AM I BEING UNREASONABLE? | THIS ENGLAND | BEING JEWISH IN SCOTLAND

This article was originally published in The Courier on 8th October 2022. 

THIS WEEK’S TV

Am I Being Unreasonable? – Friday, BBC One, 9:30pm

In the latest episode of this addictive comedy thriller from Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, we finally find out more about the mysterious Jen. 

It unfurls in the form of a sucker-punching flashback told from Jen’s perspective. Everything we’ve witnessed so far is (sort of) wrong. A very special guest-star, Jessica Hynes, turns up to thicken the plot. 

I can’t elaborate, as that would ruin Cooper and Hizli’s carefully constructed twist-strewn narrative, so all I’ll say is this: Am I Being Unreasonable? is a rare treat. Clever, funny, odd, heartfelt and utterly unpredictable, it’s one of the best things I’ve seen on TV this year. 

And I’ve seen quite a few things on TV this year.

David Wilson’s Crime Files: Cold Cases – Tuesday, BBC Scotland, 10pm

Criminologist David Wilson begins his latest series with the sad saga of Jean Milne, a wealthy Broughty Ferry spinster who was once found murdered in her mansion. This all took place back in 1912. The case remains unsolved. 

Wilson meets with Professor Niamh Nic Daéid from Dundee University. Daéid and her colleagues were commissioned to re-examine the case through a modern lens. They pore over the historical details while revealing the various ways in which forensic science has progressed since the early 20^th century. 

Wilson also talks to the leading member of a team devoted to some new forms of DNA analysis that could revolutionize cold case investigations.

The Elon Musk Show – Wednesday, BBC Two, 9pm

Despite its title, this isn’t a wildly misjudged light entertainment extravaganza hosted by the controversial billionaire. Let’s hope he makes that one day, though, as it does sound like the sort of stupid thing he’d produce on a midnight whim. 

What we’re presented with instead is a three-part account of his inexorable rise and eventual domination of the cosmos, featuring contributions from friends, family members, employees and enemies of the world’s richest man. Preview copies weren’t available, but I think it’s safe to assume that this will be absolutely fascinating. 

Musk is a deeply strange person who wields extraordinary power. A nerd who sought revenge and won. He probably won’t be satisfied until Earth is renamed in his honour.

This England – Wednesday, Sky Atlantic, 9pm

Please note that certain scenes this week may prove distressing to some viewers. If you’ve been following Michael Winterbottom’s bleakly riveting factual drama about the Johnson government’s mishandling of the pandemic, then you’ll know what I’m alluding to. 

Do not watch if you’re likely to become upset, I can’t stress that enough. 

And therein lies the difficulty of This England. It’s an important piece of work, it accurately lays bare the catastrophic incompetence of our glorious leaders, but many of us are still grieving for loved ones lost during the pandemic. 

However, I’m not for a moment suggesting that it shouldn’t have been made. I admire its anger and compassion. It can’t pull any punches, otherwise what’s the point?

I Hate You – Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

A new sitcom from Robert Popper of Friday Night Dinner renown, I Hate You revolves around two (sort of) fondly bickering twentysomething flatmates. 

If you have kids and enjoyed watching Friday Night Dinner with them, do bear in mind that Popper’s latest isn’t aimed at the same audience. And that’s fine, obviously. Popper is a versatile and often inspired comic writer who enjoys trying different things. 

Unfortunately, I Hate You isn’t funny. It’s shallow, stilted and annoying. 

Our mildly dysfunctional protagonists are played by newcomers Tanya Reynolds and Melissa Saint. They’re very good, they have a natural rapport, but middle-class London coffee kids fretting over wacky dates and suchlike? We’ve seen it all before.

Being Jewish in Scotland – Thursday, BBC Scotland, 10:30pm

This intimate documentary features revealing contributions from a diverse range of Jewish people living in Scotland today. 

Scotland was once home to around 20 dedicated synagogues. Only six remain. But the Jewish community is in vibrant health. 

We encounter engaging characters such as the senior religious leader Rabbi Moshi Rubin, plus Mark and his mother Doreen, who run the only kosher deli in the country. The message is inclusive and uplifting. 

One of the interviewees, Kathy, is a holocaust survivor who settled in Scotland over 40 years ago. “I fell in love with Scotland… I felt that the Scots suffered over the centuries just like the Jews suffered over the centuries… and I felt that I may just fit in.”

Unreported World – Friday, Channel 4, 7:30pm

Viewer discretion is once again advised as the latest series of this venerable global current affairs programme begins. It follows private detectives and armed bounty hunters trying to rescue teenagers from Houston's sex trafficking underworld. 

Reporter Yousra Elbagir uncovers some utterly heart-breaking stories. As always when previewing programmes of this highly sensitive nature, I won’t go into any potentially upsetting detail. My synopsis hopefully provides all the basic information and trigger warnings you require. 

Unreported World, which has been running continuously for 22 years in a pre-watershed slot, presents itself with the utmost integrity and sensitivity. It’s a vital piece of television journalism.

LAST WEEK’S TV

Sorry, I Didn’t Know – Sunday 2nd October, STV

Jimmy Akingbola hosts this genial panel show in which various comics of colour shoot the breeze about Black British history. 

There’s really no competitive aspect as such, the relaxed banter supports the educational aspect and vice versa. Its point is worn lightly yet sincerely. 

Where else will you find a big weekend ITV quiz show in which one of the answers involves an unsung Caribbean historical figure with “utopian political ideals”? A show in which we naturally pinball around a series of questions about Marcus Rashford, MF Doom, Mount Kilimanjaro and cult 1970s funk musicians? 

It’s an assured piece of entertainment. Actual fun ensues.

Unbreakable – Thursday 6th October, BBC One

Blandness personified, this formulaic faux-romantic rubbish involves six celebrities and their partners as they attempt to prove just how much they love each other via various safely harnessed tasks. 

If it starred Richard, Judy and The Krankies, that would be quite something. A potential classic. Inevitably, it does not star any of those people. 

Now, as anyone who’s ever followed this column will know, I’m not opposed to daft light entertainment. Far from it, I embrace television in all its myriad forms. God knows we need some silly respite from everything we have to deal with in the real world. 

But this is just a waste of our time.

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.