Saturday, 6 July 2019

TV Column: DARK MONEY + 8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK


This article was originally published in The Courier on 6th July 2019.


NEXT WEEK’S TV



DARK MONEY
Monday and Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

This timely drama from award-winning playwright and screenwriter Levi David Addai (Damilola, Our Loved Boy) is inspired by the ongoing scandal involving sexual abuse within the entertainment industry. When Isaac, a British teenager, travels to Hollywood to star in a science fiction blockbuster, it should’ve been a dream come true. However, upon returning home he reveals that he was abused by the film’s producer. Isaac’s parents (the excellent Babou Ceesay and Jill Halfpenny) are told that British police have no legal jurisdiction over crimes which took place in America. Then the producer’s legal team get in touch with a jaw-dropping offer. It’s an angering indictment of an unjust system which protects the rich and powerful at all costs.

EXTREME TRIBE: THE LAST PYGMIES
Monday, Channel 4, 9pm


In the Congolese rain forests lives a Pygmy tribe largely cut off from the outside world. As any seasoned TV-watcher knows, remote African tribes are always being politely bothered by western documentary crews. They presumably enjoy the fleeting novelty of welcoming the likes of chirpy filmmaker Livia Simoka into their fold. Simoka produced and directed the similarly warm C4 series The Tribe, which also sought to dismantle foolish preconceptions by presenting jungle-dwelling communities as, you know, ordinary people just like you and I. Her five-month visit is an emotional log flume ride. Do bear in mind, however, that it includes scenes of dead animals being dismembered. It doesn’t flinch, nor should it.

8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK
Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm


The Apollo 11 space mission, the most famous and important in history, lasted for a total duration of eight days, three hours, 18 minutes and 35 seconds. The world and beyond would never be the same. In this fascinating feature-length documentary, we’re granted declassified access to the extensive audio recordings taped inside the capsule during that epochal journey into the unknown. Dramatic reconstructions and archive footage also assist in creating an immersive account of what it must’ve actually been like for Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, those great NASA pioneers, as they carried out a feat of remarkable human endeavour. The sheer scale of their achievement is put into fresh perspective by this beautiful film. “Houston? The eagle has landed.”

LAST WEEK’S TV

HOW THE MIDDLE CLASSES RUINED BRITAIN
Saturday 29th, BBC Two

Right-wing comedian Geoff Norcott – an anomaly if ever there was one – comes from a working class background. He strongly believes that left-leaning middle class people are Remain-voting hypocrites. The problem with his argument in this confused polemical piece was that it relied on stereotypes to prove its point, thus being entirely hypocritical in itself. Still, hats off to the Marxist BBC for allowing a dissenting voice.

JOHN McENROE: STILL ROCKING AT 60
Sunday 30th, BBC One


Sue Barker travelled to the NYC home of the erstwhile Superbrat for this entertaining profile of a legendary athlete who is almost as renowned for his angry, youthful outbursts as he is for his prowess on the court. He’s mellowed, of course. The McEnroe that Barker met was on typically droll, affable form as he led her on a stroll through his colourful life and career.

ANNA: THE WOMAN WHO WENT TO FIGHT ISIS
Wednesday 3rd, BBC Two

In 2017, 25-year-old activist Anna Campbell from Sussex arrived in Syria to join an all-female Kurdish militia in their fight against ISIS. She had no previous military experience. A year later she was killed. In this eloquent documentary, Anna’s father attempted to make sense of her decision by meeting her comrades. A sad, searching study of a grieving family struggling with severely conflicted emotions.

Sunday, 23 June 2019

TV Column: THE UNWANTED: THE SECRET WINDRUSH FILES + DRAG SOS


This article was originally published in The Courier on 22 June 2019.


NEXT WEEK’S TV


THE UNWANTED: THE SECRET WINDRUSH FILES
Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

Historian David Olusoga traces “70 years of political panic, bad faith and racial prejudice in the corridors of power” in this damning documentary. As every schoolchild knows, the Windrush Generation is the term used for the black migrants who arrived in Britain between 1948 and 1972. Following the introduction of Theresa May’s “hostile environment policy” in 2014, the surviving members faced deportation when they were instructed to prove they lived here legally. A national scandal ensued. Assisted by personal testimonies and access to shocking internal documents, Olusoga reveals how successive British governments have attempted to stop immigration from the Caribbean, despite those migrants being citizens of the British Empire with every right to live and work in the UK.

