follows him through rehearsals, costume fitting and voice coaching all the way to his first night on stage.

Drama on 3: I’m Still the Same Paul Radio 3, Sunday 8pm
Continuing the Lenny Henry theme of the day, Henry stars as Paul Robeson in Annie Caulfield’s play based on the political activism of an outspoken man whose left-wing sympathies and constant support for civil rights led him to being relentlessly hounded by the FBI and CIA, in the belief that he posed a threat to 1950s America.

Woman’s Hour Drama: Absent Radio 4, Monday-Friday 10.45am
Tony (Craige Else) is an ex-squaddie whose life is rocked to the core when his wife Clare (Gillian Kearney) reveals she wants to leave him, and that she wants to take their two children with her.

The Ballet Russes in England Radio 4, Tuesday 11.30am
The first of two documentaries looking at the history of one of ballet’s most inspirational troupes. Diaghilev’s company spent more time in Britain than anywhere else. Jane Pritchard presents.

Afternoon Play: Against the Grain Radio 4, Wednesday 2.15pm
A young journalist (Jasmine Hyde) is dispatched to interview a reclusive former restaurateur, who has retired to a remote French location and who concocts fabulous new culinary recipes. Her visit, and her experiences, begin to open up her eyes to a new way of life.

And the Winner Is… Radio 2, Thursday 10pm
Matt Lucas (Little Britain) hosts a new comedy panel show. He comes up with prospective award categories (e.g., ‘Greatest song by a musical artist who is otherwise rubbish’) and invites guest comics to nominate recipients. In this first show, he is joined by Graham Linehan, James Corden and Katy Brand.

People in Cars Radio 4, Friday 11.30am
First in a series of three one-off comedies based around people in cars. Samantha Bond stars as a divorcee on the school run whose car is hijacked by an armed robber. The script is by Simon Brett (After Henry and the Charles Paris Investigates novels), so expect warm wit rather than out-loud laughs.

Earlier today, the BBC was going on the defensive after the Daily Mail suggested that Denise Van Outen was being dropped as a judge from Over the Rainbow because she was pregnant. According to Mail reporter Sara Nathan, she said:

I am not ill, I am just having a baby. I feel disappointed and let down by the BBC. Being pregnant is not an issue for me, I feel fit and healthy. I am absolutely happy to carry on working. I am here today at the Bumps and Babies Mile today which shows I feel fine.

The Mail article also states that Van Outen was told by a BBC producer that her pregnancy was an issue. However, according to Media Guardian:

a BBC spokeswoman said that none of the judges on any of Lloyd Webber’s previous BBC1 talent shows were returning in the new series. The spokeswoman added that her absence was nothing to do with the fact that she was pregnant.

“Over the Rainbow is a brand new show for BBC1 with a completely new lineup of judges,” the BBC said in a statement. “As a result neither Denise Van Outen nor John Barrowman nor any of the other five previous judges will be taking part on the panel.”

As with Arlene Phillips on Strictly Come Dancing, the tabloids are likely to press the issue of replacement judges as much because it fits in with their desire to never miss an opportunity to give the BBC a kicking than actually concentrating on the facts of the case. I daresay we’ll be given loads of opportunity between now and the start of Over the Rainbow for the issue to be done to death.

But the show must and will go on, so what of the new judges? With neither Denise nor John Barrowman returning, and Barry Humphries even less appropriate for this show than he was for I’d Do Anything, who have they got to back up Andrew Lloyd Webber on the judging panel?

Back when TV Today reviewed Strictly Come Dancing weekly (before light entertainment shows such as So You Think Can Dance came along which more closely fit our paper’s readership), we used to provide a weekly service called You Be The Judge, which provided you with your own scoresheets each week and enabled you to argued amongst yourselves when it came to what score to give each couple.

Now, the BBC have used the same phrase to entitle their new video game to help promote Dancing on Wheels, BBC3’s riveting new dance show which pairs celebrities (either who have competed on Strictly or have prior dance training) with wheelchair users in a competition to be the first representatives from the UK in the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships.

