July 2010 Archives

A couple of jolly TV gold entries to brighten up this dismal Thursday 'Summer' morning for you.

Who could forget Batfink? Kids the country over were uttering those immortal words 'Your bullets can't hurt me, my wings are like a shield of steel'.

Or maybe that was just me.

How about Jamie and The Magic Torch. Whenever the subject of old's kids cartoons comes up in the pub or the office this one always gets a mention.

As does....

Magical!

What were your favourites?

Tsk! Young people today, eh. They've just got no stamina.

Laura McAdams, aged 20 from Stratford-upon-Avon, has let down the whole of the Midlands by walking out of Big Brother.

And just how many days did she last inside the house? Four. FOUR!

She said she had to leave because she missed her family too much. Come on, after less than a week? What a waste of an opportunity.

What with Shabby and Caoimhe going, John James nearly doing a runner and almost every other housemate threatening to leave, this series seems full of weak-minded quitters. It's not as if they have the excuse of not realising what it was going to be like in there - it's been on for 10 years now, guys!

This never used to happen in the good old days. No-one walked out of early Big Brother series, as they were all just grateful to be there.

Come on Laura and everyone else, sort yourself out.

I'm not one of the crazed millions that chooses to watch Glee.

But as I know there are so many of you I thought I would post this snippet from the show's creator Ryan Murphy.

He revealed that the forthcoming Britney Spears-themed Glee episode is going to be "fun", said the show's creator and cast.

He confirmed that actress Heather Morris, who plays cheerleader Brittany, will portray the pop superstar for the episode, due to air in September.

"All I can say about that is that we're doing six Britney songs, and then Brittany is doing a Britney song - we're paying tribute to her in a sort of fun and unexpected way."

Ryan, who described the episode as "hallucinogenic", later said "It's sort of a very funny way we do Britney Spears - it's not how we've done things before."

Part two of our retro revival. Who can forget Timothy Claypole and Mrs Popoff!? (I have since been corrected in the comments box by my colleague and Telly Talk editor Roz Laws that it is Mrs Popov - apologies)

So who won in the weekend TV battle between ITV1 and the BBC? The answer is elementary, my dear readers.

The Beeb won hands down, mainly thanks to the dazzling delight that is Sherlock.

This new series is the best thing I've seen on telly all year. Fast-paced, funny and fabulous, I love everything about it, right from the clever opening titles.

The leads are great, of course, but how funny is Una Stubbs as their landlady? She makes "I understand dear, I've got a hip" sound witty.

I loved the modern updating of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, from the use of texts and nicotine patches to the way Sherlock's deductions appear in words on the screen.

I loved the snappy banter between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, such as: "What's it like in your funny little brains? It must be so boring."

What a shame there's only three episodes in the series.

So the Beeb was always going to win the contest, especially when you consider ITV just had boring old Heartbeat and Taggart on Sunday evening.

But it had other shows too to entertain us. Top Gear was top entertainment with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz as (very fast) Stars in a Reasonably Priced Car.

The Beeb won the Saturday night contest too, mainly thanks to likeable Scouse (two words I don't often put together) comic John Bishop and his new series.

101 Ways To Leave A Gameshow is a little laboured, with irritating music and cutaway shots, but I like Steve Jones, and at least it's an original format.

Unlike ITV1's Magic Numbers, which is just an update of the old Phillip Schofield show Talking Telephone Numbers.

It's also rather misleading. To get everyone to phone in on an expensive line - well, ITV has to pay for their new recruits Jonathan Ross, Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley somehow - Steven Mulhern gave the impression that someone would be competing to win £300,000.

In reality, the chances of the prize money totalling that amount are very slim indeed.

The contestant might be lucky to win £5,000 - or, as has happened for the last two weeks, nothing at all.

You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out that's a swizz.

Introducing a new section to Telly Talk. We will take a regular look at classic tv from yesteryear. If you have any suggestions let us know...

First up is BOD, that strange little yellow fella and his friends. This was suggested by BPM Media's West Brom writer Chris Lepkowski.

Chris is introducing his daughter to the wonderful world of 70s and 80s cartoons!

