Here’s Looking At You

Well, Pick of the Day, according to the RT at least, for the “so-close-you-can-smell-Christmas” 23rd of December is the somewhat unfestive Spooks series 8 finale. I am still a few episodes behind in this run but I will be doing what I can in the work-free days that approach to rectify that. So far, the budget cuts have not really dampened by enjoyment of the show although the Section D offices do look rather pokier than usual. Over on C4 at 10pm, there is the finale (in case you missed it first time round on digital or even on DVD) of True Blood. Again, it’s another show that I can’t quite get in to but probably need to sit down

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Tags: 10 Minute Tales, Christmas, Not-Going-Out, Screenwipe, Spooks, True Blood

Here’s to BBC2

It’s nearly Christmas for crying out loud and where exactly is the festive fun? Not on the TV that’s for sure. There has been such a paucity of decent telly so far since this little experiment started that I half expected Radio Times’ selections to include a documentary about Scrabble… Oh, Hang on, there is one! I kid you not, it’s part of Alan Yentob’s Imagine… series and is almost worth tuning in for just to see how they make it run for 65 minutes. If that’s not your cup of cocoa then Five are offering yet another CSI marathon, while over on Auntie we reach the conclusion of

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Tags: BBC4, Christmas-TV, HIGNFY, Imagine, Mock-The-Week, Never-Mind-The-Buzzcocks, Oliver Postgate, Paradox, Radio-Times

Miranda = Genius

Okay, so this weekend was a bit of write-off on the televisual front but I have to say that the programmes on offer were a pretty miserable selection. Sunday evening viewing pitched the bebonnetted ladies of Cranford against The Fattest Man In Britain, which, far from being a channel five documentary that might have been assumed from the title, was in fact a comedy drama starring the legend who is Timothy Spall as the eponymous chubster. To be truthful, I was more tempted by the Oz and Hugh Drink to Christmas special on BBC2. In the end I, like Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions, voted for “none of the above”, instead opting to record James May Toy Stories in his Lego house (he was obviously

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Tags: Cranford, James-May, Lego, Miranda, Ox and Hugh, Royal Institute, Sky-One, Ten Minute Tales, The Fattest Man In Britain, Timothy Spall

Well, this not such a great start to the ambitious 14-day TV project, I am up in Hackney with the family and have left the telly listings behind. The only thing I remember about tomorrow’s listings is James May’s Toy Stories where we finally get to see the Lego house. It’s been a brilliant series already but this is the one I’ve been waiting for most. Anyone care to tell me in the comments what else I’ll be missing?

Tags: radio_times

“Barrowmaaaaan!!”

So, as promised, a look forward to Day One of the Christmas telly schedule as defined by the glorious bumper edition of the Radio Times. Saturday 19th has bugger all on offer in the great scheme of things. It sees the final of this year’s “Strictly” and RT proudly lumps that in as its Pick Of The Day, not for me though ‘cos I have not seen a single second of it this year (nor any other) so that won’t be part of mine nor the Other Viewer’s watch list. The other choice cuts from the RT recommendations include a Take That concert, a CSI marathon, “Love Actually” if a rom-com is what you’re after, and finally “Merlin” whose second series comes to a close. This will be the 7th or 8th

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Tags: Bladerunner, Cricket, CSI, Doctor Who, Frost Nixon, Love Actually, Merlin, Radio-Times, Strictly, Wife Swap

Here’s Looking At Ood!

Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t been posting here much of late. The reason is because I have just launched a new blog over on WordPress.com that has been eating up a fair bit of my posting time, but fear not, because I will back in full flow here very soon (as well as over there) because this Saturday sees the start of the television schedule which is covered by the festive bumper issue Radio Times. This means that there will be a plethora of shows that meet the “PWW Criteria”: that most rigorous and exacting of criteria which determines which programmes

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