THE WALK‐IN | THIS ENGLAND | BLANKETY BLANK

This article was originally published in The Courier on 1st October 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Walk‐In ‐ Monday, STV, 9pm

This intensely powerful factual drama confronts the horrifying resurgence of fascism in western society. 

Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a racist in 2016. One of the journalists who investigated that appalling tragedy was a former Neo‐Nazi turned anti-fascist campaigner. A brave man, he’s played by the great Stephen Graham. 

The Walk‐In is written by Jeff Pope, a television heavyweight rightly renowned for his outstanding catalogue of assiduously researched dramas steeped in sensitive subject matter. 

This, I assure you, is a searing piece of work. Fuelled by compassion, it seeks to understand the deep‐seated causes of bigotry and radicalisation. TV dramas such as this can make a difference. They matter.

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

The 29^th series of this hardy perennial returns to St George’s Hospital in south-west London, which is home to one of Britain’s busiest A&E departments. 

The first patient we encounter is Graham, who’s been involved in a high-speed motorcycle accident. Graham’s doctors fear that he may have suffered significant damage to his back and neck, so he’s sent off for an urgent CT scan. His worried wife, Kate, talks movingly of their relationship and the various unforeseen problems they’ve faced. 

And that’s the very essence of 24 Hours in A&E: unlike so many programme of its ilk, it never fails to remind us that these people are three-dimensional human beings with stories to tell.

Paxman: Putting Up with Parkinson’s ‐ Tuesday, STV, 9pm

Jeremy Paxman is a notoriously short‐tempered man. He doesn’t suffer anything gladly. Eighteen months ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And this is his response. 

He’s on typically frank form during a programme in which he converses with leading neurological researchers and some other people who have Parkinson’s, while challenging myths about his condition. 

He also attends an English National Ballet therapy dance class and learns how to play bowls. 

Paxman often comes across as a rather blunt and dislikeable person, but that’s his act I suppose. It’s all showbiz. In this context, however, speaking honestly as himself, his no-nonsense approach is tempered with some sensitive insight. 

It should, one hopes, provide a bit of comfort. 

This England ‐ Tuesday and Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

An excoriating six‐part drama from that estimable writer/director Michael Winterbottom, This England traces the absolute chaos of Boris Johnson’s first year in office as Prime Minister. 

Preoccupied with getting Brexit done, whatever that actually means, Johnson’s government were utterly unprepared for COVID. That’s understandable, but This England gets its point across in no uncertain terms: for all his Churchillian bluster, Johnson was fatally ill‐equipped to take charge of a national crisis. 

Kenneth Branagh as Johnson pulls off a difficult feat: playing a man who deliberately presents himself as a caricature. He comes across as an irresponsible fool floundering with the consequences of a pyrrhic victory, while sinister Dominic Cummings pulls the strings.

Doc Martin ‐ Wednesday, STV, 9pm

As the final series of this comfort blanket continues, Louisa is understandably perturbed when her estranged father (that fine actor Kenneth Cranham) turns up out of the blue. 

Meanwhile, Doc Martin is still struggling with his blood phobia, so he seeks some counsel with Ruth (that other fine actor, Dame Eileen Atkins). 

The third storyline ‐ there are always three, that’s how these shows operate ‐ involves a squatter who refuses to be budged from a vintage caravan. 

I have no truck with kneejerk cynics who sneer at the likes of Doc Martin. There’s nothing wrong with basking in good‐natured entertainment. You mustn’t always avoid the middle of the road, as Bob Dylan probably once sang.

Taskmaster ‐ Thursday, Channel 4, 11:05pm

Self-effacing sidekick ‘Little’ Alex Horne ‐ the brains behind the entire Taskmaster enterprise, but don’t tell faux-domineering host Greg Davies that ‐ is in his element this week. 

He oversees several tasks involving admin, ducks and flour. As always, his pedantic efficiency while dealing with such nonsense provides much of the humour. I appreciate that I’ve just described the appeal of Taskmaster in the driest possible terms, but Horne would presumably see the funny side of that. 

The whole point of the show is that none of it matters, but it wouldn’t work at all were it not treated with at least some degree of dedicated seriousness. And from thence the comedy arises. You’re welcome.

