Fighting Them on the Beaches

Peter Snow is an interesting presenter - smart, on the viewer's side and a somewhat manic, enthusiastic, bringer of 'the fun' presenter you don't get that often these days. His 'D Day As It Happens' (Channel 4), a two-parter over June 5th and 6th in 'real-time' was a fine example of making History interesting, relevant and contemporary. Assisted by the TV Friendly ex- Colonel Tim Collins and War Camerawoman Lorna Ward, Snow 'followed' the progress of six men and one woman for over this, the Greatest Day. We are so used to the 'Band of Brothers' WWII format of story-telling now that we see battles and crucial events as involving heroic and not so heroic individuals rather than forces of History (which also apply). The format worked because the time-line was re-constructed so accurately; we knew what Soldier X or Y was doing at 10.43 due to painstaking research of the photographic and other archives. D Day was an incredible turning point in World History and it is right that it be remembered so often, and in this instance, so well. Allied mistakes were highlighted as was Hitler's cause of eventual downfall - hubris and a gross overestimation of his military intelligence (falling for the feint 'Operation Fortitude' while 'Overlord' kicked into action). Good History and very watchable Television.

I'm a 21st Century Time Traveller, Get Me Out Of Here!

'Groan!', 'thetvreviewguy' hears you say...'not another TV History Programme about Queen Elizabeth's 1st's Reign!' Dr Ian Mortimer's new series, 'The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England' (BBC2) is a cut above the rest (although, worryingly, produced by arch-Tory David Starkey). A simple conceit (based on a best-selling book) - imagine you're a Time Traveller in this distant epoch - what do you encounter, what are the customs, how are they different from today? It has to be said that Elizabethan England was a pretty vile, sadistic, backward, superstitious and frightening place to live. Forget Shakespeare, here was a land where sadism reigned - from bull baiting through to domestic violence through to capital punishment. Thank Fuck for the Enlightenment, is all this time traveller can think when confronted with a country where you could be put do death in a cruel and unusual manner for not believing in God, being a Witch, being a Catholic, robbing a Chicken or being a vagrant. Prisons were mere holding pens until execution. This was a bad place to be alive and to be poor (or a woman from any social background)  - really grim, not cool at all. Elizabeth and the Court were a bunch of blood-sucking leeches that relied on terror and violence to maintain their status. A horrible Age brought to life by Dr Mortimer.

Agent Scully Could Do Better...

Gillian Anderson will always be Special Agent Dana Scully for 'thetvreviewguy'. Such was the impact of the 'X Files', that it was hard for Anderson, a talented and impressive actress, to break out of the career-defining role. But break-out she did and eagle-eyed spotters will have seen her in classy ventures like 'The Last King of Scotland' and she's currently starring in the new TV production 'Hannibal'. Which brings us to 'The Fall', (BBC2/RTE1) which stars Anderson as a Senior Met Police Officer brought in to Belfast to review a murder case where she rapidly realise she's hunting a serial killer. Despite an excellent cast (Jamie Dornan extremely menacing as the murderer [its ok, we know he is, 'Colombo-like'] and John Lynch as conscientious Officer), we never escape from the predictability of the 'murder most horrid' school of detective TV which is now the mainstream. The subtleties, plotting, characterisation and cerebrum stroking of shows like 'Lewis' or 'Endeavour' are becoming less and less the norm. There's undoubtedly a viewership for this but 'thetvreviewguy' won't be tuning in for a second episode of stalking, slashing, strangulation and dark, dark lighting. Actors, writers and
directors stand by their work, but in this case, through no fault of the actors, sadly, they 'fall'.

