The Medium is Not Enough TV blog

Thursday's gleeful news

Rob Buckley — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:24:16 +0000

Doctor Who

Sweet FA to play lawyer on Law & Order: London

Film

Pictures of the new Jason Vorhees
Anchorman 2 to be set in the 80s
Episodic Watchmen game coming
Phillip Noyce to develop and direct Captain Blood
Bryan Singer to produce Capeshooters

Radio

Father Ted actors reunite for radio play

British TV

Ian McDiarmid, James Fox, Robert Hardy and Lindsay Duncan in drama about Margaret Thatcher's final days
EastEnders' ratings fall to 5 million
The Wire only gets 38,000 viewers

US TV

Fox greenlights Glee pilot from Ryan Murphy
Rosie Perez entering Lipstick Jungle
Joss Whedon planning Dollhouse webisodes
Keith Carradine guesting on Numb3rs
Ad for True Love from HBO
Ant and Dec get just 3.1m viewers

More Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul

Rob Buckley — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:12:25 +0000

Just in case you didn't find the first series enough, there's another series of Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul coming soon. You can get tickets to watch it (being filmed? Or just played on a big screen to you?) next Friday:

BBC Studio Audiences are delighted to announce that tickets are available for a special screening of Harry And Paul in August.

Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse first worked together in the late 1980s creating memorable characters like Stavros and Loadsofmoney on the cult hit show Saturday Live. They then went on to work on the enormously successful and multi-award-winning Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry Enfield and Chums with Smashie and Nicey, Tim Nice but Dim, the Scousers, the Slobs, Kevin and Perry and many others.

Last year they re-united for Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, which was described as “hilarious, reminded us of what we have been missing since they last appeared together” and “the veteran duo are blazing a trail with this cracking comedy comeback”.

Now in this second series they return with many of the characters that made a big impact last time such as the amazingly fast talking surgeons, the Posh Scaffolders, Nelson Mandela as you have never seen him before, the I saw you Coming shop, the Polish cafÃ© and many more plus some hilarious new additions.

To be part of the audience for this special screening taking place on Friday 1 August at the BBC Radio Theatre, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, call the BBC Ticket Line on 0370 901 1227* or visit the website by clicking here. Doors open at 7.15pm.

The winner of the Sky+ competition is...

Rob Buckley — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:01:58 +0000

After extending the deadline a tad, it's time for me to reveal the winner of the Sky+ competition. The lucky person who'll be getting a money-saving voucher that entitles them to a free Sky+ box or half-price (or better) Sky+ HD box is...

(continued)

Wednesday's hot holy warrior news

Rob Buckley — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:06:27 +0000

Doctor Who

David Duchovny wants to be a villain?
Pictures of Sweet FA in Survivors

Film

Peter Berg to direct Hercules: The Thracian Wars
Jenna Dewan and Luke Goss to star in hot, holy warrior film Magdalena
Trailer for Yes Man
Trailer for Pineapple Express with Seth Rogen
Top Gun 2?
Simpsons 2 will happen, but not for a while

Music

First night tickets at Royal Opera House to go to Sun readers
BSkyB setting up rival to iTunes

British TV

Fox adding 24, Bones and My Name is Earl to iTunes
John Hurt, Michelle Ryan and Richard Wilson to appear in Merlin
BBC4's Janice Hadlow tipped to take over at BBC2…
…as Roly Keating steps down to head up archive content
Dragons' Den gets 3.4m

US TV

More cast and action for Knight Rider series
Joss Whedon shooting new Dollhouse first episode
ABC making US version of Argentine crime drama Brothers & Detectives
Elizabeth Berkley to recur on The L Word
Another 90210 actor joins the spin-off
Lots of guest stars for Chuck

Saddest comic strips in the world

Rob Buckley — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:28:15 +0000

Brace yourself for an attack of the snivels: here come the two saddest comic strips in the world (big nod of the head to Stuart for these). Certainly had me nearly crying on the way home from the take-away this evening...

Click this one to make it bigger, if necessary

I think I'm going to have to have another snivel again.

Watchmen trailer breakdown

Rob Buckley — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:57:33 +0000

Is the nerd in your life worried? Has he seen the new teaser trailer for the movie The Watchmen and become anxious that it might not be identical, frame for frame, to the graphic novel? Is he already preparing a strongly worded letter to the Internet that will shake every major movie studio to its very core and make them very, very sorry indeed that they would dare to make a movie he will go to see only 15 times before buying it on DVD and Blu-Ray?