Jon Richardson: Take My Mother‐in‐Law ‐ Thursday, Channel 4, 12:15am

You’ve got to hand it to the professionally grumpy comedian Jon Richardson, the man has an unerring knack for coming up with vehicles for himself. His pitch meetings presumably involve him reading from a list of things he pretends to find vaguely annoying. 

His latest one, as you’ve presumably surmised, involves his mother‐in‐law. She’s about to retire, so Richardson has to pretend he’s intent on finding her a home in Spain ‐ otherwise she might move in with him and his wife! 

Yes, the premise is knowingly contrived, it’s a post‐modern take on mother‐in‐law gags. But it’s really just an excuse for yet another harmless/pointless TV road trip.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Blankety Blank ‐ Saturday 24th September, BBC One

We all know that Blankety Blank is nothing without Wogan or Dawson, both of whom elevated a daft quiz to knowingly dry‐witted heights, but Bradley Walsh does a decent job of keeping the flame alive. 

He’s an affable character who fundamentally ‘gets it’. A silly format, so let’s poke some fun at it. 

No, he can’t match Wogan’s subtly whimsical approach, nor Dawson’s hilarious decision to treat the whole thing as if it’s something he’s doing under major duress, but Walsh is a likeable pro. He knows how to keep things moving with a quip or two. 

That’s a talent, and I can’t deny the simple pleasures of watching a seasoned comic carrying out their duties proficiently.

Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling ‐ Friday 30th September, BBC Two

The latest leg of Compston’s amiable tour of our great nation took him, and co‐host Phil McHugh, to the Highlands. 

It’s an area of Scotland I have a particular affinity with, as I spent much of my childhood in Invergordon. So it was rather lovely seeing the ‘gordon (as no one calls it) represented on your actual primetime BBC television. 

Last week’s episode involved go‐karting, delectable vegan cuisine and an inspirational strongman story suffused with a positive mental health message. 

If you fancy a bit of respite, something to unwind with, then I thoroughly recommend catching up with this show on iPlayer. It’s a gentle pleasure, a spirit‐lifter.

LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY + BLANKETY BLANK + RIDLEY ROAD

This article was originally published in The Courier on 9th October 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story – Friday, BBC Two, 9pm

A phenomenally successful author of 'racy' romantic fiction, the late Jackie Collins is generally regarded as a kitsch emblem of trashy '80s excess. This documentary attempts to bestow some dignity upon her. It partially succeeds. 

A documentarian’s dream, Collins accumulated a vast personal archive of diaries, letters, home movies and an unfinished memoir. She comes across as a sharp, sensitive woman who knew on some semi-ironic level that her work was absurd, but she also adhered to a sincerely confused and outdated concept of feminism: her powerful female characters were always rich and beautiful. 

The film – which boasts candid contributions from friends and family-members, her sister Joan included - takes Collins seriously while acknowledging her contradictions. It is, I think, a fair and sympathetic assessment of an interesting pop culture figure.

Inside the Zoo – Monday, BBC Scotland, 8pm

Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore are both home to a variety of endangered creatures. This comforting series puts them in the spotlight while spending time with their dedicated ‘keepers’. 

I fully sympathise with the view that animals shouldn’t be in zoos at all, but it’s not a binary issue. We’ve made such a mess of this world; zoos and wildlife reserves are a necessary compromise. These good, kind people are doing what they can for our beaked and furry friends. 

In episode one we witness the gentle nurturing of a tiger, an employee getting to grips with the specific needs of owls, and the carefully monitored nesting process of Edinburgh’s famous penguins. 

Blair & Brown: The New Labour Revolution – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

Part two of this revealing series begins with Labour’s landslide election victory in 1997. Things could only get better. 

Tony “I’m a pretty straight sort of guy” Blair rode a wave of optimism throughout that honeymoon period, which encompassed his astute public handling of Princess Diana’s tragic death and hitherto unthinkable steps towards peace in Northern Ireland (if only Mo Mowlam was still around to give her side of Blair’s self-serving story). 

But of course it couldn’t last. Blair and Brown’s arrogant spin doctors went to war, causing self-defeating rifts within the government. Watching these people – all the major players provide new interviews - jostling to justify their actions while settling petty scores is grimly compelling.

