Only Connect is the toughest quiz in telly. I am happy ti get a couple of questions right. Lateral thinking is not my bag.
Someone's special subject on Mastermind was the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. I got 7 right without even revising.
On other notes, SkyArts showed a doc called Sean Connery VS James Bond which attempted to convey the actor's genuine skill while acknowledging both his debt and disdain for Bond. I felt it concentrated at length on Zardoz chiefly because they managed to interview John Boorman. Jackie Stewart's anecdote about watching The Hill over and over during Sir Sean's alziemer affected latter years was quite heart-rending.
On a lighter note, repeats of Last of the Summer Wine tend to frustrate and reward in equal measure. The first few series tended to the maudlin, but things perked up once Brian Wilde's Foggy Dewhurst arrived. Series 5 (1979) kick started a golden period for these golden aged characters with episodes such as Full Steam Behind and The Flag and Further Snags displaying Foggy's dreamy uselessness and self-importance, encouraged by Clegg and Compo's pithyness. Series 6, 7 & 8 (1982 - 1984) have continued in a similar vein with more time given to Joe Gladwin & Kathy Staff as the warring Wally and Nora Batty. Serenade for Tight Jeans, The Frozen Turkey Man, The Three Astaires and The Loxley Lozenge [introducing Wesley's oil sooted mechanic] each have moments of high farce that keep one amused, although the pace and humour remains slow and frequently uneven. The quality started to go downhill once more characters became involved, but these early series really do demonstrate some fine, gentle and well-observed humour among the silly musings of old men and nagging women
Set in Morecambe this is a pretty decent police series. A murder is linked to a cover-up and our team of detectives deal with this and their increasingly complicated private lives at the same time.
The acting is solid and the story is interesting enough to pass the time without boredom setting in.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,934Chief of Staff
I thought you were joking when you said Morecambe 👀 the biggest crimes round there are Tyson Fury’s dress sense and only one fried egg on a cafe breakfast 🤣
SILO season 2 started last week on Apple TV. Season 1 was amazing. If you haven't watched this yet, give it a try.
The premise: People have been living underground in a circular silo for ~100 years. Something happened on the surface to render life impossible, so everyone is making the best of it in this underground life. The one rule: if you ask to go to the surface for any reason, you're kicked out...and you die. Rebecca Ferguson stars (along with Common and Tim Robbins). Ferguson is Juliet, a mechanic who gets involved with a conspiracy in the silo...to say more would be to spoil.
This is based on a series of three books. From what I gather, the first season was essentially the first book. I believe this is targeted for being a three season show.
FOR ALL MANKIND, Apple TV. An alternate reality where the Russians won the space race. 4 seasons so far with a 5th on the way.
SILO, Apple TV. Based on a book series that's very well regarded. Post apocalyptic show of people living in an underground silo. The second season just started.
3 BODY PROBLEM, Netflix. Based on a book series that's also very well regarded. Aliens are coming... 1 season so far with more on the way.
DARK, Netflix. German science fiction series. One of my all time favorite shows 3 seasons, all complete and ready to binge. Go in clean, don't read up on it.
I just finished A MAN ON THE INSIDE on Netflix, with Ted Danson as a retired professor who goes undercover in a senior center to investigate some thefts. An amusing and often very touching show... and interesting to see some familiar faces from the '70s and '80s now in their golden years.
Vox clamantis in deserto
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,934Chief of Staff
Excellent three part documentary on the BBC about the search for Lord Lucan…this time the search is conducted by one of Sandra Rivett’s children…interesting & poignant and leaves you with more questions…🤔
On BBC iPlayer - The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show 1971
Classic comedy sketches with the brilliant double act, also starring Glenda Jackson, Andre Previn, Francis Matthews and a whole host of well known cameo’s…Ooh, and Shirley Bassey sings Diamonds Are Forever.
Timeless humour, a joy to watch.
Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
For UK viewers, that McCartney - Wings documentary One Hand Clapping is shown on Sky Arts over Christmas - think it's Boxing Day but it clashes with the comeback of the comedy Outnumbered, just as the Roger Moore documentary - shown in some cinemas this weekend - clashes with the finale of Gavin & Stacey.
