nIt's been a tough week this week and the recent events in Manchester which have dominated the television and all media really and quite right because as a nation we need that. The news reports give us the chance to keep up to date with information and keep us connected in a way. We join together by the power of media to try and understand certain situations and also be able to share feelings and send our condolences to those who are affected. A powerful platform and I appreciate those people who work hard to bring that news to us, not always easy and particularly difficult this week.
I did keep my eye on a couple of new programmes which started this week. Paula which was on BBC2 on Thursday at 9pm was a very intense drama starring Tom Hughes who played Prince Albert in Victoria if you saw that. A completely different role for him as he plays a sinister handyman called James. He is asked by Paula, played by Denise Gough to deal with her rat problem in the basement, this leads them to have a passionate one night stand (I know, how romantic) and then this starts a cycle of unpredictable behaviour by James. He is also experienced these very harrowing visions. It will be interesting to see how this one unfolds. Very good so far, had me a bit scared but hooked. On the total opposite scale of tv was the new comedy White Gold which was on Wednesday BBC 2 at 10pm. This is James Buckley and Joe Thomas reunited again after The Inbetweeners fame and also added in there is Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl. It has got a sense of Inbetweeners about it as if is written by one half of that comedy writing team, Damon Beesley. The series is set in a double glazing company in the 1980's. The music is there, the cars, the fashion and the naughty cheeky humour of which made The Inbetweeners so successful. This is very funny and I got carried away so much I ended up binge watching the whole six episodes which are available on the BBC iplayer. I love Ed's conman character, Vincent Swann, the slight innocence that goes with Lavender (Joe Thomas) and complete cockiness of Fitzpatrick (James Buckley). They all blend well together and it works again....Mr Beesley you clever man!! Oh it's one of those programmes that you just wish you had had the idea, much like I'm sure musicians feel when they hear a song and think 'wish I'd wrote that'. A simple idea and just works brilliantly. Well worth a watch. A lot more to come next week, a few new starters again but we will lose the lovely Durrells later as it is the last in the series.......I am a big Spiro fan and would love to see them together. he sooooo loves her and cares about her. We'll see, well I hope and I will be needed another series of that ITV please. Not being bossy or anything but I can't cope without them and it is my chance to pop off to a sunny foreign haven for an hour. Though old Blighty is not doing so bad this week with the weather. I'm going now before I completely jinx the UK weather. It's not my fault, nothing to see here just British Summertime. Thanks for reading, have a great week, I'll be back though if you fancy a bit of Music on a Monday, I'm going to see Adam Ant today!!! Yeah another 80's treat. Will tell you all about it tomorrow. Bye for now!!
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I have mentioned Hospital People on a previous post and I think I said I was chuckling but not belly laughing but blimey how that changed as I just couldn't stop laughing watching this. Yes it's daft and very silly but hey that's the way I roll when looking for good entertainment. I can't even decide who my favourite character is now as they all have different qualities. Tom Binns is the creator an co writer of this mockumentary set in a fictional hospital called Brimmington. Tom himself plays the part of hospital radio presenter Ivan Brackenbury, hospital manager Susan Mitchell, porter and friend to the spirits Ian D Montfort and chaplain Kenny Mercer.
