CONSENT | PUTIN vs THE WEST | THE REAL NOLLY

This article was originally published in The Courier on 4th February 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Consent – Tuesday, Channel 4, 10pm

This standalone drama takes place at an elite private school. 

It’s a breeding ground for future leaders, where obnoxious male students do whatever they want without fear of being held accountable. Female students are constantly subjected to sexual harassment ‐ or “banter”, as their toxic abusers call it. 

Archie seems different, however. He’s more sensitive. Archie has fallen for Natalie, and the feeling is mutual. Archie was born rich, whereas Natalie has won a scholarship. At a drunken party, Archie is peer‐pressured into sleeping with Natalie. She doesn’t consent. 

What follows is an acutely angering study of victim‐blaming and institutional corruption. An important piece, Consent is based on hundreds of testimonies from both the state and private school sectors.

Food Fest Scotland – Monday, BBC Scotland, 8:30pm

Those old Radio 1 compadres Edith Bowman and Colin Murray are the hosts of this genial time‐passer, in which they visit some of Scotland’s most popular food festivals. 

We find ourselves vicariously enjoying the Peebles Show in episode one. Bowman’s encounter with a world‐renowned chocolatier is among the gentle highlights. 

Meanwhile, off the coast of North Berwick, chef Julie Lin goes fishing for mackerel. She explains why this relatively inexpensive Scottish superfood should be a nutritious cornerstone of all non‐vegetarian diets. 

Lin also provides some sound snacking advice for people, such as your humble correspondent, who work every day from home. There’s more to life than crisps, apparently.

Putin vs the West – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

In episode two of this typically authoritative essay from documentarian Norma Percy, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserts his presence in the Middle East. 

The Arab Spring uprisings encourage leaders in the West to enlist Putin as a much‐needed peacemaker. David Cameron feels he’s struck up some sort of mutual agreement with Putin, they seem to be getting somewhere. Putin then declares his support for Assad. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Percy’s style, it basically boils down to this: she weaves morally complex narratives populated by powerful politicians whose accounts she doesn’t necessarily endorse. But we seldom see them talk so ‘openly’ on camera. 

The Shamima Begum Story – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

At the age of 15, Shamima Begum ran away from London to join the terror group IS. Four years later, while pregnant with her third child, she desperately wanted to come home.

Begum had shown very little remorse for her time spent with the group, so the British authorities regarded her as an ongoing threat to national security. They revoked her citizenship. Begum’s lawyers argued that she was a victim of human trafficking, and should therefore be protected by the country of her birth. 

In this documentary, which wasn’t available for preview, she recounts her story in the company of an investigative journalist who’s been trying to get to the bottom of it all for nearly a decade.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Tuesday, STV, 9pm

As their Costa Rican hi‐jinks continue, ‘Bradders’ and ‘Barn’ attempt to climb some 132ft trees in a cloud forest. Avid dog lovers, they also visit a sanctuary that’s home to 2000 free‐roaming canines. 

A journey into the countryside puts them in contact with a former Olympian, who facilitates a father‐and‐son kayak slalom, but that’s a small hill of beans compared to their encounter with a gentleman who shot to fame when he befriended a crocodile. 

Breaking Dad is a charming little show with zero pretensions. Bradley Walsh, a nice man, has some daft contrived adventures with Barney Walsh, a nice lad. Programmes of greater depth are available, but that’s not what this is for.  

Ghislaine: Partner in Crime – Thursday, ITVX

ITV are marketing this four‐part series as the definitive account of the relationship between convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

I’ve only seen episode one, but it immediately struck me as a dubious exercise in which testimonies from Maxwell and Epstein’s victims are spliced with adamant counterarguments from two of Maxwell’s siblings. 

Why are ITV giving these people a platform? They’re unreliable sources who refuse point blank to accept that their sister could’ve committed those heinous crimes. Their contributions don’t provide journalistic ‘balance’, they actively undermine the voices of the abused women who have chosen to come forward. 

Watch the far superior House of Maxwell instead, it’s still available on iPlayer.  

Travel Man: 48 Hours in Split – Friday, Channel 4, 8:30pm

Much like Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad, this chummy travelogue doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an inoffensive scenic detour. 

