Coventry Telegraph - Pass the Remote

Eli and Fringe - a sense of Deja Vu? Who cares!

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:09:26 +0000

Two great new shows I'm already hooked on are Fringe and Eli Stone, but in the truest "green" ideals of the day surely they've been recycled?

Eli Stone is just a male Ally McBeal and Fringe is the X FIles, but hey, why not? If an idea works then keep going with it.

The opening Fringe starring Anna Torv on Sky One was a great scene setter. A plane lands with everyone on board dead from a terrible disease and a woman agent desperate to prove heself to her bosses fights to find the answer.

She comes across a double-dealing agent/boyfriend; a dodgy, mysterious boss; a crazy genius; and his son who is set to step up to boyfriend/partner position.

The Amazon, throwing up and football - fantastic!

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:32:18 +0000

Who'd have thought projectile vomiting could be so entertaining!

Most of the second part of the fantastic Amazon was taken up by Bruce Parry hurling his guts up at every opportunity, but I still watched.

He'd either drink some tea and then go for a morning purge or pour litres of boiled up tree bark down his throat, throwing most of it up as he went. It was like watching the worst ever stag night unfold before your eyes.

Hats off to Bruce and BBC2. This series is unmissable.

Watching TV is becoming a woman's world

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:04:38 +0000

Girlie TV is taking over!

Maybe it's because my teenage daughter and my wife seem to take control over the remote instead of me and my son, but I'm sure females are dominating the airwaves.

Our TV seems to be following the theme at the movies, with Sex and the City, The Women and Mama Mia dominating the ratings.

This week alone, there was Private Practice - with a storyline about fertility problems and abandoned babies; the new Grey's Anatomy - relationships and heartache for an hour with a bit of medicine thrown in; and Lost in Austen - a Life on Mars for girls with bonnets and corsets.

Football comedy The Cup failed to score

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:15:28 +0000

The Cup could - and should - have been so good!

A documentary Office-style comedy on the trials and tribulations of a boys' football team and the antics of their parents had comedy gold written all over it. The producer's credits even include the Vicar of Dibley and the fantastic Coupling

Anyone who has watched their youngsters from the touchline would symnpathise - let's face it, we've all seen enough incidents on a Saturday and Sunday to fill a series or two - from aggressive dads to over-protective mums; comedy refs to pitch invasions; and then, of course, there's the kids.

The Barren Wastes of Summer TV

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:57:56 +0000

I sat down to write a blog, to review a top TV programme, and couldn't think of anything I'd watched - enough said really!

In the past week, I can honestly say the only TV I've seen has been the odd nine o'clock film, the Greys Anatomy spin-off Private Practice (a rare new series with the great Kate Walsh), a couple of comedy repeats from years gone by and Neighbours (with the kids of course!)

And I haven't missed a thing.

There's not one programme at the moment that our family must sit down to watch, even the Sky+ planner is getting dusty.

I know it's the summer, but come on programme planners, have a heart and give us something decent please.

8 out of 10 Comics appear on every quiz show I watch

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:07 +0000

A small team of select comedians seem to have taken over my TV.

Every time I switch on they're there - but they're cunning - it's not always the same show, they trick you into thinking it's something else and there they are - different show, same people.

They're led by Jimmy Carr and Dara O'Briain and they have trusty lieutenants like Frankie Boyle and Hugh Dennis.

I've spotted them on Mock the Week, 8 out of 10 Cats, Would I lie to You and I'm sure there's more.

How could they do that to Superstars?

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:49:15 +0000

Someone call in the trades descriptions, this isn't how I remember Superstars!

The classic '70s programme that saw Keving Keegan flying off his bike and top sporting stars of the day battle it out in great head to head contests was top TV.

There were sprints, bike races, rowing, gym tests - all sorts of exciting stuff, with the programme pcked with sporting battles.

This new version on Five - admittedly in its early days - was a pale imitation.

Bonekickers just left me cross!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:46:54 +0000

A school report on BBC's new Bonekickers would read "promising start, but failed to live up to expectations. Could - and must - do better".

After all the hype, I had been looking forward to this one - after all, a TV series about arcaheologists digging up secrets of the past that could threaten the present - what's not to like.

I'd seen the adverts and visited the website and it looked like a winner - a Mummy meets Indiana Jones for the TV.

From Heroes to Zeros

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:45:13 +0000

Anyone else feel let down / cheated / disappointed / annoyed by the Heroes finale?

I mean, I know the series was hit by writing problems early on, but come on!

I was going to bale out after the first few episodes like most of America seemed to want to do, but I stuck at it, with the promise of better to come. I was wrong.

Bonekickers looks a winner

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:52:07 +0000

Mourning the soon-to be loss of Dr Who and Heroes? Well if the adverts are a true taste, something good is coming up with Bonekickers.

The new BBC drama looks like a cross between Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Mummy / and Lara Croft, and the six episodes will definitely be on my Sky+ series link.

All the teaser ads are just promising "coming soon", but early July looks likely and I, for one, can't wait.

Why grow up? TV's more fun if you don't

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:26:46 +0000

It must be horrible to be a serious grown-up with adult tastes in TV - much better to be a bloke!

I mean, admittedly, there is lots of choice with rubbish TV for people (women) who don't appreciate the simple programmes in life. They have series after series on incurable illnesses; people who are too tall/short/fat/thin; tips on how to look good naked or with clothes on, etc, etc.

But where's the fun in that?

Being a bloke means never having to grow up in front of the TV.

Forget Gladiators - try ninjas

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:46:44 +0000

Is it just me, or are the Japanese the masters of the game show?

Taking a break from my usual diet of sports, comedies and cops & robbers style dramas, I tried something a little different, and got hooked on Challenge TV's Ninja Warrior.

As well as being great fun with some spectacular falls along the way, it comes complete with Stuart Hall to take you back to the old It's a Knockout days.

For those who have missed out, a mixture of Far East celebrities from acrobats to dancers and athletes, try and show they have the makings of being a ninja by completing a series of obstacle courses.

Forget Big Brother - play Fantasy TV

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:20:02 +0000

Summer's here and that means three things are certain - dodgy weather, burned burgers and worst of all - Big Brother.

The worst programme ever is back again and the TV will be filled with hours of people sleeping, eating, swearing, fighting, starting romances, breaking up and making up, all to get a few votes and stay in the House!

So while fuming about the waste of good TV time and daydreaming about quality English programmes that I could be watching instead, I came up with this dream line-up for my night's viewing - which, of course, I would watch with a can of Boddingtons by my side.

I'd kick off at 8pm, and what better to get you laughing and in the mood for the night ahead, than the second-best British comedy of sort-of-recent-years - Red Dwarf.

Chuck - just getting better and better

Tue, 27 May 2008 13:27:34 +0000

Just when you thought Chuck was as good as it can get, Rachel Bilson pops up and gives you yet another reason to watch.

With Sarah Lancaster as Ellie and Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah, the show was already high in the glamour stakes.

But, believe it or not, they are just three of the reasons to watch and if they all - God forbid - left I'd still be tuning in!

Kiss of Death killed off my bank holiday!

Tue, 27 May 2008 12:18:34 +0000

A one-off BBC crime drama starring Danny Dyer - surely a safe bet for a Bank Holiday Monday?

Sadly not. Though Kiss of Death did fit in with the foul-mood that had built up over seven or eight hours of continual rain and ensured I went to bed, depressed and confused.

I guess it was meant to be slick and fast-paced and a rival for those glossy US shows, well, it failed for me and the rest of our house.