Kenny is a cheeky wannabe comedian and uses his sermons as a stand up routine, yes he cracks the jokes in whatever the circumstances, you want to cringe at his jokes but laugh at his complete lack of timing and inappropriateness. Susan just oozes enthusiasm and will do anything and tramp over anyone to be the best manager. Self absorbed but brilliantly entertaining in her campaign to make sure she comes out on top. I love her assistant Sunny played by Amit Shah, I feel exhausted and in complete sympathy as he tries to keep up with her all the time. Ivan is the sound of Brimmington and slightly a bit naive, loves his job and delivers the old style, going back to the 70's kind of radio presentation. Shaz his assistant played by the lovely Mandeep Dhillon kind of plays on his naivety but sits in the wings, she knows she can do the job better and is loved by everyone but you've gotta love Ivan. Ian D Montfort is just the hilarious psychic medium who is completely rubbish and is not psychic at all but it's just funny watching him try and jump in on a situation in desperation in the hope he can help with new way of thinking. He makes me laugh now just thinking about him! I binge watched them all on BBC iplayer as I couldn't wait and loved the last one especially as it featured some of our Rock Choir members. Yay! All in all a great bit of humour and light entertainment. It is something new and original which just takes you away, makes you forget all the doom and gloom in life and I like that so well done to everyone involved, cast and crew and please please can we have a second series. The Bafta Tv Awards graced us with their presence this week and were presented by the funny Sue Perkins. A night of posh frocks and a suited and booted Ant and Dec. it's not a tv awards ceremony without them is it? If you are sat next to them and in the same category wave bye bye to that Bafta mask as they win every time. They must have rooms in their houses dedicated to all of their awards, I would hate to be doing the dusting at their pads, one would be down at Costco buying a bulk box of Mr Sheen. Overall a great night and finished with the very funny and talented Joanna Lumley receiving the Fellowship award. This women is so classy and stylish with all her experience of modelling and her tv/film work she can then transform to comedy, who would have thought she would end up in the role of Patsy from Ab Fab. So versatile and just an inspiration. Well deserved. I changed the pace of tv from light entertainment and comedy to the complete opposite in drama by watching Three Girls. there are Bafta nominations there straight away. The way this cast portrayed such a tough story was just amazing. It was shocking to watch but it had to be as the true story in which it is adapted from is the most shocking series of events in history. It follows the cases of three girls who were exploited by a child sex ring in Rochdale. The way Sara Rowbotham who worked for sexual health at the time was treated was despicable. She raised the alarm but was beaten back by gross failures by police and authorities losing the chance to convict these men. Together with the help of Maggie Oliver from Greater Manchester Police the cases were reopened and brought to trial. Maxine Peake who plays Sara and Lesley Sharpe as Maggie were just brilliant along with all the other cast members. It is worth watch if you can. It is unbelievable that these things can happen to our children but unfortunately they do and they still go on today. At least by telling this tory it can raise the awareness and help to stop this happening to anyone else. It has to surely? Well thanks for reading and I will hopefully catch you back here tomorrow for Music Monday. Take care for now....... It was a bit of Royal past and future this week on the old box. I watched Elizabeth I which was a great drama but then I'm a bit obsessed with the whole Tudor era. This series of three programmes will look at Elizabeth's life from birth to death and her 44 year reign as Queen. She had some near misses on the chopping block, locked in the tower at least once but saved at the last minute. It seemed everyone was out to get her and finish her off, even her half sister Mary. I felt quite sorry for her really. I think girl power goes back even further back as she stands tough and has to watch her own back. It's worth a watch if you are interested in history, not sure what my fascination is, it may be the fact that I just can't believe how brutal those times were. It's full of treason and treachery, deceit and adultery, better than any soap opera so can't wait to see the rest.
Talk about treason and treachery, it seemed to carry on into the future of the Royal Family too. The one off drama King Charles III was quite interesting and completely not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a series for a start but only the one programme and what a programme. I don't quite know what to say about this. I wouldn't recommend catching up with it if you didn't catch it as it won't put any excitement into your life, I think Question Time would be more enlightening. The story starts with the Queen's death an the point at which Charles takes over the role of King. The script was in rhyme, almost like a modern day Shakespeare play which was quite interesting but my goodness they just completely ripped each other apart. There was Charles, his final chance of getting on the thrown and because he didn't agree with passing a bill he got knocked off his perch by the Prime Minister and William. It was like all those things you think in your head about the Royal Family, well someone actually went and wrote a drama about it. Some think that William should be the next King and by pass Charles as he would be more popular but what shocked me was that they actually mentioned the Harry 'and his father' subject. Ok just pop it out there. I thought while watching, wow can they actually do that but hey they did! It was a bit disappointing for me and I was a bit sad that it was some of the last work from Tim Piggot-Smith with his death announced last month. He was a fine actor and to be honest he did play the part of Charles really well, probably the best part. Just