CAROLINE FLACK: HER LIFE AND DEATH + CROCK OF GOLD: A FEW ROUNDS WITH SHANE MacGOWAN

This article was originally published in The Courier on 13th March 2021.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death – Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

In December 2019, TV presenter Caroline Flack was arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend. Two months later she took her own life. In this touching documentary, Flack’s tragic story is told by those who knew her best. 

Her family reveal that even as a child she was prone to mood swings. She found heartbreak impossible to deal with. She suffered breakdowns and self-harmed. Like so many people do, she hid her depression. This is all discussed in a gentle, loving way. 

It’s a sensitive eulogy to an emotionally fragile person and a damning indictment of our callous modern age. Flack was hounded by the press and abused on social media. I hope those ghouls are utterly ashamed of themselves.

DNA Family Secrets – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

The final episode of this poignant genealogy series follows host Stacey Dooley as she assists more folk in search of ancestry answers. Mixed-race brothers Peter and David, who were adopted, want to find out more about their biological father. They have no idea where he was from or what ethnicity he was. 

Meanwhile, Manuela is desperate to know if her sight-impaired son carries a gene that causes blindness, and Tink hopes to find out whether she has sperm donor siblings. 

Dooley is a good choice of host, she’s likeable and empathetic, but the unassuming star of the show is Professor Turi King, who explains the science and gently guides the contributors through the entire process. She radiates kindness.

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan – Tuesday, BBC Four, 10pm

This messy documentary is a thoroughly depressing portrait of a chronic alcoholic who was once a great talent. 

Director Julien Temple tries to inject his usual punk-mythological energy into proceedings, but at one point he presumably realised that there’s nothing funny or romantic about this saga: a recurring shot of a cadaverous MacGowan today, barely capable of lifting a glass of wine to his lips, punctuates the narrative. 

The man himself is essentially the narrator, his drowsy, booze-pickled slur and rattlesnake cackle a recurring motif. He struggles to articulate his thoughts on politics and religion with Gerry Adams. There are pointless cameos from those utter buffoons Johnny Depp and Bobby Gillespie. You’ll probably feel sad, awkward and exhausted by the end.

Taskmaster – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

The latest series of this genial comedy gameshow kicks off with a typically silly question: What’s the most impressive thing you can do under a table with one hand while staring and waving at the camera? 

You know the drill by now. Host Greg Davies – a naturally funny man – asks celebrities to conquer some mildly physical tasks. This week’s contestants are Lee Mack, Jamali Madix, Sarah Kendall, Charlotte Ritchie and Mike Wozniak. 

Note to the producers: we know there’s no studio audience, you don’t have to dub on ghostly smatterings of laughter and applause every few minutes. It’s distracting and impossible to ignore once noticed. And yes, I would like you, dear reader, to notice it too, just so I don’t feel alone.

Rob Brydon’s Now That’s What I Call Comic Relief – Thursday, BBC Four, 10pm

It’s been a criminally long time since we’ve seen libidinous soul man Theophilus P. Wildebeest on our screens, so thank God almighty for this cheery clip show in which Lenny Henry’s skin-tight alter-ego is just one of the many musical highlights. 

Rob Brydon, no stranger to a charitable singsong himself, guides us through memorable Comic Relief performances from the likes of Elton John, George Michael, Tom Jones and Paul McCartney. We’re also reminded of the time when Portuguese crooner Tony Ferrino (Steve Coogan) performed a romantic duet with Bjork (Bjork). 

And you will, of course, be treated to those incessant karaoke contributions from Peter Kay and his buoyant army of ‘80s light entertainment survivors.

Comic Relief 2021 – Friday, BBC One and BBC Two, 7pm

And here’s the really big shoe (copyright Ed Sullivan; there’s a reference for the swinging UK teenagers) itself. The Comic Relief telethon isn’t what it was in its late 1980s/early 1990s heyday, that exciting comedians-taking-over-the-airwaves anarchy is long gone. For nearly 30 years it’s been indistinguishable from cosy old Children in Need. 

Sir Lenworth is the last remaining link to that original epoch, and here he’s joined by guest hosts Alesha Dixon (a safe pair of hands who isn’t a comedian), Davina McCall (a vaguely tolerable presence who isn’t a comedian), David Tennant (a fine actor who isn’t a comedian) and Paddy McGuinness (a stagnant puddle of bin juice who has ‘comedian’ listed on his CV).

LAST WEEK’S TV

The Wall – Saturday 6th March, BBC One

Like all good people of taste and discernment, I’m obsessed with The Wall. The bizarre novelty of barely interested uber-geezer Danny Dyer hosting a gameshow is still funny. 

Last week he welcomed Jack and Thomas, a bright pair of twins who are The Wall’s youngest contestants thus far. Dyer, to his credit, didn’t patronise Jack, a wheelchair-user, nor did he milk the fact that he and Thomas were there to win money for their dear old mum. That’s not the Dyer way. No frills. Let’s bank some readies. 

I’m also fascinated by his love/hate relationship with the Wall itself. He definitely prostrates himself before it in the empty dead of night, stark naked and daubed in woad.