THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE | DETECTORISTS | MAYFLIES

This article was originally published in The Courier on 24th December 2022.

THIS WEEK’S TV

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse – Christmas Eve, BBC One, 4:55pm

This is beautiful. An animated adaptation of the children’s book by Charles Mackesy, it follows a lonely little boy who befriends a kindly mole in the snowy British countryside. They’re kindred spirits. “I think everyone feels a bit lost sometimes,” mutters the mole, “I know I do.” 

They meet a tethered fox, who would normally devour the mole under different circumstances, and a majestic white horse. “Life is difficult,” says the horse to his newfound friends, “but you are loved.” 

Mackesy’s treatise on loneliness and anxiety is told with poetic child-friendly sensitivity. It’s preceded on BBC Two at 3:55pm by Charlie Mackesy: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse, and Me, a charming profile of the author/illustrator.

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story – Christmas Day, BBC Four, 7pm

Mark Gatiss, that ghost of Christmas ever-present, is the brains behind this filmed stage adaptation of the Dickens classic. 

It’s a fine production. You know the story inside out, but Gatiss and co deliver their own little twists and tweaks. An immortal text, it will always be retold by people who understand its innate power. Gatiss was born to retell it. One gets the impression that he’s been working towards this moment throughout his entire life and career. 

If you have children in the house on Christmas Day, children who know nothing of Scrooge and his various iterations, then I daresay they’ll be bewitched. Sure, it’s no The Muppet Christmas Carol, but nothing is (apart from The Muppet Christmas Carol).

Ghosts – Christmas Day, BBC One, 7:25pm

I’m surprised it’s taken this long for Ghosts to take its rightful place in our Christmas Day schedules, as it quite obviously belongs there. A family-friendly sweet-treat. Still, here it finally is, so let’s all sing Hosanna (if you like). 

The ghosts decide to show their eternal thanks to Alison and Mike by performing a panto. As always, a few hiccups aside, the extended family band together. It all turns out fine in the end. 

The appeal of Ghosts lies in its seemingly effortless ability to fuse silliness, irony and earned emotion. Prepare yourselves, this year, for a certain ghost being reminded of their last Christmas as a corporeal entity. The pathos isn’t overcooked, it’s lovely.

Call the Midwife – Christmas Day, BBC One, 7:55pm

At the risk of sounding like a comforting ‘80s BBC continuity announcer, Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a visit to Poplar. 

1967 is almost at an end. The Summer of Love passed them by, they’re still recovering from a tragic train crash. But life goes on. The midwives swiftly move into a new maternity ward; there are babies, mothers, fathers and families in need. 

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: you can always tell when someone who’s never actually watched Call the Midwife dismisses it as sentimental fluff. Blandness personified. Nah, it fuses that fluff with a certain amount of grit and a whole heap of empathy. Some good things are deservedly successful.

Doc Martin – Christmas Day, STV, 9:05pm

The end is nigh for this fondly regarded comedy-drama starring Martin Clunes as a lovably taciturn country medic. 

In this final episode, our lugubrious antihero closes down the village grotto when he begins to suspect that ‘Santa’ might be spreading a contagion. Cue much consternation and gnashing of teeth. This being Doc Martin, of course, everything comes up roses. We wouldn’t have it any other way. 

At 8:30pm on Thursday, fans can also enjoy ITV’s Farewell Doc Martin, a retrospective celebrating the whole merry shebang.

Detectorists – Boxing Day, BBC Two, 9pm

Writer/director Mackenzie Crook’s Detectorists is one of the best British sitcoms of recent years. It ended perfectly in 2017, but now it’s back for one final episode. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but I trust Crook to deliver the goods. He wouldn’t unearth this cherished gemstone, this self-evident labour of love, if he didn’t feel it deserved to see the light of day.

The Danebury Metal Detecting Club is in dire straits. Property developers are sniffing around its soil. Disaster beckons until Lance (Toby Jones) secures permission to search ten acres of undetected land. 

Can he reverse the fortunes of the DMDC? Is that expedition worth the effort if it irreversibly threatens his friendship with Andy (Crook)?

Mayflies – Tuesday and Wednesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm/Wednesday and Thursday, BBC One, 9pm

A two-part adaptation of Andrew O’Hagan’s acclaimed novel, this for me is one of the obvious festive TV highlights. 

The synopsis doesn’t sound very Christmassy, I know: Jimmy (Martin Compston) is a successful Ayrshire-born author based in London.  One day, out of the blue, Tully (Tony Curran), his best friend since adolescence, calls him back home. Tully has terminal cancer and refuses treatment.  He wants to go out his way. 