A YEAR TO SAVE MY LIFE: GEORGE McGAVIN AND MELANOMA
Monday, BBC Four, 9pm


Last year, scientist and broadcaster George McGavin was diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer. Remarkably, when he received this frightening diagnosis, a new drug had just been licenced by the NHS, one that could potentially save the lives of people afflicted by malignant melanomas. In this moving documentary, the avuncular McGavin provides, with typical scientific inquisitiveness, a study of these pioneering medical developments: “I want to know everything about it and I want to know now.” The good news, as he observes, is that we’ve now reached a stage where people with terminal cancer can survive for decades. He undergoes a painless regime of targeted drug therapy which should give hope to people affected by this illness.

DRAG SOS
Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm


In this tender new series, five drag queens embark upon a mission to encourage people, whether straight, gay, male or female, to embrace their inner drag. Wit, warmth and wisdom – the vital three W’s - abound as they oversee a week of rehearsals for a lip-synching dance routine to be performed in front of friends, family and a home crowd. A camp explosion of all-inclusive fun, yes, but at heart this is a sincere, responsible experiment. They meet a gay man who puts his dad forward in the hope of solidifying their bond, a young woman with anxiety, and a stressed mum whose children have behavioural issues. The uplifting results will restore your faith in human nature.

WHO SHOULD GET TO STAY IN THE UK?
Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

This series concludes with more sensitive case studies of people struggling to navigate Britain’s increasingly complex and controversial immigration system. It focuses on couples who could potentially be torn apart by a Home Office ruling. Doaa from Egypt has a British husband. She faces deportation as a result of her innocently applying for the wrong type of visa online. Nigerian Onyi is forced to answer an exhausting series of trivial personal questions to prove she loves her husband. It’s like a sinister, Orwellian Mr and Mrs. We also meet an exasperated immigration lawyer who admits that he can’t keep up with the ever-changing laws. Anyone who thinks our immigration policies are too lax needs to pay attention.

LAST WEEK’S TV

PUNJAB UNITED: OUR LIVES
Monday 17th, BBC One


Gravesend, Kent is home to one of the UK’s largest Sikh communities. The lower league football team Punjab United is one of its most recent success stories. This slight yet fairly charming documentary followed the team as they went about their grassroots business. It didn’t amount to much, but I’m glad that BBC One still has room in its schedules for minor diversions such as this.

HEY TRACEY!
Monday 17th, ITV2

In the unlikely event of civilisation surviving into the next century, I hope remnants of this nano-celeb-based quiz will be shown in schools as a grave warning from history. We must never let Joe Swash happen again. The premise? A bunch of idiots receive pay cheques for doing nothing of any consequence. Imagine a rolled up copy of Heat being smacked on a human face forever.

ACKLEY BRIDGE
Tuesday 18th, Channel 4

Series three of this award-winning multicultural school comedy-drama – the modern-day equivalent of Grange Hill, albeit aimed at an older audience – has lost none of its frank humour and sharp social commentary. Despite the plaudits it’s received, Ackley Bridge has never really caught on with the wider public. Hats off to Channel 4 for standing by what is, at most, a cult hit.

Saturday, 15 June 2019

TV Column: CATCH-22 + STILL GAME + KILLING EVE


This article was originally published in The Courier on 15th June 2019.


NEXT WEEK’S TV


CATCH-22
Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Joseph Heller’s classic satire of military bureaucracy, injustice and the madness of war was adapted for the screen with mixed results in 1970. This six-episode miniseries is clearly intended as a more faithful and possibly definitive adaptation. Set during World War Two, it follows a sharp young US Army Air Force bombardier as he struggles to rebel against a system that’s stacked against him. When he tries to get out of flying his remaining missions – suicide missions, essentially - he discovers a horrifying logical loophole: Catch-22. Boasting a large ensemble cast including Hugh Laurie and George Clooney (who also co-produces and directs), it succeeds in capturing the acerbic, absurdist, darkly comic tone of Heller’s antiauthoritarian masterpiece. Impressive.

