UNFORGOTTEN | MURDER IN THE PACIFIC | STEPHEN FRY: WILLEM & FRIEDA – DEFYING THE NAZIS

This article was originally published in The Courier on 25th February 2023.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Unforgotten – Monday, STV, 9pm

There is something oddly comforting about how every series of Unforgotten begins on exactly the same grisly note, with the chance discovery of some human remains. 

We wouldn’t have it any other way, as creator Chris Lang knows only too well. A good, sly, intelligent writer, he cleaves to a proven formula while never repeating himself. 

But will the latest series survive the loss of Nicola Walker, whose character was killed off last time around? Her warm, understated chemistry with co-star Sanjeev Bhaskar was key to Unforgotten’s appeal. 

Well, she’s been replaced by that fine actor Sinead Keenan, and episode one suggests that fans have nothing to worry about. The central dynamic is different, but without being jarringly dissimilar.

A Special School – Monday, BBC Two, 7pm

Our latest visit to Britain’s biggest special education school, Ysgol Y Deri, begins on an atypically downbeat note. 

Thousands of pounds worth of water sport equipment has been stolen. But the staff don’t dwell upon that setback. They can’t, there’s no point. Their pupils are of far more importance. 

Also, Valentine’s Day is on the horizon. When the kids make their smitten feelings known, it’s touching yet never sentimental. 

Produced in partnership with the Open University, this exceptional series is an honest snapshot of the everyday challenges faced by young people with diverse needs, and the dedicated professionals who support them. 

We must never, ever take institutions such as Ysgol Y Deri for granted, they provide a vital service.

Sex Actually with Alice Levine – Monday, Channel 4, 10pm

As she begins series two of her commendably frank and non-judgemental odyssey, Levine visits the world’s first cyber-brothel as part of an investigation into the rise of sophisticated sex robots.

I probably don’t have to stress this point, but just in case: Sex Actually with Alice Levine contains scenes that viewers of a more prudish or sensitive bent may find offensive. Their discretion is advised, but please bear in mind that we’re not dealing here with some snickering gawp-fest a la Channel 4 stablemate Naked Attraction. 

Executive produced by Louis Theroux, it’s a thoughtful show hosted by a witty, warm and inquisitive person with a genuine interest in the multifaceted subject at hand.

Saving Lives in Leeds – Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Brought to you by the team behind that deservedly lauded BBC series Hospital, this is a similarly sympathetic frontline study of our beleaguered NHS doctors and nurses. 

Leeds General Infirmary nestles at the heart of one of the UK’s largest NHS Hospital Trusts. In episode one, we meet a pioneering expert in hand transplantation surgery. His patient lost all his limbs after being electrocuted at work. 

Meanwhile, in the neurosurgery department, doctors struggle with a moral dilemma. They only have one confirmed post-operative bed at their disposal, but they’re dealing with two patients in urgent need of treatment. 

The same problem arises at Leeds Children’s Hospital, where two children with cerebral palsy require beds on the same day.  

Django – Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Loosely based on Sergio Corbucci’s cult Spaghetti Western, this new series follows a tortured drifter who winds up in a makeshift city populated by social outcasts. 

Django takes itself very seriously indeed. It neither immerses itself in subversive mayhem a la Tarantino (whose Django Unchained was also vaguely inspired by the source material), nor takes full heed from the artistry of Corbucci himself. 

It’s a reverent tribute to the Spaghetti Western genre, and that’s the problem; it doesn’t quite understand why people dug those films, with their unique combination of weird black comedy and stylised revenge fantasy violence, in the first place. 

Also, Django looks more like a bedraggled hipster ale brewer than a tough, grungy Western antihero.

Murder in the Pacific – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

In July of 1985, Greenpeace’s flagship vessel the Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sank by the French intelligence service off the coast of New Zealand. 

They’d been ordered to prevent Greenpeace from protesting against France’s nuclear testing on South Pacific islands. A photographer by the name of Fernando Pereira was killed during the attack. 

This three-part docudrama examines in authoritative detail an utterly appalling scandal. 

All of those aboard Rainbow Warrior, a prominent symbol of peace, were attempting to draw the world’s attention towards environmental matters of the utmost urgency, they did not deserve to be targeted with violence. 

The first episode focuses on the background and build-up. You will despair.

Stephen Fry: Willem & Frieda – Defying the Nazis – Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, two heroic Dutch resistance members helped to rescue thousands of Jewish people. Their names were Willem Arondeus and Frieda Belinfante. 

Willem was a struggling artist. Frieda was an accomplished cellist. They both lived openly gay lives. 

In this fascinating documentary, Fry pays tribute to their extraordinary bravery while confronting an uncomfortable truth: Willem and Frieda are barely remembered today, because for decades their homosexuality precluded them from being officially recognised as national heroes. 

