Oliver Offers Satisfying Norse Course

The 'Vikings' (BBC2), a great bunch of lads? Neil Oliver would seem to think so and in this episode in his series on the hairy marauders, he looked at their Western expeditions. They aren't just the, er, barbarians of lore - their culture and legacy is rich and varied. From the Norsemen sailing from Bergen to Shetland, their diet of rotten shark, the voyage of Erik the Red from Greenland to Newfoundland, the 'Thing' (an Icelandic forerunner of a Parliament) to their art, 'Vikings' explored the sophistication and civilizing aspects of this amazing group of travelling people. Oliver presented in his usual relaxed manner - anyone who knows him from 'Coast' will recognise his easygoing presentation style. The scenery and photography was stunning; what an awe-inspiring and pristine landscape these maritime pioneers must have surveyed. TV History isn't an easy gig but Oliver gets the balance between discourse and entertainment just right. There's a decent audienceship out there for mid-market, intelligent history programmes and this is one such programme. Already being favourably contrasted to Andrew Marr's disappointing 'History of the World' (see previous entry from 'thetvreviewguy'), 'Vikings' shows us how recent the past is, a mere 30-40 generations ago since Erik the Red and Co were on the rampage and settling down in Europe and beyond. A voyage worth joining.

The Ascent of Marr

The BBC isn't afraid to tackle the Big Issues and they don't come any bigger than 'Andrew Marr's History of the World' (BBC1). Marr is a great Generalist and often compelling presenter and 'thetvreviewguy' was looking forward to this ambitious series. What we got was good but not groundbreaking. An overview of 'Man' from 70,000 BC to the Egyptians looking at key points in human development. Thus we were told about our descent from 'Eve' or 'Mother' in Africa (how our genetic code relates back to a relatively small tribe that moved out of the Continent), our forrays into cave art, the foundation of agriculture, and the rise of civilization with the develpment of writing and a courts system.  None of this is new to BBC or Discovery viewers (the latter network, along with Open University, being one of the programme's three producers). The format, re-enactment, then Marr to camera, re-enactment etc has the feel of a Museum AV room film to it; where are the geologists, ethnographers, art historians, anthropologists? There's nothing wrong with explaining what most educated or self-taught people would know already but if this is intended for a school audience, it should be given that time slot. Marr is authorative but none of this research is his; he is standing on the shoulders of giants and this is where the concept of the Generalist falls through.While this should go on to do huge business for BBC Worldwide, it left 'thetvreviewguy' somewhat underwhelmed.

Oil's Well That Ends Well

If you grew up in the 1980s in Ireland, you'll remember 'Dallas' (TV3) as part of a modernising influence in the land thirty years ago. It was condemned from pulpits, complained about on the Gay Byrne Radio Show and spawned an appalling but emminently catchy 'Country N' Irish' hit, 'I Shot JR'. It got huge ratings; even allowing for the lack of channels, it brought in the viewers. How does it bear up to the original? The older cast members are mortal after all, and have noticeably aged; although Linda Gray, legs of Mrs Robinson in the 'Graduate' movie poster, still looks pretty good (however who knows what magical face stuff the some of the cast has been using to stay young)? There's still  the same story - the Ewings and their Oil, good and bad (Bobby and JR) and Larry Hagman still exudes baddy-ness, perfect as a the Miltonic Satan, a decent actor in his own right (remember his turn in 'Primary Colours?'). While 'thetvreviewguy' probably won't be following the series, it still has the iconic opening theme (with the Credit Montage updated) and while there's still lashings of sex (no nudity of course), and some nice bits in dialogue, the younger characters just ain't got the moxy of their 1980s predecessors. But as a nostalgia trip, and a smart take on the attractions of villains, it's still pretty good and reassuring, remnding us in the background that Rick Perry won't be President.

Cloth; Wiping the Face of Crime

'Touch of Cloth' (Sky 1) is fairly funny stuff as is to be expected from anything written by Charlie Brooker (Daniel Maier is the writing partner on this one). The TV Cop Show is an easily satrised format but Brooker has some nice lines that any fans of his would have recognised instantly as his rapid wit and snark. The cast is superb, playing every gag line with a set-in-stone straight face delivery.Why Charlie Brooker feels the need to work for a Murdoch channel is anybody's guess but this is funny, if not quite ground-breaking ('Police Squad' anyone?). John Hannah (who once played Ian Rankin's Rebus, and not for laughs) is Jack Cloth, a troubled, stubbled, quasi washed-up Copper. He is joined by the excellent Suranne Jones ('Coronation Street', 'Scott & Bailey'), playing, in the best pun and funniest joke in Episode One, Detective Constable Anne Oldman. Julian-Rhind Tutt ('Green Wing') does his usual stuff as Cloth's Boss, who is called, er, Boss. Throw in a couple of cast members that were in 'Teachers' over a decade ago and you have a great mix of acting talent, good writing and decent production values. While 'thetvreviewguy' wasn't totally in awe, he enjoyed the hour; Charlie Brooker is not God (!) but he is one of the more original and witty writers around today. And he's married to Konnie Huq. Bastard.