Tully asks Jimmy to help him put his final affairs in order. First step: Tully marries his girlfriend (Ashley Jensen). 

Mayflies is being shown at this time of year because it’s a touching, witty, warm and authentic meditation on enduring friendship and love. It reminds us of what’s important.

GHOSTS | RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE UK | AM I BEING UNREASONABLE?

This article was originally published in The Courier on 17th September 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Ghosts ‐ Friday, BBC One, 8:30pm

All hats off to the original Horrible Histories team for creating such a rare treat: a family‐friendly sitcom that’s neither bland nor compromised or condescending. It’s funny, daft, clever and sweet, an obvious labour of love. 

The latest series begins with Alison and Mike anxiously welcoming their first guests to the manor house B&B they’ve been working on for all this time. Hopefully the well‐meaning spectral inhabitants won’t get in the way. 

As always, the writers seamlessly blend their driving narrative with nicely‐rounded subplots and some great fleeting gags. My favourite line this week: snooty Lady Button reveals that she once met The Elephant Man. What was he like? “Rather boring, couldn’t see the fuss.”

Mastermind ‐ Monday, BBC Two, 7:30pm

In 1972, Mastermind introduced a hitherto unthinkable solemnity to the TV quiz arena. 

The darkened set, the black leather chair, Magnus Magnusson rattling out questions on a wide variety of subjects, none of which would ever be touched upon by populist contemporaries such as Monkhouse and Forsyth: the intense no‐frills quiz to end ‘em all. 

So no wonder it celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year. A world without Mastermind is no world at all. 

In round one, smooth incumbent host Clive Myrie welcomes contestants whose specialist subjects include hardboiled detective novelist Raymond Chandler, influential Spanish artist Francisco de Goya, Team GB’s performance at the 2020 Olympics, and Peaky Blinders (the latter contestant comes dressed for the occasion).

Cunk On Earth ‐ Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

The bewildered cultural commentator Philomena Cunk started out as a recurring character in Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. Since then, she’s been spun off into various solo vehicles. 

This one, a parody of self‐consciously epic BBC documentaries, invites that age old question: how do you mock something we automatically roll our eyes at anyway? An awestruck presenter standing atop a mountain while synthetic orchestral music swells is one of the most hackneyed pieces of TV grammar. Making fun of it has become a cliché in itself. 

Diane Morgan, who plays Cunk, is brilliant. She’s a naturally funny performer with a deadpan gift for subtle improvisation, but the scripted material she’s working with only raises an occasional smile. 

Sensationalists: The Bad Girls and Boys of British Art ‐ Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of Sensation, the controversial contemporary art exhibition which put that entire generation of provocative Young British Artists ‐ Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin et al ‐ on the map. This vivid three‐part series places it all in context. 

Those punk‐inspired provocateurs, who went out of their way to overturn the elitist art establishment, were the disenfranchised children of Thatcher’s Britain. 

Episode one unfolds across a canvas of art schools, squats and job centres. It was a political movement, initially at least. Later episodes will presumably examine the ways in which it eventually bolstered the dubious Cool Britannia myth, but episode one captures the anger and desperation of a creative generation with nothing to lose.

Doc Martin ‐ Wednesday, STV, 9pm

The Doc’s valedictory tour of duty continues with an episode in which Ben Miller returns to the show for the first time since series one way back in 2004. 

He plays Stewart, a local park ranger in a state of some distress. Stewart is beside himself with worry about an upcoming survival course he’s agreed to commandeer. If it doesn’t go well, he might lose his job. In an effort to help him out, surgery receptionist Morwenna encourages two series regulars to take part ‐ with, of course, amusing consequences. 

Meanwhile, Louisa, Doc Martin’s eminently sensible and sympathetic wife, agrees to speak at a local school assembly. Alas, complications ensue when several pupils are stricken with a rash.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK ‐ Thursday, BBC Three, 9pm

As the latest series of this fabulous celebration of fabulousness kicks off, extra‐special guest judge Joanna Lumley joins the panel alongside Graham Norton and Michelle Visage. 

But the real stars of the show are, as always, our latest cavalcade of contestants, most of whom would appear to be potential winners. After all, no one competing in Drag Race ever turns up looking like they’ve made a fatal error of judgement. 

It’s a landmark series in that one of the contestants, Dakota, is the first trans woman to participate in this particular version of RuPaul’s global phenomenon. She represents her community with humility, pride and a considerable amount of pizazz. 