Fear not.

Empire had put together a scene-by-scene breakdown of the trailer, comparing it with the graphic novel, just to see how faithful it is.

It seems to be, apart from that owlish six-pack. We can all be thankful, I'm sure you can agree.

Tuesday's not very Australian news

Rob Buckley — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:59:07 +0000

Doctor Who

Tin Tin report misleading says Moffat

Film

Michael Rymer to direct and co-produce Witchblade
Franka Potente to star in Flucht aus Tibet

British TV

BBC axes commercial sponsorship of events

US TV

Promo for Caprica
Monk's 100th episode to be full of stars
Janet Jackson fine thrown out by court
Kath & Kim to be revamped to be more appealing to Americans
TNT greenlights Joel Surnow's Night and Day
Ebert and Roeper leaving At The Movies

Safety Catch - Series Two

Rob Buckley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:22:20 +0000

Ms Rullsenberg has nudged into my consciousness the fact that Safety Catch, a Radio 4 comedy series about a reluctant arms dealer, is currently enjoying a repeat run at a sensible time on said station. Hooray!

It stars Darren Boyd, Joanna Page (yes) and Brigid Forsyth and is really quite funny, if you're into slightly black, apparently un-PC yet not comedy. If you've missed any episodes - which is likely since it started its run on the 8th July - you can catch up using the iPlayer or through my last blog entry on the subject, which links to all four episodes. You can also find out more about the show from the British Comedy Guide, which has been good enough to quote me alongside The Guardian and the Daily Telegraph for some reason on its “press clippings” page about the show.

However, after having the show nudged back into my consciousness, I decided to investigate a bit to see if a second series has finally been commissioned. And lo and behold it has, according to writer Laurence Howarth. The second series should be airing next year some time - no word on if there have been any cast or character changes or when recordings are going to be. I s'pose I could ask, but that sounds a bit like hard work. Maybe later…

Today's Joanna Page: Billy Liar

Rob Buckley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:21:25 +0000

In a return to its roots, Today's Joanna Page eschews the excitement of the review and the intellectual delight of the polemic in favour of pure pictures, since it's time for the 2004 touring production of Billy Liar, which I obviously didn't see (even though it began its run at Bromley's Churchill theatre).

I can't even comment on the story, since although I've seen the movie version, it was so long go, all I can remember are about three images from the whole thing. And I haven't seen the TV series. Or read the book.

Oh dear.

(continued)

The winner of the Sky+ competition isn't

Rob Buckley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:39:03 +0000

Time to announce the winner of the Sky+ competition.

However, we had two contestants this time. Holding remote control one was Lesley Smith who didn't really plead at all, simply asked to be added to the list, which should technically have disqualified her from winning. However, she's away on business right now (judging from the out of the office reply message that she's been sending in response to the daily MINE email digest), so can't escalate her case easily.

Holding remote control two was a previous competition winner, Ms Rullsenberg, who while making quite a good case for why she needed Sky+, didn't officially enter herself into the competition. I gave her 'til Sunday to enter, but judging from her latest blog entry, she's very busy right now.

Tricky, hey?

So, I'm postponing the final decision and opening the floor to you, gentle reader. The competition will remain open another couple of days. If anyone else wants to enter, you still can. But if you think either Lesley or Rullsenberg (or both) are eligible to win the prize based on their current responses, speak up now!

Bear in mind, by the way, that the voucher's only valid until the 28th of July, so I'm going to need responses quickly!

Today's Sitting Tennant: Hamlet (from Poly)

Rob Buckley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:55:03 +0000

Today's Sitting Tennant, is reassuringly fresh and up to the minute, since its from rehearsals of Hamlet. I don't know whether that warrants bonus points. Probably, particularly since it has Patrick Stewart looming in the background.

That puts Rosby in the lead with five entries, Persephone at four. Poly with three and a half, and Scott and Toby with two entries each.

On the witty and amusing captions front, Marie and Toby are now equal top with five captions each, with Persephone on four, Rullsenberg and Electric Dragon on two and Poly on one.

Feel free to suggest one for DT's skull tossing above.

Got a picture of David Tennant sitting, lying down or in some indeterminate state in between? Then leave a link to it below and if it's judged suitable, it will appear in the “Sitting Tennant” gallery in due course.