The Appliance of Science

What would you like to with your life? Would you like to be an internationally renowned physicist, an accomplished musician, a fine Draughtsman, an inspirational educator, a rebel against authority or a beloved Pater Familias? 'The Fantastic Mr Feynman' (BBC2) looked back on the incredible life of Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, a man who managed to do all these things, as well as being one of the designers of the Atom Bomb as part of the Manhattan Project, a role of which he would feel great remorse once the Bomb was dropped. Feynman packed so much into one lifetime that it is hard to see how someone could be as much a polymath in today's era of specialisation and information overload - he was, perhaps, the last Renaissance Man. Science was baffling to 'thetvreviewguy' when he was a lad, and Feynman, with his sense of the poetic, the aesthetic and his belief that creativity, not data, is at the heart of all our endeavours, would inspire anyone with his enthusiasm, his style and his love of life. Instrumental in unearthing the root cause of the Challenger disaster, Feynman's distrust of authority came from his father who cautioned him not to respect rank or 'epaulettes' (as he called it) for their own sake. While the mathematical genius manifested in the man is something most of us can only admire from afar and maybe try to understand, it was the humanity in the life of the fantastic Dr Feynman itself that stands as his legacy, as much as his work.

Take a Walk on the Wild Life

Derek Mooney is fast establishing himself as the ‘For Hire’ RTE Presenter and general Voiceover guy. In 'Secrets of the Irish Landscape' (RTE1), he provided the necessary once again and his love of the natural world (see his previous, usually understated, work for RTE) is never far from the surface. This (and its become a staple of Nature Documentaries) beautifully shot documentary looked at the geological and botanical links between Ireland, Spain and Iceland and at how relatively new the undulating, lush green Irish landscape is. We heard about the stalwart research of Robert Praeger a century ago and how he walked the country, recording the plant life on each walk, sometimes covering up to 50 kilometres on a weekend logging his finds. If it weren't for these pioneers, we would be considerably more ignorant about the World around us. While 'thetvreviewguy' found the extraneous shots of Mooney's Four Wheel Drive resembled uncomfortable, half-hearted, product placement, this is a modest negative when compared to the knowledge imparted by the featured scientists and assorted experts.  Geology and botany are really never ending subjects, which means that such documentaries will always be throwing up new material. And, yes, the Icelandic views did look spectacular - another country that 'thetvreviewguy' has to add to his 'to do' list. The programme makers really made Ireland look good and must have an eye on being picked up Stateside or becoming a DVD hit with the tourist market. A fine production.

The Road to Nowhere

The brief spat between the LSE and the BBC over ethics should not detract from John Sweeney's secret-camera footage of North Korea on 'Panorama' (BBC1). Sweeney was accompanied limpet-style by his official North Korean guides - North Korea is a nightmare of a failed political entity, where famine is endemic and forced labour camps punish dissidents and non-dissident alike. It is also a country where electricity is a luxury, a fucked up, Star Trek anti-utopia of a polity, where the Kims rule like Gods and their people are fed an Orwellian diet of News Speak. It is, in short, Hell on Earth. While those with even a passing familiarity with the nature of the regime will have learnt nothing new, the footage will have been a welcome addition to the knowledge of those not au fait with what goes on in this closed state. Sweeney was brought to Hospital where there were no patients and some of us were hoping for a 'Scientology' type explosion from him, but the circumstances were just too pathetic for that. His trip to a Library allowed him to ask the immortal question as to whether they had '1984' in stock, and of course, they didn't. It would also be funny if it just weren't so tragic. 'Panorama' is hitting the mark again; it could do with being 45 minutes or an hour long but still can be a must-see.

Royally Unwell

Television loves many things, among which are looks, smarts and eccentricities. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, has all three in spades and her brief series, 'Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History' was both entertaining and informative, and looked at how malady and monarchy have coincided over the years. While examining more celebrated instances such as the madness of King George, Worsley was particularly good at focusing those figures forgotten or over-looked. Poor Queen Anne (1665 to 1714). Such was the expectation of bearing an heir and a spare, Anne endured 17 pregnancies, with only one son being born, William, and he lived to be only eleven years of age. While 'thetvreviewguy' would be a Republican at heart but at the same time, found the programme fascinating, principally for the reminder of just how far we have come on in medicine and life expectancy over the last four centuries. Lucy Worsley is a charming host, bringing the viewer on a quasi-guided tour of royal illness and this was good, solid television, probably more BBC 4 oriented, but well-suited to a BBC2 slot also. While some more shallow viewers (like 'thetvreviewguy'?) may have been partially drawn into watching for Ms Worsley's 'Posh Totty' status, she is an accomplished Historian and confident Presenter, a welcome addition to the telly game...a Princess among Women.