Bella and the Boys (3/05)
Future Doctor Who companion Billie Piper stars in this BBC TV
movie about a reunion at a foster home by the now-adult children who grew
up there. And it wouldn't be dramatic if there weren't secrets to
be revealed and other shoes to be dropped where love is concerned, would
it?
The Catherine Tate Show (3/05)
Catherine is this year's Tracy Ullman, and she appears as different
recurring characters in this BBC sketch comedy series. Some running
jokes include a very nervous housewife, a paranoid profane granny, an insolent
schoolgirl (a character not far off from one played by Matt Lucas on Little
Britain), and an existential detective.
Hustle (3/05)
Robert Vaughn co-stars in this glossy BBC light drama/action series
about a team of slick con men (and one woman). Each week, "Mission:
Impossible"-style, they single out some obvious villain and proceed to
clean his shorts out (apparently this is okay because the audience knows
the mark is a real creep). Usually there is at least one con pulled
on the audience (oh no, they've killed him! Oh, just kidding!) and
digital effects allow them to actually stop the action, explain directly
to the audience what is going on, or even have an impromptu musical number
(during a movie scam). Entertaining fluff.
The Impressionable Jon Culshaw (3/05)
ITV nicks BBC's Dead Ringers best weapon:
uber-impressionist Jon Culshaw who does devastating versions of Tony Blair,
Russell Crowe, and Tom Baker. Britain has always loved impressionists,
especially those that can do political figures, from Mike Yarwood in the
1970s, to Rory Bremner in the 90s (still going strong) to Culshaw today.
Jerry Springer - The Opera (3/05)
BBC broadcast of the hit West End musical in London that was co-written
and directed by Stewart Lee of Lee & Herring fame (Fist
of Fun, This Morning With Richard
Not Judy). Despite much controversy before its January 2005
transmission (the Beeb even ran two disclaimers warning viewers), the world
did not come to an end afterwards. Starring former "Starsky &
Hutch" actor David Soul as Jerry Springer, the first half of the show comes
across as a typical episode of his talk show, albeit all sung. But
Act I ends with Jerry getting shot and then things really jump into hyperdrive
with a storyline that has more in common with "Dogma" than merely mocking
American white trash TV viewers. It is really incredible even reduced
to being seen on television rather than live on stage.
The Keith Barret Show (3/05)
Rob Brydon takes his sad sack character from Marion
& Geoff and becomes a BBC chat show presenter! I guess
the Kumars have proven that anyone can
host a talk show, as long as you keep the guests laughing. Still,
it's nice to think Keith finally accomplished something...
Life Begins (3/05)
Caroline Quentin (Men Behaving Badly)
stars in this ITV comedy/drama series about a housewife whose husband (Alexander
Armstrong) suddenly walks out of their marriage and she must cope with
their kids and earning a living. She ends up working at a travel
agency (after first tricking them into hiring her in the first place) and
slowly begins to make new friends and find her place in the world as an
independent person.
No Angels (3/05)
Channel 4 drama about a quartet of nurses who live and work together
and their various issues in the private and professional lives. The
moral of the series might be: doctors know everything, but don't mess with
the nurses!
Still Game (3/05)
BBC Scottish sitcom about two old duffers and their misadventures,
starring much younger actors (Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill) in makeup.
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