Monday's saintly philanthropist news

Rob Buckley — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:47:27 +0000

Doctor Who

What's happening in various Sarah Jane Adventures, including a DT cameo? [minor spoilers]
Steven Moffat turned down Tin Tin 2 for Who

Film

Trailer for How To Lose Friends and Influence People
Djimon Hounsou to play Conan villain Thulsa Doom
10 to be remade
Zack Snyder talks Watchmen

Comics

Alan Moore already disowning Watchmen but loves The Wire

British TV

BSG's Jamie Bamber to star in Law & Order: UK -Â with Bradley Walsh
Channel 4 censured over climate change film
Julie Walters to appear in euthanasia drama
Top Gear co-stars get their pay rises

US TV

James Purefoy to play NBC's Philanthropist after The Saint collapses?
Megalyn Echikunwoke joins CSI: Miami
Jaime Murray to be Valentine in Valentine
Showtime picking up Nurse Jackie starring Eddie Falco
In Plain Sight renewed and three new pilots commissioned by USA
New CSI in CSI not normal
ABC orders secret genius pilot
The CW might start its 2009-10 season in summer
SciFi announces its development slate
Caprica might go straight to series

Lost Gems: The Ice House

Rob Buckley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:21:47 +0000

Christmas is a time traditionally associated with ghost stories. I don't know why that is - maybe it's a pagan hangover, since “let's celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ by scaring each other silly” doesn't strike me as a particularly coherent Christian concept.

Probably the most famous teller of Christmas ghost stories is MR James, the Cambridge don who used to gather friends and students round at Christmas and scare them silly with tales such as Whistle and I'll Come To You, A Warning to the Curious, The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral and Lost Hearts. These were eventually collected into various omnibuses and back in the 60s and 70s, the BBC started adapting the stories, airing a new tale at Christmas.

Initially, just one-offs, the strand eventually was formalised as A Ghost Story for Christmas, with Rosemary Hill as producer and Lawrence Gordon Clark as director. Sticking with James for the first few years, Hill strayed in 1975, getting Andrew Davies to adapt Charles Dickens' The Signalman for the strand. She then chose to forego literary sources altogether and began commissioning original stories instead.

The first of these was Clive Exton's Stigma (which I might deal with at a later time, if you're lucky), but for reasons known only to the Beeb, the strand concluded with John Bowen's The Ice House in 1978. Although BBC2 and BBC4 have repeated many of the episodes and the BFI have released some on DVD, The Ice House has never been repeated. It's a Lost Gem.

(continued)

Review: The Cleaner 1x1

Rob Buckley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:40:40 +0000

In the US: Tuesdays, 10/9c, A&E

A&E has something of a thing for Benjamin Bratt at the moment. As well as starring in the colossally expensive The Andromeda Strain remake, he's now starring in the not-as-expensive-as-its-own-marketing-campaign The Cleaner.

Yep, in an effort to get away from being known as the “channel that likes to show Sopranos re-runs”, A&E is spending up to $8 million just on promoting The Cleaner, one of its first original drama series in a very long time.

Building on the dark and gritty image the network already has, The Cleaner explores the world of addiction, whether it's addiction to drugs, gambling, sex or alcohol. Bratt, in a role “inspired” by reality, plays William Banks, a man who attempts to get over his past heroin addiction by weaning others off their addictions.

Unfortunately, “inspired” seems to mean “converted into something a bit like every other television series you've ever seen -Â and about as realistic”.

(continued)

A new meme gets passed on

Rob Buckley — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:30:20 +0000

Everyone's doing sterling work over on Monday's meme: the voice of the people is pretty clear and it appears to be saying, “Steven Moffat is top!” The only debate appears to be over which of his episodes are topper than the others.

Toby, meanwhile, has started up a counter-meme in response. He wants to know which three of nu-Who's guest stars have been the best. I'm guessing people like Lis Sladen and Catherine Tate don't count once they've become regular cast members on the main show or its spin-offs (Tobes: help me out here!). Ditto the Torchwood crowd.

Anyway, mine are:

Bernard Cribbins (for just being brilliant),
Julian Bleach (for being creepy enough to be Davros and doing a brilliant impression of the previous Davroses) and
John Simm (I'm not saying it was a subtle performance, only that it was the equal of David Tennant's, which is what you need from The Master).

As always, leave your own list on your own blog and a link on Tobe's blog or just post straight to Tobe's comments. And you can leave a link to yours here, too, if you want.

PS Toby suggests MINErs as a collective name for anyone who comments here regularly. Is this apt and should it be officially adopted? Do any of the assembled Welsh here feel upset at the suggestion they're miners (cf that Pot Noodle ad)?