Category: TV

When I was a kid they used to say it would give you square eyes and rot your brain. Now I’m all grown up, I can confidently point out that I do not have square eyes.

Advent #22

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in Christmas, TV

I don’t know if it’s just me, but in the days before Christmas I like to get my ducks in a row.

These are metaphorical ducks you understand (our actual duck is in the freezer). Things that need tidying up, tidying away, settled or sorted or finished before ‘the big day’. Things like giving the kitchen a good clean, clearing the washing/ironing piles (or at least reducing them so they can’t be seen over the top of the Ali Baba and the flasket respectively). But also, things like finishing up the book I’m reading. Not that I want to suggest all I do is watch TV but, finish any serials I’m watching.

And – and I appreciate this is almost certainly only me, and only this year – and finish Take The High Road.

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I’ve probably never mentioned it before but since 2020 I’ve been watching Take The High Road, available on the STV Player (the ‘Och-iPlayer’ if you like). There are 1517 episodes in total. I have 1 left.

It’s strange when something that’s been a part of daily life comes to an end; but somehow Christmas feels like the right time for it. Although it’s very possible that I only think that because I’m part of ‘the TV generation’ where things often ARE wrapped up neatly and conveniently and happily, all in time for Christmas.

So I’ve finished my book, ready for anything Santa might bring. I’m ready for the boxset I know he IS bringing (I mentioned it back on December 8th, Dr Who Versus Nessie). But, and at the risk of sounding like Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, I don’t think Santa has any decade-spanning twice-weekly half-hour soap operas in his sack for me.

On that front, it’s the end of the (High) road.

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Advent #13

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in Christmas, TV

Rowan Atkinson was on the Radio 2 breakfast show the other day. Quite daunting for Scott Mills, especially when Rowan started by saying that he only does interviews “if I’m forced to”! In fact he was charming, courteous, and witty; and right at the end of the interview (and right at the end of this paragraph) they mentioned Christmas mainstay, Love Actually.

Current image: Rowan Atkinson as a jewellery counter assistant.

Rowan’s turn in it always feels like a joke with the punchline missing. For most of the runtime he’s a one-scene cameo working at the jewellery counter in a swanky department store – but then he reappears to help Liam Neeson’s stepson get into the airport in order to profess undying love (actually) to one of his classmates, and he has a knowing look as if maybe the character was supposed to have been randomly popping up all the way through.

Well! From his interview the other day, it turns out that in an early draft Rowan’s character was a guardian angel– which, although ludicrous, nevertheless makes more sense of his randomly giving love (actually) a hand at Heathrow.

It also puts a new slant on his department store appearance. The long-winded gift-wrapping is deliberately drawn out, to give Alan Rickman’s character time to reconsider giving the expensive necklace to his slutty secretary. Albeit it doesn’t work and Rickman’s Harry does end up cheating on his wife. Sorry, but it’s not all about love (actually).

It’s a film I always enjoy at this time of year, despite its faults, and somehow I see something different in it every time. Certainly I shall be looking at Rowan’s character in a very different light this year.

By the way there is also an entirely-excised plotline, featuring Anne Reid and Frances de la Tour as an older couple in love. (Yes, actually.)

Advent #11

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in 1980s, BBC, Christmas, TV

Still making my way through The Box of Delights, and I’d quite forgotten that the bishop of Tatchester, cheerful in part one, scrobbled in part four, but ultimately released and full of yuletide spirit in part six – is played by the late John Horsley who is probably best-remembered for having been Doc Morrisey in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.

Current image: Actor John Horsley as Doc Morrissey, holding a stethoscope to the chest of Leonard Rossiter as Reginald Perrin.

The first time I saw anything of Reggie Perrin was, ironically, the last thing they did when a five minute sketch from the Perrin team featured in The Funny Side of Christmas in 1982. Hosted by Frank Muir, it was like a selection box, an-hour-and-a-bit of specially-made Christmas sketches from a dozen or so comedies of the day.

