Recommended Television Programmes

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

aka self-indulgence. As Alison Graham (I think it was) in Radio Times put it, it's very Hugo Blicky.

Weeeeell ... my vote goes to "self-indulgence" over "committee production" every time. I haven't been watching Black Earth Rising, but Blick's previous Writer/Director/Producer credits include the rather wonderful Marion & Geoff, Sensitive Skin, The Shadow Line, and The Honorable Woman, none of which struck me as "lacking creative tension" or "obscure".

And if it attracts the opprobrium of Alison Graham, then it goes straight to the top of my "must see" list!

[kernelbogey]

Hugo Blick is new to me. (I've led a rather sheltered life ).

[Richard Tarleton]

And if it attracts the opprobrium of Alison Graham, then it goes straight to the top of my "must see" list!

I don't think she was knocking it , just alluding to its inescapably art-house pretensions! The only one of those I tried (and soon gave up on) was The Honorable Woman, but this is engrossing, not least as kernebogey says for the lead performance. I quite often find myself in agreement with Ms Graham

[LMcD]

Weeeeell ... my vote goes to "self-indulgence" over "committee production" every time. I haven't been watching Black Earth Rising, but Blick's previous Writer/Director/Producer credits include the rather wonderful Marion & Geoff, Sensitive Skin, The Shadow Line, and The Honorable Woman, none of which struck me as "lacking creative tension" or "obscure".

And if it attracts the opprobrium of Alison Graham, then it goes straight to the top of my "must see" list!

She was one of the reasons I finally cancelled my subscription to the Radio Times. I can't say I miss it.

[Stanfordian]

[/U][/I][/B]

She was one of the reasons I finally cancelled my subscription to the Radio Times. I can't say I miss it.

I also stopped buying the Radio Times after many, many years. I don't miss it know. Have you noticed how young people don't usually buy newspapers and magazines. Buying habits are changing quickly.

[subcontrabass]

I thought so, yes. A bit "seen this sort of thing before", but done well.

I binge-watched the first two series. Probably better than watching one episode a week. Series One takes about three episodes before it becomes slightly clearer as to who is on which side (and there are more than two sides involved) and who is just out for themselves. The various plots and sub-plots all unravel at the end (with plenty of twists along the way). I found some difficulty in sorting out which was which of several very similar female characters (all similar age, height, build, and hair). I also found it distracting that one of the other female leads was the spitting image of someone I worked with a couple of years ago.

[johncorrigan]

If you're in any way arachnophobic you should probably avoid this evening's extremely entertaining Doc Who. Funny and kinda creepy - I'm enjoying this new Doctor Who so far.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'm enjoying this new Doctor Who so far.

- it took a couple of stories (I rarely like the "regeneration" stories, and the one after that, JW gabbled her lines away so quickly, it sounded like an video of dinnerladies played on Fast Forward. But last week's Rosa Parks and this week's spiders have been very good indeed - highly enjoyable.

[Richard Tarleton]

For lovers of slow TV, haters of intrusive background music - BBC4's 3 hour documentary following the journey of The Ghan across Australia from Adelaide to Darwin is hypnotically absorbing. Lots of info conveyed by on-screen graphics, but otherwise just ambient sound and the occasional announcement from the train manager about things to look out for. My 80-something aunt who lives in Tasmania recently visited her daughter in Darwin, flew there and took The Ghan back again. A 3-day journey, 35 carriages pulled by two huge engines, it's named for the Afghan camel drivers who helped with construction....TV to doze off to, only to find you've only missed a few hundred miles

[Lat-Literal]

Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Had never properly watched it before. Some stunning parallels with that Brexit thing to be made should you wish. Didn't even realise it was Clement and La Frenais. I've posted this in a different form in the last couple of weeks. Know it is a bit corny but even that seems apt - I've really taken to it this year. Finally....finally...I got someone today on the phone in Tynemouth who knew what she was talking about; most of the houses in Middle Street are very cleaned up but Edwardian. At either end, a few changes but they had to be in the style via English Heritage. I'm thrilled. I've not only got my answers but I also know that my family resided all the way back in the middle of Middle Street. We still do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_519h95XFs

(Some of this seems patronising; I hope not; I don't see me doing another ten years but, if so, now I'm being pulled this way and that: SW and NE and I'm not sure I could rule NE out. It's kind of where you want to have on your certificate when you ended. A hospital is a hospital but it is not. I would want the idea that it showed a journey of sorts - it's sense to me.)

[Nick Armstrong]

The 'live special' episode of Inside No. 9 (for Hallowe'en, although broadcast on 28th - a fact which they complain about in the programme itself ) was one of the most intriguing bits of television I've seen lately. Worth a watch - stick with it!! Good to see the magnificent Stephanie Cole entering into the spirit...

Nice 'Classic FM' parody too, complete with 'Make your Will' adverts for the geriatric audience...

- "Sit back, relaaaaax and..."

- ... stop breathing

[jayne lee wilson]

The best rockumentary I've seen for ages, Bob Harris' resurrected/reconstructed footage of Queen's News of The World album and 1977 USA tour...(Somebody to Love/We Will Rock You/We are the Champions etc). The interviews with the band showing - poignantly now - Freddie Mercury at his most charismatic, charming and beautiful. What a lovely man.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09d5xpf

With plenty of truly great singing!

[LMcD]

The 'live special' episode of Inside No. 9 (for Hallowe'en, although broadcast on 28th - a fact which they complain about in the programme itself ) was one of the most intriguing bits of television I've seen lately. Worth a watch - stick with it!! Good to see the magnificent Stephanie Cole entering into the spirit...

Nice 'Classic FM' parody too, complete with 'Make your Will' adverts for the geriatric audience...

- "Sit back, relaaaaax and..."

- ... stop breathing

I still can't decide whether it was absolutely brilliant or horrendously self-indulgent! But I shall certainly watch the new series. I agree that the 'Smooth Classics' segment was very clever, but would it have meant that much to those who haven't previously been exposed to that sort of thing?

[Bryn]

I always (and still do) think that a lot of the special quality of the programme was lost when the Doctor regained control of the TARDIS steering - that extra frisson of the early days, when he had no idea where he was going to end up next. I'm rather hoping that the "lost" TARDIS idea of this first Jodie Whitaker series will become a feature - the Doctor trying to catch up with wherever it's got to.

But then, I'd rather like it if she encountered Susan again, several centuries on from his abandoning her on Earth at the end of the second Dalek story, still played by Carol Ann Ford, and really annoying her by keep calling her "Grandfather".


I really should get on with the ironing.

Hmm. Getting a bit current political with Kerblamazon, what?

[jayne lee wilson]

Hmm... yes, so we have a Dr Who who lectures a middle manager about being nicer to his workers, in a factory called....(ever heard of show-don't-tell, writers?)

I was so gripped by this ep I really did fall asleep in the middle (cat-on-lap, but still...)... so (explications welcome - was there anything much more to it? Ah. Thought not.) I should reserve judgment but I am not much drawn to trying again. With each episode I've felt less and less enthusiastic, even to the sacrilegious point of not really liking the current Doctor very much....

(Partly because I have the unfortunate and presently unshakeable impression that Jodie Whittaker is playing Sue Perkins playing Dr. Who....YMMV, of course...)