2009

As 2009 wraps up, and the “best of the noughties” appraisals get under way, what, if anything, from the decade’s final 12 months will be brought into focus?  Incredibly it seems, 2009 was the year of Simon Cowell, who having been involved in talent shows for most of the last 10 years, still has something left to keep him at the top of the TV hierarchy.  Will his luck run out in 2010, or is Cowell’s renewed dominance merely a sign that 2009 has been a year in which very little has truly emerged on the small screen to create the kind of impact his shows muster? Read more

Hollyoaks: The Movie

As an occasional viewer I don’t really follow Chester’s beautiful people too closely, yet as other writers here have noted it has had its moments of superb drama. So what of tonight’s after-hours episode? Read more

Food and Drink

After the wacky antics of Ainsley’s Gourmet Express we enter the realms of a slightly more sedate Food and Drink. On air for more than 15 years it predates the current mantra “cookery is the new rock’n'roll” by some time. However has the presentation succumbed to the trendy gimmicks of its more recent rivals? We check out the freshness of Food and Drink. Read more

Cricket on 4

“Cricket – a game which the English, not being a spiritual people, have invented in order to give themselves some conception of Eternity” – Lord Mancroft Read more

Chambers

Here’s the setup: a legal situation comedy. Read more

River Deep, Mountain High

Remember Now Get Out of That? Bernald Falk wryly commentating on two teams solving problems against the clock, and each other? Well River Deep, Mountain High is an updated version of this concept. Read more

Through the Keyhole

David Frost drawls his way through another tedious show. It appears as though he must get blasted before ambling onto the set and to be honest the viewers ought to as well. Read more

The Weather Forecast

Serving a small but useful function we often take The Weather Forecast for granted. Read more