August 2011 Archives

Desert Island Discs Long-Play: Kathy Burke Radio 4 Extra, Sunday 10am & 9pm

Kirsty Young talks to actor and acclaimed theatre director Kathy Burke in an extended repeat of a show from August 2010.

The Reunion: Boys from the Blackstuff Radio 4, Sunday 11.15am

Sue MacGregor reunites Alan Bleasdale with some of the key people who helped him bring his definitive tale of 1980s unemployment to the screen, where it became one of television’s all time great pieces of drama. Producer Michael Wearing and actors Michael Angelis, Tom Georgeson and Julie Walters contribute.

Barbara Windsor Radio 2, Sunday 1pm

With Elaine Paige concentrating on Follies in America, our Babs once again sits in on Radio 2’s show dedication to musical theatre and songs from the shows. As usual, The Stage’s Matthew Hemley will be on hand to chat about the latest news.

Afternoon Play: Arabian Afternoons Radio 4, Monday-Wednesday 2.15pm

A repeat run for three dramas, each inspired by tales from the Thousand and One Nights.

BBC Proms: Hooray for Hollywood Radio 3, Monday 7.30pm

The John Wilson Orchestra returns to the RAH for more movie-inspired magic. From the dance crazy numbers of Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers to 1960s Sondheim (Gypsy, West Side Story) this should prove to be a wonderful evening. Featured vocalists include Caroline O’Connor, Clare Teal, Matthew Ford and Annalene Beechey.

Friday Play: The Talented Mr Ripley Radio 4, Friday 9pm

Another set of repeats, but just as welcome - Ian Hart’s turn as Patricia Highsmith’s charming killer in adaptations of all five of her Ripley novels is just superb.

Doctor Who BBC1, Saturday 7.10pm

He’s back — and it’s about kicking Adolf’s butt. The first episode of the second half of series six (phew!) is called Let’s Kill Hitler — but while there’s most definitely a threat to the Fuhrer’s life in 1938 Berlin, it’s the fate of our regulars and the ongoing River Song/Melody Pond storyline that takes the lion’s share of attention.

I was at the recent BFI screening, and wrote about that on my personal (and spoiler free) blog. All I’ll say here is that Alex Kingston turns in her best performance yet, Nina Toussaint-White debuts as a new Tardis traveller, and Caitlin Blackwood once again steals the show as the young Amelia Pond.

BBC Proms 2011: The Comedy Prom BBC2, Saturday 9pm

A Night with Will Young ITV1, Saturday 9.15pm

Recorded on August 13, comedian Tim Minchin hosts an evening of music-based frivolity from the Royal Albert Hall. Sue Perkins, Doc Brown and Kit and the are among the other contributors. Meanwhile on ITV1, Will Young celebrates ten years since winning Pop Idol and the release of his new album with a concert of songs from his decade in the industry. I was meant to be at the recording of this, but for reasons too long and boring to go in to that didn’t work out. Not. Bitter. At. All. 

If your musical tastes run in slightly different directions, BBC3 has concerts from Pulp @ Reading (8.45pm) and The Strokes & Jane’s Addiction @ Reading (10.30pm).

American: The Bill Hicks Story BBC4, Saturday 10pm

He died in 1994 at the age of 32, but Hicks is still one of the most cited inspirations for many of today’s stand-up performers. This new programme features animations set to recordings of his routines, interspersed with interviews from those who knew him.

Page Eight BBC2, Sunday 9pm

David Hare writes and directs an intelligent spy thriller, starring Bill Nighy as an MI5 intelligence analyst, Michael Gambon as his boss, Ralph Fiennes as the prime minister, Rachel Weisz as the neighbour Nighy has suspicions about… Any one of these people would individually make this a film of interest: that they are all involved deems it unmissable.

The Field of Blood BBC1, Monday 10.15pm

A two-part crime drama set in early eighties Glasgow. Jayd Johnson plays Patricia ‘Paddy’ Meehan, a teenage “copy boy” in the city newspaper’s editorial office, when a member of her family is accused of a horrible crime. Convinced the police and the reporters are looking in the wrong place for answers, she resolves to crack the case herself. First shown on BBC Scotland, this cracking drama gets a welcome national run. Johnson’s performance is superb, with stirling support from David Morrissey, Peter Capaldi, Jonas Armstrong (far better than he ever was in Robin Hood) and Bronagh Gallagher.

Alesha’s Street Dance Stars CBBC, Monday 5pm

A new dance competition, hosted by Alesha Dixon, which aims to find the best street dance crew comprised of kids aged 10-16.

