A life in magazines: TV Comic

TV Comic was the first proper weekly magazine I collected. I could barely contain my juvenile excitement between issues. It would pop through my letter box on a Thursday, even though, somewhat frustratingly, it had “Every Monday” printed under the banner – such were the trials of Scottish village life in the mid-1970s. TV Comic […]

Jeremys #2: Brett

Second in a series of short tributes to well-known people called Jeremy With the BBC’s Sherlock on our screens, it’s worth reminding ourselves just how great Jeremy Brett was, both in and out of the role. Brett was a truly fine actor and one of British television’s most recognisable faces, having put his sharp features […]

Pipe down, it’s a no-shit Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch sounds gloriously anachronistic, a name to do a little more than conjure with. He should be a Dickensian cartoon character, if such a thing could possibly exist. Crazy name, crazy face, he must surely be a crazy guy. How perfectly cast he is, then, as Sherlock, the latest TV incarnation of Arthur Conan […]

Jeremys #1: Paxman

First in a series of short tributes to well-known people called Jeremy Why do I love Jeremy Paxman? Let me count the ways. He’s fiercely intelligent. He’s fiercely articulate. He’s fiercely bad tempered at times. He presents two of my favourite programmes, Newsnight and University Challenge. On the former, he’s the scourge of most politicians […]

No ID? Ah…

Oh, what to make of ITV1’s new six-part crime drama, Identity? It’s got the gloss, the piped-in atmosphere, the glass offices, the inner conflict, and a stellar assembly of attractive professionals who get the job done. But what’s it for? According to the press release, its premise concerns “murderers who literally take other people’s lives… impostors […]

Heart failure and time warp

Good riddance to Ashfordly – where it’s been the 1960s for 18 years The end of an error is upon us. One of Britain’s cosiest Sunday night habits has, as they say, been “axed”. This coming Sunday sees the beginning of the final series of Heartbeat, a programme described variously as a ‘1960s rural police […]

Yikes, it’s Eric Sykes

I was overjoyed yesterday to read that Eric Sykes was celebrating his 87th birthday. This is marvellous news because it means, of course, that he’s not dead. Like Norman Wisdom and Leslie “I say, ding dong!” Phillips, I can never remember if Sykes is alive or dead half the time. It’s a shame that such great comic […]

It’s not rocket science

Bless, bless, bless the 12-year-old work experience kid who was asked to find a photo of “the man who presents The Krypton Factor” for today’s Irish Times’ TV page; didn’t said 12-year-old then duly come up trumps with the smiling fizog of its original presenter, the mild-mannered-as-an-art-form, Gordon Burns. Personally, I prefer not to see this as an error, but […]

Michael McIntyre denies he’s bland

It might be difficult to fathom but there are people out there who don’t find Michael McIntyre funny. Worse still, some have even suggested his routines are inoffensive and “middle class” in nature. So, in an effort to “lash out” at these accusations, McIntyre has given his side of the argument in an interview with […]

The Welch Squelch

First thing first: naturally, this blogger cannot contain his glee at Fiorentina’s marvellous 2-0 win over Liverpoo-el in their home Champions League encounter last week; witnessing the precocious talent of young Montenegro forward Stevan Jovetic come alive in front of Europe has put many, myself included, in mind of that young Viola star of two decades ago, Roberto […]