Nature and Us: A History Through Art – Monday, BBC Four, 9pm

Our relationship with the natural world is in crisis. We’re probably doomed. But how did we reach this point? And what can we learn from aeons past? Art is the answer, according to this straightforwardly educational new series. 

It’s hosted by softly-spoken art historian James Fox, who, you’ll be relieved to hear, is fully aware that paintings can’t reverse climate change. “But art is a record,” he enthuses, “it is invaluable, unique evidence of human attitudes around the world and across time.” He’s right. 

Chapter one of his textbook BBC Four essay involves encounters with garrulous academics and experts, plus a Norwegian reindeer herder whose life is still influenced by ancient beliefs in nature’s spiritual energy. 

Guilt – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm and Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

Mark Bonnar is one of Britain’s most undervalued character actors. He elevates everything he appears in. So I’m delighted that Guilt, the starring vehicle he’s always deserved, is back for a second series. 

Written by Neil Forsyth of Bob Servant renown, Guilt is a black comedy thriller in which Bonnar plays a borderline (?) sociopathic Edinburgh businessman. Series two begins with him struggling to rebuild his life following the tumultuous events of series one. He spies a property opportunity and runs with it. 

Guilt is funny, smart, cynical, satirical, stylish and violent: Forsyth is basically a Caledonian Coen brother. But it’s not all surface flash, there’s some emotional depth too. A rather fine and distinctive endeavour.

Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers – Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Two years ago, 39 Vietnamese refugees were found dead in the back of a lorry in Essex. They’d suffocated. An appalling tragedy, it sparked one of Britain’s biggest ever murder investigations. 

The perpetrators were members of an organised crime network. Those men were eventually brought to justice, but as this documentary illustrates, the horror of human-trafficking continues to destroy lives. 

It’s a deeply upsetting programme, but the tone is respectful and sensitive. This is a story that has to be told. We hear testimonies from shocked and saddened police officers, but the voices that linger are those of the victims and their grieving relatives. Those final text message exchanges are utterly devastating.

The Cleaner – Friday, BBC One, 9:30pm

I’ve enjoyed this anglicised adaptation of the German sitcom Der Tatorieniger, so much so that I feel compelled to investigate the original: just to compare and contrast. God knows I have nothing better to do. 

But I suspect that writer/star Greg Davies has put his own distinct spin on the source material; it’s just such a perfect fit for his annoyed, tactless, floundering, daft yet fundamentally quite endearing persona. 

In the final episode of series one – a second series is practically guaranteed – crime scene cleaner Wicky reconnects with an old flame while dealing with yet another gruesome tableaux. Unforced pathos ensues. Hats off to Davies for smuggling a slightly unusual sitcom into the BBC One schedules.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Blankety Blank – Saturday 2nd October, BBC One

The latest revival of this knowingly threadbare gameshow wisely sticks to the road-tested format. The spirit, the rhythm, they’re more or less the same as they always were. You can’t improve upon perfection. 

Host Bradley Walsh gets what’s required of him: he’s basically a mildly perplexed stooge, both for the guests and the contestants (Johnny Vegas acquits himself quite well in the traditional Kenny Everett/Freddie Starr agent of chaos role). 

No one will ever beat Les Dawson, of course, who quite brilliantly hosted his tenure with all the enthusiasm of a wrongly accused man doing community service in a layby. But it’s still good fun. It’s Blankety Blank.

Ridley Road – Sunday 3rd October, BBC One

Set in early 1960s London and inspired by true events, this arresting new drama confronts the resurgence of British fascism and neo-Nazism that led several Jewish men and women to form the 62 Group, an anti-fascist resistance movement. 

It’s viewed through the eyes of Vivien, a young Jewish woman who becomes an undercover agent for the group. Despite its period setting, Ridley Road is a timely production; in recent years, poisonous far-right ideology has once again invaded the national discourse in Britain. The fight is far from over.

Episode one illustrated the insidious ways in which fascist organisations exploit ill-informed fears and prejudices. Addressing this issue in the context of an accessible, kinetic, intelligent primetime quasi-thriller, well that’s a canny move.