Joe Lycett’s latest travelling companion is the comedian, actor and writer Aisling Bea. They’re in the Croatian city of Split, which must surely be the coolest name for a city in the entire history of human existence. Face facts, Las Vegas. 

Lycett and Bea don’t like fish, but they gamely rustle up a piscine dish under the tutelage of a local chef who’s determined to teach them the culinary ways of “a Croatian grandma”. Our hosts also investigate a maze of alleys and squares, and a museum full of stuffed frogs. They’re way ahead in Split.

LAST WEEK’S TV

The Real Nolly – Thursday 2nd February, ITVX

A companion piece to Russell T. Davies’ excellent drama about Crossroads star Noele Gordon, this documentary didn’t really add anything, but it was nice seeing footage of the actual Nolly in action. 

As Davies discovered during his research, Nolly was a showbiz all‐rounder of the old school who cared deeply about her work. Crossroads may have been a silly little soap opera, but it was a silly little soap opera that brought pleasure to millions. And she was adored by her colleagues, some of whom turned up to pay tribute. 

I find it rather pleasing that, such is Davies’ benign power within the industry, he’s got us all talking about this versatile trouper forty years after her heyday. 

Building Britain’s Superhomes – Wednesday 1st February, Channel 4

Guy Phoenix is renowned for creating colossal palaces for the mega‐rich. He’s not a qualified architect or interior designer, but by God he gets results. As he never tires of reminding us. 

This relentless migraine of a series follows Phoenix as he oversees ambitious builds while effing and jeffing like a try‐hard teenage rebel. I’m all for swearing, just as long as it’s delivered with some wit and proficiency. Phoenix is a dullard.

This is yet another tone deaf commission from our bubble‐dwelling TV overlords, who don’t understand that the last thing any of us want to see right now (or ever) is an aggressive celebration of extreme wealth. These programmes rub our noses in it, they’re an insult.

THE FAMILY PILE | MATERNAL | THE U.S AND THE HOLOCAUST

This article was originally published in The Courier on 14th January 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Family Pile – Tuesday, STV, 9:30pm

The first episode of every sitcom has three imperatives: establish the premise; introduce the characters and their various dynamics; be funny. The Family Pile succeeds on every count. 

It pivots around four Liverpool sisters who are struggling to sell said family pile following the recent loss of their parents. The excellent cast share a natural rapport, they convince as siblings. 

Writer Brian Dooley, who created cult early ‘00s sitcom The Smoking Room, delivers a script packed with actual gags and acerbic warmth.

A likeable confection, The Family Pile is pleasingly traditional in that it unfolds in the manner of a televised stage play. There’s no studio audience, but it could easily thrive in that environment.

Maternal – Monday, STV, 9pm

This promising new medical drama follows three women on the post-pandemic NHS frontline. It begins with them returning to work after maternity leave. 

Maryam is a Paediatric Registrar, Catherine is a General and Trauma Surgeon, and Helen is a Registrar in Acute Medicine. 

As in all dramas of this nature, they’re struggling with the pressures of their job alongside various complicated personal issues. But what elevates Maternal above the norm is its sharp, witty script and sympathetic female-led focus.  

Much like This is Going to Hurt, it’s an unsentimental celebration of NHS workers. 

My only complaint is that it’s populated by unrealistically handsome male doctors, which rather undermines the fundamental integrity of the piece. Otherwise, yes: would recommend.

The U.S. and the Holocaust – Monday, BBC Four, 10pm

Chapter two of this remarkable six-hour essay from that peerless documentarian Ken Burns continues its rigorous examination of how the American people and their leaders responded to one of the most heinous humanitarian atrocities of the twentieth century. 

As World War Two begins, America is united in its opposition to Nazi brutality, but remains divided on whether to intervene. 

National hero Charles Lindbergh takes a controversial non-interventionist stance, while President Franklin D. Roosevelt lends a sympathetic ear to the plight of European democracies. Following Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, the Holocaust begins in secret. 

This, in typical Burns style, is a mammoth historical undertaking rich in granular, human detail. Its impact is profound.