THE FAMILY BRAIN GAMES
Monday to Thursday, BBC Two, 8pm


Dara O’Briain plays host to “eight of Britain’s cleverest families” as they cross their wits in “the ultimate test of cross-generational brain power.” In a laboratory overseen by academic experts, they take part in various problem-solving games designed to test different facets of their intelligence. The basic idea is that, by performing as a team, these competitive high achievers will provide an interesting study of family dynamics. And to an extent, they do. What’s more, you can play along at home. While I wholeheartedly welcome unabashed celebrations of intelligence, there’s no getting around the fact that The Family Brain Games is the most middle class TV gameshow since the Robert Robertson-fronted iteration of Ask the Family.

THE RESTAURANT THAT MAKES MISTAKES
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm


This commendable series revolves around an experimental restaurant staffed by volunteers living with some form of early onset dementia. Like the recent BBC series Our Dementia Choir with Vicky McClure, it aims to raise awareness of this condition while illustrating that it doesn’t preclude people from achieving new goals. In episode two, they welcome an influx of food critics who politely yet firmly refuse to give the restaurant special treatment. That would be patronising and counterproductive. For the participants, the project seems to renew their self-confidence. Waiter Peter, a former business owner, sums up the frank yet poignant tone: “Dementia takes away many things… our memories and ability to do things. But what it doesn’t take away is feeling.”

STILL GAME
Friday, BBC One, 9pm


If you missed the final series when it premiered earlier this year on the BBC Scotland channel, now’s your chance to say farewell to Jack and Victor. Even the most devout Still Game fan would admit that it’s long since passed its prime, but this valedictory run marks a slight return to form. It’s certainly nowhere near as bad as the other post-return outings: it actually contains some decent jokes and glimmers of the warmth which made us love it in the first place. Make no mistake, Still Game in its heyday was a modern sitcom classic. Admittedly, this opening episode is average at best, but at least it isn’t embarrassing. The series improves as it goes on. RIP.

LAST WEEK’S TV

KILLING EVE
Saturday 8th, BBC One


Series two of this multi-award-winning black comedy thriller picked up directly from the violent climax of series one. Sympathetic MI5 agent Eve (Sandra Oh) was suffering from PTSD after stabbing – fatally, she assumed – psychopathic assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The oddly likeable villain was alive and fairly well, of course: she’s an unstoppable force of dark nature. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) has stepped down as head writer to focus on other projects, but new boss Emerald Fennell (hitherto best known for playing Nurse Patsy in Call the Midwife) slipped into her shoes with ease. Killing Eve is still a fast, funny parody of spy thriller tropes which also functions as an actual captivating spy thriller. It has its cake and eats it on the fly. Also, Comer is utterly outstanding

YEAR OF THE RABBIT
Monday 10th, Channel 4


The ubiquitous Matt Berry stars in this dreary sitcom about a tough, maverick Victorian cop patrolling the mean streets of London’s East End. It’s a charmless affair in which unfunny swearing and strained silliness offer no substitute for wit. The one-note Berry, who can’t even affect a passable cockney accent, is acted off the screen by a supporting cast which includes Paul Kaye and Alun Armstrong.

Sunday, 9 June 2019

TV Preview: WILD BILL + I CAN GO FOR THAT: THE SMOOTH WORLD OF YACHT ROCK


This column was originally published in The Courier on 8th June 2019.


WILD BILL
Wednesday, STV, 9pm


Just when you thought the world couldn’t get any stranger, here’s Hollywood actor Rob Lowe in an ITV cop show. He plays a high-flying American police chief who, together with his teenage daughter, relocates to Boston in Lincolnshire. Why? Boston, so we’re told, has a worryingly high crime rate, so he’s been shipped in to bring down the numbers. If episode one is anything to go by, it makes Midsomer look like Toytown. The tone is all over the place, it bounces messily between laconic humour, bog-standard police procedural shenanigans and gruesome violence, seemingly uncertain of what the hell it’s trying to be. Still, the incongruous spectacle of Lowe navigating the means streets of Brexit Britain is something to behold. For about five minutes.