Each round consists of three clips from the show which you have to award a mark out of 10. Once you have made your choice, dance instructor Brian Fortuna (himself a champion of wheelchair dancesport) pops up to inform you how close your mark was to his. You’re awarded your own mark, depending on how close you were to Brian’s predicted score.

It’s a fun game, and is a great way to encourage viewers to start thinking analytically about the dance instead of just on the overall performance aspect. I woudln’t be surprised if the game didn’t re-emerge once Strictly returns in the Autumn.

In the meantime, it’d be interesting to see how well Len, Bruno, Craig and Alesha fared playing this online version…

• Dancing on Wheels: You be the judge

What’s this? Could Finn and Quinn no longer be the hottest couple in school? It looks that way, especially as the “Slushy in the face” that was the habitual way of putting down Rachel in the first couple of episodes is inflicted on the high school sweethearts.

There are other couple problems afoot, too — Emma and Ken can’t decide on the song they want for the first dance at their wedding. She wants I Could Have Danced All Night, he wants Sisqo’s Thong Song. And so, the enterprising Will comes up with a mash-up of the two. Which is an odd union indeed, but not quite so weird as Puck and Rachel…

In this week’s video preview, we’ve got a whole musical number for you: Puck singing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline:

• Glee, Mondays 9pm on E4 (repeated Thursdays on E4 and Sundays on Channel 4). For more information, go to e4.com/glee

Sweet Caroline is a track on the newly released soundtrack album, Glee - Volume 1. To hear track previews and order individual tracks, use the widget below or use the following links to buy the complete album:

• Glee: The Music, Volume 1 [MP3]
• Glee the Music, Volume 1 [Audio CD]

After the drama of the previous week, which saw Robbie declared medically unfit, Alastair temporarily drafted in to replace him before the (more sensible) option of restructuring the show to accommodate just three finalists, the actual live show was going to have to go some to be as exciting as the build-up.

In the end, it did, with some magnificent dances. And, as usual, one or two duff performances. But right up until the result was announced, it really was too close to call as to who would walk away with a £100,000 purse and a performance spot on So You Think You Can Dance’s American show.

The show kicked off covering Robbie’s injury, sustained during rehearsals for his intended hip hop routine with Tommy. It looked like the simplest of moves, but the arm on which he was supporting himself just slipped out from under him, causing him to fall awkwardly on his shoulder and causing it to pop out.

And so the show continues without him, albeit providing what Nigel accurately described as “a brilliant story for a reality show”…

As usual, we’ve collected the YouTube versions of the dances here in an auto-playing sequence for you. I’m pleased to say the initial group dance is included as well this week, which makes a pleasant change…

EastEnders BBC1, Monday 8pm, Tuesday 7.30pm, Thursday 7.30pm
In the Easties’ 25th birthday week, the two major plot strands — Bianca and Ricky’s wedding, and the mystery surrounding the murder of Archie Mitchell — come to a head, with the wedding taking place in a double-length episode on Thursday and all the pawns being put into place for the reveal of the murderer on Friday’s live episode. I have to say, the pacing and plotting of the murder storyline has been done incredibly effectively, far more so than previous attempts to impose a whodunnit structure onto a normal soap schedule.

Law & Order UK ITV1, Monday 9pm
In the final episode of the series, Ronnie Brooks (Bradley Walsh) agrees to help an old CID partner (Robert Glenister) with an undercover drug sting that then goes wrong, with a civilian shot dead. The internal investigation throws up some unpleasant truths and a clash between Brooks and current partner Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber). As usual, things cool down substantially once the action shifts to the courtroom, but we see so much more of Bradley Walsh this week than we usually do that we can forgive them.

Glee E4, Monday 9pm (repeated Thursday 10pm)
In this week’s episode, Throwdown, Sue Sylvester is now co-director of the glee club, and her ongoing battle with Will sees the club splitting in two — with Sue getting all the ‘minority kids’ (or, in Sylvester-speak, “Santana, Wheels, Gay Kid, Asian Kid, Other Asian Kid, Aretha, Shaft”). Meanwhile, Quinn and Finn have to contend with a blogger threatening to reveal their secret, while Terri has to find a way to stop Will from heading to the hospital for her ‘baby scan’.