London's Burning; 2011 Riots

The 2011 Riots in London and other parts of Britain defy easy categorisation. 'The Riots - In Their Own Words' (BBC2) looked at the events of last August through the eyes of rioters, police and some clergy. The programme was a result of a joint research project between the LSE and The Guardian and the rigour behind the investigation was evident from the start. The two-parter started with the rioters; what happened, what was their motivation and what were the consequences. The motivations were several; some saw this as 'political' - wanting to protest after the death of Mark Duggan, others saw an opportunity for looting while another group just got caught up in the madness of crowds. The scale of the rioting was astonishing and for a few days in August 2011, law and order appeared to have collapsed in many parts of London. The consequences for many were severe - the courts handed down exemplary custodial sentences 'pour encourager les autres'. All the rioters were played by actors, who were so convincing that 'thetvreviewguy' thought he was looking at the real people. The testimonies from the Police were no less dramatic; all had never faced public disorder on such a scale before and many expressed fear for their safety. The decision not to deploy rubber bullets was probably the right one; Northern Ireland residents may have looked at this ironically, to say the least (alright for one part of the UK, not for another). 'The Riots - In Their Own Words' never sought to give pat answers or take a particular slant; it was an intelligent, thoughtful and important piece of work that left the viewer either confirmed in their prejudices or asking themselves more questions about what happened in August 2011.

Hoop Dreamers

Well, that was different. Normally, 'thetvreviewguy' has very little interest in elite sports and likes the odd football game (that's soccer to his American friends), a little bit of jogging and playing (and generally not watching) tennis. So what is he to make of the Olympics (BBC/RTE) coverage? Well, perhaps it's best to acknowledge that there were lots of Olympics going on, including: the corporate takeover of the five rings, the honest efforts of 'clean' athletes, the expectation/media event and the marketing and character of London itself. Overall, the professionalism of the BBC was superb and conveyed the enthusiasm for the tournament while, understandably but hardly commendably, in a way true to most nationalities, moving into hyperbole overdrive very quickly once the medals started coming in. RTE, for a 'small country' broadcaster covered the Irish athletes and events with just the right mix of objectivity and excitement as they did in their coverage of athletes from the bigger nations. Going on past years, the Olympics never make any money for the host country, are forgotten about by those of us, i.e. the majority, who only watch athletics once every four years, and suck out all other television programmes like a Black Hole for the three weeks they are on. So, in non-ranking order, the highlights for 'thetvreviewguy' include parts of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony, London as the star of the show, some great sporting achievements and Boris Johnson getting stuck on a zip-chord.

Briefs Encounter

Criminal lawyers don't really enjoy the best of reps among most of the general public and 'The Briefs' (ITV) will have confirmed their many prejudices about the field; an industry in itself, slightly 'tricky' and enabling the 'revolving door' system of charge/release/charge. This fly-on-the-wall doc followed Manchester criminal law firm Tuckers as they met their clients and the series producers sure picked some real oddballs (not just the lawyers) to feature, some of whom seemed to be serial repeat offenders well savvy about their rights. However...the 'Briefs' appeared conscientious and to be doing the best for their hapless clients (there, that should be enough not to get 'thetvreviewguy' sued). In one instance,Tuckers succeeded in getting the charges dropped against a possible murder suspect who, to this reviewer anyway, really did appear to have been wrongly charged in the first place. And...if, you were to end up in a prison cell being charged with a crime you didn't commit, or were looking for mitigation, you'd want the best, sneakiest, smartest, most devious lawyer on your side. For many, there's an instinctive reaction to regard the field as a bit spivvy but the presumption of innocence is really important in any well functioning democracy. Defence lawyers will always seek new lines of attack when it comes to winning their case. 'The Briefs' had some good access and was never patronising but left the viewer slightly in despair about the universal theme of Crime and Punishment. While not discussing into the socio-economic casues of crime, 'The Briefs' was a very good insight into the human face of the wrong end of the law; worth more than a 'brief' look.