Know Your S**t: Inside Our Guts – Tuesday, Channel 4, 8pm

What a charmingly titled series. Stay classy, Channel 4. If, however, you can ignore its tiresomely twee ‘tee-hee!’ trappings – it centres around a pop-up clinic called Poo HQ – then this is a fairly worthwhile advert for the importance of checking up on our intestinal health. 

The dieticians and medics we encounter are certainly more convincing and authoritative than, well, I won’t invoke her shamed name. You all know the Scottish ‘doctor’ I’m alluding to. 

In episode one, various people with gut issues seek some advice. It’s basically a more palatable and well-meaning version of Embarrassing Bodies. 

As twin hosts Alana and Lisa announce in their intro, it won’t put you off your dinner. 

India: The Modi Question – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in power since 2014, during which time his premiership has come under attack for its attitudes towards India’s Muslim population. This probing two-part series investigates those allegations. 

Episode one traces Modi’s rise to power and the controversy surrounding his response to the Gujurat riots of 2002. Those events were instigated by the burning of a train carrying a large number of Hindu pilgrims. 59 people lost their lives. Three days of rioting ensued, during which more than a thousand people, mostly Muslims, were killed. 

Modi was accused of failing to take sufficient action to protect the Muslim community. He has continually denied any direct responsibility for that tragic death toll.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Tuesday, STV, 9pm

An affable tuft of fluff, this father/son travelogue is a welcome diversion at this forbidding time of year. 

The key to its appeal is the palpably affectionate relationship between our genial guides; they enjoy each other’s company, and the effect is rather contagious. Also, Walsh Sr. is nothing if not dedicated to his endearing comic role as a middle-aged man who appears to be terrified by the various stunts he’s asked to perform. It’s a winning piece of shtick. 

This week, the duo arrive in Guatemala. They have an ever so lovely time as usual, until dad is ‘surprised’ to learn that a scheduled bike ride will take place on a tightrope suspended 25 metres above ground level.

Travel Man: 48 Hours in Dublin – Friday, Channel 4, 8:30pm

Joe Lycett’s latest minibreak buddy is comedian Mawaan Rizwan. The centrepiece of their whirlwind trip to Dublin is a statue odyssey involving QR codes. Whenever they scan a code, a significant statue beckons. So that’s why, for instance, they end up in the company of rigid monuments to Oscar Wilde and Molly Malone. 

They also visit Dublin’s smallest restaurant and Ireland’s answer to Abbey Road studios. Pints of Guinness are enjoyed along the way. 

Travel Man, whether fronted by Lycett or original host Richard Ayoade, doesn’t really give you a rich flavour of its various destinations, but it’s always a breezy surface guide.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Happy Valley – Sunday 8th January, BBC One

Catherine’s greatest fear was confirmed last week: her grandson Ryan has been secretly visiting his father, the psychotic Tommy Lee Royce, in prison. Those visits have been facilitated by Catherine’s sister Clare. An unforgivable betrayal of trust? We’ll see. 

The final scene, in which Catherine caught Clare in her lie, was unbearably tense. 

You already know this, but it bears repeating: Sally Wainwright is a phenomenal writer. She’s created a hugely successful drama that confronts the brutal everyday reality of crime, corruption, poverty, addiction, toxic masculinity and domestic violence with the utmost authenticity. 

Catherine, one of TV’s greatest ever cops, is Wainwright’s compassionately caustic mouthpiece. It’s a hideous world, but we need to take care of each other somehow. 

Meet the Khans – Monday 9th January, BBC Three

Series three of this unabashedly structured reality series began with heavyweight boxing champ Amir Khan, wife Faryal and their children moving into a massive house in Cheshire. Nothing of any consequence occurred after that. 

I don’t mind this sort of show in theory, just as long as the protagonists are interesting and funny. Amir and Faryal are neither. 

Retired athletes have to make a living, we all need to get by. Good luck to ‘em. But who is watching this? And why? There’s no drama, no comedy, it’s pointless. You may as well watch a documentary about the boring housebound lives of myself and my cat, and God knows I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

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.

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.