EastEnders BBC1, Monday 8pm

Every so often, some Walford residents demonstrate that they do, eventually leave the confines of the E20 postcode (mostly so they can be double-banked with recording on the show’s regular Elstsree lot). This week’s sojourn isn’t quite Den-and-Angie-in-Venice, but nor is it Tony-and-friends-in-Brighton. Instead, it’s a trip to Southend, where Whitney is still under Rob’s nefarious influence — and Dot is looking for her estranged sister Rose (Polly Perkins), of whom we only recently heard anything at all.

Random Channel 4, Tuesday 10pm

Originally a one-woman play at the Royal Court in 2008 and then revived to launch the theatre’s Theatre Local initiative, playwright Debbie Tucker Green adapts her piece about one London family’s story as they are devastated by one random event. Nadine Marshall, the star of the Royal Court version, originally played all four family members in a series of monologues. Here, she plays the sister, with other family members played by Daniel Kaluuya, Jay Byrd and Louis Mahoney — but at points she also plays all four, sitting alone on an empty stage. It’s an interesting approach to adaptation, and one that pays off.

Mount Pleasant Sky1, Wednesday 9pm

Sky1 continues to expand its comedy portfolio with this comedy drama series starring Sally Lindsey and Daniel Ryan as Lisa and Dan, a middle-class Manchester couple who live in a well-to-do cul de sac — and all too close to Lisa’s parents.

Torchwood: Miracle Day BBC1, Thursday 9pm

Ensemble dramas are often best when pitting friends against one another. And here, Gwen (Eve Myles) has to kidnap Jack (John Barrowman) and hand him over if she wants to see her family again. It’s a sorely needed shot in the arm for a series which has so far failed to live up to the promise of its first episode. As the icing on the cake, we also get a flashback to 1920s Manhattan, with the then-immortal Jack meeting someone who may turn out to be important to the whole “miracle” scenario…

BBC Proms 2011, Anyone for Demis?, Exotic Pop at the BBC, Nana Mouskouri at the BBC BBC4, from 7.30pm

Firday night is regularly music night on the BBC’s best, but least watched, TV channel. This evening kicks off with a showing of the Chmber Orchestra of Europe’s recent Prom celebrating the music of Brahms, before delving intho the archives to explore Britain’s relationship with pop music from other climes. Demis Roussos, the Singing Nun, Vanessa Paradis, Ladysmith Black Mambazo and, of course, Nana Mouskouri, all feature.

Epic Win BBC1, Saturday 5.30pm

Basically a You Bet! for the generation who’ve been blessed with never having seen the original. Eccentric members of the public perform silly feats in front of a panel of comedians, who bet on the outcome. If the contestant correctly guesses how much the panel bet, they get an “epic win”, otherwise it’s a “fail”. Presented by Alexander Armstrong as if it’s an extended skit from his sketch show, which it may well be.

The X Factor ITV1, Saturday 8pm

It’s back. Which means Christmas can only be many rubbish auditionees and a few mildly good singers away. This year’s X Factor is billed as “the next generation”, with a new judging panel of Kelly Rowland (who is not, as I originally said, “the boring one from Destiny’s Child who was rubbish in Strictly Come Dancing”, as has been pointed out in the comments), Tulisa Contostavlos (the girl from N-Dubz, who proved with her BBC3 documentary on mental illness that she’s an engaging, likeable television presence), Gary Barlow (who’d like you all to forget that he was in charge of the music for Britannia High) and Louis Walsh (who, like the rest of us, can’t quite believe he’s managed to stay on the panel).

Casualty BBC1, Saturday 8.55pm

Michael Obiora and Madeleine Mantock join the cast as a pair of new nurses at the Holby City ED, but all eyes will be on one of this episode’s guest stars - a teaching assistant who comes to the department after an altercation with a pupil. It’s a change of pace for Lee Mead, who’s more normally seen on the musical theatre stage (he’s currently playing Emmett in Legally Blonde the Musical at the Savoy Theatre).

The Man Who Crossed Hitler BBC2, Sunday 9pm

Based on a true story, Ed Stoppard plays a Jewish barrister who, in 1931, dared to subpoena Adolf Hitler as a witness in the trial of two Nazi thugs. Ian Hart plays Hitler in a piece which, though it feels like it would work better on stage, remains compelling television.

The Killing BBC4, Sunday 10pm

The US remake is not exactly setting the world alight, despite a blisteringly good performance from Michelle Forbes as the grieving mother. Here, though, is a chance to once again catch the original Danish series, which betters it in every way. The series follows Copenhagen detective Sarah Lund, who gets called in to a murder case on her last day before moving to Sweden. Can she find out what happened to teenager Nanna Birk Larsen in time to catch her flight and start her new life? Obviously the answer’s no, or it would be a short series - but it’s a compelling series whose twists and turns never lose their grip on the audience.