WHAT WE WERE WATCHING: SONG AND DANCE SPECTACULARS + HIS DARK MATERIALS + INDUSTRY

A version of this article was originally published in The Courier on Saturday 14th November 2020. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

What We Were Watching: Song and Dance Spectaculars – Friday, BBC Four, 7pm

This, much to my surprise, is a mini-masterclass in how to present a compendium of archive light entertainment. In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, dance troupes such as Pan’s People and The Young Generation were toothsome fixtures on British television. They were naff, brilliant, weird, charming; vaguely hippie-ish, but thoroughly scrubbed clean of all muddy traces of the counterculture.

Their elaborate and sometimes overly-literal interpretations of contemporary pop hits were something to behold. Host Grace Dent is clearly a fan. I was expecting an irony-drenched sneer-fest. Instead, it's a fond, irreverent celebration. Dent's links are brief, she allows room for the clips to breathe. Highlights include a Lulu performance of the Theme from Shaft featuring a cameo from Les Dawson, Aretha enduring awkward comedy banter with Cliff, and The Young Generation launching the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. It’s all wonderful.

My Family, the Holocaust and Me with Robert Rinder – Monday, BBC One, 10:45pm

In the second and final episode of this haunting series, Rinder and his mother visit Treblinka for the first time. It is estimated that between 700,000 and 900,000 Jews were murdered at Treblinka. Several of the Rinder’s ancestors were among them.  “Our family had names,” says Rinder. “They were alive, they lived and they died here.” We also meet Noemie, whose French mother was arrested as a child by the Nazis. Now 85, she has never spoken of her experience. When Neomie travels to France, she uncovers an extraordinary story of survival. Meanwhile, Bernie’s difficult journey continues with a visit to Dachau, where his uncle died. By recounting these stories we restore the humanity of those who were lost. We remember, always.

12 Puppies and Us – Wednesday, BBC Two, 8pm

Those first few months between humans and their pets are crucial. In this upbeat series, various families and pups adjust to their new lives together. The star turn this week is Fabio, a Chinese Crested Powderpuff who has essentially been purchased as a replacement for a scraggy little muppet called Hugo (RIP). Alisa doted on Hugo, who happily put up with wearing a variety of kitschy outfits. Fabio doesn’t appear to be humiliated by this leisurewear either. Alisa’s partner, Colin, wryly accepts his lowly place in the pecking order. The programme isn’t cruel or judgemental, it accepts Alisa for the mildly eccentric person she is. Her little family – there are no children – is happy.

Paul O’Grady’s Great British Escape – Wednesday, STV, 8pm

Paul O’Grady is television’s nicest man. Face facts, Palin, you monster. This series is really just an excuse to spend some time in his friendly, quick-witted company, as he wanders around his adopted county of Kent. It’s a picturesque balm. In episode two he embraces the beautiful desolation of Romney Marsh, where he gingerly encounters some leeches, goes fishing for shrimp, and visits an alpaca farm. Like Connolly and Palin (sorry about what I said earlier, Mike), O’Grady bonds naturally with everyone he meets. He’s either a very good actor, or he’s someone without a trace of showbiz ego. Also, hats off to whoever compiles the soundtracks for his programmes: Iggy, Elvis and Otis are among the picks this week.

A Special School – Friday, BBC Two, 7pm

“Communication is every child’s right. No matter what level they’re at, they have every right to communicate something.” So says one of the many inspiring teachers in this beautifully-made BBC Wales series about Ysgol y Deri, Britain’s preeminent school for children with special needs. 15-year-old Luke was born with a hole in his brain, but his cognitive abilities are acute. Via voice-generating software, he articulates his fears and frustrations: “I hate it when people patronise me, especially when people talk to me like a baby. It makes me feel hurt and uncomfortable.” His family, friends and teachers never patronise him. They accept him for who he is. “It makes me feel humble,” he says.

Between the Covers – Friday, BBC Two, 7:30pm

In the final episode of this emergency televised podcast, the likeable broadcaster Sara Cox hosts another celebrity book group. Her guests this week are Desiree Burch, Ben Miller, Graham Norton and – here she is again – Grace Dent. Norton gets in a plug for his third (third?!) novel, while praising one of his favourite books, The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett. He makes a sound point: if you meet a prospective partner who doesn’t enjoy Bennett’s work, then they’re definitely not for you. So much time and heartache could be avoided via use of that simple test. This cosy little series, this chattering media bubble of absolutely nothing, may serve as a vaporous distraction while Trump barricades himself inside a cupboard with the nuclear codes.

Griff’s Great Australian Adventure – Friday, STV, 8pm

ITV aren’t even trying with their celebrity travelogue titles now, they all merge into a ‘great’ morass of blandness. Penelope Keith’s Berserk Icelandic Rumble; David Jason’s Outstanding Hats of Minsk. They’d stand out in the listings. Griff Rhys Jones, to his credit, is an affable conduit for this sort of thing. The title isn’t his fault. He’s no O’Grady, but he has his own distinctive spin. Griff is never conspicuously impressed by anything. He’s bemused and amused, but not in an insulting way. This week, his continent-spanning train journey stops off in rural Queensland, where he cautiously observes farmers extracting semen from a bull. He also meets some archaeologists dusting for dinosaur tracks in the middle of nowhere.

LAST WEEK’S TV

His Dark Materials – Sunday 8th November, BBC One

Tarot cards on the table: I am immune to the charms of epic fantasy fiction involving wizards and whatnot. I simply cannot fathom the appeal, no matter how hard I try. The first series of this adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy was particularly gruelling. A hectic, rudderless tumult of riddle-me-ree prophecies with no emotional core. Even as a fantasy sceptic, I found it bewildering and tedious. 

So no, of course I didn’t enjoy its return last week. As before, all I could find to admire were its production values and the performances by Dafne Keen and Ruth Wilson. This is poor storytelling on a massive scale. An expensive mess, the very worst kind of mess. I will never speak of it again.

Industry – Wednesday 11th November, BBC Two

It’s possible to sculpt a decent drama around awful people with too much money. We’ve all seen This Life. But this HBO/BBC co-production about young London investment bankers is a ghastly chore. It’s presumably intended as a sharp piece of satire, an arch meditation on the hollowness of capitalist greed. It misses the mark completely. Industry expects us to care about these characters on some level, while wringing its hands over the chrome and glass world they inhabit. 

The characters are bland. Their world is objectively vile and soulless. So what’s the point? There is nothing to engage with. This pilot was directed by Lena Dunham, an obliviously entitled artist who will never understand why people find her work so annoying.