It's great news that the Hustle film crew is returning to Birmingham to shoot the next series - and even better news that the city will finally be revealed in all its glory!

Last series they did an impressive job of conning viewers into thinking that it was all shot in London. And it was good that Birmingham was glossy and cosmopolitan enough to stand in for the capital.

But now the true beauty of Brum, from the elegance of Birmingham Town Hall to the iconic Rotunda and the futuristic Selfridges building, can be displayed for the world to admire.

Sadly it's just for one episode, when the Hustle crew follow a 'mark' to Birmingham to carry out a con.

I'm delighted that Birmingham is becoming much more used as a location - I went on the set of the BBC1 film Toast this week, based on Nigel Slater's book about growing up in Wolverhampton. It stars Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Stott and Freddie Highmore and should be fabulous, with lots of great 1960s period detail.

But it doesn't show Birmingham as it is today, and I wish we saw more of that on TV. Modern day London, Manchester and Bristol are used far more as locations, where they are allowed to be themselves rather than impersonating other places.

So well done Hustle for showcasing Brum, but could we please have a whole drama set here next?

Keeva - sorry, Caoimhe - is the latest Big Brother housemate to walk out.

It's always a shame when contestants quit instead of being voted out by us, with our hard-earned cash. I feel done out of a proper Friday night eviction - Davina's half-hearted, standing-up interview with Shabby after she walked was just weird.

And, as I've said before, it's rather wimpy of housemates to walk when they've had enough, after all the effort they went to to win a place in the last-ever Big Brother series. Thousands more people would love to be in their shoes.

I just hope Josie doesn't follow through on her threat and leave too, as she's my main reason for watching. Her slow-burn romance - and yes, I do believe there's chemistry there - with John James is almost as good as Big Brother's greatest-ever love affair between Helen and Paul.

Still, at least I won't have to struggle with how to spell Caoimhe's ridiculously complicated name any more.

AWWW, just how gorgeous and sweet was David Beckham tonight?

It was fantastic to see Becks - and his red socks - on the last-ever Friday Night With Jonathan Ross show.

It's a good job he's worth waiting for, though, because the programme had been a little dull up until his arrival on the sofa.

No offence, Mickey Rourke and Jackie Chan, but we didn't tune in for you. And nice as you are, Jackie, you will never be an Asian Robert De Niro.

But back to lovely Becks. He's never looked better, as proved by the goal montage showing some hideous haircuts.

But he's not just a pretty face. Far from being a bit dim, he was articulate and funny.

Aside from the occasional football cliche, at the end of the day he was a delight to watch.

"I love a hug," he said, sitting on Wossy's lap. Ooh, you're just teasing us now.

He's clearly angling for a lifetime's free supply of Lego and Angel Delight, but we can allow him that when he's so keen on teaching his boys manners. Good on you.

So what of Wossy? It's true, he can be arrogant at times and spend too long sucking up to his guests, but he can also be witty.

And tonight it was good to see a humble and emotional side to him, when he shed a tear.

Bye Wossy, we'll miss you.

Please don't leave me hanging!

I'm feeling a little bereft at the moment because most of my favourite American dramas have come to an end. There's a severe shortage of little green arrows on my Sky+ box, showing which programmes I've series linked.

But even worse than the absence of these shows is the way in which they ended. Now I have to wait months before the cliffhangers are resolved.

Who will Alicia choose in The Good Wife? The last shot was of the lawyer deciding whether to walk towards her husband, or answer the phone to her boss/potential lover. Ooh, the drama!

Is Robert really dead in Brothers and Sisters? I so hope not, Rob Lowe was the main reason why I loved watching this series, but it's not looking good. Though McDreamy was shot in Grey's Anatomy and made a miraculous recovery.

Will Seattle Grace Mercy West Princess Diana Children's Hospital, or whatever it's called now, recover from having most of its staff gunned down?

I'm also desperate to know which family has been raising the wrong child in Desperate Housewives, and why Paul Young is back on Wisteria Lane. Guess wherever he lays his hat, that's his home. (Sorry for those too young to understand my 1980s joke).

At least when Desperate Housewives returns, we know we won't have to endure John Barrowman trying to act, as he was blown up. Hurray!