On such a note, I'm disappointed that the Radio Times doesn't do a film page listing the movies on each day, you have to work through the days and figure out what is on. I know we don't really need reviews as really most of these movies get shown all year anyway - though The Sound of Music is a Christmas staple it seems, not to be shown the rest of the year and that's fine with me, but it's nice to know what's on. If you want that kind of thing maybe get the Xmas edition of the TVTimes instead, as they are doing the traditional film review pages.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,934Chief of Staff
Thanks for the heads up…I saw One Hand Clapping in the cinema and I’ll be very happy to watch it again…unfortunately the Roger Moore documentary isn’t coming out in the cinemas near me…so I’ll be tuning in for that too 👏🏻 I’ve never watched Gavin & Stacey or Outnumbered - so they won’t be a miss 😁
YNWA 97
Sir MilesThe Wrong Side Of The WardrobePosts: 27,934Chief of Staff
Watched the first two episodes of Black Doves on Netflix…very implausible but very entertaining 🍸
I watched Brawn, the documentary series about the 2009 F1 racing season. Interesting, given I'd forgotten all about Jenson Button being world champ that year and how close a thing it was.
Previously to that sporting doc, I watched Man in the Arena which was a 10 episode series examining the life and career of Tom Brady, NFL legend and one of those sportsmen who are so talented and achieve so much they transcend sport itself and become heroic cultural figures.
On a Christmas note it all looks a bit samey. Surprised to see the new Wallace and Gromitt is 100 minutes long. Why, one wonders, did it not get a cinema release?
One thing, it's odd to me that Cruella has not been shown on telly yet, only on Disney+ I really liked that film at the cinema. It would be a great Xmas movie.
I started watching Strike. J.K. Rowling is dovetailing into her own experience with online trolls and abuse and extreme opinions. As usual with her detective stories, it is over detailed and the info comes at you too fast. Too many characters introduced too quickly. This one feels like the Strike and his team are doing police work. Hard to believe the victim's online abuser managed to stay anonymous for three years despite a huge fan base on X and in the gaming sphere. Still, worth a look, if nothing else to see one of my fav pubs on TV, the Ship and Shovel at Charing Cross.
I'm having to seriously rethink my dislike for Eddie Redmayne because he was actually fantastic here. Perfectly cast. Lynch was also quite good.
We loved how the season ended. I was not expecting things to end in quite that manner so I absolutely applaud being surprised like that. I'll avoid saying anything else so as to avoid spoilers but yeah, quite shocking. A lot of the standard tropes were inverted in quite interesting ways.
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas edition. Enjoyed it, much of the livestock is a bit small fry because I don't think they can show actors with their hands up cows' backsides anymore, it is taking a liberty really, the animals don't have a say. So Tristram sorted out some pigeons and Siegried dealt with a remarkably timid fox with a bit of mange or something. Not sure James Herriot did much.
Gavin and Stacy The Finale is getting rave reviews on social media, I don't know it felt a bit dead to me for most of it, like that sequel too many like the Indy thing, everyone looks a bit odd or old, the timing is off. It gathered momentum towards the end but it did feel like putting toothpaste back in the tube. (The From Roger With Love thing was on the other side, it's on iPlayer however.) The old episodes had a regular pop soundtrack that kept things rollicking along, almost in place of a laugh track but this didn't have it so much, and imo it suffered because of it.
If so it's not unusual - the Porridge re-runs are always welcome but the movie - made after the series finished and after the sequel Going Straight had come out, oddly, also lacked a laugh track and suffered a bit. What is odd about Porridge is, well, the Noel Coward-type inmate Grouty is far-fetched, he wouldn't you'd think be tolerated by McKay and it seems to me we never see the two share a scene because one might undermine the reality of the other.
Secondly, the only two survivors are the minorities - Christopher Biggins' Lukewarm and Tony Osobo's Jock McClaren; except I'm forgetting the most famous survivor of all - David Jason who played the very elderly Blanco, ironically enough.
Oh, OHMSS is on ITV tomorrow (Boxing Day) at about 9.20am.
It's not often they actually show this one at Xmas. Maybe that's why they cancelled the showing at London's Prince Charles? Or did the one who posted that get mixed up with the ITV showing?
Comments
Will have to look for that @CoolHandBond 👍🏻
I’m currently catching up on Only Connect, a brilliant quiz on BBC 2 😁
Only Connect is the toughest quiz in telly. I am happy ti get a couple of questions right. Lateral thinking is not my bag.
Someone's special subject on Mastermind was the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. I got 7 right without even revising.
On other notes, SkyArts showed a doc called Sean Connery VS James Bond which attempted to convey the actor's genuine skill while acknowledging both his debt and disdain for Bond. I felt it concentrated at length on Zardoz chiefly because they managed to interview John Boorman. Jackie Stewart's anecdote about watching The Hill over and over during Sir Sean's alziemer affected latter years was quite heart-rending.
