MARTIN COMPSTON'S SCOTTISH FLING | DOC MARTIN | RIDLEY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 3rd September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 10pm and Friday, BBC Two, 9:30pm

The Line of Duty actor positively swells with national pride during this perfectly pleasant scenic travelogue. He reacquaints himself with Scotland in the company of his pal, the TV presenter Phil MacHugh. They’re an affable duo. 

The series begins on the West Coast, where Compston is from. In Dunoon they shoot the cheerfully innuendo-laden breeze (and play crazy golf) with RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney. 

Later on, they climb a hill with Zahrah Mahmood, who’s made a name for herself on Instagram as The Hillwalking Hijabi. Their view from the summit is stunning. “You know how a lot of people say the great outdoors are their church?” she smiles, “I feel like this is my mosque.”

Inside Central Station – Monday, BBC One, 8pm

The latest series of this observational doc about Glasgow’s Central Station heralds some major changes for staff and passengers alike. 

We follow engineers as they deal with one of the biggest renovations the Argyll line has ever seen. This project necessitates the temporary closure of Glasgow Central’s low level station, which serves over five million passengers every year. 

Despite all of this stress and upheaval, everyone appears to take it in their stride. There’s no point complaining about minor inconveniences, especially when they’ll ultimately lead to improvements. Wise words, I know. 

Inside Central Station is a genial show, a modest little masterclass in how to compile a workplace documentary. It’s full of low-key character and charm.

24 Hours in A&E – Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

The 28^th series of 24 Hours in A&E was filmed at St George’s Hospital in London during the lockdown autumn of 2020. It begins with Sara, who’s been rushed to A&E after collapsing at work. The doctors are concerned that she may have a bleed on the brain. 

Meanwhile, teenager Flynn hits a car while riding his bike, and Jane – who visits A&E with a severe headache – reflects upon her childhood spent in Zambia and Lancashire. 

As always, it’s a reliably tender compendium of human interest stories. The formula never changes, because it doesn’t need to. Our innate empathy connects us with these people. It could be you, me, or any of our loved ones in those hospital beds.

First Dates Hotel – Tuesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Another year, another spin-off series in which maître d’ Fred Sirieix and his matchmaking squad usher yet another group of hopefuls into their exotic luxury love shack. 

Ex-military paramedic Gareth has pretty much given up on the hope of ever meeting anyone. Gareth, having applied to appear on First Dates, obviously wasn’t expecting the producers to match him up with a theoretically perfect partner. 

The twist in this particular story – First Dates doesn’t half love its twists – is that Gareth and his date, Carys, once chatted with each other on a dating app. But they never took things any further than that. 

We also meet a retired taxidermist embarking upon her first date in 39 years.

Doc Martin – Wednesday, STV, 9pm

Martin Clunes has been playing TV’s most beloved Cornwall-based grumpy medic on and off for eighteen years. And now it’s time for him to say farewell to the character. 

The final series begins with our hero in self-imposed retirement, a decision he’s clearly starting to regret. Your special guest star is Fay Ripley, who plays a woman struggling with a stressful divorce. 

Doc Martin lasted so long for several very good and straightforward reasons: well-written scripts, lovely scenery and likeable characters brought to life by a solid cast, a cast spearheaded by Clunes exuding his uniquely lugubrious charisma. 

A warm, droll comedy drama with popular appeal, it achieved everything it ever set out to do.

Katie Price: Trauma and Me – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Last year, Katie Price experienced PTSD following a car accident. In this documentary, she talks about her ongoing mental health struggles. 

The programme wasn’t available in time for my deadline, but I’m flagging it up because Price is a very candid and thoughtful person. The documentaries she’s fronted in recent years have always been worthwhile. This one features contributions from Price’s parents, who express understandable concern about their daughter’s wellbeing. 

Price, as always, interviews and listens to people who are experiencing similar problems. They discuss the various triggers that can cause them to spiral, while highlighting the ways in which we can help ourselves and each other. 

