I'll admit that I failed to watch last week's episode of Being Human. Life, and my recent addiction to BBC4's The Killing, took precedence. Big mistake. Tuning in on Sunday evening I was caught in a traffic jam of surprises: Mitchell was in the clink, Nina was as good as dead and Herrick was back in … [Read more...]
Agony & Ecstasy at the ballet and the Let’s Dance final: What We’ve Been Watching
Riding on the back of the success of Black Swan (as Marc Bolan didn't say) comes the nicely-timed Agony & Ecstasy: A Year with the English National Ballet. While the Oscar-adorned movie was, essentially, a genre flick with no real interest in showing the reality of life for a ballet dancer, … [Read more...]
Outcasts: Series 1, Episode 8 – Dork Review
After eight episodes and almost as many time slots, the BBC’s upper-end science-fiction melodrama Outcasts comes to a halt for now. With ratings on the low side, it’s hard to feel optimistic about the chances of it ever returning. So do we get a beautiful resolution with a bow on top? Is the … [Read more...]
Outcasts: Series 1, Episode 7 – Dork Review
As the series (and, let’s face it, probably the whole show) draws towards a climax next week, Outcasts finally has the characters show some interest in the mysteries that loom over the entire enterprise. Considering the writers have been waving them at us since episode 1, it’s about time. And … [Read more...]
Wonders of the Universe and 24 Hour Panel People: What We’ve Been Watching
Back when Prof. Brian Cox had the rather limited remit of just our own galaxy, Wonders (as the cool kids call it) was a huge success -- the biggest science documentary series for years, probably. This time, with an entire universe to play with, will the new series see the Professor's star rise even … [Read more...]
Outcasts: Series 1, Episode 6 – Dork Review
In Outcasts this week, things continue to take a supernatural twist, or at least a sharp jump towards the unexplained, as our heroes are confronted with more hallucinatory phenomena out in the desert. But is this a beautifully executed mystery, or another risky step towards becoming Lost in … [Read more...]
Being Human: Series 3, Episode 5 – Dork Review
Over the past year there have been some excellent new comedy series on the BBC. First there was the gentle Rev, then Alan Davies' boisterous Whites, and more recently, Episodes. I'm just on iPlayer, flicking through them now. What's this programme at the top of the comedy listings, positioned just … [Read more...]
Mad Dogs and Let’s Dance for Comic Relief: What We’ve Been Watching
This being the era of the iPlayer, we're not necessarily expected to watch series as they go out, even big glossy psychological dramas with insane casts, as is the case with Sky 1's Mad Dogs. So I'm not in the least bit ashamed to admit that I'm a week behind on this show (ok, I am a little) -- and … [Read more...]
Outcasts: Series 1, Episode 5 – Dork Review
I’m not arrogant enough to believe the programme-makers read these flights of internet fancy, and even if they did, a show like Outcasts must be filmed so far in advance that it wouldn’t make a blind jot of difference. However. In last week’s review, I hoped for a storyline that didn’t revolve … [Read more...]
Outcasts: Episodes 3 & 4 – Dork Review
Some curious scheduling this week, as BBC One showed another two episodes of Outcasts. Once felt like a launch event, twice feels like they want to get rid of it. This concern was exacerbated when news of a move out of Monday primetime started appearing. Unfortunately, it appears Outcasts may not … [Read more...]










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