TV

Phone firm fined £250k over GMTV scandal

25 Sep 2007

The phone company responsible for the fraudulent phone-in competitions on GMTV, which saw 18 million people charged for calls when they had no chance of winning, has been fined a record £250,000. Opera Telecom was charged with the maximum penalty…

River City celebrates fifth birthday

24 Sep 2007

BBC Scotland soap River City celebrates its fifth birthday today (24/9). The programme, which is aired twice a week, will mark the occasion with a murder. A special screening will be shown tomorrow at 10pm. Featuring comedy figures ‘Shellsuit Bob…

Scottish TV output to grow

21 Sep 2007

The BBC’s director-general Mark Thomson has pledged an extra £50 million for television programmes north of the border. BBC Scotland’s contribution to UK programming is expected to lift from £38 million to £90 million. Mr Thomson said the new…

Ramsay fails to top Good Food Guide

20 Sep 2007

Gordon Ramsay has been knocked down a peg by restaurant bible The Good Food Guide, which ranks him second to rival Heston Blumenthal. The Good Food Guide has compiled a top 40 of the best restaurants for the first time - and praises Blumenthal’s The…

Socks the cat becomes new Blue Peter scandal

20 Sep 2007

Blue Peter became embroiled in a new phone in scandal after it emerged production staff ignored a viewer poll to name the programme’s new cat. The children’s television show purported that Socks had been selected by viewers, however sources claim the…

Bear necessities: Marmalade still Paddington’s spread of choice

20 Sep 2007

The creator of Paddington Bear has said it would take more than “the combined current withdrawals from Northern Rock” to wean the character off his beloved marmalade. Michael Bond was responding to criticism of a recent television advertisement…

‘Lord of the Flies’ reality TV show criticised

19 Sep 2007

A Lord of the Flies-type US reality show due to be aired on the CBS network has attracted criticism from child protection groups. The programme, Kid Nation, will see 40 children left in a New Mexico desert to fend for themselves - where they are…

High definition TV channel on the cards for BBC

19 Sep 2007

The BBC is expected to launch a high definition TV channel later this year after getting the green light from media regulator Ofcom and the BBC Trust. The format promises pictures four times sharper than standard broadcasts, with programmes such as…

Scotty memorial proves a big hit with visitors

18 Sep 2007

A Linlithgow museum has enjoyed an influx of visitors keen to see a memorial to the late James Doohan, the Canadian actor who played Scotty on Star Trek. Bosses at the Annet House Museum in Linlithgow High Street say the number of people through the…

Sopranos scoop best drama award at Emmys

17 Sep 2007

US mob series The Sopranos ruled the Emmys last night (16/09), taking the award for best drama after ending its six season run in June. The entire cast of the drama took to the stage when collecting honours for best writing and directing - and was…

MySpace bags cancelled TV show

14 Sep 2007

A new show from the producers of My So-Called Life - the US series which propelled Claire Danes into the big time - will be screened online after TV networks refused to make a full series. Quarterlife, a drama about a group of graduates stateside…

Hollywood in ‘possibly ruining sacred cow’ shock

13 Sep 2007

Now, we can all agree that the BBC drama State of Play was a work of unfettered genius. Which is why the news that Edward Norton and Brad Pitt have been slated to appear in a big screen adaptation is something of a double-edged sword – it could be…

Sex and the City and the spent force

13 Sep 2007

The entirely unnecessary cinema adaptation of Sex and the City has taken a step closer to becoming a reality after Jennifer Hudson was signed on to appear. She’ll apparently play Sarah Jessica Parker’s assistant in the movie which is set four years…

Dr Who star joins Scottish charity campaign

11 Sep 2007

Dr Who star David Tennant has pledged his support for a world renowned Scottish cancer charity, keen to help promote its groundbreaking work. As patron of the Association for International Cancer Research, Tennant will join fellow Scots The…

Richard Hammond in new speed stunt

10 Sep 2007

Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond has got back behind the wheel with typical aplomb, taking part in a new high speed stunt for the BBC Show. Less than a year after a 288mph crash nearly killed him, the 37-year-old drove a Bugatti Veyron, racing a…

The Sopranos - final season

6 Sep 2007

In May 1998, traumatised executives at US cable channel Home Box Office (HBO) were in mourning when the last episode of the ground-breaking spoof chat show comedy The Larry Sanders Show aired. Having reached a creative peak since its inception in 1965…