I predict with some confidence that it will all be handled sensitively.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Ridley – Sunday 28th August, STV

I’m still not entirely convinced that this new crime drama starring Adrian Dunbar isn’t a masterfully deadpan post-modern parody of every cliché in the Sad Cop Bingo playbook. 

He plays former DI Alex Ridley, who recently lost his wife and daughter in an arson attack. Naturally, Ridley lives alone in a big expensive house on the banks of a picturesque lake while listening to mournful jazz records. 

His replacement on the force, a former protégé, entices the great Ridley out of retirement to help her solve some mystifying cases. Perhaps that will give him a new lease of life? 

I mean, really. Come on. Dunbar, a fine actor, deserves better than this. So do we. 

The Capture – Sunday 28th August and Monday 29th August, BBC One

It’s been three years since series one of this superior conspiracy thriller – its return was presumably delayed by the pandemic – hence why series two began with a very lengthy recap. That wasn’t necessary, as it revolves around a new case for counter terrorism agent Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger). 

Newcomers to the show would have experienced no problems following the action; the opening scene clearly established that the villains of the piece are capable of corrupting CCTV footage using sophisticated deepfake technology. The framed victim in this case is an up-and-coming government minister with ties to China. 

The Capture is a slick, smart confection that actually has something to say about real-world concerns surrounding data protection and surveillance.

THE DISASTERS THAT SHOCKED SCOTLAND + HEMINGWAY + GREAT CANAL JOURNEYS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 26th June 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV 

The Disasters That Shocked Scotland – Wednesday, BBC Scotland, 8pm

Despite its traumatic subject matter, this new series is sensitively handled. It’s a touching tribute to the victims and survivors of the worst disasters to hit Scotland during the last 50 years. It begins with the Piper Alpha tragedy and the Stockline explosion. 

In 1988, Britain’s biggest oil and gas platform caught fire. 167 men lost their lives, but no criminal charges were ever brought against the company responsible for the rig’s safety procedures. 16 years later, in Glasgow, a gas explosion ripped through a plastics factory. Eight people died and more than forty were injured. 

The programme features thoughtful contributions from some of the people who were caught up in these terrifying incidents.

Hemingway – Tuesday, BBC Four, 9pm 

The great American writer Ernest Hemingway was a flawed and troubled soul with an acute interest in the human condition. His public image was that of a burly, hard-drinking man’s man, a macho poet mired in ugliness and beauty, but that’s a reductive view. 

This elegant six-part series from esteemed documentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick (The Civil War; The Vietnam War) goes beyond the partly self-made myth to gain a better understanding of the man. He could be cruel and vengeful, but also kind and considerate. A complicated human being, no less. 

As you would expect from Burns and Novick, this is an impressive achievement. Immersive and authoritative, it’s packed with lyrical insight.

Inside Tesco: 24/7 – Wednesday, Channel 5, 7pm

This series has chronicled the surprisingly interesting 101-year-history of Britain’s biggest supermarket retailer. 

The final episode unfolds over the last thirty years, a period during which Tesco introduced vast American-style superstores to agog British consumers. A more balanced and objective documentary would explore the political and cultural ramifications of that development, but Inside Tesco: 24/7 is firmly ensconced within the pocket of this all-powerful retail giant. 

Because it relies upon the participation of Tesco bigwigs, it never even hints at any of the controversies the company has faced over the years. It’s blatantly compromised. However, as frustrating though that is, it does at least partially succeed as a diverting piece of social history.  

Back to Jail: Crime and Punishment – Wednesday, Channel 4, 10pm

According to research, around 60% of people released from prison following short sentences will reoffend within a year. The latest episode of this solemn series follows three prolific repeat offenders as they attempt to turn their lives around. 

It also sheds light upon a beleaguered probation system in which officers struggle with overwhelming caseloads and drastically reduced resources. The consequences of this situation are often disastrous. 

Jonathan has 44 convictions; he’s been categorised as a serious threat to the public. Daniel has struggled with homelessness and addiction since the age of 15. He went clean in prison, but is in urgent need of support outside. Lewis, whose previous convictions have involved acts of violence, also struggles with substance abuse. 