Come back later this evening for a video preview of next week’s episode, including a full music number…

Holby City Tuesday 8pm, Wednesday 8pm
It’s a big week for BBC soaps. Not to be outdone by the EastEnders anniversary plots, Holby City continues its story crossover with Casualty. ED department regular Charlie (Derek Thompson) is rushed up to surgery, but the good-natured Elliot Hope’s attempts to save his life find themselves hampered by Nick Jordan’s interference.

Then, in Wednesday’s extra episode, we find out what’s been happening in Connie Beauchamp’s life since being suspended by the scheming Vanessa. Turns out Connie (Amanda Mealing) has got a new job in a swanky private hospital in London, a fab new riverside penthouse apartment. But happiness? Now that’s a different matter.

• Listen to our interview with Amanda Mealing on The Stage Podcast

The Brit Awards ITV1, Tuesday 8pm
Drunken popstars interrupt sporadically interesting live music performances to accept their statuettes. Peter Kay hosts. So many reasons to not watch…

The Wire: Rapture Frequency Radio 3, Saturday 9.30pm
Two men studying a black box voice recording of an ill-fated flight hear an odd sound just before the point of impact. Interference, a recording glitch or something more spiritual? Soon, both men are gripped with the thought of finding similar sounds. Richard Dormer, Shaun Dooley and Esther Hall star in a script by Abbie Spallen.

Weekend Wogan Radio 2, Sunday 11am
A new format for Radio 2, with Sir Terry hosting a live show from the Radio Theatre in Broadcasting House and mixing live and pre-recorded music with onstage guest interviews. This week, Sir Ian McKellen joins Tel in the theatre, while Norah Jones and Jamie Cullum provide the musical support. Nice.

Elaine Paige on Sunday Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
This week’s musical theatre guests are Ben Freeman, currently in 1950s jukebox musical Dreamboats and Petticots, and Noel Sullivan, currently playing Danny in Grease. And producer Malcolm’s choice tune this week comes not from a classic musical, but from the TV show Glee. My word. The diminutive diva will be demanding a guest role on the show at this rate…

Classic Serial: Plantagenet Radio 4, Sunday 3pm
David Warner and Jane Lapotaire star as Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, founders of the Royal House of Plantagenet, in the first of a three-part historical drama based on Holinshed’s Chronicles and written by Mike Walker.

Woman’s Hour Drama: The Whole of the Moon RAdio 4, Monday-Friday 10.45am, omnibus repeat Friday 9pm
Colin MacDonald crafts a second series of the Edinburgh-based legal drama. Jo Ross (Vicki Liddelle) is about to prosecute her first murder case, but she is beginning to suspect that the youth in the dock may be innocent. Unmasking the killer would destroy her own case…

Afternoon Play: Legsy Gets a Break
Based on a true story, Phil Gladwin’s play tells the story of a 17-year-old boy recently out of the care system and out of control, living a life of alcohol-fuelled petty crime on the seafront in Brighton. When he finds the brother he was separated from as a child, he has to decide what course his life is to take.

Afternoon Play: God Bless Our Love
David Neilson and Alexandra Mathie star in a gentle, uplifting comedy about a priest and a nun who fall in love and leave their orders to marry and begin a new life together.

Sarah Millican’s Support Group
Sarah Millican’s occasional spots on Mock the Week or Live at the Apollo have left me gagging for a larger showcase for the comedian’s talents on the air. Here, she gets a solo show in which she takes the role of a life coach/agony aunt. With the help of a “support group”, she looks at various tightly scripted, joke packed issues: additional interaction with the studio audience illustrates that she’s just as funny, if not more so, when thinking on her feet.

Winter Olympics - Opening Ceremony BBC2, Saturday 1.45am
Laugh at sports presenters attempting to describe the performing arts with the usual performance extravangza in Vancouver’s BC Place arena. The contents of the ceremony remain a tightly guarded secret until the event. If you can’t bear to stay up, edited highlights shown on Saturday lunchtime at 12pm on BBC2.