It’s hard to imagine such a show nowadays, partly because that sense of the BBC family has gone (in the rose-tinted sense, but also in the pragmatic sense that the entire output is no longer coming out of Television Centre, Wood Lane, W12 8QT).

I was also going to say it’s hard to imagine such a show nowadays, because there aren’t any decent sitcoms anymore–

–except that’s clearly not true. But I must confess I’ve never once bothered with Count Arthur Strong, Derry Girls, Ghosts. Not even Gavin & Stacey. Somehow, the great British sitcom has become one of those things that I never bother to support but which I would be outraged about losing (like my local library or the Church of England).

So, on reflection, I suppose… I mean, really it would be no more than my civic duty to spend some time this Christmas just watching sitcoms, wouldn’t it.

Not that I want to suggest all I do is watch TV.

(I didn’t get where I am today by suggesting all I do is watch TV.)

Advent #8

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in 1970s, 1980s, BBC, Childhood, Christmas, Doctor Who, TV

At this time of year, I often find my thoughts turning towards the latest BBC Doctor Who blu-rays. (Because yes, season of goodwill notwithstanding I really am that shallow.)

The latest, released in October but promptly squirrelled away somewhere in the house to await Christmas Day, is season 13. First aired from Autumn 1975 to Spring 1976 (nicely helping to pass the time between the two long hot Summers) it’s got everything – assuming that by ‘everything’  you mean disembodied brains, killer plants and, er, some nonsense with an eyepatch in The Android Invasion. But my favourite is the opener, Terror of the Zygons, in which some whispering alien shape-changers plot to take over the world using their pet Loch Ness monster.

I was too young in 1975, so the first time I laid eyes on this beauty was in 1988 when the BBC brought it out on video – released in November but promptly squirrelled away somewhere in the house to await Christmas Day.

On the face of it there’s nothing at all Christmassy about it, other than a bit of snow on some of the location filming – but because of that first viewing all those years ago, it feels to me that it has Christmas running all the way through it. Half-drowned oil rig worker shot dead on a beach? The Doctor and Sarah Jane left to suffocate in a decompression chamber? An alien doppleganger of Harry Sullivan impaled on a pitchfork? I can practically smell the mulled wine already.

Even the Doctor puts on a special outfit for the (non-)occasion. OK, it’s not a santa suit, but it IS something special, a one-off just for this story. So special in fact that he’s sporting it on the front cover of…

Did I mention it’s out on blu-ray?

Current image: Bluray cover, featuring Tom Baker as Doctor Who wearing a Tam O'Shanter hat and a Tartan scarf.

Advent #3

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in 1980s, BBC, Christmas, Doctor Who, TV
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Having cynically poo-poo’d it a couple of years back I’ve given in to temptation and, almost four decades since I last saw it, am rewatching The Box of Delights.

It’s a sprawling six-part tale of time travelling and villainy (a bit like Doctor Who) and  belongs to a more innocent time – not just its period setting of England between the wars (and a rather upper-class England at that); but also in the sense that it was made in the early-eighties.

As such its special effects, though expensive for the time, are often a case of ambition outstripping technology (a bit like Doctor Who). Of course, back in the day it was accepted that you entered into the viewing contract with an agreement to suspend your disbelief where necessary. But nevertheless, I can assure you that nobody was convinced by the cartoon creatures added to the live-action footage, nor by actors got up in mouse or rat costumes. No, not even back in the naïve eighties.

But it has a superbly-haunting theme tune (a spooky rendering of The First Nowell in the opening titles, a stirring full-on orchestra version over the end credits) and a cracking first episode… Alas, the other five struggle and ultimately fail to live up to the promise of the opener. A bit like Doctor Who (The Web Planet/Underworld/Etc).

It also has a lot of snow, and a lot of warmth, and with its tale of wizards and magic, of kidnapped clerics and cathedral choirs, it’s brimful of Christmas spirit.

Not to mention the cast list. Robert Stephens as the villain. A lovely turn by James Grout as the village policeman. And as the mysterious showman Cole Hawlings… Well, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed but he looks, well…

A bit like Doctor Who.

