31 August 2007
JUST FOR ONE DAY
And, yes, they did play Heroes by David Bowie. That was last night's BBC-we're-doing-it-just-because-we-can whizzo Heroes press party, held at the very top of the Gherkin in London. Stalking outside, a handful of enthusiasts in "Nathan Petrelli for President" t-shirts.
The event was presided over by Roly Keating, who's clearly a huge fan of the show. Answering questions from the assembled journos such as - get this - "What super power would you like in real life?" and "What do you make of English men" were Dennis Hammer (Executive Producer and The Love Boat alumnus), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Jack Coleman (Mr Bennet), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli). Pasdar rounded the whole thing off by declaring if US politicians could be blessed with an attribute, it would be "a brain". The cast also mentioned they're meeting up with Christopher Eccleston tonight for dinner. Ahhh.
Afterwards, drinks and music at the top of the world, or so it felt. Although we were cautioned to respect the fact the thesps were now off duty, they mingled, posed for pictures and - in Coleman's case - stood and patiently listened while I explained why "Company Man" is the best ever episode. He agreed: "54 scenes," he said, "and I was in 50 of them". Meanwhile, Jon Culshaw stalked the room, presumably looking for an "in" to do his Tom Baker, or something ...
That, plus a trailer for series two, featuring Claire cutting her toe off and - SPOILER! - a bearded Nathan.
UPDATE: Digital Spy have slung a video of the press conference online.
The event was presided over by Roly Keating, who's clearly a huge fan of the show. Answering questions from the assembled journos such as - get this - "What super power would you like in real life?" and "What do you make of English men" were Dennis Hammer (Executive Producer and The Love Boat alumnus), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Jack Coleman (Mr Bennet), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli). Pasdar rounded the whole thing off by declaring if US politicians could be blessed with an attribute, it would be "a brain". The cast also mentioned they're meeting up with Christopher Eccleston tonight for dinner. Ahhh.
Afterwards, drinks and music at the top of the world, or so it felt. Although we were cautioned to respect the fact the thesps were now off duty, they mingled, posed for pictures and - in Coleman's case - stood and patiently listened while I explained why "Company Man" is the best ever episode. He agreed: "54 scenes," he said, "and I was in 50 of them". Meanwhile, Jon Culshaw stalked the room, presumably looking for an "in" to do his Tom Baker, or something ...
That, plus a trailer for series two, featuring Claire cutting her toe off and - SPOILER! - a bearded Nathan.
UPDATE: Digital Spy have slung a video of the press conference online.
30 August 2007
WILL THEY GO THROUGH TO BOOT CAMP?
As much as I am loving both The Restaurant and Kitchen Criminals, I can't help but long for the development of a new kind of reality show mechanic. All of this bottom three, boot camp, and pregnant pause before announcing the eviction stuff is old hat, no? Indeed the use of the term "boot camp" in Kitchen Criminals, as if everyone knows what that means in the context of a TV show is something of a commentary on how pervasive and tiring this format has now become. The problem is, if you lose the eviction format, what do you replace it with?
28 August 2007
GREAT NEWS FOR ALL READERS
I've got a vested interest in BBC4's upcoming Comics Britannia, having written a modest history of British comics which, dear reader, is still available to purchase here, and recently compiled the imminent Look-in: The Best of the Seventies. And, in fact, I met the show's producer Alastair Laurence a few months back, wherein he generously allowed me to bend his ear for an hour with thoughts about what should go into the season of programmes.
We've not been in touch since, so there's no reflected glory here when I say the first episode - which I've just watched on preview - is absolutely fantastic, dealing with the rise of The Dandy and The Beano. To have a documentary which pays full respect to Davy Law (Dennis the Menace), Leo Baxendale (The Bash Street Kids), Ken Reid (Jonah) and Dudley D Watkins (Desperate Dan) feels like a real treat. The likes of Kev O'Neill, Paul Gravett (who gave my book a lukewarm review, if memory serves) and Bob Paynter (original Whizzer & Chips editor) are on hand to provide talking head duties, while the show is framed in an ace "moving comic-strip" style.
One of the best things on telly this year.
EDITOR'S VOICE: The first episode can be seen on Monday September 10.
We've not been in touch since, so there's no reflected glory here when I say the first episode - which I've just watched on preview - is absolutely fantastic, dealing with the rise of The Dandy and The Beano. To have a documentary which pays full respect to Davy Law (Dennis the Menace), Leo Baxendale (The Bash Street Kids), Ken Reid (Jonah) and Dudley D Watkins (Desperate Dan) feels like a real treat. The likes of Kev O'Neill, Paul Gravett (who gave my book a lukewarm review, if memory serves) and Bob Paynter (original Whizzer & Chips editor) are on hand to provide talking head duties, while the show is framed in an ace "moving comic-strip" style.