That’s no longer the case, and Fry ends the programme on a hopeful note, but his timely message is clear. If we don’t stand up against bigotry in all its toxic guises, abject horror will ensue.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs – Sunday 19th February, BBC Two

I’m not a qualified palaeontologist, believe you me, but I have watched quite a few dino-docs over the years. And this one, a two-parter presented by Liz Bonnin, failed to live up to its title. 

At the risk of sounding jaded about such an interesting subject, we’ve heard these secrets before. 

Bonnin joined an international team of palaeontologists as they carefully excavated a dinosaur graveyard in Wyoming. They’re doing good work, more power to their dusty elbows, but they must be irked by TV crews turning up every week to make the same programme about their necessarily slow and painstaking endeavours. Leave ‘em alone. 

Also, the computer graphics looked like they were programmed on a Commodore 64.

Beyond Paradise – Friday 24th February, BBC One

Hapless Kris Marshall stars in this spin-off from the unstoppable Death in Paradise, which relocates from the sun-blessed Caribbean to a sleepy Devon town. But it’s very much business as usual. 

This franchise has never taken itself seriously, it’s a knowingly Scooby Doo-esque spoof of murder mystery tropes. Everyone involved is in on the joke, so in that sense it’s virtually critic-proof. What can I say that the production team and fanbase aren’t already aware of themselves? 

It’s polished nonsense, a clown nose glazed in fake blood, a cosy knockabout whodunit with zero pretensions. On and on it trundles, like Compo in his recalcitrant tin bath. It’s there if you want it, ignorable if you don’t.

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.

ROCK TILL WE DROP + THE MYSTERY OF ANTHRAX ISLAND + STORYVILLE: WRITING WITH FIRE

This article was originally published in The Courier on 26th February 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Rock Till We Drop – Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Former pop star Martin Kemp joins forces with rapper Lady Leshurr in this rather beguiling search for talented musicians aged 64 and over. 

They’re aiming to assemble a band capable of storming a 15-minute slot at the Isle of Wight Festival, but that’s not really the point. It’s all about giving older people the opportunity to prove something to themselves and others: an autumnal confidence boost. 

Projects of this nature always run the risk of patronising the participants, but Rock Till We Drop is, thankfully, not that sort of show. No one is mocked or made to look foolish. 

Kemp and Leshurr discover some genuine talents along the way. These nice, interesting people deserve their moment in the spotlight.

Marcus Wareing’s Tales from the Kitchen Garden – Monday to Friday, BBC Two, 6:30pm

Here we go again, folks, another aspirational series in which a celebrity starts a new life in the countryside. 

This one follows the Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing as he follows his dream of setting up a smallholding. That inherently amusing word is constantly invoked throughout the series, so much so that it almost starts to resemble a running gag. But at no point does Wareing observe that it sounds like the name of a Carry On character, one presumably played by Charles Hawtrey. Weird. 

An entirely bland and inoffensive man, Wareing makes Titchmarsh look like Keith Floyd at his most bacchanalian. But he means no harm in the grand scheme of things. He’s a mere smallholder.

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

The final chapter of this grimly compelling and authoritative essay begins in 1943 with the German Army retreating across the Western Front in the wake of its crushing defeat at Stalingrad. Hitler becomes increasingly remote, paranoid and desperate as the German public start to lose faith in his supposed infallibility. 

A prominent dissenter is the extraordinarily brave 21-year-old student Sophie Scholl, who risks her life by joining an underground resistance movement devoted to exposing Nazi lies about the war effort. The group’s ultimate goal is to encourage people to rise up and overthrow their despotic rulers before it’s too late. 

Meanwhile, senior German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg hatches a plan to assassinate der Fuhrer. 

Emergency – Monday to Thursday, Channel 4, 9pm

Stripped over four consecutive nights, this urgent frontline documentary gains access to London’s Major Trauma System, which was set up in the wake of the 2005 terrorist attacks. An interconnected NHS network of hospitals, air ambulances and paramedics, it provides a vital lifeline for major trauma patients. 

Yes, we’ve all seen programmes like this before, but they provide a valuable public service. It doesn’t matter that Emergency cleaves to all the familiar trappings of this genre (e.g. the bombastic narrator who sounds like he’s standing, legs wide apart, on a windswept hospital helipad), because its fundamentally sensitive message rings out loud and clear. 

Nothing can undermine the affecting human drama of these stories. A noble endeavour.

The Mystery of Anthrax Island – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

Gruinard Island is a tiny uninhabited mass situated just a few miles off the coast of Wester Ross. During WWII it was used by British scientists as a testing ground for the deadly effects of anthrax. The unfortunate guinea pigs were sheep. It was henceforth classed as a contaminated danger zone. 

