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.

It's a Kind of Magic

Jonathan Ross is a very annoying and overpaid man, exceptionally overpaid. He took the BBC for a ride for years as a ‘contractor’ presenter, fleecing the licence fee payer and corporation for millions. His move to ITV was unlamented by ‘thetvreviewguy’ who thinks stars like Ross add little value for the viewer. And yet, ‘Fool Us’ (ITV), with Penn and Teller, is a great TV show, a return to Saturday night fare at its best and a magic programme that allows the real stars, i.e. the magicians, to take the limelight with Ross shutting his all too mouthy gob for most of the programme. The format sees amateur magicians try and fool Penn and Teller with the prize on offer being a slot in Vegas backed by P&T. The two guys are genuinely funny and always ‘big up’ their guests whether they manage to guess how the trick is done or not. Penn, the chatty one, is a good old-fashioned ‘roll-up, roll up’ showman and Teller is terrific as the silent partner; together they make for a really talented and hilarious double act. The beauty of good magic is in being totally baffled as to how something’s done; Penn is a noted rationalist and never claims what he does is more than an illusory. ‘Fool Us’ brings us Muggles into their world and allows us an insight into the ways and means of pro-magicians. Well worth tuning in for, despite Jonathan Ross.

Playing the Numbers Game

'The Code' (BBC2) looks at the role of numbers and numerical patterns in life, architecture, the Universe and everything. Ably presented by Macus du Sautoy (host of an excellent series about mathematicians on Radio 4), the programme considers the hidden patterns all around us that are either invisible or totally ignored. Now ‘thetvreviewguy’ is by no means a maths guru and likes his sums prepared and presented in a simple manner; du Sautoy tries his best to do just this. We are reintroduced to the wonders of Pi and how it can help us guess the weight of fish (something to do with standard deviation). Pi has some interesting qualities, which ‘thetvreviewguy’ can’t go into now for time reasons, but, needless to say, you can do stuff with it. Radar would not exist were it not for imaginary numbers; yes, we could fly without radar but we’d be crashing an awful lot more. Magical proportions in architecture have always been a staple for cod fiction but du Sautoy presents a mathematical dissection of Chartres Cathedral, where lines, triangles and squares underlie the whole shape and structure of the building. Musical chords and harmony were cited as another example of where 'The Code’ kicks in and anyone familiar with dissonant compositions will know how initially jarring they can sound. The BBC excels at this sort of TV – educational and entertaining fare, unembarrassed to undertake, in a previously much derided phrase, a ‘mission to explain’. Mathematics and numbers are everywhere and even if we don’t understand most of it, people like du Sautoy are there to help us try. For ‘thetvreviewguy’, ‘The Code’ is numero uno.