Big Dog Britain – Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

Now that’s a title. No fat, no frills, it gets straight to the point: this is a programme about big British dogs. Count me in. 

Alas, preview copies weren’t available, but the premise suggests that it might carry a serious message about the welfare of our enormous canine friends. It would appear that sales of the biggest breeds are in decline. Why? All will presumably be revealed. 

A standalone documentary, it features contributions from families who understand the complexities of caring for large domestic beasts. I cohabit with an averagely-sized cat, a sitcom-style arrangement which sometimes stretches my meagre means. But he’s always my priority. Looking after a pooch the size of Geoff Capes can’t be easy.

Scotland: A Year in the Wild – Friday, Channel 5, 7pm

A furry, feathered stress-buster, this beautifully-shot wildlife series never fails to enchant. This week’s theme: infant creatures learning some essential life skills. 

In the Shetland Islands, we meet a baby otter who should by rights be branching out on his own, but he’s still attached to his mother. The situation is compounded by the return of his errant father, who regards the child as a nuisance. A sad tale as old as time. We’re also introduced to some young woodpeckers learning how to peck proficiently, and a knackered red squirrel with a brood of increasingly curious and adventurous children. 

But the centrepiece of this episode involves some intense sibling rivalry between a pair of eaglets. High drama ensues.

Great Canal Journeys – Friday, Channel 4, 8pm

The original iteration of this series, starring the married couple Prunella Scales and Timothy West, was a poignant meditation on devotional love and gradual loss. Scales has Alzheimer’s. That tragedy underpinned the entire endeavour. Unlike most programmes in this vein, Great Canal Journeys was about so much more than pretty sun-dappled scenery. It was rather profound. 

Sadly, Scales is no longer able to participate, so the series is now fronted by Gyles Brandreth and his friend Sheila Hancock. Brandreth is 73. Hancock is 88. It’s now just a modestly affirmative piece of television. Carpe diem etc. A pleasant watch, but the new hosts can’t recapture the tender chemistry of Pru and Tim. How could they? A thankless task. 

LAST WEEK’S TV

Location, Location, Location: 20 Years and Counting – Wednesday 23rd June, Channel 4

Isn’t it amazing to think that there was once a time when no one apart from their friends and families knew who Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer were? And yet here we are. 

Channel 4 lifestyle royalty, Allsopp and Spencer are currently celebrating the 20^th anniversary of their TV marriage with this weekly retrospective. It nominally presents itself as a chronicle of how the British housing market has changed since 2001, but really it’s all about the affectionately bickering relationship between Allsopp and Spencer. 

They settled into their roles early on: Allsopp the jolly hockey sticks bossy-boots, Spencer the genially hapless stooge. Hardly one of the all-time great TV double-acts, but their shtick has paid off.

Escape to the Chateau: Make Do and Mend – Thursday 24th June, Channel 4

Dick Strawbridge is an extraordinary man. His Carry On-style name is inherently worthy of note, but he has so much more to offer than that. Strawbridge’s enormous walrus moustache is one of humankind’s greatest achievements. It makes David Crosby’s facial topiary look like the sparse delusions of a callow youth. 

An always welcome presence on our screens, the affable Strawbridge returned last week alongside his equally likeable and highly creative wife, Angel. 

Still in the process of renovating a derelict French chateau, the Strawbridges took time out of their busy schedule to assist viewers with their various home projects. Escape to the Chateau is critic-proof; an utterly benign confection that no one could ever possibly object to.

 

CONFRONTING HOLOCAUST DENIAL WITH DAVID BADDIEL + INSIDE NO. 9

This article was originally published in The Courier on 15th February 2020.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

CONFRONTING HOLOCAUST DENIAL WITH DAVID BADDIEL

Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

Baddiel begins this documentary with a great old joke, a joke that could only offend one despicable subsection of society: Holocaust deniers. The Holocaust is a highly-documented matter of fact, and yet one in six people around the world believe it’s either been exaggerated or didn’t happen at all. These virulent anti-Semites feed off decades of deep-rooted lies. Their hateful voices refuse to be silenced by overwhelming volumes of contrary evidence. Denied of a mainstream platform, they broadcast their bigotry – insidiously and overtly - via social media and underground networks. Baddiel, whose ancestors were among the six million Jews murdered during World War Two, confronts this dense web of false history with acute self-awareness and soul-searching anger.