BBC drops Planet Relief project

6 Sep 2007

The BBC has gone cold on a climate change event after concerns were raised over the corporation’s objectivity. The Planet Relief project planned to raise awareness about the effects of human behaviour on the environment and encourage viewers to do…

ABC confirms Ugly role for Victoria

31 Aug 2007

Victoria Beckham will make an appearance on the popular US show Ugly Betty, with filming due to start in autumn. The ABC network confirmed the cameo role on Thursday, adding that the former Spice Girl will play a celebrity bridesmaid for an episode…

Calls for Big Brother axe

Big Brother

31 Aug 2007

One of Britain’s most prominent psychologists claims the reality TV show Big Brother is dangerous and can be detrimental to contestants. As the eighth series draws to a close after 13 long weeks, Professor David Wilson says he has been contacted by…

Scary Spice to dance with the stars

31 Aug 2007

Melanie Brown is the next British star to get her dancing shoes on hoping to make her name in a hit show across the pond. The pop star, otherwise known as Scary Spice, will follow in the footsteps of Heather Mills McCartney and pair up with a…

Online Gaelic channel debate kicks off

30 Aug 2007

An online debate will be launched today to discuss plans for a dedicated Gaelic digital television channel. The channel is being set up as a joint effort from BBC Scotland and Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gaidhlig (Gaelic Media Service), with the…

Robin Hood in Doctor Who ratings challenge

28 Aug 2007

The second series of BBC hit Robin Hood will see more torture scenes and love affairs in a bid to compete with the success of Doctor Who. Robin Hood 2 will again feature Jonas Armstrong as the hero, with the writers moving from small battles with the…

BBC One named channel of the year

28 Aug 2007

BBC One has been named terrestrial channel of the year at the Edinburgh TV Festival, despite recent scandals such as the controversial Queen trailer and rigged phone in competitions. The corporation also took the best programme award for Doctor Who…

Sopranos props up for auction

22 Aug 2007

Fans of popular television drama The Sopranos will have the opportunity to bid on a range of props featured in the hit show. The strip club hang-out for Tony Soprano and his crew has decided to renovate now that the show has finished. Satin Dolls is…

X Factor row over staged scenes

16 Aug 2007

Producers of the ITV show X Factor have denied claims that they have staged selected scenes of the programme, although they have admitted that sometimes a scene has to be recreated if the cameras missed them first time. ITV’s director of entertainment…

Two new names join Scottish Broadcasting Commission

14 Aug 2007

The new commission formed to look at the future of Scotland’s broadcast industry will include input from actress Elaine C Smith and playwright Chris Ballance. The investigation into the state of television and production north of the border was ordered…

Sex and the City set for big screen outing

10 Aug 2007

Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth are to rekindle their on screen romance for a feature length episode of Sex and the City. After weeks of negotiations, Noth secured a deal to return as Carrie Bradshaw’s suitor Mr Big for the upcoming film. Parker’s…

My New Home

Channel 4, Mon 13 Aug, 9pm

9 Aug 2007

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY Stung by the claims of racism which dogged them over the Celebrity Big Bigot scandal, Channel 4 must be glad they can still make programmes like this one. My New Home catches up with three immigrant children who they first featured…

Forgiven

Channel 4, Thu 16 Aug, 10.30pm

9 Aug 2007

FAMILY DRAMA Following in the footsteps of paedophilia drama Secret Life, this is another related single work which will make you feel pain long after the closing credits have gone. Based on a real case, Forgiven stars Derek Riddell (The Book Group…

Lovespring International

Sky One, Sun 12 Aug, 10.30pm

9 Aug 2007

COMEDY Ricky Gervais can be criticised for many things, such as his mad cackle and the popularity of Karl Pilkington. And here’s a third thing. Lovespring International would most likely never have been made had the US not fallen in love with The…

MTV nominations announced for Las Vegas ceremony

8 Aug 2007

The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards will see Amy Winehouse represent Britain, as she goes head to head with Beyonce for Female Artist of the Year. Winehouse will also compete with the Destiny’s Child singer for the Best Video award. Lily Allen has also…

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

More4, Thu 2 Aug, 10pm

1 Aug 2007

The question was always going to be: how could Aaron Sorkin ever hope to follow up the The West Wing ? Answer: by making an almost exact template of that show’s dense visual texture and whiplash pace and dropping it into the even more hectic environs of…