So You Think You Can Dance BBC1, Saturday 7.45pm
A single show for the grand final of what should be a thrilling dance competition. It’ll have to be, to match the offstage dramas that has seen Robbie drop out with a dislocated shoulder, Alastair briefly in to replace him before a decision to use three dancers to take Robbie’s place in the couple dances with the three other finalists. Tommy is the bookies’ favourite, but with three other male dancers now performing, will that increase the profile of his female rivals Lizzie and Charlie? I’ll be live tweeting again at @scottm and catch up with the review of the final next week at thestage.co.uk/soyouthink.

Casualty BBC1, Saturday 9.25pm
Poor Charlie. He’s really been put through the wringer over the last 20+ years, and the strain’s beginning to show, not least the worry that the son born fourteen years ago now seems to be 17 years old. All the worries begin to take their toll, in a story that will continue into Tuesday’s episode of Holby City (whose Paul Bradley makes an appearance in this episode). Also, keep an eye out for a guest spot from Britannia High’s Matthew James Thomas.

Being Human BBC3, Sunday 9pm
Annie stumbles across a group of ghosts at the local theatre, and ends up getting a job as a spirit guide to a stage psychic. Meanwhile, the repercussions of Lucy’s night with Mitchell take a violent turn. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Okay, so the official word after the speculation of the last couple of days. Finalist Robbie White has dislocated his shoulder and has been declared medically unfit to continue on the show.

A BBC spokesperson tells me that it was mooted to draft Alastair back in as a replacement to compete for the title, but it was quickly apparent that it “with the best will in the world, it would be nigh on impossible for anyone to learn all the routines in such a short space of time.”

So, the situation now is that the three couples dances that Robbie would have danced with fellow finalists Charlie, Lizzie and Tommy will now be danced by Alastair, Mark Calape, and Drew McOnie. None of them will be eligible for the title, leaving only three dancing vying for the series crown.

After the jump, Robbie talks about his injury…

Some late breaking speculation online, backed up by an article from the Lancashire Evening Post, suggests that Robbie White has had to drop out of Saturday’s final after sustaining an injury in training.

Yesterday, choreographer Simeon Qsyea tweeted that a training session had ended in a fatal (sic) fall, while adding that the [unnamed] dancer was ‘safe at home’. He followed up by noting, “Rehearsals ended up with the Hospital!! its all gone a bit crazy right now”.

Given the time of evening (I’ve been out reviewing Jerusalem at its West End opening) I’ve been unable to confirm anything beyond what the LEP has stated. And, to compound things, I’m going to be unavailable for most, if not all, of tomorrow (Thursday) for personal reasons. However, The Stage will endeavour to get you the most reliable information to you just as soon as we get it.

In the meantime, the relevant clause in the BBC’s statement of terms and conditions for So You Think You Can Dance states:

Contingencies cover withdrawal of any dancer or judge for health reasons or other unforeseen circumstances or outside the control of the BBC. The remedial actions may include, but not be limited to changing the format of the show, including, removing, substituting or adding dancers and or judges; and cancelling, suspending or altering voting at any time. In the event of any contestant leaving the competition, the BBC will decide on contingency plans as it deems necessary and appropriate to the circumstances.

If the LEP’s report is true, the situation must be heart-breaking for Robbie, who danced his heart out last Saturday to earn his place in the final. I only hope that his injury will heal quickly and that he’ll be back dancing as quickly as possible.

For the remaining finalists, it certainly throws a spanner into any predictions. Who knows how voters loyal to Robbie may decide to change their vote — plus, with an out of the blue reprieve for Alastair, will that be enough to give him the impetus he needs to be a contender once more?

Whatever happens, what was already promising to be a highly watchable final has now become unmissable. It’s a shame, though, that it’s come at the expense of a competitor’s health.

And so with just one more show in the series to go, it’s time for the traditional exit interviews from the semi-final’s departing dancers, Mandy Montanez and Alastair Postlethwaite.

