Doctor Who

The BBC’s latest scattershot repeat run of Doctor Who stories came to an end with part six of “Genesis of the Daleks”. A menacing close-up of a Dalek warning us straight to camera that this was “only the beginning” was followed by the Doctor and companions freefalling through outer space and off our terrestrial TV screens – again. Read more

Friends Like These

Early Saturday evening television is not really territory with which I have been overly familiar of recent years, not since the demise of the classic paring of Gladiators followed by Blind Date. Read more

The League of Gentlemen

Last episodes in comedy serial are often grand affairs. Read more

Queer as Folk 2

Up until that first commercial break Queer as Folk 2 felt as though it was going to deliver (in an agreeable enough way) more of the same. Stuart fucking/”fuck off”ing, Vince worthy and charming but a bit useless, Nathan enthusiastic yet on the periphery and Alexander unconcerned, uninterested and luminescent. The previous series ended with Vince and Stuart in celebration of their unchanging, tiny world; however after 15 minutes of the usual banter and soap-operatics something was different aboutQAF2. That world was no longer enough. Read more

Nature Boy

Radio Times has been a poor barometer for quality drama recently, often times appearing more like the BBC’s barrow boy (pushing shonky goods such asGormenghast and po-facedly reprimanding the competition’s Queer as Folk 2). So it is doubly satisfying to chance upon a piece of drama that is pushed by the BBC’s propaganda machine. Read more

EastEnders: The Family Album

Scurrying along in the wake of Monty Python‘s 30th, Not the Nine O’clock News (and Newsnight‘s 20th and The Simpsons‘ 10th), comes the flags-and-bunting jamboree that is EastEnders‘ 15th birthday; a bizarre anniversary to mark in itself, and one that compounds the impression of television retrospective celebrations coming round on an almost weekly basis. Read more

The Day Britain Died

As I may have said elsewhere, these are auspicious times. Read more