Thomas Telford: The Man who Built Britain

BBC2, Mon 6 Aug, 9pm

1 Aug 2007

Jeremy Clarkson will no doubt be livid if he ever watches this. The man who backed Isambard Kingdom Brunel to second place behind Churchill during the 100 Greatest Britons series in 2002 will be aghast to hear that some experts believe Scotsman Thomas…

Vernon Kay poised to sign £2m ITV deal

27 Jul 2007

Vernon Kay has landed a £2 million deal with ITV1 to front a chat show which will rival Channel 4’s popular Paul O’Grady show. The former model pitched ideas for the 5pm slot to ITV bosses, with his show expected to include chat, comedy and music. Kay…

Remote Control

17 Jul 2007

Remote Control Allan Radcliffe finds that, while reality doesn’t necessarily suck, it often lacks bite The old adage that the truth is stranger than fiction appears more crucial to programme-makers now than ever before. While reality shows…

Heroes

17 Jul 2007

SCI-FI HEROES BBC2, Wed 25 Jul, 9pm ‘Hokum’ doesn’t even begin to describe Heroes. Essentially a long-winded version of X-Men, the opening volume follows a group of strangers from around the globe who come to realise that they have been…

Round-up

DVD

16 Jul 2007

DVD ROUND-UP Is death the beginning or the end? Who knows? Who cares? Unless, of course, somewhere on the other side there is a home cinema where one could watch Harold and Maude, Hal Ashby’s 1971 morbid comic gem (Paramount, 4 STARS) about…

Playlist

16 Jul 2007

PLAYLIST This month’s PlayList is dedicated to Mystery Science Theatre 3000, a Minneapolis television show which broadcasted commentaries on 198 obscure films between 1988 and 1999. Now uploaded onto the internet by the show’s dedicated fans…

Remote Control

3 Jul 2007

You often get the feeling TV executives must have decided within themselves that there really are no fresh ideas left and all that can be done is endless recycling, rehashing and resurrection. Yet just when you think nothing new can ever come out of the…

Cape Wrath

3 Jul 2007

DRAMA Channel 4 haven’t been too lucky of late with their new British serial dramas what with the dire sub-Footballers Wives romp Goldplated and the wildly overblown and overrated Skins. So, when news arrived of this witness protection drama, it…

Remote Control

18 Jun 2007

Reports from the US are suggesting that the demise of the sitcom is virtually complete. I suppose we should have guessed something was going badly wrong when NBC remade Coupling for an American audience and word is that the networks will soon stop…

Tony Blair Season

18 Jun 2007

DOCUMENTARY One of the most striking cultural factors of the Blair years has been the relatively easy ride he got from the satirists. When you compare the last ten years to the Thatcher period, the comedy clubs, print media and TV shows have hardly…

Jekyll

5 Jun 2007

DRAMA I suppose we should be grateful to the BBC for at least trying to push the boat out with Jekyll. At this time on a Saturday evening, we’re usually being treated to Graham Norton telling us who won’t be Joseph or mopping up the Casualty blood…

Remote Control

22 May 2007

They don’t make ‘em like they used to back in the good old days, do they? The nostalgia industry is showing no sign of abating and, frankly, why should it when it consistently throws up some fascinating television. The clutch of shows about the past…

Brits Get Rich in China

22 May 2007

BUSINESS DOCUMENTARY Paul Merton recently recalled with some anxiety how he forced down a portion of cooked donkey penis in the name of travel shows. And in this documentary, a marginally traumatised businessman dines briefly on the same delicacy.

Gavin and Stacey

8 May 2007

SITCOM With ITV and Channel 4 still flailing around from one comedy outrage to another and dishing out sitcom calamity after sitcom calamity, it’s BBC3 who can proudly wear the telly crown when it comes to making this digital nation laugh. And main…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds that the schedules have an even more rancid stench of death than usual

23 Apr 2007

Millionare socialist with a heart of gold? Or moneygrabbing wretch with less scruples than Stalin? During his lifetime, public opinion was heavily divided on Robert Maxwell, but history will probably prove to be less kind. In Maxwell (BBC2, Fri 4 May…

The Seven Sins of England

Channel 4, Tue 8 May, 10pm

23 Apr 2007

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY Before anyone gets on their high horse, let’s admit straight off the bat that the Scots might claim to have a largely pacifist Tartan Army, but the seven sins of our Anglo Saxon brethren could be matched and probably surpassed by…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds that with modern comedy ther