According to Mandy, participating in the show has reignited the love of dance that spurred her to pursue it as a career from the age of 12:

For Alastair, as with most performers, he’s been here many times before, getting so close but not getting the job:

And so once more those lovely people at E4 have provided TV Today readers with a special preview of next week’s episode…

In Throwdown, Sue Sylvester is now co-director of the glee club, and her ongoing battle with Will sees the club splitting in two — with Sue getting all the ‘minority kids’ (or, in Sylvester-speak, “Santana, Wheels, Gay Kid, Asian Kid, Other Asian Kid, Aretha, Shaft”). Meanwhile, Quinn and Finn have to contend with a blogger threatening to reveal their secret, while Terri has to find a way to stop Will from heading to the hospital for her ‘baby scan’…

• Glee, Mondays 9pm, E4 (repeated Thursdays E4, Sundays Channel 4). For more details, go to e4.com/glee.

EastEnders BBC1, Monday 8pm
One by one, the Jacksons are returning to the Square. Tonight, it’s the turn of Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) who joins in Bianca’s hen celebrations.

Law & Order UK ITV1, Monday 9pm
A backpacking student arrives back in the UK, only to collapse at the train station vomiting blood. On the autopsy table, it transpires she was a drugs mule, with the rupture of one of seventy packages of heroin causing her death. As usual, the show’s far more interesting during the police investigation than in the CPS courtroom scenes, although they’re enlivened by Eddie Marsan as the prosecution barrister. Keep an eye out for the most improbably named driving school in television history…

Glee E4, Monday 9pm
In order to keep an eye on her husband, the scheming Terri takes a job as school nurse. Not that she knows anything about nursing, of course. But those pills she hands out to the pupils go down a treat… Meandwhile, Will starts up a mashup contest in the glee club, with the boys and girls each having to come up with numbers that amalgamate two different songs.

• View our video preview of this episode
• Come back to thestage.co.uk/tvtoday from 10pm tonight for a preview of next week’s episode

Vampires: Why They Bite BBC3, Wednesday 9pm
What with Being Human, Vampire Diaries and True Blood on our TV screens as well as the diabolically awful Twilight saga in cinemas, the vampire has transformed from movie monster to romantic hero. Historian Lisa Hilton examines the phenomenon, with input from Sookie Stackhouse creator Charlaine Harris, and Being Human’s Toby Whithouse.

Dancing on Wheels BBC3, Thursday 9pm
Celebrities learn to ballroom dance. So far, so Strictly — but the difference here is that they are learning wheelchair dancesport with a non-celebrity wheelchair user who is equally new to the genre. Under the tutelage of Brian Fortuna, an active proponent of wheelchair ballroom in the US where his mother developed the dance syllabus, it’s all pre-recorded so there’s no public vote. Hopefully this series will help wheelchair dancesport take hold in the UK.

What Katie Did Next ITV2, Thursday 9pm
Unfortunately, “decided to be silent for the sake of her children” does not seem to be on the list…

This week’s So You Think You Can Dance was a different experience for me, as the BBC were kind enough to invite me down to the studio to save me live tweeting from home. And it was a great atmosphere down at TV Centre, and it was great to have the chance to meet Nigel (shorter than I imagined) and Sisco (taller) as well as all the dancers (who are all shorter than I’d thought. Even Robbie, who strides out like a Leviathan in comparison to the others, but is of, I’d say, average height).

But enough of the hob-nobbing (for now, at least) and back to the show. As it was the semi-final, the structure changed slightly again: all three couples, again selected at random, would be dancing two routines as a pair, as well as each dancer doing a solo and, in the results show, all six joining together for a group dance.

As usual, couple dances (and, this week, the group dance) are in the video playlist below. The main show and results show are still available on iPlayer until next Saturday.

Archive on 4: Open Sesame Radio 4, Saturday 8pm
Jim Henson’s Muppets have lived alongside humans in Sesame Street for forty years, educating children around the world as they entertain them. Konnie Huq looks back over the show’s four decade-long run, and the iconic characters (Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Elmo) it has created.

