Maestro (BBC Two, Tuesday, 19 August, 9pm) really is a programme with balls. It's also a programme that doesn't mind pandering to idiots like me who don't know the difference between baroque and Bartók. It's worth pointing out that the previous joke wasn't based on any kind of knowledge, I've merely heard the name Bartók and hope that it is something to do with classical music. Anyway, what's this about balls? Well, most of these talent show things are based on a rigid format and general whittling. Of course, last night's Maestro whittled... but it did it all live from Television Centre! What nerve!

Fact is, last week's opener was brilliant. I was sucked in within seconds of the start. This week had a tougher task, basically, trying to carry the momentum forward. With it being a live show, it almost didn't make it. Such was the emotional investment of the first, seeing each participant go from hopeless idiot to kinda getting the hang of the basics, this week we were faced merely with a performance. No journey or build-up... just straight in to the music.

Of course, seeing our competitors conducting live... warts'n'all... was pretty thrilling. However, it would have been so much more rewarding if we'd had some kind of build up of tension beforehand. The show would have been greatly improved if it had been moved to Episode 3, with the second episode showing the nerves jangling as they were told that they'd be performing live on telly and all that.

However, that's a small gripe. Again, the show was brilliant in its approach to making our little brains understand classical music a bit better. Each sleb conducted pieces that we all know inside out. This meant Wagner, the theme from Onedin Line, the Simpsons theme music... it was all easy for us to digest. Smartly, we knew the music so well that you could also tell when the celebrities were buggering it up.

Goldie and Sue Perkins impressed once again, but like all talent shows, the juice lay in failure. David Soul, now booted off the show, didn't so much conduct, but rather, did a weird dance to the band. I think that one of the judges may have even said that his performance was more "a mime". Jane Asher surprised with a terrible performance after impressing last week.

Anyway, the judges. three-quarters of the judges on the show are great. I'm not invested enough to care what their names are yet, so I'll crudely point them out by the way they look. The baldy guy with owl ears is a TV treat. Even-handed and kind in criticism. The guy with the curly mop (who looks like every orchestra bloke you've ever seen ever) has moments of The Cowell, but is generally a good bloke. The woman with the dark hair is quite stern, but incredibly fair. There's a lot to like about her.

Lastly, the one with the blonde hair. She's the most irritating person I've seen on the box in quite some time. She's one of those dross-bags who says things like "guys" and her continual use of "bravo" makes me want to kick myself down some stairs. She reeks of someone who wants to further herself via the show, as opposed to getting on with the job and, in turn, being far more watchable on the tellyset.

Anyway, aside from one irritating judge and a slightly disjointed feel to the way the series has panned out, this show is still ludicrously good. It's great when the music comes together and during Goldie and Sue Perkins' performances, I could feel myself willing the on. That's quite something for a cynical git like me. Maybe that's why I like this show so much? It's broken down my defences with ease. I'll enjoy it while it lasts.