As usual, everyone involved is utterly lovely. An uplifting endeavour.

John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf ‐ Thursday, STV, 9pm

Joe Bishop, the son of comedian and actor John Bishop, has an autoimmune condition causing progressive deafness. 

In this intimate documentary, Joe and John find out more about what it means to be part of the deaf community. John sets himself a challenge: he will perform an entirely signed stand‐up set for a deaf audience. The bill also includes established deaf comedians. 

John, a self‐evidently nice and empathetic man, doesn’t make it all about him. Far from it, he and Joe are united in their desire to educate people while throwing a spotlight on talented performers who might not otherwise receive mainstream exposure. 

Life After Deaf is followed at 10:45pm by a recording of the concert itself.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Frozen Planet II ‐ Sunday 11th September, BBC One

I’m sure I wasn’t alone last Sunday in considering the legacy of David Attenborough. He’s been an integral part of our lives for seven decades. A universally beloved figure. At the risk of sounding morbid, one can’t help thinking that every public appearance he makes these days might turn out to be his last. 

I mention that only because this exceptional Frozen Planet sequel encapsulated the tone of most of Attenborough’s autumnal works. A paean to Earth inspired by a more or less equal amount of sadness and hope. 

Has any major British broadcaster ever informed and educated with such compassionate insight? Answers on a rhetorical postcard.

Am I Being Unreasonable? ‐ Friday 16th September, BBC One

Now this is great. It’s a new comedy thriller written by and starring Daisy May Cooper (This Country) and Selin Hizli, in which the former plays Nic, a lonely woman married to a boring man she doesn’t love. 

Nic was once in love with her husband’s brother, and the feeling was mutual. They carried out a secret affair, which ended in tragedy. Grief‐stricken Nic witnessed his death, but she can’t share her trauma with anyone. 

And then she makes friends with another local mum (Hizli, Cooper’s real life best bud), who appears to be a kindred spirit. That’s when things take a most peculiar turn. 

Grounded in messy reality, this sharp, funny, honest confection is something to savour.

SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE FLIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS + GHOSTS + THE AMAZING MR BLUNDEN

This article was originally published in The Courier on 18th December 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas – Christmas Eve, BBC One, 6pm

I never cease to be tickled by the deft comic timing and inventiveness of the Aardman Animations team. At their best they’re right up there with the likes of Tex Avery. High praise indeed, but I reckon they deserve it. 

The latest festive sojourn to Mossy Bottom Farm is typically delightful. When Shaun’s cute little cousin Timmy accidentally hitches a ride on the Proclaimer-esque farmer’s truck, an urgent rescue mission kicks into gear. A busy village market is no place for an innocent lamb. 

I do, however, have a mild complaint: the farmer’s hapless dog really doesn’t deserve the hardship he constantly endures. It’s just not fair and it makes me feel sad. I am 47-years-old.

Two Doors Down – Monday, BBC Two, 9:30pm

As we eavesdrop once again upon these suburban Glasgow neighbours, ‘tis just a few days before Christmas. Prosecco and nibbles abound, although Christine (Elaine C. Smith) opts for a liquid diet of Stella, J.D. and Coke. She’s mourning the recent death of a friend, you see. It’s what she would’ve wanted. 

Christine’s ersatz piety – she’s just returned from church – is a source of mirth throughout. The episode also gets tremendous mileage from the phrase “Pat over the back”, which has an inherently funny rhythm to it, and you may find yourself inspired by a kazoo-based game of Name That Tune. 

As always, nothing and everything happens all at once. A constant muffled soundtrack of Christmas music enhances the unease.

Mandy: We Wish You a Mandy Christmas – Monday, BBC Two, 10pm

Diane Morgan is best known as the gormless cultural commentator Philomena Cunk, who first appeared on Charlie Brooker’s Weekly Wipe. This, however, is Morgan in auteur mode: a pleasingly peculiar sitcom in which she plays a lonely oddball from a high-rise estate. 

I enjoyed series one with reservations; Mandy isn’t hilarious, but I admire Morgan’s commitment to this strange little universe she’s created. And it never outstays its welcome, as each episode is only fifteen-minutes long. 

In the grand tradition of yuletide comedy specials, this is a riff on A Christmas Carol. Raddled performance poet John Cooper Clarke cameos as one of Mandy’s spectral visitors. You rarely see curios like this on TV anymore. I’m glad it exists.

