Saturday, December 29, 2007
House and country
OUTLAW! Robin Hood, BBC1, 6.00pm Labels: BBC1, Hallmark, House, Robin Hood, TV
While having lunch with a friend of ours yesterday, we were debating the condition of modern light entertainment, as is often the case with us. The conversation turned to the subject of Robin Hood, with our friend opining that while she couldn't bear to watch a single second of the first series, she'd rather enjoyed series two. The reason? The producers had clearly realised when they were onto a good thing, and had taken every possible opportunity to get Richard Armitage to take his shirt off. Because essentially, while we like to think we're a very sophisticated audience, it's surprising how quickly we can be won over with some utterly gratuitous but well-deployed shirtlessness. (The same can be said of season two of Heroes; even when the plot was hopelessly off-course, an episode could be instantly saved by the inclusion of shirtless Peter Petrelli.)
The second series has been doing a fair job of holding up the ratings in a thankless slot against The X Factor (perhaps if Robin spent more time talking about his dead parents, he might have managed a more sizeable audience), and some quite nifty guest stars including Charlie Brooks and Josie Lawrence. Tonight's series-closing double bill includes a guest appearance from Konnie Huq, our second-favourite Blue Peter presenter (after Gethin, natch), and hopefully twice the amount of shirtless Guy of Gisborne. If it ain't broke, after all...
MEDICAL! House weekend, Hallmark, from 10.00am
Although we were surprisingly unscathed by our downgrading from cable TV to Freeview a year ago, one thing we do miss from time to time is when the niche channels decided to boost their ratings by running a marathon of their top shows for an entire weekend, so you could just sit there and gorge yourself on quality (or otherwise) television without even needing to worry if the remote control was within arm's reach. We still miss the Living Charmed weekends, and we're more than a little disappointed that we won't be able to catch Hallmark showing the entirety of season two of House back-to-back. But we're still charitable enough to mention it to you guys, to make sure you know it's happening.
So, if your eyes and your bottom are up to it, look forward to LL Cool J, romantic entanglements, sex being a very dangerous thing, and that kickass finale episode with its alarmingly loose grip on reality, amongst other things. You'll have to wait until tomorrow for that one, though, so be sure to get some exercise in the meantime. We only want what's best for you.
By Steve :: Post link
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Saturday, December 08, 2007
Lincoln green Janine
GUEST! Robin Hood, BBC1, 7.00pm Labels: BBC1, Charlie Brooks, exciting guest appearances, Robin Hood, TV
We're not quite sure how this second series of Robin Hood went from being an object of scorn and derision to being the week's most eagerly-anticipated televisual highlight for at least one lowculture correspondent. Possibly it was the scene in the first episode when a shirtless Allan appeared to be oiled into submission by Guy of Gisbourne that did it. Perhaps it was the realisation that every anachronism (and there's quite a few, to be fair) will be explained away by Djaq saying "It's Saracen medicine / science / technology / genetic engineering / broadband / commercial space travel" etc. Maybe it's just all the lovely fires.
Or maybe it was when the celebrity guest roles started coming thicker and faster than ever before. The vastly improved (really!) second series has seen a number of expectedly and unexpectedly brilliant appearances from 21st century actors playing medieval nobility, clergy and peasant filth, including Dexter Fletcher, Josie Lawrence, Tony Slattery, Ralf Little, David Bamber, the particularly amazing Denis Lawson and, last week, Mathew Horne showcasing his stand-up skills as a glitter-encrusted, pigeon-fancying, completely unflappable Fool. This week, however, it gets really exciting, with an appearance from none other than Charlie Brooks, aka EastEnders' very own Quite Evil Janine Butcher/the Butcher/Evans, as a 'forest person' (tramp?) whose path the Sheriff of Nottingham crosses when he accidentally wanders into Sherwood Forest during a lengthy sleepwalk.
