You Calling Me A Liar?

Rob Brydon appears to have found his niche as a game show host or panellist. You see him here, you see him there, you see him everywhere. In ‘Would I Lie To You?’ (BBC1), a chop-shop gluing together of ‘What’s My Line?’ and ‘Call My Bluff’, he hosts the proceedings with a high degree of panache; he allows team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell to engage in entertaining and witty banter without trying to hog the limelight. Mack and Mitchell have well proven comedy bones; both are on-their-feet thinkers and able to, in the Irish phrase, ‘take a slagging’. Mack is great as the professional Northerner (and, for 'thetvreviewguy', can do very little wrong) while Mitchell is perfect at playing the nice posh fellow. BBC Comedy scores a lot of hits and this is definitely one of them; perfect Friday night entertainment with a glass of wine, or in ‘thetvreviewguy’s case, a can of Lidl special. Putting funny people together in the same room should produce good results and ‘Would I Lie To You?’ hits the right humour buttons; solid, really good, light entertainment. Laughter really is the best therapy so book yourself a free session and tune in.

Conan the Harvardian

Conan O'Brien is still a very funny man. Anyone who’s been a writer and producer for the 'Simpsons' is okay by 'thetvreviewguy' and 'Conan' (TV3e) is worth some after pub/insomniac/project completion viewing. Now almost 50, Conan has been a late night TV fixture for much of the last twenty years. Along with amiable side-kick Andy Richter, the red-headed one manages to work well within the tired constraints of the US chat-show format i.e. bleeeped swearing and ads every five minutes. This format in general, however, is staid and dated (going back to Johnny Carson days) - initial monologue, funny items, pets doing tricks, an up-and-coming or well-established rock band, guests telling anecdotes in a limited amount of time and a tight house band. And, bizarrely to an Irish audience, the sidekick. It's usually impossible to see the sidekick as anything more then a pitiful figure, particularly in the wake of 'Hey Now' Hank from the 'Gary Shandling Show'. Yet Andy is likeable and Conan and he have a great on-air chemistry (they may despise each other off-screen, what does 'thetvreviewguy' know?). Much of the US chat-show format is stuck in a kind of 1950s time warp which is only occasionally subverted by the likes of John Stewart or the Colbert Report. 'Conan', however, is a host that wears his intelligence and quick-wittedness lightly. A Harvard grad, O'Brien is able to be both smart and a smart-alec without alienating his audience (who tune in for those very reasons). Funny, clever and Irish, O'Brien shows that you can be both dumb and smart at the same time.

A Big Toast for 'Coast '!

'Coast' (BBC2) is like an old friend at this stage, a great Open University produced programme that follows the ins and outs around the British and Irish coastlines. Main presenter Neil Oliver ably steers the viewer on one of the World's most fascinating voyages. Last night's epsiode was up to the usual high standard and, most enjoyably for 'thetvreviewguy', featured Baltimore, West Cork, one of the most beautiful places on this planet (what other planet have you been on 'tvreviewguy'?). We travelled to Valentia Island, previously an proto-world internet hub in the days of the telegraph. We went to the Cliffs fo Moher and visited the amazing beehive huts on the Skellig Islands; in short, if the Irish Tourist Board had sought to make a advertorial about the majestic beauty that there is in Ireland, they could not have done much better. The series photography is always lush and stunning and some of the views were just outstanding; Mt Brandon was a wonder to behold. 'Coast' is destined to be on Geography teacher playback for much of the next decade; a superb piece of television. As with most things, we never really appreciate what we have ready to hand and last night's episode would make your average Mick wax lyrical about the wonder of it all. We may be going through catacylsmic economic times but nature will always endure and programmes like 'Coast' will help us realise landsacapes shape lives and communities. Family viewing at its best.

It's (Not) Grim Up North

'Flying Wild Alaska' (Discovery) is a life affirming piece of tv following the adventures of the Tweto family who own and run 'Era Alaska' airline. The whole operation is 'Mom & Pop', small dual engine planes that deliver supplies and people through some of the World's most rugged, beautiful and desolate scenery. Real life tragedy mingles with spades of hood humour as we join the the charming Tweto family. 'Discovery', of course, would have been very aware of the 'babe potential' of Ariel and Ayla Tweto who add some great laughs to what could have turned out as another 'Deadliest Catch' with Planes. It's much more than that, it's about family and freedom; the trawlermen do make for good tv, but Jim and Ferno Tweto are such a, well, nice, couple that 'thetvreviewguy' prefers watching the more prosaic tales of family flying and snow jogging than the daring-do of Captain Ahabs cashing the big one. 'Flying Wild Alaska' is more light than shade and makes for a breezy bit of background viewing that won't have you switching over to the 'Hitler Channel' for a documentary fix. The Twetos have put Unalakleet on the map (easier said than done as Alaska gives new meaning to the word 'remote') and 'thetvreiewguy' will make sure to fly with the Twetos next time he's in the area. Give yourself a well deserved break from financial blues and have a look at how life can be and is for this amazing family and enjoy the real-life 'Norhern Exposure'. At least Business Class television.