a shame, maybe I just had the idea it was going to be something else and it wasn't. A bit of a break from the Royals as I tuned in to the final of Masterchef. Don't worry I'm not going to reveal the winner just in case you still have to catch up. All the finalists have been brilliant, I found it hard to choose between them all. Stunning food and it always makes me hungry when watching and now when I cook anything I just want to make it look posh. I've even taken to chopping my meat up in slices to make it look like a fancy Michelin meal. So I struggled with a favourite to win, I did have someone in mind and was a little disappointed when they didn't win but hey the winner deserved their place and well done to them all. A very entertaining show. Now could you all come around in turn to cook for me? That would be fabulous. I was thinking while watching, it must be hell for the winner as they would have filmed it a while ago so they are sitting at home just wishing it be done so they can got out and celebrate. Phew that's a huge secret to keep. I'd have to be locked away somewhere where there was no people or wifi, like some deserted tropical island with loads of cocktails and food. My chances of being a Masterchef finalist though are very slim, I think I can say. I finished my week with a movie on the Virgin On Demand service. I don't do this an awful lot but as I had a weekend to myself and had no plans I thought I'd catch a film. One I had wanted to see for a while was 'Sully: Miracle on the Hudson'. This is story of Chesley 'Sully' Sullenburger who has to make an emergency landing on New York's Hudson River after a bird strike which knocks out the engines of the Airbus A320 he was flying. It is a brilliant film, directed by Clint Eastwood and features a great cast with Tom Hanks in the lead role. I couldn't actually believe that he was investigated after his decision and the action he took ended up saving all 155 people on board. He has to go through all that stress not only at a time when he should be recovering from a major trauma but having to go into a investigation and prove that what he did that day was the right decision and that there was no other alternative. It is definitely worth a watch if you haven't seen it. Well onto another week, be good and I will catch you for Music Monday tomorrow....thanks for reading. Oh I don't like it when someone calls time on a series. I'm really not ready to stop watching Car Share yet, it is one of the funniest programmes on tv, one I look forward to when it comes around. I wonder if there's a helpline to enable fans to cope bit like the time when Take That split up.
I can understand from Peter Kay's point of view that there is always a danger you bring it back and it loses it's impact so let it go while it's on a high. Maybe he is just too busy to write and film anymore of this programme, I can imagine that he would come back with something else equally funny. I can't help thinking there is unfinished business though. I think we all wanted the happy ending, the ride away into the sunset moment, then I got to thinking that sometimes the girl doesn't always get her guy in real life. I would just like a Christmas special if it's not too much trouble, just to wean us out gently. How fabulous that a programme became so successful from such a simple idea. It's just two people on their journey to and from work, similar to Gogglebox which is just us watching people sitting watching tv, another big success. Just goes to show the simple things in life are what matters. I'm binge watching Line of Duty so don't tell me what happens. Wow, can't think why I didn't watch it before, it's really good. Everyone kept saying it was so I just wondered if I was really missing out and yes I definitely was. I'm just coming to the end of Series 2, so glad they seem to have go rid of the shaky camera work on Series 1 as it was giving me a headache. it's probably some new fan-dangle way of filming but I was beginning to think I could of held the camera more steady after having a few vodkas. It is brilliant and very weird to watch Keely Hawes in this and then turn over to watch The Durrells, completely different roles but loving the Durrell family so much, very funny. Loving the new series of Doctor Who, yes I'm a big Doctor Who fan and think the writing in this series is brilliant, going back to what it should be like. I was drifting off and getting a bit fed up with some older episodes. This last programme in the series about the spooky house was proper 'hide behind the settee' type stuff. It was close but then if went behind my sofa I would be right next to a wall and would have feared being sucked into my house, not good so I hid behind a cushion instead. Long may the great writers carry on. Can't believe we are going to be experiencing another regeneration. Kind of getting excited but then it's always sad, I cried when Matt Smith went, they make the whole process really emotional. Another helpline needed, regeneration helpline. Tonight I saw the drama about Barbara Windsors life 'Babs'. Just the title made me giggle as this is my nickname. Finally my name on the tv.....but no it does belong the legend and great talent of Barbara Windsor. I was just given the name because someone referred to my humour as at one time being very cheeky like Babs herself. I've always had a 'Carry On' type sense of humour and never used to miss an innuendo if I could pop it in somewhere (see!). The lady herself has had a very varied and at sometimes troubled life but my goodness she shone through. I love her laugh and the sparkle she gives off, she really is one of life's treasures. It was filmed in a different way, not the usual drama going through her life but by herself actually looking back on on her life, commenting on certain situations, played by some great actress's. I loved the real Babs singing at the end, that was a nice touch. It's a lovely little biography to watch if didn't catch it. So that's it for this week and onto another one, can't quite believe where time is going. You all take care now and please come back tomorrow for Music Monday. Thanks for reading........ |
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