On a lighter note, repeats of Last of the Summer Wine tend to frustrate and reward in equal measure. The first few series tended to the maudlin, but things perked up once Brian Wilde's Foggy Dewhurst arrived. Series 5 (1979) kick started a golden period for these golden aged characters with episodes such as Full Steam Behind and The Flag and Further Snags displaying Foggy's dreamy uselessness and self-importance, encouraged by Clegg and Compo's pithyness. Series 6, 7 & 8 (1982 - 1984) have continued in a similar vein with more time given to Joe Gladwin & Kathy Staff as the warring Wally and Nora Batty. Serenade for Tight Jeans, The Frozen Turkey Man, The Three Astaires and The Loxley Lozenge [introducing Wesley's oil sooted mechanic] each have moments of high farce that keep one amused, although the pace and humour remains slow and frequently uneven. The quality started to go downhill once more characters became involved, but these early series really do demonstrate some fine, gentle and well-observed humour among the silly musings of old men and nagging women
THE BAY Season 5 (2024)
Set in Morecambe this is a pretty decent police series. A murder is linked to a cover-up and our team of detectives deal with this and their increasingly complicated private lives at the same time.
The acting is solid and the story is interesting enough to pass the time without boredom setting in.
I thought you were joking when you said Morecambe 👀 the biggest crimes round there are Tyson Fury’s dress sense and only one fried egg on a cafe breakfast 🤣
Only one egg? That will never do! 😂
SILO season 2 started last week on Apple TV. Season 1 was amazing. If you haven't watched this yet, give it a try.
The premise: People have been living underground in a circular silo for ~100 years. Something happened on the surface to render life impossible, so everyone is making the best of it in this underground life. The one rule: if you ask to go to the surface for any reason, you're kicked out...and you die. Rebecca Ferguson stars (along with Common and Tim Robbins). Ferguson is Juliet, a mechanic who gets involved with a conspiracy in the silo...to say more would be to spoil.
This is based on a series of three books. From what I gather, the first season was essentially the first book. I believe this is targeted for being a three season show.
Recommended. Very well done, very immersive.
Sean Connery v James Bond is repeated tonight on Sky Arts at 11.45pm and ends 1am.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I used to watch Only Connect all the time, but I lost thr feel for it after my StepMum died.
We'd watch it as a family along with University Challenge.
Can anyone reccomend any nee decent Sci Fi on the telly? I'm running dry for some new material. (Sighs.)
For some great Sci Fi, I highly recommend:
FOR ALL MANKIND, Apple TV. An alternate reality where the Russians won the space race. 4 seasons so far with a 5th on the way.
SILO, Apple TV. Based on a book series that's very well regarded. Post apocalyptic show of people living in an underground silo. The second season just started.
3 BODY PROBLEM, Netflix. Based on a book series that's also very well regarded. Aliens are coming... 1 season so far with more on the way.
DARK, Netflix. German science fiction series. One of my all time favorite shows 3 seasons, all complete and ready to binge. Go in clean, don't read up on it.
Just finished season one of For All Mankind. It’s superb. Tense, exciting, emotional, with great acting and special effects. Very highly recommended.
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 2
Even better than the first season - stunningly impressive, I cannot praise this series high enough.
Seasons 3 and 4 are great as well, be assured.
Just finished Bad Monkey on Apple+ tv…really enjoyed it…
I just finished A MAN ON THE INSIDE on Netflix, with Ted Danson as a retired professor who goes undercover in a senior center to investigate some thefts. An amusing and often very touching show... and interesting to see some familiar faces from the '70s and '80s now in their golden years.
Excellent three part documentary on the BBC about the search for Lord Lucan…this time the search is conducted by one of Sandra Rivett’s children…interesting & poignant and leaves you with more questions…🤔
On BBC iPlayer - The Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show 1971
Classic comedy sketches with the brilliant double act, also starring Glenda Jackson, Andre Previn, Francis Matthews and a whole host of well known cameo’s…Ooh, and Shirley Bassey sings Diamonds Are Forever.
Timeless humour, a joy to watch.
THE AGENCY is pretty solid so far. The first episode is all setup without much momentum to it but episode two kicks things into gear quite nicely.
Watched the first two episodes last night…looks like a fun watch so far…
FOR ALL MANKIND Season 3
@HarryCanyon is not kidding. Season 3 continues apace with more drama, twists and turns than ever. We just love it in our house.
