TV

Neil Richardson, composer of Mastermind theme tune, dies aged 80

Neil Richardson, the English composer and arranger most well-known for writing the piece of music used as the theme tune to TV quiz show Mastermind, has died. He was 80. The iconic theme, which is suitably titled 'Approaching Menace', has been used…

TV comedy Whites starring Alan Davies and co-written by Matt 'Super Hans' King

Channel Hopper

For those of you who have the deep misfortune of remembering Kitchen, a two-part Glasgow-set Five drama with Eddie Izzard as a laconic, often-drunk superchef who had a problem with motivation, Whites (BBC2, Tue 28 Sep, 9pm) may ring a couple of similar…

Mad about town - Jon Hamm interview

Mad Men's Don Draper stars in Ben Affleck's Town

Jon Hamm says that there is only one downside to playing TV’s best known advertising executive, Don Draper, on Mad Men. ‘Part of the fun of being an actor is that you get to do different things, and that’s the one downside of working in television…

Christmas Day Strictly special

TV Gossip

BBC bosses are planning a 'Strictly Come Dancing' Christmas special with a string of star guests who couldn't make the main series. TV chiefs were reportedly inspired to launch a mini version of the hit BBC One show to be aired on Christmas Day…

5 Comedy Shows Worth Watching On Telly

Him and Her Ex-Cowards chap Stefan Golaszewski brings us his own ‘anti-romantic comedy’ about a young couple who are madly in love but with little appetite for the outside world. So the outside world decides to come to them. Russell Tovey, Sarah…

In The Night Garden - live in Glasgow

Toddlers TV favourite come to Glasgow Green

Walking past Glasgow Green over the next few weeks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that aliens had landed. In fact, it’s a far more innocuous gang of visitors from CBeebies’ land of charm, the Night Garden. Taking place in a stunning, purpose-built…

Shane Meadows' gritty-beautiful vision of This is England ‘86

Channel Hopper

With England’s footballing lemmings about to be slapped away in Mexico by the Hand of God, back home the fist of Thatcher is coming down hard on the everyday dreams of her nation’s common people. Three years on from the point where This Is England made…

Tim Westwood offered 50k for DOI

TV Gossip

Tim Westwood has been offered £50,000 to appear in 'Dancing On ice'. The DJ is currently deciding whether or not to accept the large financial offering to take to the ice for the next series of the ice skating competition, after TV executives…

The Men Who Jump off Buildings - Base jumping

Channel Hopper

‘I think I might die, every time’. When base jumper Dan Witchalls tells his Danish girlfriend how he feels before launching himself from one of London’s many landmark buildings, it looks like she might knock him out flat. ‘Is it worth it?’ she scowls.

The Silence overcomes cliche and shortcomings with pleasing conclusion

Channel Hopper

It’s cliché number 64 in the film and TV thriller world to have someone already in an advanced state of vulnerability being placed into further terrible danger. This might be a child alone at home (Home Alone), a posh bint being weighed down by her…

Five Comedy Shows Worth Watching On Telly

Important Things with Demetri Martin The former quirksome Perrier winner continues his series, which is part stream-of-consciousness sketch show, part stand-up comedy affair, mixed with animation and music. In this one, he turns his attention to the…

Daniel Sloss plays Edinburgh date

In this slot last issue, we featured a man (Mike Wozniak by name) who couldn’t make up his kind whether he wanted to show off his thick moustache or not. This time around we go for a chap who may not even have started shaving. Still, he’s got a BBC3…

Dexter novelist Jeff Lindsay set for Glasgow appearance

If you are a big fan of the serial killer forensic cop anti-hero of American telly show Dexter, you may want to meet the mind who created this memorable character in the first place. Or you may want to run a million miles in the opposite direction.

We need new ‘gritty’ American cop show Southland like a hole in the head

Channel Hopper

Imagine The Wire hadn’t been created through years of painstaking research and sweat-filled toil by David Simon. Imagine, instead, that Jerry CSI/Cold Case Bruckheimer had ordered every writer he has ever known (dead or alive) to come up with a shiny…

ITV rejects Sooty

TV Gossip

ITV1 is set to axe a number of children's TV programmes including 'The Sooty Show'. The network has revealed plans to chop iconic programmes - also including 'Emu' and 'Captain Mack' - from its main channel, airing them on their digital channel CITV…

BB bust-up over love?

TV Gossip

Josie thinks John James is mean to Rachael because he fancies her. The sales rep from Bristol has told the Aussie hunk she believes he is continually coming to blows with the Beyonce Knowles lookalike because he has a crush on her. Following…

Gok Wan glams up Glasgow at Glam in the City

Spandy dandy Gok Wan joins forces with Lorraine Kelly (yeah, we’re scared too...) for three days of fashion shows, workshops, makeovers and exclusive evening events, all based out of a great big tent on George Square. Tickets from www.glaminthecity.co.uk.

Die Laughing: Bored To Death

Jonathan Ames is a writer of books, graphic novels, movie scripts and TV shows. He’s just finished a HBO comedy series called Bored To Death which follows a fictional writer and magazine journalist who, finding himself dumped by his girlfriend and…

Channel Hopper: Men Behaving Badly

The late Frank Deasy had a knack of writing about the frailties of men and the long-term effects of the bad things blokes do even when they try to make amends for their past indiscretions. It’s there in 90s drug drama Looking After Jo Jo, and in his…

The Boy George story adapted for TV as Worried About the Boy

Channel Hopper

There’s something of a 1980s vibe in the air right now with TV shows such as Ashes to Ashes, pop stars like La Roux and posh Tories popping champagne corks. Tapping into this hideous atmosphere is Worried About the Boy (BBC2, Sun 16 May, 9pm), a one-off…

Channel Hopper: Idris Elba's Luther is cop with obligatory quirk

Dispatches from the sofa, with Brian Donaldson

Any new cop show these days must have at its heart an investigator with a quirk. They could have OCD (Monk), the ability to travel back in time (Life on Mars) or be a serial killer (Dexter) but they can’t just go around solving crimes before heading…

Iron Chef UK a real test of the pressure cooker

Govan-filmed cookery show Iron Chef is currently one of the most bizarre shows on UK TV. Brian Donaldson finds respected Scottish chef Nick Nairn at the heart of the madness *2Amid a flurry of dry ice, a swirl of bright lights and stomach-twisting…

Q&A: Katy Brand

A former theology student at Oxford, Katy Brand is now a queen of the comedy world, having scooped a captive audience through her ITV2 Big Ass Show. Here, she remembers watching My Girl and squeaking at Jay-Z...

US Comedy TV on DVD

It came to these shores amid a storm of publicity at the start of the year, and against almost every odd, Glee (Fox) comes up trumps. Memorable moments from season one include Kurt using a Beyoncé number to help him get ahead in American football, the…

Profile: Ian Hart

Name Ian Hart Born Liverpool, 1964 Background Ian Hart’s role as Professor Quirninus Quirrell in the ongoing Harry Potter saga is only a footnote in a role-call of strong supporting performances. Hart started out with a Play for Today…