9 Apr 2007

The folk at ITV were not too keen on letting episodes of Get a Grip (STV, Wed 18 Apr, 10pm, 1 Star) find their way into journalists’ hands before the first episode went on air. The reason given was that the show was so darned topical that Ben Elton and…

Ghosts

More4, Tue 17 Apr, 10pm

9 Apr 2007

SOCIAL DRAMA When you think about Nick Broomfield and his work, you probably don’t think grimy, subtle and slow. Though, you might conjure up an image of a posh guy with a camera upsetting all manner of ruthless crooks and political outcasts with his…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds a bunch of shows with famili

27 Mar 2007

Instead of mucking about in casinos and getting pointlessly on the nerves of the once-famous, Louis Theroux is back making the kind of show which forged his reputation in the late 90s. Within five minutes of The Most Hated Family in America (BBC2, Sun 1…

The Mark Of Cain

Channel 4, Thu 5 Apr, 9pm

27 Mar 2007

WAR DRAMA As the full weight of the war in Iraq continues to bear down on us, the related dramas and documentaries will just keep on coming. After Peter Kosminky’s The Government Inspector and Michael Winterbottom’s Road to Gauntanamo, here comes…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds some new dramas about madnes

13 Mar 2007

Without wishing to be cruel, Jessie Wallace isn’t the kind of actress you’d associate with roles which anyone could dub as ‘classy’, not in the stereotypically glamour sense of the word anyway. Maybe feisty, shouty and boozy, but never ever classy. The…

The Trap

BBC2, Sun 18 Mar, 9pm

13 Mar 2007

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY Writer and director Adam Curtis gained waves of acclaim and acres of flak for his Power of Nightmares series which suggested that the threat to the West from a network of Arab terrorist cells is nothing short of a…

Feature - Ashley Jensen

Funny lady

12 Mar 2007

Who would have thought that Ashley Jensen, the mild-mannered, meek Maggie from Extras, would have a guilty secret from her dark past as a student in Edinburgh? ‘I got banned from a pub on the Grassmarket,’ she admits with a barely hidden mix of remorse…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds some new dramas verging on t

27 Feb 2007

It’s never been an easy task to translate the work of Harold Pinter onto the small screen. Some wags might suggest it’s difficult enough trying to make sense of it on stage. As part of More4’s mini-Pinter extravaganza, Celebration (More4, Sat 3 Mar, 9pm…

Occult Week TV

OCCULT WEEK

27 Feb 2007

SPOOKY DOCUMENTARIES It’s long been believed that with the death of mass popular religion in Britain the paranormal plays a much larger part in people’s belief systems. But if the double-bill opener to this short season is anything to go by…

Grapevine - showbiz news

Grapevine

13 Feb 2007

Expect many cries of ‘there’s been a murder’ with news that more episodes are to be filmed of ITV ScotCop dramas Taggart and Rebus. Four new 90-minute mysteries of the former start filming in April and further adventures for Ian Rankin’s world-weary…

15 Storeys High

12 Feb 2007

DVD With questionable wisdom, voters in the BBC’s Best Sitcom Ever poll back in 2004 utterly ignored 15 Storeys High, instead opting to find slots near the business end of the top 100 for the risible likes of ‘Allo Allo’ and Vicar of Dibley. History…

Life on Mars

12 Feb 2007

CRIME DRAMA BBC1, Tue 20 Feb, 9pm It should barely register a flicker of surprise that the Americans are all set to remake Life on Mars on their own terms, in their own way. David E Kelley, AKA Mr Ally McBeal, is behind plans for the US version…

Remote Control - TV round-up

Brian Donaldson finds that comedy-drama is often a

29 Jan 2007

There are few things on British TV more comedic and dramatic than Johnny Vegas’ shape. Showing that he has a lot of guts, the northern funnyman graces Benidorm (STV, Thu 1 Feb, 10pm - 3 stars) with a full frontal exposé of his plentiful girth after…

Child Genius

Channel 4, Thu 8 Feb, 9pm

29 Jan 2007

DOCUMENTARY Most of us would like to have a few more brain cells than we currently have at our disposal. But who would really want an IQ of 170, putting us into the top 0.002% of the population? And what if we had that mental ability and were around…

