Filed under: BBC, The Culture Show | Tags: BBC, Mark Kermode, poetry, The Culture Show
My ode, to Kermode,
To Marky Mark Kermode,
Before you were on my TV, I never would have knowed,
What is culture? What is art? What films are being showed?
If it wasn’t for you, Marky Mark, I never would have knowed,
Is it okay to like this film? Is it okay to like shows?
I’m scared to judge them for myself, if your review’s not glowed,
My ode, to Kermode,
To Marky Mark Kermode,
Before you were on my TV, I never would have knowed.
Filed under: BBC, Back to You, Big Bang Theory, Channel 4, Cheers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, ITV, More4, Seinfeld, The Office: An American Workplace | Tags: Back to You, BBC, Big Bang Theory, Bill Cosby, Channel 4, Cheers, comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, Jerry Seinfeld, Kelsey Grammer, More4, Patricia Heaton, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, The Office
So Channel 4 have unleashed yet another American sit-com upon us, in the shape of newsroom-based Back to You. With Frasier’s Kelsey Grammer and Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton teaming up to form something of a US comedy dream team, this one should really have laugh-a-minute written all over it. Sadly, though, even a lab-created hybrid of Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby and the entire cast of Cheers wouldn’t be able to prevent this labouring show from feeling incredibly dated.
In these days of The Office: An American Workplace and Curb Your Enthusiasm, it’s hard to believe that these fake-laughter-filled, predictably punchlined, uber-generic shit-coms are still coming out of the States. Once upon a time Back to You might have worked, but in the context of today’s comedy scene this show’s entire format is the equivalent of a dodo operating a Betamax.
What’s far more depressing than this show’s very existence, though, is that the main channels here in the UK are happier to invest money and schedule time into played-out guff like this and Big Bang Theory, than they are to show the afore-mentioned Office and Curb. Why is The Office buried away on ITV 37 and Curb doomed to an eternity on More4, while this tripe is somehow deemed worthy of the wider audience?
It’s BBC’s scandalous treatment of Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show all over again.
Filed under: BBC, Big Brother, Channel 4, Euro 2008, ITV, Match of the Day: Euro 2008, Russell Grant's Postcards | Tags: Alex, BBC1, Big Brother, Channel 4, Euro 2008, Gordon Strachan, ITV, Match of the Day, Ronaldo, Scolari
Following on from the Big Brother drinking game, here’s an Alex-specific version that you can all play along with at home. All you need to do is take a swig of your chosen tipple every time this year’s favourite anger management candidate utters any of the following phrases:
- “I’m not trying to be funny, but…”
- “Do you know what I mean?”
- “Remember I told you.”
- “My fings.”
- “Deal with it.”
Alternatively, if you’re more likely to be spending your evenings watching the far more civilised Euro 2008, you can still play along. All you need to do is take a sizable gulp every time any of the commentators or pundits mention any of the following:
- The home nations’ failure to qualify.
- Ronaldo.
- The Alps.
- The Premier League.
- Dutch “total football”.
- Scolari’s going to Chelsea, don’tcha know.
By the way, what is the point of the current trend of cutting from the presenter and pundits in the studio, to a different presenter standing on the touchline with a different pundit? Does the touchline pundit know something that the others don’t? And, if so, why can’t they just let him sit in the studio with the rest of them? Of course, it’s understandable in situations where the touchline pundit is Gordon Strachan, because clearly nobody can bear to be in a room with him for any significant period of time. But what of the others? Answers, as usual please, on the back of one of Russell Grant’s Postcards.
Filed under: BBC, Euro 2008, ITV, Match of the Day: Euro 2008 | Tags: BBC1, Euro 2008, ITV
…both BBC and ITV to fail miserably in any attempt to get through today’s opening couple of Euro 2008 matches without repeatedly mentioning England. And holy potatoes, did they both live up to those expectations. Of course, none of the other home nations have qualified for the tourney either, but sometimes it feels almost as if, even after all these years, Motty and co remain blissfuly unaware that their broadcasts reach as far as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Still, that aside, you’ve got to take your hat off to the standard of coverage both channels have kicked off with. Even allowing for the fact that ITV’s Andy Townsend could very easily be replaced with Brandon Block and nobody would notice, it’s an impressive line-up of live action, highlights, previews and talky bits that the football-loving population of England have got to look forward to. And hey – the rest of the UK can join in too, if they like.
Filed under: BBC, Eurovision Song Contest | Tags: Andy Abraham, BBC1, Bunch of Latvians dressed as pirates, Eurovision Song Contest, Love City Groove
There were just a bunch of Latvians, dressed as pirates, singing a song in which the main lyrics were ”Hi hi ho”, on Saturday night primetime BBC1. Try as I might, I can’t imagine any other TV format in which that would happen. Now that’s public service broadcasting for you. Never let it be said that the license fee isn’t worth every last penny.
Now, just for the heck of it, here’s a video of my favourite UK Eurovision entry ever. That’s right - I like it even better than that binman bloke’s effort from this year…
Filed under: BBC, Extraordinary People, Five, Heroes | Tags: Batman, BBC, Dawson's Creek, Extraordinary People, Five, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes, Supergirl, Superman
Heroes. It’s a bit like Five’s Extraordinary People, only less imaginative. In Five-speak, there’s ‘The Chubby Policeman Who Reads Minds’, ‘The Mexican Woman with Black Stuff Coming Out of Her Eyes’ and, spotted on BBC Three’s sneak peek edition last night, ‘The Girl Who’s Quite Good at Skipping and That’.
Yup, they’re a talented bunch and no mistaking. But is it just me, or has Season 2 of the Beeb’s big-budget import never really – erm – taken flight? None of them ever seem to actually do anything. Take retired cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere) as a case in point. These days she’s less like Supergirl and more like some sort of lapsed Dawson’s Creek character, all whiney teen angst and no trousers.
Hopefully something – and by something, I mean anything – will happen soon to perk things up a bit. Until then though, it seems Superman, Batman and ‘The Boys Joined at the Head’ have got little to worry about.
Filed under: BBC, Big Brother, Channel 4, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, ITV, The Apprentice | Tags: Big Brother, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, The Apprentice
While the other reality big-hitters like Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity etc etc Blah-de-Blah-de-Blah increasingly seem like tired, spent formats, The Apprentice continues to make for fantastic viewing. That said, if the unthinkable happens and slimy slimeball Michael Sophocles somehow manages to win the thing, I’ll pretend never to have said any of the above. So there.