The Wire: The Gold Farmer Radio 3, Saturday 9.45pm
Terry is a clerk in a Cardiff law firm, who only moved to Wales to be closer to his oblivious colleague Sally. Online, he plays the sword-and-sorcery game Kingdom of Dragons, where he adopts the persona of warrior Tork Thunderbolt. But his fellow gamer Greyhawk is harbouring a shameful secret… Rory Kinnear stars as Terry in the first of his two performances in Radio 3 dramas this weekend.

Desert Island Discs Radio 4, Sunday 11.15am
This week’s castaway is the normally gregarious TV fashion presenter Gok Wan. Away from the spotlight, as with so many presenters whose outrageousness is part of their schtick, he’s a lot calmer and, as a result, a delightful companion for three quarters of an hour.

Elaine Paige on Sunday Radio 2, Sunday 1pm
Today’s studio guest is Sheridan Smith, currently appealing to audiences as pink-clad wannabe lawyer Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at the Savoy.

How to Broadcast Radio 7, Sunday 2.10pm
How to Give a Party Radio 7, Sunday 2.50pm
Stephen potter and Joyce Grenfell’s satirical self-help guides were, apparently, a radio comedy highlight in the 1940s. Indeed, when the Third Programme started in 1946, How to Listen was the very first programme to be broadcast. Here, as part of Radio 7’s mini-Grenfell season to mark the centenary of her birth, we are given a 1951 show made to celebrate the Third’s fifth anniversary, followed by an earlier, 1943 edition.

Drama on 3: Amazonia Radio 3, Sunday 8pm
Rory Kinnear returns after yesterday’s drama to play author Arthur Ransome. Years before he became famous with the publication of children’s novel Swallows and Amazons, he became swept up in the events of the Russian Revolution, combining his role as a journalist with that as an agent of both the Bolsheviks and the Foreign Office. As the world prepared for war in 1917, he also found himself falling in love with Trotsky’s secretary, Evgenia Selepina (Michelle Dockery).

Afternoon Play: Raft to Bondi Radio 4, Monday 2.15pm
Ian Kershaw’s tale about a father and son struggling to come to terms with loss, set to a backdrop of England’s 1990 World Cup semi-final match against West Germany.

Book at Bedtime: Capturing America Radio 4, Monday 10.45pm
To coincide with a new Mark Lawson-fronted series about US authors, the Book at Bedtime slot is being given over to extracts from five different writers. Monday’s slot is of special interest to readers of The Stage, being David Mamet’s advice for actors from his essays on Emotions, The Rehearsal Process and The Play and the Scene.

Afternoon Play: Buffalo Bill and Little Matty Dyer Radio 4, Tuesday 2.15pm
In 1930s Leeds, the most famous American in the world, Buffalo Bill, arrives with Wild West show — and changes the life of 15-year-old Matty for ever. Kerry Shale stars as Bill, with Christian Foster as Matty.

Come Fly With Me: the Legacy of Jimmy Van Heusen Radio 2, Tuesday 11.30am
Rupert Holmes considers the legacy of four-times Oscar-winning song composer (and celebrated hellraiser) Jimmy Van Heusen, whose collaborations with Sammy Cahn and Johnny Burke have produced some classic numbers, including Love and Marriage, Come Fly With Me, Swinging on a Star.

Fags, Mags and Bags Radio 4, Wednesday 11.30am
Snajeev Kohli and Donald McLeary return with a third series of the sitcom set in a Scottish corner shop.

Afternoon Play: Postcards from a Cataclysm Radio 4, Wednesday 2.15pm
As Matt reported last month, Radio 4 is interested in experimenting with shorter dramas, and that’s part of the reason why Wednesday’s AP slot is taken up with nine short plays, all set as Earth prepares to be destroyed by an approaching asteroid. The quality’s variable, but the advantage of the format is that none of them outstay their welcome. The plays are:

• Lost & Found (Parts 1 and 2) by David Varela
• The Asteroid Hitters by Rommi Smith
• In Prints (Parts 1 and 2) by Lizzie Nunnery
• Josie’s Diary by Josie Long
• Amazing Grace by The Factory Theatre Company
• No Milk by Tim Crouch
• Phone Message by The Factory Theatre Company
• The Voice In The Rock by Carl Grose
• The NEO NDE [Near Earth Object, Near Death Experience] by Rommi Smith

Afternoon Play: Say What You Want to Hear - The Start-up Radio 4, Thursday 2.15pm
Stephen Tomkinson and Ewan Bailey are two entrepeneurs trying to get funding for a new website, Say What You Want To Hear. You send them your secret thoughts, they record people reading them out and put them on the website, almost like an audio version of PostSecret. No, I’m not convinced either. Nor am I convinced that such a high-concept drama necessarily works the day after Postcards from a Cataclysm.

Afternoon Play: Bad Faith - Vengeance is Mine Radio 4, Friday 2.15pm
After last week’s repeat of a 2008 pilot come three additional episodes about Jake Thorne (Lenny Henry), a police chaplain questioning his own faith. In this episode, Jake stands between a bereaved mother and the accidental killer of her child.

Claudia Winkleman Radio 2, Friday 10pm
As the Sheffield Crucible reopens after its major redevelopment, new artistic director Daniel Evans’ first production is Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Claudia talks to its stars Anthony Sher and Lucy Cohu.

Lost Sky 1, Friday 9pm
The sixth and final season of whathas developed into one of the most confusing fantasy shows starts with a double bill of episodes. Forgotten what’s gone on in the previous five seasons? Fallen by the wayside? Never seen it before? Catch up with the preceding show, Lost: Final Chapter at 8pm - or rely on the Reduced Shakespeare Company to bring you up to speed in ten minutes.

So You Think You Can Dance BBC1, Saturday 7.05pm & 8.55pm
It’s semi-final time already? This series really is too short. Six dancers are left in the competition and as far as training establishments go it’s shaping up to be a Tring Park vs Laine Theatre Arts vs Urdang Academy affair, with each training establishment having links to two of the six dancers competing this weekend. No live tweets from me this week, as I’ll be in the live audience at TV Centre — and hopefully getting some content for TV Today for the run-up to next week’s final…

• Catch up on previous weeks’ coverage at thestage.co.uk/soyouthink

Casualty BBC1, Saturday 9.25pm
Ever since Casualty’s high-concept episode a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been hooked again. Job done, I’d say. This week, Jessica makes an ill-advised return to work, her friend Linda (Christine Tremarco) is still hanging around, and Slyvia Sims pops in as a dotty old lady.

Being Human BBC3, Sunday 9pm
A Mitchell-focussed episode this week, which should please the fangirls, as he tries to impose order on the leaderless vampires and come to terms with his feelings for Lucy. Meanwhile Annie has to babysit a dead baby’s ghost, and George’s relationship with Sam develops.

That’s the Reduced Shakespeare Company rather any other RSC. They were hired by Sky 1 to summarise the past five seasons of Lost in ten minutes, to promote the start of the sixth and final season this Friday.

• Lost Reduced: the Complete Performance, sky.com

Drew McOnie and Yanet Fuentes, last Saturday’s departing dancers from So You Think You Can Dance, talk about their time on the show, and the future.

First, choreographer Drew, who’s a little upset that he didn’t get to dance Broadway competitively:

Next up, Yanet also laments the lack of an opportunity to learn Broadway under Stephen Mear, as well as working with Rafael Bonachela on contemporary dance:

Next Saturday’s semi final sees the six dancers further whittled down to the four who will compete for the series title the following week. TV Today will be in the studio watching the performances live, so next week’s show review will be a little different…

Once again, those kind people at Channel 4 are allowing TV Today readers a sneak peek of the next episode of Glee, a full week before the full episode is shown on E4.

In episode 6, Vitamin D, Will tries to engender a sense of competition within the glee club by starting a girls vs. boys mashup competition. Meanwhile, Terri decides she needs to keep an even closer eye on Will, so she becomes the school nurse — despite having as much medical experience as Doctor Fox. So that’s bound to end well…

• Glee, Mondays 9pm, E4 (repeated Thursdays E4, Sundays Channel 4). For more details, go to e4.com/glee.