THATCHER: A VERY BRITISH REVOLUTION
Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The penultimate instalment of this rigorous examination of Margaret Thatcher’s epic reign of terror shows how her stubbornness, hubris and lack of empathy sowed the seeds of her undoing. It begins in the mid-‘80s, when rapidly escalating unemployment and wanton free market capitalism triggered rancorous public dissent. Did Thatcher care? She was certainly stung by the criticism, but couldn’t understand where it came from. Her lack of self-awareness was astonishing. Nevertheless, she won a third term in 1987. Packed with fascinating reams of rare archive footage, including her uncharacteristically emotional interview with Dr Miriam Stoppard, plus frank contributions from the likes of cadaverous lickspittle Norman Tebbit and avuncular mortal enemy Neil Kinnock, it’s another sturdy chapter in a highly impressive series.

DEATH ROW: COUNTDOWN TO EXECUTION
Thursday, STV, 9pm


Here’s a sobering fact: there are currently more American death row convicts being profiled by documentary crews than ever before. In this unsurprisingly grim series, Susanna Reid travels to Huntsville, Texas, the execution capital of America (it even boasts a death row-themed museum). She’s there to meet maximum security prison inmate Patrick Murphy, who was once part of a notorious crime gang responsible for the biggest prison breakout in Texas history. This is his final television interview. We also hear from his Buddhist priest advisor and the wife of the police officer he’s convicted of killing. However, Murphy didn’t actually pull the trigger. Even the pro-death penalty locals Reid meets agree that this broaches a murky grey area. It's a vaguely acceptable piece of tabloid television.

I CAN GO FOR THAT: THE SMOOTH WORLD OF YACHT ROCK
Friday, BBC Four, 9pm


Though never considered a genre at the time, the slick, soulful Californian pop recorded from the mid-‘70s to the mid-‘80s by artists such as Steely Dan, Hall & Oates and Michael McDonald has since been defined and re-evaluated as Yacht Rock. In this excellent new series, Katie Puckrik, a devout acolyte, is your witty, charming, erudite guide to a deep blue bay of tidy beards, aviator shades and satin bomber jackets. An array of journalists and academics help her to place this “millionaire’s make-out music” in acute historical and socio-political context. They begin by tracing its sensitive singer-songwriter and soft rock roots, when popular music mounted an introspective campaign against the tumult of the ‘60s.

Saturday, 18 May 2019

TV Column: HATTON GARDEN + THATCHER: A VERY BRITISH REVOLUTON


This article was originally published in The Courier on 18th May 2019.


NEXT WEEK’S TV

HATTON GARDEN
Monday to Thursday, STV, 9pm


Despite taking place just four years ago, the notorious burglary of the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company has inspired three films. The most recent, King of Thieves starring Michael Caine and Ray Winstone, was released only last year. You would, therefore, be forgiven for presuming that this four-part dramatisation of the biggest burglary in English legal history is surplus to requirements. Fortunately, it isn’t. Co-written by esteemed factual dramatist Jeff Pope (Philomena; Cilla; Stan & Ollie), it’s a typically well-researched affair boasting more depth and detail than its predecessors. A strong cast including Timothy Spall, Kenneth Cranham and David Hayman flesh out Pope’s compelling account of how an unlikely gang of elderly crooks (almost) got away with it.

THATCHER: A VERY BRITISH REVOLUTION
Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

29 years after her turbulent reign was vanquished, Margaret Thatcher is still one of the most divisive figures in British politics. You don’t have to be a fan to enjoy this exhaustive five-part documentary charting her rise and fall, it’s fascinating. It begins, aptly enough, with her early 1970s emergence as a prominent political figure and milk snatcher. Only the second woman to hold a position in a Conservative cabinet, Thatcher was a tirelessly driven workaholic. She was also, in the words of Ken Clarke, “a bizarre character, one of the most unlikely human beings I ever met.” He’s joined by other notables such as Shirley Williams and Norman Tebbit. It also boasts a wealth of rare archive footage.