One of the best things on telly this year.
EDITOR'S VOICE: The first episode can be seen on Monday September 10.
24 August 2007
"WHY DON'T WE DO JONATHAN CREEK?"
Alan Davies has been doing the rounds to publicise the imminent return of QI. Now, that's a great show, but when I got my 20 minutes or so with him, I was intent on bringing the conversation round to Jonathan Creek. More precisely - would it ever come back?
Here's what he said ...
Here's what he said ...
It never comes up. I mean the ball's entirely in David Renwick's court. After Caroline Quentin left the show, Julia Sawalha came in and we did several episodes. I don't know if either Julia or Caroline would want to do it again. I don't honestly know. I don't know if David wants to. I would do it again! [Laughs].Well, even that would do me. Come on, Mr Renwick, why don't you do Jonathan Creek?
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person left, going, "Jonathan Creek was great! Why don't we do Jonathan Creek?". I spend all my time waiting for scripts, reading scripts, or trying to write my own scripts - but nothing's ever as good ... If we ever did it again, I think it would probably be David writing a one-off.
17 August 2007
DI ANOTHER DAY
Hah! On Saturday 1 September, BBC Parliament are going to be rescreening - in full - the Beeb's live coverage of Diana's funeral. The channel's best-ever ratings in the offing?
More here.
More here.
ME "ON" SKY
We're slap-bang into "season" season now, with the channels laying on beanos of varying ferocity in an effort to nab as much press coverage as possible. Sky One held their bash last night. The law of TV listings land is the digital channels do the most impressive do's. Hence, Sky can always command pretty much a full house.
And so it was, with the channel opting for a school-themed affair to hype up Noel Edmonds and Are You Smarter Than a 10-Year-Old?. Smiling Sky head honcho Richard Woolfe did the honours with much gusto, allowing himself to be pranked by hired school kids. It was a good gambit - spontaneous applause! Simon Shaps would do well to learn from this. Better yet, Noel himself came on stage, wearing the same shirt he's sporting in the promo pictures. As you'd expect, he was particularly keen to cue in a spontaneous "television moment", whereby Woolfe had apparently nipped in part-way through the recording of an episode, and him that the contestant on the show - who was holding out for money to take her cerebral palsy-suffering daughter swimming with dolphins - could indeed go on that trip, courtesy of the upcoming Noel's Christmas Presents exhumation (on Sky One, natch).
Indeed, it was a "moment" - best bit being the overcome mum having to skip off stage accompanied by school kids, as is the show's wont.
Anyway, exciting stuff and - should you not be a Virgin Media Johnny like me - worth a look.
Afterwards, the immaculate bearded one mingled, and reacted politely to being glad-handed by yours truly. Also working the room: Dick and Dom! And then later, there was an "after show" party at the Embassy Club, where Ross Kemp was heard outside bragging to the bodyguards about his recent - ahem - tour of duty in Afghanistan for Ross Kemp on Afghanistan. On?
And so it was, with the channel opting for a school-themed affair to hype up Noel Edmonds and Are You Smarter Than a 10-Year-Old?. Smiling Sky head honcho Richard Woolfe did the honours with much gusto, allowing himself to be pranked by hired school kids. It was a good gambit - spontaneous applause! Simon Shaps would do well to learn from this. Better yet, Noel himself came on stage, wearing the same shirt he's sporting in the promo pictures. As you'd expect, he was particularly keen to cue in a spontaneous "television moment", whereby Woolfe had apparently nipped in part-way through the recording of an episode, and him that the contestant on the show - who was holding out for money to take her cerebral palsy-suffering daughter swimming with dolphins - could indeed go on that trip, courtesy of the upcoming Noel's Christmas Presents exhumation (on Sky One, natch).
Indeed, it was a "moment" - best bit being the overcome mum having to skip off stage accompanied by school kids, as is the show's wont.
Anyway, exciting stuff and - should you not be a Virgin Media Johnny like me - worth a look.
Afterwards, the immaculate bearded one mingled, and reacted politely to being glad-handed by yours truly. Also working the room: Dick and Dom! And then later, there was an "after show" party at the Embassy Club, where Ross Kemp was heard outside bragging to the bodyguards about his recent - ahem - tour of duty in Afghanistan for Ross Kemp on Afghanistan. On?
13 August 2007
A NEW WHOLE NEW BALL GAME
As I mentioned a few months back, all I ever watch on telly these days is football, and so I was certainly excited to see the new graphics, title sequences and theme tunes this weekend on both Sky Sports and the BBC. Most exciting of all, though, was the arrival of a brand new channel for Premier League football, as Aston Villa vs Liverpool was the first ever live Premier League match not to be broadcast on Sky Sports, but on new boys Setanta Sports.