Miranda's Right

She's big, she's funny, she's mainstream on BBC1, and, toottindarnit, she's only gone and got a show named after her! Yes, one of 'thetvreviewguy's favourite comediennes (okay, there aren't that many but this may or may not have anything to do with Christopher Hitchens’ points about women not being funny, don't have the time or space to go there right now) Miranda Hart, has hit the mega time with 'Miranda' (BBC1) now Saturday night fare. The shtick is that she's clumsy and witty and while there's not huge innovation compared to earlier 'funny girl' shows like Mary Tyler Moore, it is frequently a laugh riot; ‘Miranda’ makes you smile and appreciate how talented a performer and writer she is. Comedy is, as 'thetvreviewguy' never tires of saying, an entirely subjective matter. What's funny to a baffling amount of people, i.e. 'You've Been Framed', may not be funny to others. Then there's Lowest Common Denominator substandard US buttter-ball, moral message, boring, US comedy, which again, millions find very entertaining. 'Miranda' scores because she respects her audience's intelligence but doesn't try to be clever-clever or snide; she is a tv power player and one with many years of success undoubtedly ahead of her. Patricia Hodge is superb as Miranda's mother and the supporting cast (Sarah Hadland & Tom Ellis in particular) are excellent comedic actors. A third series is to follow the current one and with both a favourable critical and audience reception, 'Miranda' and 'thetvreviewguy' will be spending more quality time together. Another good reason for not going out.

The Way of the Dragon

‘Dragons Den’ (BBC2) can make ‘thetvreviewguy’ a) throw stuff at the box b) laugh uproariously and c) go, ‘wow, you know, that’s a really good idea!’. The concept; have you got a business idea or a company start up but don’t have the funding you need? Well, why not make your pitch in front of five savvy and sharp business people who may invest in your company. The producers' trick is not to have too many utterly ridiculous business proposals, have the odd gem and choose entrepreneur ‘business angels’ that like to have a good row. Well parodied by now, ‘Dragons Den’ appeals and repels in equal measure; appeals, because we all have ideas, maybe that one big idea, that will get us out of the rat-race, appals due to the naked greed of the Dragons (yes Duncan Bannatyne, ‘thetvreviewguy’ is talking about you) when they know they’ve seen a commercial winner. The new woman, Hilary Devey, has a bizarre dress-sense that can only be described as harking back to 1980s ‘Dynasty’ (perhaps her own tribute to Thatcherism?). But, like the other dragons, she’s a tough, no-nonsense business person (an industrial palette millionaire no less; boring in the eyes of ‘thetvreviewguy’? Yes, but sticking at it was the key). Not as cruel as the ‘X Factor’, ‘Dragons Den’ has a well-balanced panel (of egotists, greedy bastards and commonsense talkers) and is well worth a small investment of your time.

There's So Many Colours In The Rainbow

‘Horizon’ (BBC2) rarely fails to hit the mark. It’s no secret that ‘thetvreviewguy’ loves good science programmes even though he was hopeless at all his school science subjects; he suspects he isn’t the only one like this. Last Monday’s show was all about colour; how do we perceive it, what do different colours mean, can they make us feel powerful or powerless? As usual, there was some very interesting stuff discussed that only occasionally fell near pointyhead territory. Narrated mellifluously by Samantha Bond (she of ‘Moneypenny’ fame), we found out some fascinating facts about colours. Okay, so red is associated with danger and passion and if we ‘see red’ we get angry. But if we sit in a red painted room, time slows down rather than speeds up, unlike in a blue room where it seems to pass by more quickly. Reds and browns are also believed to make us hungry; all of these assertions are based on empirically established facts yet many of them can sound silly or made up. We see how the Namibian Himba tribe, in some amazing footage, are able to distinguish the subtlest blue, which jumps out at them in a visual test, but are unable to distinguish a clear blue (in our eyes) among a sea of greens. This is said to be due to there being fewer words in the Himba vocabulary to describe colour. ‘Horizon’ has been going since 1964 and has, despite some minor criticisms, always managed to provide entertaining educational television for the non-expert. While ‘thetvreviewguy’ may not be a fully fledged scientist, he knows what he likes and enjoyed this colourful dissertation on the visual world.