Of course, the Sheriff's absence causes a few problems back in Nottingham, what with Prince John having agreed to burn the city to the ground if any harm befalls him, and ultimately Robin and Marian have to - gasp! - work alongside Guy to track the Sheriff down before Nottingham is torched at sunset. Will they find the Sheriff in time? Will Nottingham survive? Can Robin and Guy really work together? Those are the sort of questions we're all supposed to be asking ourselves, obviously, but what we're really wondering is whether Charlie Brooks will get more lines in this than she did in Bleak House. (Centre stage on the Radio Times three-page fold-out cover, and then she only got about five words throughout the whole eight-hour series!) And if Charlie's not a draw for you, next week Lynda 'ITV' Bellingham guest stars as Queen Eleanor. Will she play it 'mumsy' or 'gangster'? Tune in to find out! Go on, it finishes in a few weeks. Oh, you really are all going to have to start watching this properly at some point, you know.
By Nick :: Post link
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Friday, November 02, 2007
Twenty-five to 4
QUARTER CENTURY! The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, Channel 4, 10.00pm Labels: anniversary, BBC1, Channel 4, idents, Robin Hood, The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz, TV
ADVENTUREY! Robin Hood, BBC1, Saturday, 7.15pm
Another week, another UK terrestrial channel with a divisible-by-five birthday (well, that's two so far this year). Channel 4 is 25 years old, and what better way to mark the occasion than a TWO HOUR (!!!) celebrity comedy panel show quiz thing. Surprisingly, Channel 4 have chosen to forsake the obvious towering icons of their history in favour of a bunch of little-known comedians and mathematicians (it's mainly comedians, to be honest). So, instead of the Max and Patricia Farnham / Sally Smedley / Kevin McCloud / Brian Steadman / Hubba Hubba panel you might have been hoping for, team members include David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade, Alan Carr, Jack Dee, Frank Skinner and VorderMan, with Jimmy Carr overseeing and Wossy and Gervaisy among the special guests popping in to celebrate how much richer they became when they went to the BBC.
Of course, anyone knows that commemorating a channel's birthday is really just an excuse to dig out lots of old clips of idents, logos and trailers from days or yore and, as the channel with the best and most consistent branding of the lot, Channel 4 doesn't disappoint. The tidy Channel 4 at 25 page on their website provides a selection of beautiful idents from over the years, as well as information on their comedy, drama and documentary highlights (free for download on 4oD over the next few weeks), a controversy-charting Channel 4 timeline, exciting 1982 FACTS! and lots of photos of their office building for some reason. Never let it be said that Channel 4 doesn't know how to throw a retrospective, internet-based party.
On the subject of exuberant things that aren't very old, tomorrow Robin Hood cheerfully continues his mission to make Saturday evenings ridiculous. We really wouldn't blame you for giving this second series a wide berth, yet with every anachromism it grows more and more entertaining: so far we've seen the Sheriff of Nottingham's dominatrix sister meet a sticky end in her own snake pit, Ocean's Eleven Robin's gang attempting an assault on the Sheriff's strongroom during a visit from a travelling supercasino, Guy of Gisborne's new armour turning him into Robocop and, last week, Ralf Little guest starring as a twitchy scientist with a plan to use a bioweapon to eradicate all the 'dirt' in medieval England (that's the people of Nottingham to you and me).
Best of all, however, has been the ongoing betrayal of Robin's gang by young, chirpy, fit as fuck Allan A Dale, who reluctantly entered into an 'agreement' with mostly evil, smoulderingly handsome Guy four weeks ago and has been haemorrhaging information about Robin's activities ever since, during secret Spooks-style liasons in doorways and behind taverns. The wonderful shame etched across Allan's face when he meets with Guy and can't quite look him in the eye is the main reason we're watching, really (well, that and Marian's FABULOUS couture wardrobe). Except this week Robin cottons-on to the fact that somebody in his camp is a traitor, potentially killing the best plot in the series stone dead before it's even halfway done. Stupid cocking Robin. Let's hope he keeps it to himself.
By Nick :: Post link
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