INSIDE NO. 9

Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

Mike Leigh has always been a major influence on Pemberton and Shearsmith, but never more explicitly than in this quietly devastating episode. It takes its cues, not from the bleakly comic Leigh of Abigail’s Party or Nuts in May, but from the likes of Secrets and Lies; a sad, intimate domestic drama with an aching human heart. The naturalistic performances and social-realist milieu also owe a strong debt to Ken Loach and Shane Meadows. It takes place over the Christmas period in a working-class family kitchen, their story gradually revealed in non-linear form. Don’t expect many laughs; this is the endlessly flexible Inside No. 9 in serious mode, but it never feels like a self-conscious experiment. It’s genuine, compassionate, one of their best.

PRISON

Monday, Channel 4, 9pm

This observational documentary series unfolds in a progressive British prison where over 300 women are incarcerated. It begins with new inmates arriving at the facility, many of them unused to serving time. They’re greeted by old hands offering friendly advice on how to survive a hectic environment. But Porridge it ain’t. We also meet sanguine prison officers who open up about their responsibilities: “You can be everything from an auntie, a social worker, probation worker to an officer in here. Everything at once.” Prison is sad yet sometimes funny, but it doesn’t tut, sneer, simplify or sentimentalise; it seeks to understand what life is actually like for vulnerable people who find themselves in a claustrophobic situation fraught with daily complications.

CILLA: THE LOST TAPES

Wednesday, STV, 9pm

When ‘Our Cilla’ passed away in 2015, Britain mourned the loss of someone who’d been part of our lives for decades. Two years later, her family unearthed a wealth of home movie footage. This programme dusts it down for public consumption in the company of celebrity chums such as Cliff Richard and Paul O’Grady. Assisted by audio recordings of a reflective Cilla in conversation with her ghost writer, narrator Sheridan Smith (star of ITV’s excellent Cilla) respectfully delves into the life and career of a sometimes difficult yet charismatic entertainer. Highlights include Cilla skiing with George Martin, Cilla hanging out with Ringo (who once proposed to her) and Basil Brush (who didn’t), and Cilla giving a Black Power salute (?!).

LAST WEEK’S TV

DOCTOR WHO

Sunday 9th February, BBC One

Another well-intentioned message – you don’t have to shoulder your depression, anxiety and grief alone – was undermined by some awkward execution in this frustrating episode. It contained some good ideas and a rare opportunity for Yaz to actually do something, but the constituent parts never quite clicked into a satisfying whole. When we eventually look back upon the Chibnall era, the charitable consensus will be this: an occasionally competent hack who meant well. Truly a golden age.

THE PALE HORSE

Sunday 9th February, BBC One

Agatha Christie’s work will inspire adaptations until humanity gasps its last, but Sarah Phelps deserves special mention as one of the Dame’s finest interpreters. This two-part drama is, according to Phelps, the last time she’ll dip her quill into the canon (at least for a while). The Pale Horse is typical in that it's faithful to the source material while adding notes of perceptive social commentary which never feel out of place. Phelps has always managed to preserve the seediness, queasiness and horror at the heart of Christie's best work; she never once succumbed to drawing room cosiness. Christie would’ve surely approved.

FRANKIE BOYLE’S TOUR OF SCOTLAND

Friday 14th February, BBC Two

Boyle is living proof that artists can evolve and mature without becoming boring. I never had any time for his early incarnation as a smugly sneering shock comic, but the real Boyle – an intelligent, politicised, softly-spoken, funny man – is well-served by TV vehicles such as this, in which he satirises the clichés of comedy travelogues while imbuing them with some class-conscious depth. Last week’s leg examined the profound significance of Scottish comedy, literature and colloquial language.