August 2010 Archives

BBC Proms: Jamie Cullum BBC4, Friday 7.30pm
As part of the BBC’s efforts to ever spread the Proms appeal out beyond its pure classical origins, jazz pianist and Radio 2 presenter Cullum performs a set of musical numbers with the Heritage Orchestra.

BBC Proms: Rodgers and Hammerstein BBC2, Saturday 6.45pm
Following the success of last year’s MGM Musicals Prom, John Wilson returns with a tribute to one of the most-loved musical writing duos. Kim Criswell, Sierra Boggess, Julian Ovenden, Anna-Jane Casey and Rod Gilfry take the solos, with the Maida Vale singers lending their choral talents.

The X Factor ITV1, Saturday 7.30pm
With newspaper headlines about the egregious use of Auto-Tune in last week’s episode, and also its treatment of contestant Shirlena Johnson, it’s clear that the tabloids’ love affair with the X Factor is experiencing its seventh year itch. Reports suggest that all future audition shows have been re-edited to remove any Auto-Tune use. We shall see — but the question remains why anybody though it would be a good idea to use it in the first place…

The Middle Sky 1, Sunday 6.30pm
A new sitcom starring Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, Back to You) and Neil Flynn (Scrubs) about a Middle American family. A promising show which should appeal to those who liked family comedies such as Malcolm in the Middle.

The Very Last of the Summer Wine BBC1, Sunday 8pm
The last ever episode of Roy Clarke’s sitcom, bowing out after 37 years. As with recent episodes, both Clegg (Peter Sallis, the only cast member to have featured in the series from the beginning) and Truly (Frank Thornton) feature briefly, while the far less endearing Howard/Marina/Pearl triangle shows that it really doesn’t work as a major plot device (it was far more effective when the characters were just cameos, their relationship being observed from afar by the regulars).

The decision to retire the series came after this episode was made, so it’s not quite the send-off it deserves. For all the talk about how too many episodes revolved around Compo racing downhill in a bathtub, Clarke’s knack for dialogue has never been better than when dealing with these Yorkshire folk enjoying their later life.

There are some things that make you feel old. Today, it’s partly the announcement of this year’s GCSE results — I was part of the last year that sat the old GCE O Levels — but more because a friend has pointed out that it is the 30th anniversary of the death of Yootha Joyce.

The Adventures of Daniel BBC3, Monday 9.30pm
A pilot for a new comedy based around the teenage life of 19-year-old Daniel Sloss, played by, um, 19-year-old Daniel Sloss. What is it with sitcom writers and the inability to create names for their characters (see also Grandma’s House below)? Written by Tim Allsop and Stewart Williams, who created Channel 4’s Plus One, with additional material from Sloss, it includes the teenager giving a great stand-up set before transferring to a more conventional sitcom setup. So expect the word Seinfeld to crop up in the reviews…

• Meet Daniel Sloss - BBC3 blog

Grandma’s House BBC2, Monday 10pm
Simon Amstall still can’t act, but he certainly has an ear for great dialogue and creates great characters for the rest of his onscreen family. This week, Simon has the hots for a serious actor, Ben Theadore (Iwan Rheon, Misfits and the recent stage production of Spring Awakening). Who just happens to pop round to pick up his old drama teacher (Pam Ferris), who is a friend of the family. Cue hijinks and excruciating embarrassment for Simon. Well, we’ve all been there…

Big Brother Channel 4, Tuesday 8pm
While I’ll miss The Bill, I’m not sure I’ll say the same of BB, which has its final “proper” final tonight. The series will limp on for a further two weeks, though, with this year’s winner joined by a motley crew of former housemates.

The Bill ITV1, Tuesday 9pm
And so, the end is near — the final two-part story in the life of Sun Hill starts with the death of a 14-year-old boy.

CSI Trilogy Channel Five, Tuesday from 9pm
The original Las Vegas-set CSI is joined by its New York and Miami spin-offs in a three part crossover, two parts of which are repeats.

Jedward: Let Loose ITV2, Tuesday 9pm
Here’s hoping the hounds are let loose after them…

The Michael Ball Show ITV1, Wednesday 3pm
Today’s guest is Cameron Mackintosh.

Mistresses BBC1, Thursday 9pm
And so, as we catch up with the stand-off between the old friends that we glimpsed at the start of this final series, we wave goodbye to the women for whom love means never having to learn from one’s mistakes. It hasn’t been anywhere near as good as previous series, but I’ll be watching if only to ensure that my least favourite character is absolutely, irrevocably dead after last week’s climax…

Every year, certain events seem to creep forward in the calendar — the football season, the display of Christmas decorations… Add to that list The X Factor, which started its run-up to try and get the Christmas number one spot on Saturday with an average audience of 11.1 million.