RISE OF THE NAZIS: DICTATORS AT WAR + IMAGINE... LABI SIFFRE: THIS IS MY SONG + CHLOE

This article was originally published in The Courier on 12th February 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Rise of the Nazis: Dictators at War – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

This engrossing new series examines the psychology of homicidal dictators and the morality of those who empower them. 

The rise and fall of Adolf Hitler is the ultimate illustration of how dictatorships always destroy themselves. They’re founded on hubris, corruption and paranoia; an inherently unstable power structure commandeered by ruthless megalomaniacs who cannot accept reality. 

The series begins in 1940, with Hitler plotting his invasion of the Soviet Union. He fully believed that global domination was within his grasp, and woe betide anyone who suggested otherwise. Fate had ordained that he would be victorious. 

Solidly compiled using archive footage, dialogue-free dramatic reconstructions, contemporary reports and contributions from esteemed historians, it’s an acute study of sanctioned insanity.

The Millionairess and Me – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

Former model Amanda Cronin is apparently one of the UK’s richest women. You’ve probably never heard of her, and Cronin isn’t happy about that. 

She’s got everything she could possibly want apart from celebrity. Hence why she agreed to star in this potentially brand-building programme from documentary filmmaker Martin Read, a man whose life experience couldn’t be more at odds with that of his glamorous subject. He’s been homeless and once served time in prison. 

It’s a sly, wry film about obscene class divisions. Read and Cronin have an obvious rapport, they like each other, but he never loses sight of his fundamental point. These shallow, selfish, oblivious fools will never understand what it’s like to be poor.

Imagine… Labi Siffre: This Is My Song – Monday, BBC One, 10:35pm

Labi Siffre is perhaps best known for his indelible anti-Apartheid anthem Something Inside So Strong. He also wrote the Madness hit It Must Be Love. 

Fine achievements both, but this poignant profile places him front and centre: a brilliant, iconoclastic singer-songwriter who has never quite received the respect he deserves. 

A gay black man, Siffre endured prejudice for most of his early life. Twice widowed, he retired from music several years ago. But now he’s back, his warm, soulful voice undimmed. 

He comes across as a lovely fella – a bright beacon of integrity – who is modestly proud of his entirely natural hybrid of folk, soul and funk. One particular new performance brought tears to my eyes.

This Is Going to Hurt – Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

In the second episode of this commendably brutal comedy drama about an exhausted NHS surgeon, Adam (Ben Whishaw) continues to juggle some sort of personal life with the endless, sleepless pressures of his job.

Adam Kay's adaptation of his own memoir never self-pitying, it understands that gallows humour and self-deprecation/laceration naturally coexist with genuinely-felt trauma. A coping mechanism. Kay is presumably a fan of M*A*S*H: the smart-aleck asides never undermine the overall seriousness.

It’s a direct political statement on behalf of the overworked, understaffed and underfunded NHS. But, you know, with jokes.

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

Our hospital rounds continue with the latest chapter of this peerless observational series. Patients this week include a 15-year-old boy who has been stabbed in the thigh while on his way to school. His doting mother reflects upon her own childhood in Ghana and the way it compares with the often violent nature of south London culture. 

Elsewhere on the ward, a sports commentator with an inflamed ankle talks about the highs and lows of his career thus far, and an 11-year-old girl shares her unique philosophy while being treated for a broken finger. 

As always, you will count your blessings and marvel, quietly, at the wit, warmth and resilience of the human spirit.

Loggerheads – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 8:30pm

Davy Crockett hats off to whoever came up with the punning title of this genial new series in which woodworking artisans compete for splinter-fingered glory. I would’ve gone for ‘Tree Amigos’, but what do I know? Nothing. 

Each episode is based in a woodland enclave – the leisurely race begins in Glenlude in the Scottish Borders – but the competitive aspect is basically irrelevant. It’s just a nicely convenient angle, an easy-access way of providing some insight into how these rather groovy people (one of whom looks like Jerry Garcia on a promotional visit to Endor) devote themselves to reconstituting timber while causing no harm to surrounding wildlife and the ecosystem generally. 

An entirely benign endeavour.

Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Series two of this vicarious weekend break begins with Toksvig trundling around Devon with the comedian Sarah Millican. 