Madame Tussauds: The Full Wax – Wednesday, STV, 9pm

This wry documentary peers behind the curtains of London’s legendary wax museum. At first glance it appears to be quite a glib endeavour, but it gradually unveils a surprisingly potent theme about the transience of fame. 

If a celebrity is no longer considered relevant, their effigy will be banished to a backroom or melted down altogether. And visitors obviously don’t want to be confronted with disgraced celebs a la Savile: Tussauds doesn’t even have a chamber of horrors these days. 

Highlights include the rictus-grinning likeness of Prince Harry being carried around like a deactivated Auton, and the various interjections from cocksure creative director Justin, who comes across as a spectacular wally.

Ghosts – Thursday, BBC One, 8:30pm

The original Horrible Histories team: arguably the most talented British comedy ensemble since The League of Gentlemen? Ghosts is remarkable in that it’s a family-friendly sitcom which neither patronises children nor tips too many knowing winks at their parents. It also combines comedy and pathos in a seemingly effortless way. 

In this Christmas special, a homeless man pitches his tent on the grounds of Button House. Inevitably, the only characters who want to send him packing are the WWI Captain and the trouser-shy Tory MP. But even they become swayed by his plight. That’s not a spoiler, Ghosts is rarely downbeat. 

Special guest-star Jennifer Saunders is entirely at home in this dotty environment.

The Amazing Mr Blunden – Christmas Eve, Sky Showcase, 7pm

Written and directed by Mark Gatiss, this adaptation of Antonia Barber’s supernatural time-travel yarn for children is, without any shadow of a doubt, the best solo venture the League of Gentleman alumnus has undertaken since his first self-penned episode of Doctor Who. He’s in his absolute element here. 

The protagonists are a pair of contemporary teenage kids who find themselves whisked back to a Victorian manor house. The mysterious Mr Blunden (Simon Callow), who arrives on their doorstep just before Christmas, is the catalyst. 

Gatiss, who co-stars alongside Tamsin Greig, pitches the mood perfectly: a strange, cobwebbed dream that won’t frighten children unduly, but it might unsettle them in the best possible sense. 

A Ghost Story for Christmas: The Mezzotint – Christmas Eve, BBC Two, 10:30pm

And if Blunden doesn’t deliver enough Gatiss for your Christmas buck, he’s back again with yet another M.R. James adaptation. Weirdly, he’s never managed to pull these off. 

His child-friendly Blunden adaptation is more atmospheric than any of his ghost stories for adults. They always comes across as functional, churned-out Tales of the Unexpected episodes. This one stars Rory Kinnear as a man who becomes obsessed with a painting of a hooded figure. You can predict the ending from the premise alone. 

It’s not bad as such, but it lacks the genuine eeriness and lingering impact of those classic 1970s adaptations of James’ work. It doesn’t jolt, it merely unfolds. You’ll probably retire to bed with a shrug.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Sting: Reel Stories – Saturday 11th December, BBC Two

When viewed from a certain angle, Sting is the perfect pop star. He’s handsome, talented, ridiculous and pretentious. A borderline brilliant construct. Squint in another direction, however, and he’s just an utter buffoon. 

His enduring appeal lies somewhere in the middle, as this interview with the affably sycophantic Dermot O’Leary confirmed. The Reel Stories format is simple yet effective: musicians are forced to watch old clips of themselves. O’Leary prompts them for a response. That's it, but it's enough.

Sting looked genuinely sad and occasionally amused while watching footage of The Police in their imperial phase, but he couldn’t quite manage to poke fun at himself. His underlying pomposity was palpable. If only he could loosen up a bit, we might all like him more. Some advice for Sting, there.

 

 

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.

THE RIOTS 2011: ONE WEEK IN AUGUST + GHOSTS + DECEIT

This article was originally published in The Courier on 7th August 2021. 

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Riots 2011: One Week in August – Monday, BBC Two, 9pm

Ten years ago, the UK experienced its largest wave of civil unrest since the 1980s. This searching documentary gets to the root of why those riots occurred. 

When Mark Duggan, a young black man from a North London estate, was shot and killed by the police, a broiling pressure cooker finally exploded. Disaffected working-class people gave full vent to their anger. 

The film examines that chaos from the perspectives of rioters, police officers, an Asian man whose son was killed, and Tottenham Community Activist Stafford Scott. His astute closing remarks: “The political classes learned nothing, because they didn’t ask any questions. They just came down with a purely punitive response. There were no changes to social or public policy.”