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Advent #24

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in Christmas, Doctor Who, Family, Friends, TV

I recently discovered that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” is only half a saying (wasn’t that a Tommy Steel musical?). The full Wilde-ism runs, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness” which has a rather different connotation. Likewise, poor old money gets a bad press, but actually it’s THE LOVE OF money that is the root of all evil.

Similarly: I often cite Frasier from the final episode of Cheers, saying “Time goes by, so fast. People move in and out of your life. You must never miss an opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you” – which is a worthy and insightful observation from Boston’s premier psychiatrist… But the significant detail is that he fails to follow his own advice, and remains silent. It’s advice that’s easier to agree with than to act on – I think so anyway (other than one uncharacteristic moment several years ago, in the freezer aisle at Tesco).

Not that I want to give the impression my entire life philosophy is founded on sitcoms, but… One of the great sitcom moments is in The Vicar of Dibley where boring old Frank, broadcasting on Radio Dibley, begins his show, “I first discovered I was gay…” He goes on to say how he has wanted to tell his friends for years, but is now finally able to from behind a microphone.

I suppose it’s just that one step of removal, and perhaps it’s the same with ‘social media’ – easier to write it down, easier to make sure we express ourselves correctly (“I do hope I do it all right” as Joyce Grenfell said). 

So with that in mind, with the hope that we’ve all made it safely to harbour once again,  I’d like to wish you a good Christmas. Whether you celebrate the true spirit of the season (ie, watch the Doctor Who Christmas special) or if you’re a non-believer; whatever you’re doing and whoever you’re doing it with, I hope you have a peaceful and relaxing and enjoyable time of it.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good night.

You Have Been Reading

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Advent #22

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in BBC, Christmas, TV
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Although Morecambe & Wise are a Christmas institution I’m slightly too young (yes, you heard me!) to remember them at the time. No, if I associate any comedy duo with Christmas, it’s more likely to be The Two Ronnies.

Nowadays, like Eric & Ern, we tend to get ‘Best Of’ compilations of Ronnie & Ronnie, meaning we’re used to seeing great sketch after great sketch (and perhaps giving the misleading view that EVERY one was a classic).

Four Candles of course. But also the Mastermind sketch, a clever idea brilliantly exploited. Ditto the phone booth sketch, and F.U.N.E.X. Then there’s the two tramps (“I’d be richer than Rockefeller”) and my particular favourites the two guys in the… What, in the thick of it?…In the know, do you mean?… No, in the pub, the two guys in the pub.

What I love is that on the one hand Ronnie Corbett is ALWAYS Ronnie Corbett, whether he’s playing a businessman, a bus driver, or a housewife (that’s not an insult, they used to say the same thing about Humphrey Bogart (well maybe not the housewife)). Whereas Ronnie Barker is NEVER Ronnie Barker. He’s always so immersed in the part that he sounds different, he looks different, he moves in a different way…

But of course that contrast is the nature of the Two Ronnies, who weren’t really a ‘traditional’ double-act at all. Two individual comedians brought together by the BBC, brilliant together, able to go off and be brilliant on their own. Meaning they are a different kettle of fish to Morecambe & Wise, and meaning there’s plenty of space for both of them (all four of them!) at Christmas – whether they’re bringing us sunshine, or bringing us just a few late items of news!

And with that, it’s goodnight from him.

Advent #21

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in Christmas, Family, TV
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Over the past few months I’ve been getting into The Archers. (After seven decades I thought maybe I should find out what all the fuss is about.) I’m enjoying it a great deal, although just very occasionally it’s difficult not to be reminded of Tony Hancock’s version: “oh dear… they’ve all fallen down that disused mineshaft, etc.”

Last Christmas my brother bought me an extraordinary book, a large format graphic novel, beautifully illustrated in moody black & white, all about Hancock’s life (and death). A mix of biography and fantasy, it was clearly a labour of love for its authors – reflected in the price tag, which I hope bruv managed to get a reduction on!