For UK viewers, that McCartney - Wings documentary One Hand Clapping is shown on Sky Arts over Christmas - think it's Boxing Day but it clashes with the comeback of the comedy Outnumbered, just as the Roger Moore documentary - shown in some cinemas this weekend - clashes with the finale of Gavin & Stacey.
On such a note, I'm disappointed that the Radio Times doesn't do a film page listing the movies on each day, you have to work through the days and figure out what is on. I know we don't really need reviews as really most of these movies get shown all year anyway - though The Sound of Music is a Christmas staple it seems, not to be shown the rest of the year and that's fine with me, but it's nice to know what's on. If you want that kind of thing maybe get the Xmas edition of the TVTimes instead, as they are doing the traditional film review pages.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Thanks for the heads up…I saw One Hand Clapping in the cinema and I’ll be very happy to watch it again…unfortunately the Roger Moore documentary isn’t coming out in the cinemas near me…so I’ll be tuning in for that too 👏🏻 I’ve never watched Gavin & Stacey or Outnumbered - so they won’t be a miss 😁
Watched the first two episodes of Black Doves on Netflix…very implausible but very entertaining 🍸
I watched Brawn, the documentary series about the 2009 F1 racing season. Interesting, given I'd forgotten all about Jenson Button being world champ that year and how close a thing it was.
Previously to that sporting doc, I watched Man in the Arena which was a 10 episode series examining the life and career of Tom Brady, NFL legend and one of those sportsmen who are so talented and achieve so much they transcend sport itself and become heroic cultural figures.
On a Christmas note it all looks a bit samey. Surprised to see the new Wallace and Gromitt is 100 minutes long. Why, one wonders, did it not get a cinema release?
One thing, it's odd to me that Cruella has not been shown on telly yet, only on Disney+ I really liked that film at the cinema. It would be a great Xmas movie.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I started watching Strike. J.K. Rowling is dovetailing into her own experience with online trolls and abuse and extreme opinions. As usual with her detective stories, it is over detailed and the info comes at you too fast. Too many characters introduced too quickly. This one feels like the Strike and his team are doing police work. Hard to believe the victim's online abuser managed to stay anonymous for three years despite a huge fan base on X and in the gaming sphere. Still, worth a look, if nothing else to see one of my fav pubs on TV, the Ship and Shovel at Charing Cross.
The wife and I are having a ton of fun with THE DAY OF THE JACKAL.
Finished JACKAL.
I'm having to seriously rethink my dislike for Eddie Redmayne because he was actually fantastic here. Perfectly cast. Lynch was also quite good.
We loved how the season ended. I was not expecting things to end in quite that manner so I absolutely applaud being surprised like that. I'll avoid saying anything else so as to avoid spoilers but yeah, quite shocking. A lot of the standard tropes were inverted in quite interesting ways.
All Creatures Great and Small Christmas edition. Enjoyed it, much of the livestock is a bit small fry because I don't think they can show actors with their hands up cows' backsides anymore, it is taking a liberty really, the animals don't have a say. So Tristram sorted out some pigeons and Siegried dealt with a remarkably timid fox with a bit of mange or something. Not sure James Herriot did much.
Gavin and Stacy The Finale is getting rave reviews on social media, I don't know it felt a bit dead to me for most of it, like that sequel too many like the Indy thing, everyone looks a bit odd or old, the timing is off. It gathered momentum towards the end but it did feel like putting toothpaste back in the tube. (The From Roger With Love thing was on the other side, it's on iPlayer however.) The old episodes had a regular pop soundtrack that kept things rollicking along, almost in place of a laugh track but this didn't have it so much, and imo it suffered because of it.
If so it's not unusual - the Porridge re-runs are always welcome but the movie - made after the series finished and after the sequel Going Straight had come out, oddly, also lacked a laugh track and suffered a bit. What is odd about Porridge is, well, the Noel Coward-type inmate Grouty is far-fetched, he wouldn't you'd think be tolerated by McKay and it seems to me we never see the two share a scene because one might undermine the reality of the other.
Secondly, the only two survivors are the minorities - Christopher Biggins' Lukewarm and Tony Osobo's Jock McClaren; except I'm forgetting the most famous survivor of all - David Jason who played the very elderly Blanco, ironically enough.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Oh, OHMSS is on ITV tomorrow (Boxing Day) at about 9.20am.
It's not often they actually show this one at Xmas. Maybe that's why they cancelled the showing at London's Prince Charles? Or did the one who posted that get mixed up with the ITV showing?
Roger Moore 1927-2017