“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

Haven’t We Been Here Before?

The dust has settled, the palpitations have died down and another Ashes series is consigned to both the collective memory and the pages of Wisden. Perhaps lacking the national fervour that surrounded the 2005 series, and studiously avoiding all mention of the calamitous 2006/7 tour Down Under, we will not quickly forget the cricketing summer of 2009. Criminally, there was limited terrestrial coverage of the series with it being reduced to the ignominy of a 45-minute early evening helping served up manfully by Mark Nicholas

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Tags: 2009, Ashes, Australia, Broad, Cricket, England, Flintoff, Ponting, Strauss, Urn

Run Like The Wind

I couldn’t let it go without mention but three big sporting events are capturing my attention during this televisual drought where House MD seems to be  the only drama I’m currently watching.  First off, of course is the final Ashes test whose second day is looming large. It’s 1-1 going in to this final match and the first day finished relatively even with England on 307-8 on a pitch that looks like it will fall apart rapidly. I will, and I warn you in advance, be writing a review of the series once the dust has settled.Elsewhere,

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Tags: 100m, 200m, Ashes, Athletics, Australia, Cricket, England, Oval, Premier League, Spurs, Test, Usain Bolt, World

On The Sofa, Not Behind It

20th July 2009 is a day to remember! Is it because it is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landings? Not exactly, no. Is it, perhaps, because Freddie Flintoff has become some kind of cricketing deity by taking five wickets during England’s  historic victory over the old enemy at Lords? No. (Well, may be a little bit). Or is it because filming is now underway on the newest incarnation of the adventures of our favourite Time Lord? Could be.

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Tags: Apollo 11, Benjamin Cook, Cricket, Flintoff, Karen Gillan, Lizo Mzimba, Matt Smith, Moon, Series 5, TARDIS, Tom Baker

Long Time No See

England won a game.  Of cricket.  No really.  I think it was something to do with the fact that the England football team are now sporting a new line of cricket shirts in their resurgence under Mr Capello and perhaps the good fortune is rubbing off.  Out in the Caribbean, and for the first time all winter, we finally won a match. It reminds me of the winter 2006/7 when we got mashed 0-5 by the Aussies in the Ashes and then came from nowhere to win the one-day series.  Strauss has been one of the only positives this winter and, may be, just may be, he could lead us to something noteworthy this summer.

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Tags: Ashes, Caribbean, Cricket, England, Strauss, West-Indies

Words. Fail. Me.

Tags: Collapse, Cricket, Defeat, England, West-Indies