Every year as Christmas and birthdays loom, Mr Curnow senior (well, senior-er than me anyway) asks for suggestions for presents  – and I have to confess, every year we fail to come up with anything and he’s left to his own devices.

To be honest it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem, and I’m regularly amazed by the things he gifts us. So, for example, Mr Hudson’s Diaries when I was going through my Upstairs Downstairs phase; Septimus and the Danedyke Mystery, evoking great memories of 1970s ITV Sunday afternoon serials; and a vintage book chronicling 10 years of Take The High Road.

It’s as if he’s riffing off the plot of The Evil of the Daleks and using a time machine to bring antique items back from the past into the present day. (Or he has an eBay account, either of those two scenarios would fit.)

It’ll be interesting to see what he’s come up with this year – and to be honest, with all the hard work he puts in, it’s no wonder he deserves the occasional pint.

A pint?! That’s very nearly…

Advent #19

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in 1970s, 1980s, BBC, Christmas, TV
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Not that I want to suggest all I do is watch TV but…

Oh! BUT– actually, maybe I DON’T. Because I’ve never watched Gavin & Stacey!

I may have caught two minutes of it once (Alison Steadman discussing her breakfast I think) but that was en route to something else and I didn’t hang around. Apart from that brief encounter, it’s a show that entirely slipped under my radar. Likewise Count Arthur Strong, Ghosts, Miranda…

For all that we like to bemoan the death of the sitcom, actually it still seems to be in fine form. No, not every show is a triumph – but nostalgia has made us forget that even back in the day, for every The Good Life or Yes Minister there were half a dozen Goodbye, Mr Kents or Sweet Sixteens.

Gavin & Stacey is currently making my radar ping like there’s a U Boat fleet headed straight for me, because a whole load of hype in recent weeks has made it very clear that it’s coming back for one final episode on Christmas Day. It’s the BBC’s big hope for huge festive viewing figures.

Of course, ‘huge’ is different nowadays – you can no longer ever expect to claim that almost half the population of the country has watched something, as they did back in, for example, Del & Rodney’s heyday. TV is now too fragmented, and the days where “Stupid Boy” or “Listen Very Carefully” or “Just the One, Mrs Wembley” or even “You Plonker!” would enter everyday language by cultural osmosis have gone.

But that’s not to say TV is dead (thank goodness). Less high profile, but I see there’s another one-off revival on Boxing Day, with a new episode of “Outnumbered. Now that I AM looking forward to.

Not that I want to suggest…

Advent #12

by andrewcurnow1971, posted in 1980s, BBC, Christmas, Doctor Who, TV

Not that I want to suggest all I do is watch TV, but…

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Still working my way through the season 25 boxset, I’ve just finished The Greatest Show in the Galaxy. Part 3 has half a claim to being a Doctor Who Christmas Special, back in 1988 when there wasn’t any such thing. Or at least, it went out inbetween Christmas and New Year, due to the ‘unexpected’ late start to the ’88 season (caused by the Olympics which, to be honest, shouldn’t really have snuck up on anyone).

Fortunately – I’m sure the Pertwee massive would like me to say ‘serendipitously’ – this particular story, with its madcap cast, its scary clowns, its circus setting and its general air of silliness is a good fit for the Christmas period; and part 3 has some great moments, from Bellboy’s ‘death by clown’ to Ace’s assessment that the Doctor is “just an aging hippy”.

Back in the day we were out when it aired so our VCR was duly programmed to record, something I found easy at 17 but would probably struggle with at 53. And because you could never quite pin down the exact start-time of anything, it was set to record with a very healthy margin of error.

Consequently, until the advent of the BluRay release this year, my copy of the story was still from that off-air VHS, meaning part 3 was preceded by a good ten minutes of Terry Wogan’s special interview with the legendary Jimmy Stewart.

All these years later, I’m afraid I no longer have my off-air tapes. And sadly neither Jimmy Stewart nor Terry Wogan is still with us. On the other hand, I can report that, at sixty-one and still fighting fit, the greatest show in the galaxy is doing just fine.