FLOODLIGHTS + INSIDE NO. 9 + WINTER WALKS: ADRIAN CHILES

This article was originally published in The Courier on 14th May 2022. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Floodlights – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The former professional footballer Andy Woodward is a victim of child sexual abuse. Six years ago, he bravely went public about his life-shattering ordeal. 

Woodward’s abuser was the football coach and self-styled ‘star-maker’ Barry Bennell, a manipulative serial predator who exploited his status to prey upon more than 100 vulnerable children. He got away with his crimes for years. 

This powerful standalone drama recounts Woodward’s story. Floodlights is angering, heart-breaking, an uncomfortable watch. It has to be. There is no other way of addressing a heinous scandal that implicates an entire institution. 

An important piece of television, it exposes the insidious methods of abusers while dealing sensitively with the enduring trauma of their victims.

The Truth About Nike and Adidas: Dispatches – Monday, Channel 4, 8:30pm

The latest edition of Channel 4’s long-running and justly lauded current affairs strand tackles the big brand trainer industry and its supposed commitment to sustainability. 

Your investigative reporter is the actor/writer Darcy Thomas, a self-confessed trainer aficionado. He’s troubled by a growing amount of evidence highlighting the trainer industry’s negative impact on the environment. It is widely thought to be one of the world’s largest polluters, but funnily enough it tends to keep quiet about that. 

More than 25 billion pairs of trainers are manufactured every year. That amounts to three per person in the world. Thomas travels to the Maldives to find out what’s really going on with the likes of Nike and Adidas.

Joe Wicks: Facing My Childhood – Monday, BBC One, 9pm

Charismatic fitness coach Joe Wicks became something of a national hero during the first lockdown, when his hugely popular ‘P.E. with Joe’ YouTube videos helped children to remain fit and healthy. In this candid documentary, Wicks turns his attention to mental health. 

During the pandemic, he received thousands of messages from parents who opened up about their mental health issues. They were all understandably worried about how this may impact on their children. Wicks understood implicitly. He was raised by a mum with OCD, anxiety and an eating disorder, and a dad who struggled with depression and heroin addiction. 

So he sets out to discover what can be done to better support families going through similar situations.

Beat the Chasers – Monday to Friday, STV, 9pm

Anne “The Governess” Hegerty had to bow out of the latest series of this Chase spin-off after being tested positive for COVID, so she’s been temporarily replaced by top Australian chaser Issa “The Supernerd” Schultz. He’s a genial addition to the team. 

The Chase in all its forms is an irresistible quiz, precisely because it’s so simple and straightforward. There’s no messing about, they just get on with it. And Bradley Walsh, of course, is Britain’s greatest living gameshow host (face facts, Ross Kemp). He’s entirely at home in his shiny-floored crucible of cheeky gags, banter and trivia. 

Forsyth and Monkhouse, where e’er they may be, will doubtless be nodding in approval at his mastery of the craft.

Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain? – Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

Now there’s a question that no one with an ounce of perspicacity has to think about twice. But Musk is in the news again due to his $44bn acquisition of Twitter, so that’s why this documentary exists. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but I do know that it features interviews with people who have worked alongside the controversial tech tycoon, who is part of a small group of insanely wealthy men with a powerful global reach exceeding that of most governments. We also hear from people who have locked horns with his companies. 

Musk is obviously an ‘interesting’ figure, I can’t deny that, so this programme will hopefully shed some light upon whatever it is that makes him tick.

The Airport: Back in the Skies – Monday, BBC One, 10:40pm

1990s docusoap titan Jeremy Spake was the breakout star of BBC One’s Airport. Since then he’s become a professional aviation expert. In this belated sequel, Spake returns to his old stomping ground of Heathrow Airport as it attempts to establish some semblance of normality following the gradual lifting of COVID restrictions. 

He’s dismayed to discover that an entire terminal has been mothballed. There simply aren’t enough flights to justify its existence. “It literally looks like an apocalypse has happened,” he sighs, “there’s literally no one here.” 

But it’s not all doom and gloom. New opportunities are arriving at Heathrow. Spake, who knows his airborne onions, remains optimistic about the future of an industry that he clearly cares about deeply.