Remote Control - TV round-up

Remote Control

16 Jan 2007

So British dramas don’t hold a candle to their American counterparts, huh? We may have taken this as read for years but could a seismic shift be happening. Not that our home-grown shows are lifting themselves up to a higher plane, but our pals across…

Grapevine - showbiz news

Grapevine

16 Jan 2007

Worst casting decision of the fortnight (month/year/decade/trillennium) must be the one which has placed Mike Myers in the plum role of Keith Moon for the 2009-bound biopic of the Who drummer See Me Feel Me... That crazy blazing squad Arcade Fire are…

Comedy Cuts

ITV2, Thu 18 Jan, 10.55pm

16 Jan 2007

COMEDY Some people hold the view that since the demise of The Tube, TV’s commissioning heads haven’t really taken live music seriously. Well, what of live comedy then? Apart from the Stand-Up Show, Scotland’s Live Floor Show, and the odd bonanza on…

Remote Control - TV round-up

Remote Control

3 Jan 2007

Amid the bespectacled blundering and the wide-eyed naivety, Louis Theroux has made some witty and insightful documentaries in his time. Whether it’s been the all-too real worlds of the porn industry, white supremacy or Christian fundamentalism, he has…

Ugly Betty

Channel 4, Fri 5 Jan, 9.30pm

3 Jan 2007

COMEDY DRAMA At 9.30pm on the first Friday night of 2005, Channel 4 introduced us to the most popular new American comedy in years, My Name is Earl. So, when the exact same slot is filled by another heralded US import, you may well be steadying…

Grapevine

Plucking fruits from the cultural bush

20 Dec 2006

Oprah Winfrey will be taking some very long, very deep breaths at news that Kitty Kelley is working on a book about the broadcasting queen’s life. After all, the controversial biographer got the world into a flap over her books about Frank Sinatra (a…

Remote Control - TV round-up

Remote Control

11 Dec 2006

It may well be set in the Big Smoke and had a working title of ‘London’, but Dominic Savage’s Born Equal (BBC1, Sun 17 Dec, 9pm) explores such universal and painful truths that it would be wrong for it to have been fully metropolised. With Robert…

Remote Control - documentaries round-up

Brian Donaldson uncovers some fine documentaries a

11 Dec 2006

One of the stories of the year had to be the big whale that swam to London. So, the cryptically titled The Whale that Swam to London (Channel 4, Thu 21 Dec, 8pm) launches upon us dividing opinion between those who thought that it was a natural…

When the Levees Broke

BBC4, Mon 18 & Tue 19 Dec, 9pm

11 Dec 2006

DISASTER DOCUMENTARY ‘Only in America’ is often a phrase you hear when some weirdness occurs or a mad technological advance has been made. But surely only in a Bush America could hundreds of thousands of people (the bulk of them black and poor) be…

After Thomas

STV, Tue 26 Dec, 9pm

11 Dec 2006

FAMILY DRAMA It may well be the season to be jolly, but that has never stopped the humbug-riddled TV schedulers from dumping misery, fear and despair upon us from a great height. So, in fine Christmas (and ITV all year round) tradition, After Thomas…

Review of the year

11 Dec 2006

The Sopranos We haven’t half banged on about this in 2006, but with valid reason as the sixth season took Tony’s good/evil dichotomy to new zones as he tried to handle a gay captain, a loopy uncle and an unruly son.

Remote Control - TV round-up

Remote Control

27 Nov 2006

Yes, but is it art? This is the question that the good people of Margate are asking with both their mouths and their eyes as Antony Gormley creates his latest controversy. But rather than the constant Geordie reminder that is his Angel of the North…

Mitchell and Webb

Face off

14 Nov 2006

They may well be the gentle men of comedy but interviewing David Mitchell and Robert Webb is still an unsettling experience. The whole exchange is not unlike an episode of their glorious Channel 4 success, Peep Show. After all, they do look almost…

Doctor Who: The Invasion - DVD review

Doctor Who: The Invasion

14 Nov 2006

TV SCI-FIC Thanks to the unerring wisdom of BBC archivists, countless pieces of classic TV were junked in the early 70s to make room for a new coffee machine. Early instalments of Dr Who suffered badly in the cull, particularly those featuring the…

Remote Control

11 Nov 2006

It’s a sign of how life moves on for all of us that Jennifer Saunders’ new sitcom should be about a women’s guild in a sleepy Devon village. Perhaps because it’s so far from the madding it-crowd of Ab Fab, Jen has surrounded herself with reliable old…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds some dramas are better at handling a crisis than others.