ALASTAIR CAMPBELL: DEPRESSION AND ME
Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm


Much like Thatcher, infamous Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell could hardly be described as a sympathetic political figure. However, to his credit, he’s had a long history of talking publically about his mental health issues: Campbell has struggled with depression for most of his life. In this candid documentary, part of a short series of programmes tied in with Mental Health Awareness Week, he explains and explores the various ways in which he’s learned how to live with his condition, in the hope of getting a better understanding of it. He talks to psychiatrists, doctors and members of his own family. The nuanced and sometimes drily funny results are the most valuable thing he’s ever contributed to public life.

VICTORIAN SENSATIONS
Wednesday, BBC Four, 9pm

The rapid change of Britain in the 1890s made Dylan’s decision to go electric in 1965 look like a big fuss about nothing. In this lively new series, mathematician Hannah Fry, psychotherapist Philippa Perry and – not to be outdone - actor Paul McGann traverse a decade in which the electrified modern world sparked into life. Our host in episode one is the engaging Fry, who provides a wry account of the dawn of this brave new electric age. She describes it as “an unregulated free-for-all where enthusiasm still exceeds understanding.” Britain was experiencing progress on an unprecedented scale, hence the sheer number of weird and wonderful developments it went through. You can’t beat a bit of eccentric Victoriana.

Monday, 13 May 2019

TV COLUMN: Years and Years + The Virtues + Mum


This article was originally published in The Courier on 11th May 2019.


NEXT WEEK’S TV

YEARS AND YEARS
Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm


TV titan Russell T. Davies is the brains behind this ambitious new drama following an extended Manchester family over the space of 15 years. It begins in the present day before scrolling forward to 2024. Trump has won a second term, the US and China are at loggerheads, Britain has finally left the EU and a growing influx of Ukrainian refugees are in desperate need of housing. Meanwhile, a ‘straight-talking’ politician (Emma Thompson) continues her terrifying rise to the top. RTD’s pessimistic message is encapsulated by Russell Tovey’s character: “The human race is getting more stupid right in front of our eyes.” That stupidity, he warns, is leading us towards catastrophe. Urgent and unsettling, this is not to be missed.

THE VIRTUES
Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm


Fresh from having his throat slit in Line of Duty, Stephen Graham returns to our screens in the company of writer/director Shane Meadows, who gave him his big break in This is England. It’s a difficult show to preview as its tense, queasy intrigue derives from a gradual drip-feed of information about Graham’s character, Joseph. All I’ll say is this: it begins with Joseph saying goodbye to his son, who’s about to begin life anew in Australia with his mum and stepdad. Joseph then self-destructs before deciding to confront his tragic past. In typical Meadows style it’s a humane, unflinching piece of social-realism, and Graham’s portrayal of a broken man is incredible.

MUM
Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm


The end, alas, is nigh for this rightfully beloved comedy drama. The third and final series takes the bold step of leaving Cathy’s suburban house for the first time. The new setting is a swanky holiday home rented by her brother and his tragically snobbish partner. Unlike before, this last hurrah takes place over the space of a week. Apart from that, it’s quietly desperate business as usual as lovely, patience of a saint Cathy (Lesley Manville) and the world’s nicest man, Michael (Peter Mullen), tentatively begin their romantic relationship. Unfortunately, Cathy can’t admit this to her son, who regards Michael as an unfit replacement for his late father. As the theme song says, we’ll miss it when it’s gone.

DAVID HAREWOOD: PSYCHOSIS AND ME
Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm


30 years ago, actor David Harewood had a mental breakdown and ended up being sectioned. He now has an extracurricular career as a mental health spokesperson. In this candid documentary, he reflects upon that period of his life in an attempt to work out what happened. By talking openly about his ordeal, during which he experienced grandiose delusions, auditory hallucinations and blackouts, Harewood succeeds in challenging the stigma and lack of understanding which still surrounds this subject. He meets young people dealing with psychosis and talks to an expert who informs him that the condition doesn’t suddenly emerge from nowhere, it springs from a combination of stress, anxiety, trauma and vulnerability. It’s a fascinating and valuable document.