Inside No. 9 – Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm

A perennial ‘problem’ with previewing Inside No. 9 is that the show’s very nature precludes one from providing anything more than a very vague synopsis. But I can never resist recommending it. 

This instalment is particularly strange and bleak. A woman (Daisy Haggard) is kidnapped by a disquieting fool (Daniel Mays). His ransom demand is £1.3 million, a vast fortune that can be readily accessed by the victim’s awful hedge fund manager husband (Reece Shearsmith). A split screen technique is used throughout. There are creepy masks. And that’s all I can tell you with regards to the plot and presentation. 

It’s not top tier Inside No. 9, it doesn't quite hang together and the nihilistic tone is borderline unpleasant, but at least it’s never predictable.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Top of the Pops: The Story of 1997 – Saturday 7th May, BBC Two

The latest TOTP retrospective attempted, with heroic determination, to present 1997 as a significant year for pop. 

This is the narrative we were expected to swallow: Britpop was over, but at least we still had defiant stragglers such as Republica and Placebo. Not only that, Texas gained a second wind and the Fun Lovin’ Criminals briefly became a thing. 

I have no strong opinions about any of those bands, as that would be a pointless waste of time and energy, but the people behind this show are really clutching at straws now. 

Still, I enjoyed the surprisingly sweet story of harmless novelty Euro-poppers Aqua, and anarcho-punks Chumbawamba gate-crashing the mainstream will always be an amusing anomaly.  

Winter Walks: Adrian Chiles – Monday 9th May, BBC Four

In this standalone edition of the popular celebrity rambling detour, Adrian Chiles went for a leisurely 4.9 mile walk along Scarborough’s scenic coastline. “This is what makes Britain great,” marvelled the affable everyman of British broadcasting as he took in the views. 

These programmes are always intimate and ruminative, that’s baked into the 360-degree light handheld camera format, but Chiles was particularly introspective. The underlying theme was his struggle with depression, anxiety and ADD, and the ways in which simple pleasures such as communing with nature can sometimes help. 

Naturally, Chiles didn’t prescribe that as a miracle cure, but his lyrical sincerity was rather touching. He came across as a sensitive soul who takes nothing for granted.

STEPHEN + 9/11: INSIDE THE PRESIDENT'S WAR ROOM + BACK TO LIFE

This article was originally published in The Courier on 28th August 2021.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Stephen – Monday, STV, 9pm

On 22^nd April 1993, teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered during a racially motivated attack. That heinous crime remained officially unsolved until 2012, when two members of a white gang were found guilty. 

Written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce and his son Joe, this absorbing, angry, compassionate three-part drama is a damning indictment of the corrupt, incompetent and institutionally racist Metropolitan Police. It also honours the determination of DCI Clive Driscoll (a solid turn from Steve Coogan), an unassuming man of integrity who realised that a terrible injustice had taken place. 

Driscoll led a unit largely devoted to investigating the police themselves, but his risk paid off. The story begins in 2006, when the Lawrence family were still being denied answers.

Ghosts – Monday, BBC One, 8:30pm

The arrival of corporeal Alison’s long-lost half-sister could potentially place her co-ownership of Button House in jeopardy, so she puts the Captain on the covert case. Meanwhile, Lady Fanny is acting giddily out of character. Could she be in love? 

Ghosts is currently the best British sitcom. Warm, funny and occasionally quite touching, it’s written and performed by a talented troupe of comics with an innate understanding of how to appeal to a family audience. 

They could easily tailor their skills towards a post-watershed slot if they wanted to, but where’s the fun in that? The restrictions they’ve placed upon themselves enhance the comedy. Ghosts is possessed of the utmost wit and charm.

Surviving 9/11 – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

There are two feature-length BBC documentaries this week commemorating the 20^th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. 

The first is a meditative study of grief and trauma. It features moving eye-witness accounts from some of the survivors, one of whom, Vanessa Lawrence, now lives and works as a painter in Ayrshire. Lawrence was the artist in residence at the Twin Towers in 2001; her studio was on the 91^st floor of the North tower. 

We also hear from an Englishman, Matt Campbell, whose brother Geoff was killed that day. Campbell has never trusted the official report, although he’s aware that his investment in 9/11 conspiracy theories could be a subconscious method of channelling his pain.

