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“I’ll give you $10 for a verbal response”

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 by · Comments Off 

What’s happened to Curb Your Enthusiasm on More4? Read more

Cheryl weedy

Tuesday, February 12, 2008 by · Comments Off 

I mentioned ages ago how, while I still think Curb Your Enthusiasm is extremely funny, I can’t always enjoy it as much as I’d like because I get frustrated by the supporting characters behaving in totally illogical and unreasonable ways. I know the whole concept of the series is that we’re supposed to laugh at Larry’s ineptitude, but he’d such an appealing character that you often can’t help but root for him and take his side in arguments. Read more

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 by · Comments Off 

Anyone in need of a sappy Christmas would have turned away from the last episode of this series blinking not from tears, but disbelief. Read more

The Jubilee line

Sunday, October 14, 2007 by · Comments Off 

Five years ago, Channel 4 was so miserable the only mention of its 20th anniversary came from Richard Whiteley on Countdown. Happily – presumably to cheer themselves up after a rather grim year – they’re making much more effort in celebrating their silver jubilee, with More4 screening archive shows every night in October. For my money, the most intriguing so far was Friday’s repeat of The Tube. Read more

Studio 60: Take two

Sunday, July 29, 2007 by · Comments Off 

Ian Jones’ review of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is now online. But, as it happens, Steve Williams also sent in a piece, which arrived mere minutes later. Here it is… Read more

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Thursday, July 26, 2007 by · Comments Off 

“I have no reason to trust you; you work in television.” Read more

Celebration

Monday, February 26, 2007 by · Comments Off 

The speech given by the announcer heralding More4′s presentation of Harold Pinter’s play Celebration couldn’t have been more disheartening. Read more

Trials, tribulations

Sunday, January 21, 2007 by · Comments Off 

Somes I’m just too slow when it comes to getting things done. A case in point: Some days ago Paul Stump sent me a review of The Trial of Tony Blair which I only got around to putting on the site this afternoon… at which point Ian Jones had sent me his take on the same show. I don’t want to put two reviews of the same thing online, so, Ian’s sadly gets consigned to the offal bin. This blog. Read more

The Trial of Tony Blair

Monday, January 15, 2007 by · Comments Off 

Here is a true story. A friend of mine stood against Tony Blair as a prospective parliamentary Labour candidate in the early 1980s. He quit in the final round, because Tony was, in his judgement “better looking” and more “electable”. My friend, now a mental health professional, also judged him to be “mad as fuck”. Read more

The West Wing

Friday, July 28, 2006 by · Comments Off 

It’s always tempting, when a long-running TV show that’s not as good as it once was, lumbers into the finishing straight amidst a flurry of eulogies and reminiscences, to stop fighting and just give in. Read more

Lowe and behold

Saturday, July 15, 2006 by · Comments Off 

On last night’s episode of The West Wing there was a real, genuine, bona fide “yes!” moment of the kind the show used to do as a matter of course, but which hasn’t bothered with for ages. Read more

The West Wing

Friday, May 12, 2006 by · Comments Off 

Firstly, anyone who has already bailed out on this series: shame on you. Read more

“Before you send $30m of my money to Mexico I want to ask some questions!”

Saturday, March 18, 2006 by · Comments Off 

The seventh – and last – series of The West Wing has begun transmission on More4. Having previously bailed out from the show on grounds of it no longer being not even a faint shadow of its former mighty self, it’s proved impossible not to be drawn back to see how the whole sprawling mess tries to resolve itself. Read more

Snowmail

Saturday, January 21, 2006 by · Comments Off 

When he wasn’t otherwise occupied with the trifling business of reading the news, Reginald Bosanquet divided his time between playing tennis, holding court in the ITN bar and penning amorous poetry about Anna Ford. Read more

Pete and Dud – The Lost Tapes

Monday, December 26, 2005 by · Comments Off 

Sometimes, giving a little context to repeats of old television shows can be a very useful thing. Read more

The West Wing

Friday, October 21, 2005 by · Comments Off 

An ex-alcoholic and a wizened septuagenarian with a heart problem running the most powerful country on earth? Read more

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