Saturday, 4 May 2019

TV Column: THE ALL NEW MONTY + 24 HOURS IN A&E + GHOSTS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 4th May 2019.



NEXT WEEK’S TV


THE ALL NEW MONTY
Monday and Tuesday, STV, 9pm

It’s time once again to raise awareness of the importance of health checks to prevent prostate, testicular and breast cancer, as another group of celebrities whip out their bits under the expert gaze of dance coach Ashley Banjo. The responsible fun begins on Monday with Who Bares Wins, in which the likes of Joe Pasquale and snooker legend Willie Thorne, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015, get to grips with a complex strip routine to be performed in front of a packed theatre. In Ladies’ Night, it’s time for Martina Navratilova and various soap and reality stars to do the same. Most of the participants have personal reasons for getting involved with the promotion of this vital cause.

24 HOURS IN A&E
Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm


This impeccable series is an admirable celebration of the NHS. It’s also a guaranteed anxiety inducer. If we’ve learned anything from watching years of what essentially boils down to a relentless hokey cokey of terribly upsetting drama, it’s that accidents and sudden failures of health occur every day. You could be the next unwitting victim. Fortunately, dedicated medical professionals will be on hand to rescue you from the brink. If you’re lucky. The latest series begins with a moving meditation on elderly people trying to come to terms with the possibility of losing their partners. Meanwhile, the marriage of Harry and Meghan unfolds in the background. Humane and tacitly political, it towers above every other show in this genre.

THE SINGER STORY: MADE IN CLYDEBANK
Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm


In the late 19th century, a vast modern factory transformed a village on the Clyde into an industrial powerhouse. Its finely crafted product, the Singer sewing machine, went one giant step further: it changed the world. As the years roll by, the historical importance of Clydebank is in danger of being forgotten. This fascinating documentary should restore its reputation. There was a time when one in five households in the world had a Singer sewing machine, most of them made in Clydebank. Via vivid contributions from former employees, a portrait emerges of a town characterised by civic pride and humour. The site where the factory once stood is now a bland business park. Progress ain’t what it used to be.

WHEN I GROW UP
Thursday, Channel 4, 8pm


Spontaneously inspired by recent social mobility research, three generous businesses have invited some seven-year-olds from all walks of life to briefly join their ranks. Fortunately, a television crew was on hand to capture the results. Will giving them jobs they’ve never dreamed of change their ambitions? This week they don customised uniforms to manage an artisan chocolate business. I don’t doubt for a single whiff of a second that the producers had the very best of intentions – they’re not cruelly inviting us to sneer at a sadly precocious rich kid who fences and plays golf, of course they aren’t - but it comes across as an unnerving fusion of The Apprentice and Channel 4’s notorious ‘80s misfire, Minipops.

LAST WEEK’S TV

GHOSTS
Monday 29th, BBC One

This supernatural sitcom from the Horrible Histories team continues to plough a fairly amusing yet inessential furrow. It’s a likeable show populated by excellent comic actors, but the characters and storyline aren’t exactly riveting. We’re three episodes in, and I don’t really care about any of these people, either undead or alive. It gets by on a thin cushion of happy-to-please charm.

PLANET CHILD
Wednesday 1st, STV


What can protective British parents learn from examples set by foreign cultures? In episode one of this revealing new series, twin doctors Chris and Xan van Tulleken attempted to find out by conducting carefully controlled child development experiments. We met Japanese and African kids with far more independence than their cossetted UK counterparts, who gradually managed to navigate central London while unaccompanied by mum and dad.

EASYJET: INSIDE THE COCKPIT
Thursday 2nd, STV

Whimsically narrated by undiscriminating workhorse Stephen Fry, this series provides fly on the fuel gauge access to pilots from Britain’s biggest airline. They were, of course, depicted as cheerful, unflappable professionals tirelessly serving the needs of their customers. I daresay that’s true, but it was like watching a high-end promotional video. Still, nice scenery, and when was the last time you saw Inverness Airport on television?