9/11: Inside the President’s War Room – Tuesday, BBC One, 8:30pm

When the second hijacked plane hit the South tower at 9:03am on 9/11, President George W. Bush was sitting in front of a classroom full of young children. We’ve all seen the footage of him gradually trying to process the news. This gripping moment-by-moment account of 9/11 is told from the perspective of Bush and colleagues such as Condoleeza Rice. 

By allowing them to explain their response to 9/11, the film tacitly asks us to make our own judgements. Bush, like Blair, comes across as someone preoccupied with justifying his tarnished legacy. 

“I’m not much of a navel-gazer,” he smirks. “I guess you could say I’m a man of action… let’s just say I’m comfortable with the decisions I made.”

Back to Life – Tuesday, BBC One, 10:35pm

This dry-witted comedy-drama should, by rights, be as popular as Fleabag (it’s produced by the same team). Daisy Haggard, who writes the show alongside Laura Solon, stars as Miri, a woman struggling to readjust to life after spending eighteen years in prison for murdering one of her best friends. 

Miri is a most unlikely murderer, but that’s the point. She’s likeable, sympathetic, someone deserving of a second chance. 

As series two begins, she’s still trapped at home with her dysfunctional parents. But she’s got a new job stacking shelves in a supermarket, and her sweetly tentative romance with Billy (Adeel Akhtar from Four Lions) is still trundling along. Then the mother of her victim arrives in town…

Our Lives: Lambing Life – Wednesday, BBC One, 7:30pm

Chloe is a 24-year-old sheep farmer from the Peak District. This documentary follows her during lambing season, which for obvious reasons is a particularly busy time of the sheep-farming year. 

Chloe is a delightful person. We witness her literally breathing life into recently birthed lambs, as well as various other specialist skills she hopes to pass on to the next generation of her family. She also writes poetry on the side and runs an alternative therapy business. 

Our Lives is a lovely series; it deserves a warm smattering of applause for shedding light upon the everyday activities of people from all walks of life. Positive by design, it’s a reassuring portrait of humankind.

Grantchester – Friday, STV, 9pm

Series six of this ecclesiastical sleuth caper kicks off with a hot priest case set in a holiday camp. For the uninitiated, Grantchester is set in the late 1950s, so we’re talking full-on Hi-de-Hi! vibes here. 

In time-honoured style, the regular cast all go on holiday together. But their fun doesn’t last: death stalks them where e’er they go. 

As always, this episode fulfils its duties without any fuss. Grantchester belongs to British television’s very long line of cosy, undemanding murder mysteries: it doesn’t seek to challenge or provoke, it exists purely as a piece of slick escapism. And sometimes, occasionally, that’s all you require.

LAST WEEK’S TV

When Ruby Wax Met… - Sunday 22nd August , BBC Two

Years before Louis Theroux met Savile et al, Ruby Wax practically invented the celebrity-based documentary interview genre. This fascinating retrospective celebrates her pioneering, irreverent style. 

It also functions as a time capsule, casting us back to an era before reality television and social media, when unscripted access to the filthy rich and famous was a fairly rare event. Wax reflects upon her interviews with commendable honesty. A qualified expert in mental health, she critiques her own performance while granting sharp insight into the psychology of her interviewees. 

Episode one was bookended by difficult encounters with a pair of rampant narcissists: Donald Trump and O.J. Simpson. It reminded me that, behind the brash comedy shtick, Wax was a gifted interviewer.

Scotland the Rave – Tuesday 24th August, BBC Scotland

In the early 2000s, Graeme Armstrong was expelled from school. His life became defined by alcohol, drugs and violence. And then he discovered “Scotland’s rave religion”. 

Now a successful author, Armstrong hosted this enjoyable documentary about a scene that was sneered at by rave purists, but which clearly meant a lot to those who were part of it. He met up with some fellow ex-ravers, who spoke as one about the cathartic camaraderie of dancing all night while – and Armstrong didn’t shy away from this; how could he? – taking drugs. But, without moralising in any way whatsoever, he also warned of the dangers of that lifestyle. 

He struck just the right balance between nostalgic celebration and hard-won, unpretentious wisdom.