Now What Have You Been Watching?

[SiHart]

BBC 4's run of Top of the Pops began last nigth with the Story of 1980. It was one of the best of these documentaries so far, if only to hear the welcome news of the demise of the TOTP Orchestra at long last. Some nice interviews and some fascinating glimpses of the pilot for the revamp of the show, which was lovely to see.

[Nyder]

And it looks like they've already got the 1981 doc in the bag as well! Fascinating programme and very nostalgic. Richard Skinner's story of his interview with Paul McCartney was a jaw-dropper. And I didn't realise that The Pirhanas "Tom Hark" was about World War III! I also didn't realise they had guest presenters. Roger Daltrey has gone down several notches in my estimation .....


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[SiHart]

Got good ratings for BBC 4 too, which may help secure the repeats again next year

[Nyder]

You have to feel a little bit sorry for the TOTP Orchestra though. All of their jobs suddenly terminated. Mind you, most of them looked well past retirement age!

[Rob McCow]

You have to feel a little bit sorry for the TOTP Orchestra though

Aye, they're probably re-living that terrible day now. Or maybe their children are. I wonder if any of them are still knocking about? They could reform like The Rolling Stones and take the world by storm.

[Stuart Wallis]

They all live on as Tory backbenchers in the House of Lords. It's where everyone who lives well past their 300th birthday goes when they die and don't know what to do with themselves afterwards.

[Perry Vale]

Caught up with a couple of recent films I'd missed, and watched Star Trek: Into Darkness & Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Both excellent (the CGI in Apes was much better than the first), and having somehow managed to avoid any spoilers, Star Trek was a real joy to discover not just Cumberbatch, but Cumberbatch as Khan!!!.

[Dirk Gently]

I got the 3D BluRay of Star Trek: Into Darkness & I thought it really good as well.

[Andrew Curnow]

We enjoyed it at the cinema - and I have a feeling Zel bought the BluRay at some point (turns round to check) Yes she did.

[Rob McCow]

I'm a dissenter I'm afraid - didn't like Star Trek: Into Darkness at all!

We're watching The Lady Vanishes (1938 film) which I'm thoroughly enjoying.

[Stuart Wallis]

I'm a dissenter I'm afraid

What you get up to in your spare time is none of our concern sir!

Saw The Lady Vanishes over Christmas - worth watching!

[Alex]

I wanted to like In To Darkness and enjoying the first reboot, but was just left a bit cold by it. I like Cumberbatch in a lot of things, but he just didn't work as Khan for me, and I wish they'd changed the ending as well. Not an awful film by any means, and I like the cast, but I felt disappointed sadly.

[SiHart]

Went to see Ex Machina this evening. It was really excellent. Very intelligent and stylish- great effects, great music and incredibly well plotted. Really worth going to see.

[Perry Vale]

For fans of Adam Curtis...

Adam Curtis - Bitter Lake

Good stuff as always, and very interesting in places, but it could have been trimmed down a little. A bit too much non-narrated uncontextualised stuff, still worth a watch though.

[Alex]

Ah, cheers for that, ever since The Power of Nightmares I've enjoyed Mr Curtis' work, so shall have to give that a watch.

[SiHart]

The new series of Count Arthur Strong has been brilliant. Lots of fabulous comedy moments- the walk to the plane in episode 2 was outstanding, as was this week's photo of Arthur by the door moment, which had me giggling!

[Nyder]

I really like The Count too. He's only got to shuffle into a room and he makes me laugh. I've not listened to many of his Radio 4 shows, so I'm looking forward to discovering those


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[Stuart Wallis]

What little I've heard of his material, I should have heard more of him myself.

[Nyder]

Saw my favourite Frasier episode yesterday - The Ski Lodge. High farce at its best! Everybody mistakenly fancies each other (including the Ski instructor) and Martin Crane has gone temporarily deaf and mishears everything causing even more trouble. Wonderful stuff!


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[Rob McCow]

Sky Arts 1 is treating us to Three Sides Live by Genesis. There was Peter Gabriel Live In Athens on last night, plus they're doing a Classic Albums on Face Value soon. ABACABTASTIC.

[SiHart]

BBC 4 dear, BBC4

[Perry Vale]

Hollyoaks.

Hollyoaks hospital really needs to install CCTV, seems to be the most dangerous place to stay in the world. And they also need to install software to their PCs so that passwords are encrypted as you type them on screen.....

[Rob McCow]

We saw Top Gear last night. It was quite funny.

Still, I get the feeling that they are well beyond jumping the shark with that show. The team had to build ambulances; Hammond's featured an air-cannon to blast patients into the hospital. Their challenge was to rescue casualties (dummies) from a meteorite crash in Theale.

There is a chance that some of it wasn't completely staged. But I doubt it.

[Stuart Wallis]

One gets the opinion that since the BBC realised that people actually like Clarkson, Hammond and May, Top gear's become the Foggy, Compo and Hamster Show with a bit of actual car business thrown in in order to be able to keep one show going without having to formulise another - hence the Top Gear Eric, Ern and the Other Bloke Christmas Specials Abroad to try ant trick you into thinking that they haven't thought of the new formula after all, even if it isn't just the comedy equivalent of the Blue Peter Summer Expedition. (So they haven't thought up a new formula after all. I'll shut up now...)

[Philipnet]

Their challenge was to rescue casualties (dummies) from a meteorite crash in Theale.

That was completely realistic.

I've worked in Theale and what was on the TV was definitely filmed in Theale.


*cough*