Lawson the listener

There is a fashion currently to scorn Mark Lawson over the sporadic set of elongated interviews he is doing for BBC4, but frankly, I think each one I’ve seen has been brilliant. Read more

Depress to impress

It’s not often television, especially in documentary form, makes me feel humble or lucky, even though through my own reasons of health and happiness (though the fortune has yet to turn up), I know I am. But watching Stephen Fry’s two-part examination of the bipolar condition with which he and four million others live made me feel just lucky to be me, warts and all. Read more

Natal attraction

Contrast the two storylines in our main soaps right now involving the aftermath of childbirth. Read more

Big Brother

“Eazamanna!” This was the Big Brother with the most weeks, the most housemates, the most twists, the most innovations, the most outside influences, the most late arrivals, the most eviction escapes by one person – and the most telegraphed winner since the first week. Read more

Big Brother

Dreams can come true. Imogen is out of the Big Brother house at last, and by some idiotic quirk Nikki’s found her way back in. I’m disgusted, but only on principle. Read more

Big Brother

It’s been an atrocious week for Mikey, and his sudden, grievous demise and eviction sums up the ruthlessness of Big Brother. After 10 weeks of relatively effortless surfing of the wave, his fall into the drink was quick and spectacular. Read more

Big Brother

Big Brother is a daring old stick, it has to be said. A programme which exists purely for being live and unpredictable, and still it chucks innovations our way without any cast-iron proof that they would work. Read more

Big Brother

Cruelty is something Big Brother likes to administer on its housemates if there is a danger of the series becoming a little too unremarkable in mid-run. Read more

Big Brother

I’m not a betting man. This isn’t down to any inbred principle (unless my mother is reading this) but more down to a lack of knowledge. Read more

“You are allowed to cheer, y’know!”

There shouldn’t be anything about Big Brother which should surprise us any more, really. In carefully tracking as much of it as I can for the weekly OTT reviews, the one thing that has irked me is the seeming lack of desire on behalf of the show’s paymasters to allow evicted housemates any benefit of doubt. Read more

Big Brother

So, goodbye to Lea. Numerous nomenclatures have been thrown at her in her seven silicone-enhanced weeks in the Big Brother house, but the description of her by housemates as the First Lady of Big Brother is the most befitting. And the most flattering. Read more

Big Brother

How many Big Brother housemates need not have bothered this week? Quite a few. Individuals were on their toes but barriers were starting to break down. Read more

Big Brother

Well, thanks to a loose wire or somesuch other technical indiscretion, Lisa and her mouth the size of a bus park very nearly didn’t get their marching orders. Read more

Big Brother

The last seven intriguing and frustrating days in the Big Brother house have been about two girls. And, in their collective paranoia and vindictiveness, they really were girls. Read more

Big Brother

If I’d found a golden ticket in a Kit-Kat, there’s no way in 1000 years I’d have contemplated entering the Big Brother house. Read more

Big Brother

The main problem with watching Big Brother is that it makes you examine your own conscience. Let’s face it, just about every BB fan will not be wholly thrilled at what they may see. Read more

Big Brother

Well, it’s always eventful in the first week of any Big Brother, although rarely is it entirely through the initial actions of the housemates. Read more

Top Gear

Do you know anything about cars? I don’t. Read more

World Darts

Nothing divides folk quite like sport. While everyone has their favourite and their least favourite, it’s always been the humane thing to “never criticise another person’s sport.” Read more

Big Brother

When Graham Norton turned up at the final night of BB3 last year to give the pro-Jade camp a further fill-up, he told Davina McCall: “The public have played a very good game this year, because they’ve kept the interesting ones in.” And he was absolutely right. Read more

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