Fazzinchi

How To Be Sci Fi

Over on the lovely BBC4 for the last few weeks there has been a season of programmes being shown under the umbrella title of Science Fiction Brittanica and what a treasure trove of goodness it’s turning out to be. I must confess to be a little remiss when it comes to tuning in to absolutely everything that I’ve wanted to watch but there have been plenty of little gems on offer that I have managed to sit down and enjoy. Highlights have been a couple of interviews by Mark Lawson with (more…)

Julian Fellows Presides

I stumbled across a lovely little quiz show on BBC4 the other week that I feel must have stemmed from the recent increase in interest in the English language that came about following Lynn Truss’s book (or is that “…Truss’ book”?), the incredibly successful “Eats, Shoots and Leaves”. Never Mind The Full Stops is a quirky panel show burrowed away in the depths of BBC4’s late night schedule, that is hosted by the delightful Julian Fellows who positively bristles at the common misuse and (more…)

Stephen Fry And Sister Discuss His Condition

It takes some quite remarkable courage to not only delve deep into your own personality and history, and then cast a critical eye over how an ailment like manic depression has affected you, but to undergo this soul-searching in front of a camera and give the populace that insight too is quite some feat. I had little to no knowledge of bipolar dissorder before this two-part Stephen Fry documentary, The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive, aired a few weeks ago but I felt that I (more…)

You Don’t Know Jack

I don’t think I can remember seeing Jack Dee in an acting role before, although I seem to recall he has actually played a few roles in various productions over the last few years (Edit: a quick search on IMDB shows he has indeed done plenty of acting previously but I definately didn’t catch any of it). His deadpan delivery in his stand-up routines always entertain though and so, I tuned into Lead Balloon on BBC4 the other night after being quite intrigued by the trailers, and what (more…)

Scary Bomb Making

The Path to 9/11 aired last Sunday and Monday on BBC2 amid little fuss here in the UK. The film was clearly a dramatisation and issued a proviso at either end to explain that certain characters and scenes had been invented to allow the story to work better as a piece of film. And work well it did, as a story dramatising the intricate investigations into the terrorist activities and the political machinations at the heart of the US Government. Nabil Elouhabi, who I last saw playing Tariq in Albert Square, turned up as a real nasty piece of work, Ramzi Yousef, and Harvey Keitel were notable amongst many in the cast. Overall, a watchable, intriguing and sometimes frightening account of the lengths that extremists are prepared to go.
However, a lttle online research and you start to find some of the controversy that went with this film, the scenes that were “invented” may well have been the pivotal scenes of the entire tale… the key one being the time when the Northern Alliance and US forces surrounded the complex where Bin Laden was hiding out and waited for Clinton’s administration to give the go-ahead to attack and capture him. It opens up an interesting debate, for some (if not many) this kind of reconstruction is the closest they will get to learning the story of what really happened, so is there some responsibility on behalf of the makers to portray this 100% accurately and perhaps forego some dramatic moment? Or is this subtle mixing of truth and fiction justified as entertainment and a useful starting point to debate. We’ve seen similar controversy before, most famously in the likes of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Oliver Stone’s JFK, so I think the debate will continue to resurface. What would have been perfect to see would have been a structured discussion about the film after its broadcast, over on BBC4. A trick missed.

Charlie Brooker Looks On

There’s something a little post-modern about watching a television programme about watching television, but Charlie Brooker’s Sceenwipe provides a great outlet for this TV critic’s spleen venting and, as a viewer, you find yourself happily nodding and laughing along and being thankful that you’re not the only one who feels that way about the on-screen channel idents, voice-over commentators and that Frosties advert. Brooker has a well-honed, gruff demeanor, a marvelous turn of phrase and a subversive wit. His years of TV criticism have forged his strong opinions but now the shoe is on the other foot by virtue of the fact that he is now the subject of such criticism. It might sit a little uncomfortably with him if not for the fact that he seems as thick skinned as they come and, more often than not, spot on with his comments. It’s certainly not Points of View but it’s great to see TV take a critical look at itself…. let’s hope someone is listening.