Yes, it’s a cosy and rather twee confection in which our hosts enjoy bespoke holiday residences situated in the beauteous wilds of Britain, but you’d really have to go out of your way to take umbrage at a programme in which naturally amusing and affable people look at pebbles and ponies. 

Speaking of whom, I daresay comedy nerds (not a pejorative term, I’m as nerdy as they come) will have something in their eye when Toksvig names one of the ponies after her late great friend Jeremy Hardy. It’s what he would’ve wanted. This is a genuinely pleasant little distraction.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Chloe – Sunday 6th February and Monday 7th February, BBC One

Beware of social media. That appears to be the takeaway message of this discomfiting and rather opaque psychological thriller about a young woman, Becky, who’s obsessed with a school friend she hasn’t seen in years (or so we’re led to believe). 

Chloe is beautiful and glamorous. Her Instagram account suggests she leads a perfect life. And then she’s found dead. Meanwhile, Becky inveigles her way into Chloe’s circle of swanky gallery-dwelling friends by adopting an idealised alter ego: Chloe Mark II. 

Becky (the excellent Erin Doherty) is an ambiguous protagonist who, I suspect, is seeking to avenge the tragic death of her friend. And that ambiguity provides just enough intrigue to keep one’s attention. For now at least.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Monday 7th February, STV

Bradley Wash and his son Barney are ITV’s very own Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. We get the adventurers we deserve. I do like them, though. In a world wracked with division and schism, they’re commendably open-minded. 

The show is predicated upon the idea that Bradley is a daft old fella endearingly out of his depth compared to his cosmopolitan millennial son, but that concept falls apart as soon as you watch it: they’re an affable duo who thumb their noses at the generation gap. They clearly adore each other and enthusiastically embrace every aspect of the foreign cultures they encounter. 

Viewed from a certain angle, this silly little fleck of harmless filler is almost quite inspiring.

 

THE RESPONDER + THE NILSEN FILES + I, SNIPER: THE WASHINGTON KILLERS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 22nd January 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Responder – Monday and Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

Martin Freeman delivers a career-best performance in this queasy drama about an urgent response police officer struggling with mental health issues. 

Desperately overworked, he’s had enough. His beat on the mean streets of Liverpool feels futile. “I want to be normal,” he sighs to his therapist. But he’s somehow in the pocket of a local drug dealer (Ian Hart), and hopelessly trapped in a nocturnal odyssey of violence and death. 

Despite that sombre premise, The Responder is liberally peppered with amusing gallows humour: an existential howl of nervous laughter.

Written by former policeman Tony Schumacher, it’s unsentimental yet compassionate in the Jimmy McGovern vein. It feels painfully authentic, so much so that it won’t go down well in police recruitment circles.

Bradley & Barney Walsh: Breaking Dad – Monday, STV, 8pm

I like Bradley Walsh, but he is now officially the most ubiquitous man on television. It’s ridiculous, he’ll probably be presenting Newsnight next. 

But I can’t deny the simple pleasures of this series, in which Walsh and his affable son roam the globe in their massive RV. This week they’re in Hungary. Naturally, Walsh does the “no thanks, I’ve had breakfast” dad joke; it would be disappointing if he didn’t. 

Highlights include a visit to a museum dedicated to one of Hungary’s most famous sons, Harry Houdini. Walsh actually re-enacts the great escapologist’s straitjacket stunt, which involves him hanging upside down from a slowly burning rope, 150 feet above the ground. I kid you not.

The Nilsen Files – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

In 1983, after dismembered human remains were discovered in his flat, the serial killer Dennis Nilsen confessed to claiming the lives of up to 16 young men. This sensitively handled series gives voice to his victims and their families. 

A stark document of early 1980s Britain, it reveals how those men weren’t just victims of Nilsen, but also of mass unemployment, rising homelessness, police indifference and systemic homophobia. They fell through the cracks of a society which, according to Thatcher, didn’t exist. 

Bolstered by impressive research, the programme features contributions from police officers, journalists and a homelessness outreach worker (pictured) who knew one of the victims. Her kindness stands in sharp contrast to the shocking attitudes we encounter elsewhere.