Ghosts – Monday, BBC One, 8:30pm

As this likeable family sitcom from the Horrible Histories gang returns, the Button House residents are excited by the arrival of a TV crew making a Lucy Worsley-style history programme. 

It’s also time to learn more about Sir Humphrey, the Tudor nobleman who carries his severed head around in classic spectral fashion. And the great Geoffrey McGivern returns as pompous local landowner Barclay, who inevitably elbows his way into the documentary. But he appears to be in ill-health, which triggers a desperate plot to get him off the premises before he dies and joins the ghosts in their contented domestic afterlife. 

It’s not one of the strongest episodes, but spending time in this realm is always a pleasure.

In Search of Sir Walter Scott – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

To mark the 250^th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, author and journalist Damian Barr presents this engaging essay. A pioneer of historical fiction, Scott changed Scotland’s perception of itself while almost single-handedly creating its tourist industry. 

A hugely popular figure in his day, the great author and poet easily outsold contemporaries such as Jane Austen and Lord Byron. However, Barr believes that Scott may have fallen off the cultural radar, perhaps largely due to a widespread view that his work represents a ‘shortbread tin’ view of Scotland. Is that fair? 

Barr digs into the man’s life in order to gain a greater understanding of his legacy and influence. Various misconceptions are challenged along the way.

Craig & Bruno’s Great British Road Trips – Wednesday, STV, 8pm

In the penultimate episode of this breezy distraction, Messrs Revel Horwood and Tonioli travel to the Lake District. They indulge in some wild swimming, drive around England’s steepest road, barrel into Cockermouth (the banter writes itself) and meet some Cumberland wrestlers (ditto). Craig also braves a high-wire walkway with a 1,000ft drop. Nervous Bruno cheers him on from the side-lines. 

I’m a big fan of Strictly, and I daresay you are too. But you wouldn’t want to spend time with explosive Bruno and caustic Craig if they were actually like that all the time. It would be exhausting. Their ‘real selves’, of course, are charmingly self-aware. This show is a simple pleasure, no guilt required.

Ambulance – Thursday, BBC One, 9pm

“Ambulance service, is the patient breathing?” Winner of the 2018 TV BAFTA for Best Factual Series, Ambulance is right up there in the pantheon of frontline medical documentaries. Like the similarly stellar 24 Hours in A&E, it’s both a tribute to the stalwart professionalism of NHS workers and an affecting meditation on the fragility of life. 

Filmed last year during lockdown, when over 11 million people dialled 999 for an ambulance, the latest series follows paramedics from the North West Ambulance Service as they deal with an unprecedented situation. 

As always, we are embedded within a delicately tailored patchwork of human stories: there is humour, hope, compassion and tragedy. Christopher Eccleston is your suitably sensitive and unobtrusive narrator.

Undercover Big Boss – Thursday, STV, 9pm

You may recall this series when it originally aired on Channel 4 between 2009 and 2014. And now it’s back, on ITV. The format couldn’t be more straightforward: to find out what life is really like for their shop floor employees, multi-millionaire chief executives don disguises and get their pampered hands dirty (theoretically speaking). 

In this episode, Robert Forrester, the CEO of leading car dealership group Bristol Street Motors, pretends to be a history lecturer presenting a documentary about people changing their careers during the pandemic. 

A Walter White lookalike who has never sold a car in his life, Forrester learns some hopefully lasting lessons about the pressures of living hand to mouth with no job security.

Deceit – Friday, Channel 4, 9pm

On the morning of 15^th July 1992, Rachel Nickell was brutally murdered while walking on Wimbledon Common with her two-year-old son. A horrifying case, it attracted widespread media attention. The police were inundated with calls from the public. They needed to find the murderer as quickly as possible. 

This uncomfortable four-part drama examines the controversy surrounding their investigation, which involved an undercover policewoman gaining the trust, or even love, of a chief suspect. A miscarriage of justice ensued. 

Niamh Algar delivers an excellent, finely nuanced performance as the conflicted ‘honey-trapper’, but this story – which is worth telling in theory – is undermined by heavy-handed writing and direction, plus an absurdly mannered performance from Eddie Marsan as a creepy criminal profiler. Deceit leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Blind Ambition – Saturday 31st July, BBC Two

Television director Jamie O’Leary has very bad eyesight. His glasses prescription is -32. The average short-sighted person has a prescription of -2.5. In this affirmative programme, he met various blind artists to find out how they’ve coped with losing their sight. 