Of course, just as moaning about Christmas getting earlier every year also gets earlier every year, so too the start of the X Factor season brings with it the critics.

The source of much of the criticism is the manipulation: allowing plainly bad acts through two off-screen audition processes in order to be paraded and ridiculed in front of the camera, for one. Last year, Geneveive Hassan, a reporter for BBC News, experienced first hand some other manipulations to make the show look better for the camera:

Unbelievably, production staff went around handing out hand-made posters for people to hold up saying things like “I have the X Factor”, “I love you Cheryl” and “Pick me Simon!”. I had always thought they were lovingly made at home…

Once again we were made to stand up, sit down, scream, wave our hands and dance. When the auditionees began to revolt (there was audible moaning and complaining) a member of the production team took out a loud-hailer and told us off.

If we didn’t want to participate “then you shouldn’t be here”. One guy was singled out and made an example of. He got up and left.

To an extent, despite complaints from some, the audience at home seems to tolerate some of the manipulations, because the result is a genuinely entertaining programme.

WIth this series, though, there are signs that a larger portion of the audience are getting frustrated with the manipulation — because the production team have applied pitch correction (also known as ‘autotune’) to some contestants’ audition performances.

BBC3 series Being Human is currently in production for its third series. Over on its incredibly popular blog, actress Sinead Keenan, who plays Nina in the drama, has been giving her tips for aspiring actors…

In summary, they are:

• Learn your lines before an audition

• Find a job for between periods of acting that you enjoy. A good place to start looking is the recruitment section of The Stage, of course — whether in print every Thursday, in our online recruitment pages (free registration required) or with our acclaimed (and free) iPhone app.

• Be nice to people

• Listen, whether it’s to pick up accents by watching bad soaps or, more importantly, to the other actors you’re sharing a scene with.

Simple tips, maybe, but ones that always bear repeating…

The One Show BBC1, from Monday 7pm
After all the brouhaha over Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley’s defection to ITV (in a couple of weeks they’ll start hosting ITV’s GMTV relaunch, when it renames its breakfast show Daybreak) the One Show’s daily half hour of fluffiness gets two new regular hosts — stand-up comedian Jason Manford and BBC Wales presenter Alex Jones.

The Klang Show BBC3, Monday 9.30pm
I must admit that the appeal of anarchic comedy trio We Are Klang has passed me by. Last year’s sitcom, which regularly broke the fourth wall and involved the studio audience directly, had its moments, though. For this pilot, they are back with a format more akin to their stage work, with a series of bizarre sketches.

Grandma’s House BBC2, Monday 10pm
So asking Simon Amstell to play a character called Simon Amstell, who has given up a successful job as a comedy panellist to try acting even though he can’t act, was not much of a stretch. The joy here is the family — especially the women, with Linda Bassett as the grandmother and Rebecca Front and Samantha Spiro as the ever-sparring sisters.

The Great British Bake Off BBC2, Tuesday 8pm
Cookery competitions make for great telly, of course — countless series of MasterChef have shown that. And the Hairy Bikers showed that a whole series on bakery can work. For me, though, the highlight is the on-screen reunion between Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. Now all we need is for Light Lunch to come back…

Coming Up: I Don’t Care Channel 4, Thursday 11.10pm
Iwan Rheon (Misfits) stars in this one-off play, showing as part of Channel 4’s strand for projects by new writers and directors. Luka (Rheon) is a full-time carer, but is given the day off to celebrate his 30th birthday. Look out for a guest role from Paloma Faith, best known for the pop singing side to her career.

Casualty BBC1, Saturday 8.50pm
If you missed last week’s episode, there’s less than a day to watch it on iPlayer. A brilliant, gut-wrenchingly emotional episode which saw Charlie and Tess struggle with the wishes of their friend Megan (original cast member Brenda Fricker) to end her life peacefully rather than let the raging cancer inside her do the job. It was one of those key episodes that stands head and shoulders above not only over other episodes of Casualty, but over much telly in general.

So this week’s episode can only be a bump down to earth. In the first of a two parter, we’re promised a climax to the tedious drugs trial storyline, a city-wide blackout — and multiple flashbacks to Yuki’s (Will Sharpe) early days at medical school. Sharpe’s understated delivery has made him one of my favourite things about Casualty. Not that there are many to choose from.

The Unforgettable… Jeremy Beadle ITV1, Sunday 9pm
Unforgettable? Really? Can’t we try a little harder? In all seriousness, though, prankster Beadle knew how to make highly watchable light entertainment television and during his lifetime raised £100 million for charity.