However, as this documentary reveals, it became a political cause celebre in the early 1980s when a mysterious group of protesters claimed to have visited the island and unearthed mounds of lethal soil. They deposited this soil outside the perimeter fence at the secretive MoD base Porton Down and near the Blackpool location of the Conservative Party Conference. 

Preview copies weren’t available, but this sounds absolutely fascinating.

Storyville: Writing with Fire – Wednesday, BBC Four, 10pm

According to India’s oppressive caste system, Dalit people are considered to be so impure they don’t even qualify as members of that hierarchy. Dalit women are constantly subjected to horrific acts of violence, while the male-dominated authorities turn a blind eye. 

This deeply angering yet cautiously hopeful film – which has been nominated for the 2022 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary – follows a brave and brilliant group of female Dalit journalists as they take their pioneering newspaper into the digital age. 

Writing with Fire is both an unflinching indictment of human rights violations and an inspiring celebration of our vital universal need for journalistic integrity. Truth must always speak to power. It’s an important piece of work.

Would I Lie to You? – Friday, BBC iPlayer

The latest edition of this genial panel show welcomes comedian Jo Brand, Inbetweeners star Joe Thomas, Olympic gold-winning hockey player and Question of Sport captain Sam Quek, and the endearingly eccentric maths teacher and broadcaster Bobby Seagull. 

Things we’re asked to believe this week include: Quek waking up the morning after her Olympic triumph with a cheeseburger down her bra; Seagull taking a book with him whenever he visits a nightclub; and team captain Lee Mack looking after a beehive with predictably disastrous results. 

Seagull and Thomas are very good at sounding like they might be lying, even if they aren’t. A useful weapon in this arena. Viewers in Scotland can access the episode on iPlayer from around 9:30pm on Friday night.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Paul Sinha’s TV Showdown – Saturday 19th February, STV

Sinha is a very sharp and likeable man, he’s the perfect host for a nerdy TV quiz show, but alas this format is flawed. There’s too much meandering banter and not enough quizzing. Say what you like about Noel Edmonds by all means, but at least Telly Addicts got down to business. 

And that’s the other major drawback: the contestants are celebrities. ‘Ordinary people’ will always be more au fait with television than the busy pros who appear on it. So what you end up with is an irreverent yet committed quizmaster posing occasionally quite tricky questions to a baffled panel who dance around the answers in the hope of getting laughs. It’s all rather pointless. 

Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America – Sunday 20th February, BBC Two

I’m a big fan of Louis Theroux, he’s facilitated some of the most memorable television documentaries of the last 25 years, but he slipped into repetitive self-parody with his latest report from The Troubled Fringes of American Society. 

A belated sequel of sorts to his 2000 documentary about gangsta rap, it found him looking concerned as he met various rappers from disadvantaged backgrounds who were engaged in futile and often violent feuds: victims of a culture based on macho posturing. 

While I appreciate the point he was (presumably) making – nothing has changed for the marginalised youth of America – the programme itself was Theroux on autopilot. A well-meaning yet insubstantial exercise, it sighed sadly, frowned then ended.

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.

 

MARTIN CLUNES: ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC + ANDY WARHOL'S AMERICA + THE GREEN PLANET

This article was originally published in The Courier on 15th January 2022.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific – Thursday, STV, 9pm

TV’s Martin Clunes is one of the reigning travelogue supremos. And for good reason: he’s very good at his job. Naturally witty, charming, respectful and empathetic, he’s like a sort of idealised foreign ambassador. I’d vote for him. 

This week he natters with some tribesmen who live in the shadow of an active volcano and breaks bread with a tribe who believe that Prince Philip is their God. Some of the elders briefly met him once and they exchanged banal pleasantries. So that’s a relief. 

Clunes also travels to Tonga, an ostensibly conservative Christian nation with a surprisingly tolerant and admirable attitude towards gender fluidity. It’s not an entirely progressive utopia of course, but hats off to Tonga anyway.

Geordie Hospital – Monday, Channel 4, 8pm

Newcastle is home to one of the UK’s biggest NHS hospital trusts. Its personable and dedicated staff are the stars of this new series, which rarely dwells upon the pressures and frustrations of their job. The mood is upbeat, it’s a big ol’ cuddle of a programme. 

Any celebration of Britain’s most essential institution is tacitly political, of course it is, but Geordie Hospital elects to focus exclusively on positive stories. That’s a statement in itself.

Tears and anxieties rear up at times, but even a potentially upsetting segment involving a little boy with a heart defect turns out fine. I for one welcome this warm gust of positivity.