The self-deprecating host – who has a background in both comedy and documentaries about disability - was accompanied by blind comedian Jamie MacDonald, a cheerfully cynical deadpan wit who was entirely in tune with O’Leary’s approach. They struck a good balance between taking the subject seriously while finding some of the humour within it. 

Their encounters with a photographer, a rapper and an opera singer – to name but three of their interviewees – were funny and enlightening.

Harry Birrell Presents Films of Scotland – Tuesday 3rd August, BBC Scotland

In the final episode of this charming series, we delved further into the archives of the late Harry Birrell. A talented amateur filmmaker who compiled an evocative document of life in post-war 20^th century Scotland, Birrell was incredibly prolific; I like to think that he knew his hobby – his benign obsession - was of everlasting social value. 

Among the highlights were people water-skiing on Highland lochs and footage of the last days of Glasgow’s tramway system. But the most poignant snapshots were Birrell’s wedding day and the birth of his children (who paid tribute throughout the episode). Here were lives preserved on camera, in living cine colour. 

Both episodes are available for your enrichment on iPlayer.

 

 

TV Review: THE LIVING & THE DEAD + LIFE INSIDE JAIL: HELL ON EARTH

This article was originally published in The Dundee Courier on 2nd July 2016.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/category/lifestyle/entertainment/tv-film/

The Living and The Dead: Tuesday, BBC One

Life Inside Jail: Hell on Earth: Tuesday, STV

The gas-lit brainchild of Life on Mars creators Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham, The Living and The Dead is a supernatural period drama which doesn’t scrimp on effective bumps and scares.

Part of that uniquely British sub-genre known as folk horror – a cult gathering epitomised by such classic films as The Wicker Man and Blood on Satan’s Claw  – it unfolds in the innately disquieting setting of late 19^th century Somerset.

Inevitably, this rural locale boasts creeping traces of ancient pre-Christian religion, psychosexual weirdness and demonic possession. 

Our photogenic guides are a bright, modern young couple played by Colin Morgan (Merlin; Humans) and Charlotte Spencer. Intensely sensitive Nathan is a pioneering psychologist – a useful vocation in this increasingly unhinged environment - while jolly Charlotte is a leading photographer. It’s only a matter of time before her monochrome snaps capture something horrifically inexplicable.

You knew things were about to go drastically awry when, after returning to Nathan’s ailing farming community, Charlotte breezed, “A few weeks in the country are just what we need!”

Little did she realise that the local vicar’s teenage daughter had been possessed by a guttural maniac. What’s more, dangerous supernatural forces appear to be targeting her husband. But at least the industrial revolution has come along to rescue the area’s agricultural fortunes. Hasn’t it?

Bathed in a pleasingly spooky, insidious atmosphere, this promising yarn benefits greatly from elegant direction by Alice Troughton (Doctor Who), although I wish she’d resisted the temptation to include those hoary old horror props, the creepy Victorian doll and rocking horse. And I’m not yet convinced by the incorporation of a time travel element, which so far threatens to gild the lily. However, I can’t fault its ambition.

Inventive adult ghost stories are all too rare on TV these days, so I’m willing to give it the benefit of my niggling doubts. So far it has the potential to become a haunted gem.

The horror continued in Life Inside Jail: Hell on Earth, a two-part documentary filmed in one of New York’s largest, toughest jails.

Despite being familiar territory – American jailbirds must spend at least 25% of their cell time speaking to British documentary crews – it was, as such programmes always are, a sombrely voyeuristic account of a society gone awry.

Home to a thousand male and female inmates, the prison finds petty criminals rubbing shoulders with people accused of murder. Inevitably, we witnessed lives destroyed by drugs. One desperate young addict, who’d never been in trouble with the police before, was accused of murdering a woman to feed his habit. Trapped in a waking nightmare, he looked utterly dazed by what he’d done.

To stress the point that drug addiction can sink its fangs into anyone, the programme also included saddening scenes of a tearful mother, incarcerated for drug crimes, being visited by her daughters and grandchild. If that weren’t miserable enough, one of her daughters was later imprisoned in the same jail for heroin possession. History repeats itself without remorse.

As for the armed prison guards, they were typically willing to talk about their work on camera. It must be a welcome break from the ever-present threat of violence.

One guard admitted that he often thinks he’s crazy for choosing such a dangerous and depressing job. “It’s hopeless for society, man,” he sighed, as all around him an endless cycle of tragedy ensued.

Another guard was reduced to mordant giggles as she talked about some of the insane behaviour she encounters on a daily basis. Sometimes, all you can do is laugh to stop from crying.