Vexed BBC2, Sunday 9pm
A three part comedy drama which takes “romantic comedy” and “crime drama” and wilfully ignores the warning signs saying DO NOT MIX. Toby Stephens wastes his talents in another one from the BBC pile marked “well, we’ve commissioned it and if we put it out during the summer we’ll hope no-one notices” (cf. The Deep)

In what is normally a quiet time for new television series, we have seen a number of new comedies recently. If you’re not watching The Great Outdoors on BBC4 you’re missing a treat, especially as it’s only a three-part series (thankfully, the first two episodes are still available on iPlayer).

We’ve already had the marvellous Rev, which finished on Monday. Last night another BBC4 series, Getting On, started a repeat run on BBC2. Tonight, Roger and Val Have Just Got In and Pete Versus Life start new series, on BBC2 and Channel 4 respectively. And last week, Graham Linehan’s The IT Crowd finished with one of its strongest series yet.

But the IT Crowd is a rarity these days: a sitcom with a laughter track. These days, most British comedies are laughter-free.

I was reminded of how rare the laughter track is when watching a sitcom from the 1990s where the audience laughs are intrusive to the extreme: The Brittas Empire.

Roger and Val Have Just Got In BBC2, Friday 10pm
You know how people used to say Seinfeld was a comedy about nothing? It wasn’t true, but it was a good line. It does, however, sort of sum up this oddity starring Dawn French and Alfred Molina. Playing in real time over half an hour, married couple Roger and Val potter about the house doing the sort of things that married couples do. This week, Val is looking for the guarantee for the vacuum cleaner, which means facing the detritus that has accumulated in the “big drawer” in the kitchen.

Pete versus Life Channel 4, Friday 10pm
If you like your high concept comedies a little more laugh-packed, Rafe Spall stars as a man struggling with day to day life — but whose every action is commented upon by two sports-style commentators (Simon Greenall and Ian Kirkby).

Frankie Howerd: Rather You Than Me BBC4, Saturday 11pm
A repeat of the 2008 docudrama starring David Walliams as Howerd.

Sherlock BBC1, Sunday 9pm
After Steven Moffat’s barnstorming (if not perfect) first episode, last week’s was a bit of a crushing disappointment — no Lestrade, no Mycroft and most importantly no sense of pace. I understand that this week’s episode, written by series co-creator Mark Gatiss, is much better — indeed, the only flaw is that it’s the last episode in this all too brief series. Mycroft (Gatiss) wants his brother to take on a case, but Sherlock is having none of it. Until a series of explosions pique the consulting detective’s interest…

The Unforgettable Bob Monkhouse ITV1, Sunday 9pm
Not long after Radio 2 mounted a Monkhouse retrospective, ITV1 spends an hour celebrating the comedian and game show king.

Mad Men BBC2, Sunday from 11pm
As the fourth series of the 1960s advertising drama gets under way in the States, BBC2 goes back to the first series with a double bill of episodes.

Title: Square Eyes, August 2-5

Rev BBC2, Monday 10pm
After reading a negative review of one of his sermons posted online, Adam suffers a crisis of confidence. While this last episode of the series is not its strongest, there are enough laughs in its final week to make us yearn for a second series.

New Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ITV1, Tuesday 8pm
Ah, I remember when this show was genuine must-see television. Time and over-exposure put paid to that — and now, while still popular, the show is deemed to need some format tinkering. Out go the agonising waits while contestants mull over the four answers for as long as they want: in comes an element of playing against the clock. To compensate, an additional lifeline has been added: if contestants reach the £50,000 mark they can swap a question they don’t like.

The Deep BBC1, Tuesday 9pm
A five-part underwater thriller starring Minnie Driver as the captain of a submarine investigating the loss of a previous vessel in Arctic waters. James Nesbitt is the sub’s engineer, whose wife (Mistresses’ Orla Brady) died on the first mission. ER star Goran Visjnic, Sinead Cusack and Misfits’ Antonia Thomas also star. How nice to have a five-part series play out over several weeks, instead of stripped over a week.

Mistresses BBC1, Thursday 9pm
I must admit I lost interest with the second series, although I’m intrigued enough to give this third and final series the benefit of the doubt. Things kick off with a very frosty meeting between the four women (Sharon Small, Orla Brady, Sarah Parish and Shelley Conn), before a flashback to six months previously as we find out what has caused them all to fall out. Joanna Lumley joins the regular cast as the mother of Parish’s character Katie.

Getting On BBC2, Thursday 10pm
A terrestial outing for this wonderful black comedy about life on a geriatic ward. Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan share acting and writing credits in this BAFTA-nominated series.