Kelvin’s Big Farming Adventure – Monday, BBC One, 8:30pm

The former Emmerdale actor and Strictly Come Dancing winner Kelvin Fletcher recently bought a farm in the Peak District. A lifelong urbanite, he has no farming experience whatsoever. But if we know one thing about Fletcher, it’s that he enjoys a challenge. 

His agent must’ve been delighted when they heard the news, as a television series following this life-changing development was absolutely guaranteed. And if that sounds cynical, well that’s showbiz. 

We’re all familiar with this formula by now: a celebrity and their family get to grips with renovating barns and stockpiling eggs. Mild setbacks ensue. There is nothing remotely objectionable about this series. It merely exists. I recommend it to fans of tractors, fencing and sheep.

The Secret Life of Our Pets – Tuesday, STV, 8pm

This diverting litle series spotlights the cute side of cognitive animal behaviour research. This week’s theme is emotional intelligence and the powerful bond of trust that exists between domesticated animals and their humans. 

The slightly alarming highlight involves a visit to Switzerland, where we encounter a BASE jumper who enjoys nothing more than parachuting from the edge of massive cliffs with his border collie harnessed to him. 

And while you could question the ethics of placing an animal in that position, the dog doesn’t appear to be remotely distressed. He trusts his thrill-seeking comrade. 

We also learn that goldfish can ‘recognise’ human faces, rats really enjoy playing Hide and Seek, and parrots have an innate sense of rhythm.

Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile – Tuesday, STV, 9pm

The convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is currently facing a custodial sentence of up to 65 years. A key confidante and enabler of the paedophile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison under mysterious circumstances in 2019, Maxwell’s entitled circle of friends included the thoroughly disgraced Prince Andrew. 

This report, which for obvious reasons was still being edited as I write these words, features contributions from some of Epstein and Maxwell’s victims. It also promises to examine damning evidence from Maxwell’s trial, as well as Prince Andrew’s alleged involvement in this hideous scandal. It seems increasingly likely that he will face a civil court case. 

Your host is Good Morning Britain’s Political Editor Ranvir Singh.

Toast of Tinseltown – Tuesday, BBC Two, 10pm

Are things looking up for the belligerent, oafish and perpetually thwarted ham actor Steven Toast? During the latest stage of his Hollywood odyssey he’s invited to audition for the role of a butler in an unnecessarily ambitious and expensive movie. He only has one line, but if he impresses the tyrannical director then he could secure a first-class ticket on the gravy train.

Meanwhile, he hurls himself into a strange relationship with a clinical sexologist, and records a voiceover on the hottest day there has ever been in L.A. 

It’s not the funniest Toast episode, but spending time in the deeply silly world of series creators Matt Berry and Arthur Mathews is always a peculiar source of comfort.

Andy Warhol’s America – Thursday, BBC Two, 9pm

The final chapter of this absorbing gaze into Warhol’s reflection of American culture begins in the 1970s and ends with his death in 1987. His preoccupation with death and disaster is a recurring theme throughout. 

After surviving an assassination attempt in 1968, he essentially had a second chance at life; a fact that haunted him thereafter. He became even more avaricious, while simultaneously providing support for marginalised groups such as African Americans, Native Americans, homeless people and the LGBTQ community. 

But, the programme asks, was that support tainted by self-interest and exploitation? He was, to say the least, a complicated cat. 

As with previous instalments of this excellent series, Warhol’s Zelig-like story encompasses several fascinating historical detours.

NEXT WEEK’S TV

The Green Planet – Sunday 9th January, BBC One

In the latest series from David Attenborough, his estimable team use an advanced time lapse camera system to unearth the secret life of plants. It observes the world from their perspective while examining their relationship with animals and humans, and the vital role they play in our ecosystem. Naturally, it’s fascinating. 

That remarkable footage of plants in action occasionally resembled lost outtakes from Frank Oz’s Little Shop of Horrors; an alien landscape thriving on Earth. 

It’s a stellar example of Attenborough’s unerring ability to sculpt absorbing narratives from unlikely sources. Who knew there was so much drama in the global plant community? 

And it was lovely seeing the great man delivering some unflaggingly enthused pieces to camera.

Life on the Bay – Sunday 9th January, BBC Scotland

Pettycur Bay Holiday Park on Fife’s coast is one of Scotland’s biggest caravan enclaves. This breezy new series – a summery balm for these dark winter days - observes the daily demands of running what is effectively an idyllic miniature town built and run by three generations of a hands-on local family. 

In episode one we met a genial maintenance man who’s worked there for so long, he remembers when his boss was a little boy: “He was just a wee bloody pest! But a good pest…” 

Guests included a new arrival who joked about the possibility of getting cabin fever and going berserk like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. As far as I’m aware, that hasn’t happened.

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.