I, Sniper: The Washington Killers – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

Twenty years ago, a random spate of sniper attacks occurred in the Washington D.C area. Ten people were killed and three were critically injured. The perpetrators were Lee Malvo, who was seventeen at the time, and US Army veteran John Muhammad. 

This grimly absorbing series attempts to explain what motived them to commit such a heinous crime. Not that their motivations will ever make any kind of rational sense, but episode one presents Muhammad as a charismatic yet deeply disturbed individual who seemingly radicalised his vulnerable surrogate son. 

Audio recordings of Malvo being interviewed in prison offer some disquieting insight into his psyche. Other interviewees include two of Malvo’s relatives and some of the victims’ devastated family members.

Jay Blades: Learning to Read at 51 – Wednesday, BBC One, 9pm

Jay Blades, the genial presenter of TV favourite The Repair Shop, left school without any qualifications. He’s been told by experts that he has the reading age of an 11-year-old. 

In this programme, he endeavours to improve his literacy skills with assistance from a charity who offer one-to-one coaching. 

Preview copies weren’t available in time, but this sounds like a worthwhile piece of television. It is reported that over eight million adults in the UK, including half of all prisoners, struggle with their reading. 

Blades meets up with people who share his difficulties, while revealing how he runs a successful upholstery business and presents television programmes without any recourse to the written word.

Katie Price’s Mucky Mansion – Wednesday, Channel 4, 9pm

Time now to follow Katie Price as she renovates her dilapidated 19-room mansion in the Sussex countryside. Price has abandoned it, hence why it’s fallen into such a severe state of uninhabitable disrepair. The interior resembles the aftermath of a furious showdown between the Hulk and at least five werewolves. 

“I’d probably be better off knocking it down and starting again,” she sighs. Or making a television series about doing it up. There are always options. 

Renovating the mansion is, according to Price, a psychological process. Its sorry state is a symbolic manifestation of her turbulent private life. That’s the framing device anyway. I wish her nothing but the best, but this is hardly riveting television.

The Mind of Herbert Clunkerdunk – Wednesday, BBC Two, 10pm

Surreal comedy is a difficult art to pull off. For every successful example such as Monty Python or Vic & Bob, there are a million pretenders who mistakenly think that throwing a load of ‘random’ ideas at the wall will suffice. 

Enter comedian Spencer Jones and his zany alter ego, Herbert Clunkerdunk. Spending time in his mind is like being trapped at an office joker’s power-point presentation. A relentless torrent of self-conscious whimsy and weirdness, it’s utterly exhausting. 

I admire the intent, at least he’s attempting to do something a bit different and unpredictable. He tries very, very hard to please. And that’s the problem, his eccentricity never feels organic. There’s nowt much worse than forced nonsense.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Sue Perkins’ Big American Road Trip – Sunday 16th, Channel 4

You’d be forgiven for sighing at the prospect of yet another famous person enjoying a scenic journey in a campervan, but this new series is actually quite interesting. 

It spotlights a growing subculture of Americans who have swapped their houses for motorhomes. They’ve opted for a life of glorious freedom (while posting about it on social media). 

Perkins’ journey began in California, where she met a young van-lifer who earns a living from vlogging, and a genial hippie Santa who heads an enormous grassroots movement of people who’ve found salvation in this alternative lifestyle. It was quietly inspiring. 

Also, Perkins is a funny and personable traveller who’s interested in finding out about people. A good-natured vehicle.

Dragons’ Den – Thursday 20th January, BBC One

In the latest instalment of this never-ending entrepreneurial fever dream, we met a couple dressed as boy scouts (always enter the Den with a strong visual gimmick). They pitched an idea for the UK’s first summer camp for adults. Alas, the Dragons weren’t impressed by their shaky business plan, so that wacky game of dress-up was pointless. 

Other pitches included a vegan handbag range. The novel twist? Each bag contains some erotic fiction written by the entrepreneurs themselves. They failed to secure an investment.

Believe it or not, Dragons’ Den has actually become a little bit ‘nicer’ of late, possibly because viewers have tired of watching members of the public being belittled by millionaires. I live in hope.