There's always a danger when sporting contracts change hands for the new incumbent to try too hard to stand out and stuff their coverage with gimmicks. Setanta certainly haven't gone in this direction, and indeed it looked very much like you'd expect it to look - perfectly professional and adequate, it did what it had to do and that was about it. There were no real innovations but, in the end, all that matters is the 90 minutes.
One thing that might need sorting out is the opening of the show. The build-up to the 5.15pm kick-off begins at 4.30pm, while the rest of the day's matches are being played, so the first half-hour intersperses the features with a scrolling vidiprinter and match reports. Sadly, host Angus Scott was unconvincing at this when he was alone in the studio on ITV's unlamented results service The Goal Rush, so to expect him to try and link a live game from a stadium at the same time was asking for trouble. Given 99% of fans will be watching Soccer Saturday or Final Score, it might make more sense just to assume viewers can get this info elsewhere and just start the build-up at 5pm, or have someone in a studio monitoring the scores alone all afternoon, rather than this rather awkward compromise.
Still, it was nice to hear Jon Champion for a full 90 minutes, as he's a fine commentator and has been inexplicably marginalised by ITV (who apparently he'll continue working for throughout the season). Interviewer Alex Hayes was a bit at sea at the end ("Steven, you're the Barclays Player of the Week, er, game, er, Man of the Match!") but he's a print journalist first and foremost so let's give him time to get used to it.
In the end, Setanta made a decent start of it, and there was enough professionalism to make it look like their 101st Premier League game rather than their first. It doesn't have the glitz and glamour of Sky Sports but it's no England vs Poland on Channel 5-esque disaster either. And because I'm on Virgin, I'm getting it for free, so how can I complain?
However, Sky aren't resting on their laurels and have amazed us all in the new season by ... putting the commentators in vision at the start again, after an absence of many years. I always love seeing this sort of thing, and what better way to emphasise the dynamism and razzmatazz of the Premier League than putting ugly, balding sixtysomething Alan Parry in vision?
There's always a danger when sporting contracts change hands for the new incumbent to try too hard to stand out and stuff their coverage with gimmicks. Setanta certainly haven't gone in this direction, and indeed it looked very much like you'd expect it to look - perfectly professional and adequate, it did what it had to do and that was about it. There were no real innovations but, in the end, all that matters is the 90 minutes.
One thing that might need sorting out is the opening of the show. The build-up to the 5.15pm kick-off begins at 4.30pm, while the rest of the day's matches are being played, so the first half-hour intersperses the features with a scrolling vidiprinter and match reports. Sadly, host Angus Scott was unconvincing at this when he was alone in the studio on ITV's unlamented results service The Goal Rush, so to expect him to try and link a live game from a stadium at the same time was asking for trouble. Given 99% of fans will be watching Soccer Saturday or Final Score, it might make more sense just to assume viewers can get this info elsewhere and just start the build-up at 5pm, or have someone in a studio monitoring the scores alone all afternoon, rather than this rather awkward compromise.
Still, it was nice to hear Jon Champion for a full 90 minutes, as he's a fine commentator and has been inexplicably marginalised by ITV (who apparently he'll continue working for throughout the season). Interviewer Alex Hayes was a bit at sea at the end ("Steven, you're the Barclays Player of the Week, er, game, er, Man of the Match!") but he's a print journalist first and foremost so let's give him time to get used to it.
In the end, Setanta made a decent start of it, and there was enough professionalism to make it look like their 101st Premier League game rather than their first. It doesn't have the glitz and glamour of Sky Sports but it's no England vs Poland on Channel 5-esque disaster either. And because I'm on Virgin, I'm getting it for free, so how can I complain?
However, Sky aren't resting on their laurels and have amazed us all in the new season by ... putting the commentators in vision at the start again, after an absence of many years. I always love seeing this sort of thing, and what better way to emphasise the dynamism and razzmatazz of the Premier League than putting ugly, balding sixtysomething Alan Parry in vision?
11 August 2007
POST ME A SPOILER
Right, I'm bored of waiting and guessing now. Whodunit to the Peacocks' house on Coronation Street?
10 August 2007
"ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 10 YEAR OLD?"
According to this email I've just received, SRO Audiences are looking for punters to watch a new show:
"Hi there!Given the Ask The Family remake debacle, let's hope that this format is a better fit for the duo. The ticket ordering page is here, which also mentions the involvement of Noel Edmonds. Funny how his name wasn't in the email.
We thought that you may be interested to know that we are currently booking tickets for Dick & Dom's' new quiz show.
ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 10 YEAR OLD?
Hosted by Dick and Dom this brand new quiz show for all of the family gives grown ups the chance to win big cash if they can answer questions relating to subjects taught in school.
To make it easier, they get three cheats and 5 ten year-olds to help them as they work they way up to the big money prize!
Believe us, when you see what kids learn at school these days, they'll need it!
It's a perfect day out for the family during the school holidays, but Mums and Dads beware - this could show the kids whether you really are smarter than a 10 year old! The minimum age for attendance is 8 years and children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult.
If you would like to join us for this exciting and fun new quiz show at Elstree Studios for a morning, then apply now!
08 August 2007
"THIS CALLS FOR A SEXY PARTY!"
Nine months after it was going out at midnight, this week's Broadcast reports that Family Guy is now the second most popular programme on BBC3.
Alright, so that only means it's getting 650,000 viewers, compared to the 1.2 million people watching Katie and Peter on ITV2, but that still gets it into the digital TV top 10 and, apart from the adventures of Andre and Jordan, it's the only show in that chart which isn't a repeat or preview of an analogue show. I'd suggest the figures were pretty good for 11pm in the middle of summer on any channel.
It's now seven years almost to the day that the series first made its debut on British TV, when Channel 4 screened it at the now unimaginable time of 6pm - the Simpsons slot, of course, and one it could still fill now as the amount of editing they'd need to do on Family Guy could see both shows fit in the same half-hour. Famously it was reprieved from the axe in the USA thanks to huge DVD sales, so it looks like on both sides of the Atlantic it's a rare case of a series enjoying success purely through word of mouth.
As for the series itself, it's certainly a rum affair, and one that in any five minute period can be both the best and the worst programme on television. Everyone mentions that most of an episode is generally endless variations on the same joke - "This is worse than the time I did X with Y" - but it has to be said that plenty of those bits are very funny ("Hi, I'm Fran Drescher!").
The quality of the gags vary wildly, much of it is completely unintelligible to a British audience and parts of it (like last night's "wrong-voiced Muppets") are just disgusting. And yet, there are always loads of silly bits in it - Stewie dancing with Gene Kelly last week was a real high point - and it's hugely refreshing to see a series that is only interested in sticking as many jokes into 22 minutes as possible. And Stewie and Brian are the best double-act on telly.
It seems that a growing number of people are finding that, if they want to give their brain a bit of time off, the best way to do that is to watch Family Guy.
Alright, so that only means it's getting 650,000 viewers, compared to the 1.2 million people watching Katie and Peter on ITV2, but that still gets it into the digital TV top 10 and, apart from the adventures of Andre and Jordan, it's the only show in that chart which isn't a repeat or preview of an analogue show. I'd suggest the figures were pretty good for 11pm in the middle of summer on any channel.
It's now seven years almost to the day that the series first made its debut on British TV, when Channel 4 screened it at the now unimaginable time of 6pm - the Simpsons slot, of course, and one it could still fill now as the amount of editing they'd need to do on Family Guy could see both shows fit in the same half-hour. Famously it was reprieved from the axe in the USA thanks to huge DVD sales, so it looks like on both sides of the Atlantic it's a rare case of a series enjoying success purely through word of mouth.
As for the series itself, it's certainly a rum affair, and one that in any five minute period can be both the best and the worst programme on television. Everyone mentions that most of an episode is generally endless variations on the same joke - "This is worse than the time I did X with Y" - but it has to be said that plenty of those bits are very funny ("Hi, I'm Fran Drescher!").
The quality of the gags vary wildly, much of it is completely unintelligible to a British audience and parts of it (like last night's "wrong-voiced Muppets") are just disgusting. And yet, there are always loads of silly bits in it - Stewie dancing with Gene Kelly last week was a real high point - and it's hugely refreshing to see a series that is only interested in sticking as many jokes into 22 minutes as possible. And Stewie and Brian are the best double-act on telly.
It seems that a growing number of people are finding that, if they want to give their brain a bit of time off, the best way to do that is to watch Family Guy.
01 August 2007
MALCOLM AND BARBARA: IT RUMBLES ON
Now Michael Grade's released a statement.
I have today appointed Olswang, legal media specialists, to conduct a thorough, but speedy, investigation into the issues concerning the film Malcolm and Barbara: Love’s Farewell.
We need to discover why the film was originally understood to include the moment of death only for it to be established, after the intervention of Malcolm Pointon’s brother Graham earlier this week, that he died some days after the last scene in the film.
This is a very serious matter. I am on record as taking a “zero tolerance” approach to deliberate deceit in television programmes. I intend to establish the facts in this case as quickly as possible. I will publish the conclusions of the report and then take effective action as necessary.