27 Oct 2006

While Channel 4 may have uncovered its new West Wing with Commander in Chief, and Sky One thinks that Bones has exorcised its X-Files ghost, every network on the radar is after its own 24. The State Within (BBC1, Thu 2 Nov, 9pm - 4 stars) is the closest…

Young@Yeart

More4, Mon 6 Nov, 9pm

27 Oct 2006

MUSIC DOCUMENTARY It’s easy to poke fun at or get annoyed with the old, what with their doddery, drooling, deaf ways and their less than exemplary table manners. So, it will come as a major shock to the most hard-hearted anti-senior that this…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds a slew of iconic women on th

17 Oct 2006

Honestly, you wade through acres of telly for one strong female to pop by and all of sudden you can’t bleedin’ move for them. This fortnight alone, we have a president, a high-ranking police chief, a notorious killer, the first celebrity chef and the…

Torchwood

BBC3, Sun 22 Oct, 9pm; BBC2, Wed 25 Oct, 9pm

17 Oct 2006

SCI-FI DRAMA It could all have been such a disaster. Revamping an old TV series tends to end in calamity and/or tedium (Randall and Hopkirk, The Basil Brush Show, The Price is Right for just three) but the all-new Doctor Who has defied nature and…

Grapevine

Plucking fruits from the culturla bush

16 Oct 2006

The hottest hotseat is showbusiness keeps on hotting up with fervent rumours about the replacement for Des Lynam in the reclining Countdown chair. Carol Vorderman is still refusing to be considered a candidate while Stephen Fry is the latest name to get…

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson never thought he’d see it happen a

2 Oct 2006

Fired up with a blaze of publicity, including the less than mysterious tale of some missing tapes (robbing from rich execs at the BBC to give to the poor public?), the £8m production of Robin Hood (BBC1, Sat 7 Oct, 7.05pm) is not exactly money well…

Grapevine

Plucking fruits from the cultural bush

2 Oct 2006

Rumours of his retirement from the rap game have clearly been exaggerated as Eminem has begun on a new D12 album. Plus, Mr Mathers has a new mixtape entitled Eminem Presents: The Re-Up, due out in December, containing six marvellous new tunes... Jake…

Death of a President

More4, Mon 9 Oct, 9pm; Channel 4, Thu 19 Oct, 9pm

2 Oct 2006

DRAMA DOCUMENTARY Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea. Possibly being added to the candidates listed as America’s public enemy number one is the United Kingdom, when this goes out on air. The international incident sparked by ITV’s 1980s Saudi drama…

TV Round-up

18 Sep 2006

The glacial Tilda Swinton narrates Galapagos (BBC2, Fri 29 Sep, 9pm) with a voice that would suggest she can barely believe her eyes. I know how she feels. The set of islands just off the coast of South America was denounced by early pioneers as a hell…

The Monkees: Seasons 1 & 2

DVD review

18 Sep 2006

CLASSIC TELEVISION Nothing cripples the nostalgia-glands more than revisiting a beloved TV favourite from a distance of twenty years. Discovering that The Monkees isn’t as good as you remember is a depressing rites-of-passage through which every…

David Icke: Was He Right?

Five, Mon 2 Oct, 11pm

18 Sep 2006

SOCIAL DOCUMENTARY When a mound of grass in Peru started talking to David Icke, his life was never to be the same again. Having plied his trade as a goalkeeper for Coventry City before introducing snooker coverage for the BBC, his overnight…

Tutti Frutti - feature

Cult fiction

12 Sep 2006

Steve Cramer talks to John Byrne about history, our relationship with the past and his new stage adaptation of his cult television hit, Tutti Frutti.

Remote Control

Brian Donaldson finds that celebs and sluts still

7 Sep 2006

TV round-up The cult of celebrity has been handled by comedians and satirists in so many ways that it seems almost impossible to find a new way to approach the depiction of famous folk. Star Stories, pictured above (Channel 4, Fri 15 Sep, 9pm) may well…

Low Winter Sun

Channel 4, Thu 14, 21 Sep, 9pm

7 Sep 2006

CRIME DRAMA Corrupt cops have been ten a penny down the TV years. Everything from The Sweeneyto The Shieldhave focussed on gung-ho anti-heroes who bent the rules to their own ends, usually to net the baddies but not always for reasons which…