As the number of dancers still in competition get whittled down, with us just down to four guys and four girls, the gap between all the dancers is clearly narrowing. I still feel that, in two weeks’ time when the one overall winner is announced, it’s far more likely to be one of the boys — but this week I did feel that the playing field was a lot more level than it has felt previously.

Apparently this week’s audience share for SYTYCD were, according to overnight figures, quite a bit down on previous weeks. I’m sure that will disappoint people at the BBC, who do like to ensure that BBC1 has a strong presence in live Saturday night viewing. However, as I discussed last month, the BBC’s remit means that ratings alone, especially overnight ones, shouldn’t be the only means by which the Corporation’s output should be assessed.

But back to the show, and as with previous weeks, the couples’ dances are available below. This week more than any other, though, I felt that the real highlights came from one or two of the solo dances and, in particular, the boys’ group dance — and to my disappointment, the BBC doesn’t put those highlights onto YouTube. However, the main show and the results show will be available for the rest of the week on the BBC website.

Tinga Tinga Tales CBeebies, from Monday 4.10pm
When I was growing up, I found the African folk tales of Anansi the spider and his various allies and enemies of the African animal kingdom engrossing. This new set of animations is based on East African rather than West African mythologies, but the principles are the same — and with the animation itself inspired by Tanazanian folk art, it looks beautiful too.

Glee E4, Monday 9pm
With Rachel having defected to Sandy’s musical, the glee club needs a star soprano. With nobody in school up to the job, who better than Will’s former classmate? Well, just about anybody, when the classmate is a middle-aged alcoholic… Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth makes her first appearance.

• Watch our episode preview online

The Cleveland Show E4, 10pm
Sometimes, the oddest characters make for the best sitcom spin-offs. Who would have thought that the neurotic psychiatrist from Cheers would go on to eclipse his parent show, especially after The Tortellis bombed so spectacularly? Anyway, this new animated sitcom from Seth Macfarlane sees Peter Griffin’s drinking buddy from Family Guy up sticks and move from Quahog to his home town in Virginia. It doesn’t quite have the edge of its parent show yet, but FG took a while to find its feet too. Check below for a preview clip:

The Vampire Diaries ITV2, Tuesday 9pm
What’s that, you say? A school girl gets a crush on a high school vampire who’s trying to be good and not feed on humans? Why yes, it is reminiscent of the Twilight saga. The source material predates the whole Robert Pattinson obsession, though, being based upon LJ Smith’s novels form the early 1990s. Adapted for television by Scream and Dawson’s Creek writer Kevin Williamson, the result is an expected mix of spookiness and teenage school melodrama. Comparisons with Twilight will abound, not least because of the pilot episode being similarly shot in Vancouver (produciton later switched to Georgia, which should provide a more unusual visual look). Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev play the would-be lovers with the usual down-the-line charm, but Ian Somerhalder as nasty vampire brother Damon steals every scene he can.

Caprica Sky1, Tuesday 9pm
It’s definitely US import week on Square Eyes, as this prequel to Battlestar Galactica makes its UK debut. Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales star in a series which will depict how, and why, the Cylon menace first came to be created. While its space-bound predecessor had a lot to say about warfare and terrorism, here the target seems to be our increased dependence on technology, identify theft and lack of privacy.

Melrose Place Fiver, Wednesday 9pm
Look, I’m trying to find UK series to plug, but it’s not that easy, okay? Anyway, following the successful relaunch of 90210, it was only a matter of time before Aaron Spelling’s other big 1990s show got a 21st century makeover. The original series’ Laura Leighton returns as Sydney Andrews — only to be murdered within the first few minutes. The investigation into her murder will be just one storyline amongst many, soapier, ones.

Alan Carr: Chatty Man Channel 4, Thursday 10pm
A new series of the toothy comedian’s chat show. You rarely learn much about the guests that you don’t already know, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a far more pleasurable experience than the supposedly higher brow Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, but then so is root canal work.