Being a grump (click here for a grumble about Christmas), the prospect of a New Year evening fills me with a fair amount of dread (and no, I don’t mean that I’m a Rastafarian). For me, cheering at the stroke of midnight on December 31st/January 1st is a slightly empty experience. I mean, what exactly are you cheering? The survival of another year? ‘We made it! Yeah!’ That’s a bit depressing isn’t it? Even worse than especially drunk people is the thought of watching the New Year come in with the telly.
As ever, BBC One is going to give us some fizzing and popping to make those avoiding the cold feel all special. Of course, it won’t be champagne TV, more a cheap sparkling wine from Kwik Save with a prawn ring from Iceland. ‘And now we go up to Manchester to see some people getting rained on, balefully looking toward the sky and cursing the rain in between huge glugs of Stella Artois…’. So what is on the box tonight?
All-in-all it’s been a pretty good year for TV really. We all moan and stuff, and in TV Scoop we’re all lucky enough to have a forum to moan in, but it’s been a good year I think. There has been some amazing television – series, episodes and moments – and some that has really disappointed. But that’s ok – it gives us topics to talk about, stuff for you to comment on and stuff that makes the world goes around.
I have to start at the top really. Predictable really, but Life On Mars, back at the early part of the year, was fantastic. It had a bit of everything for me – some humour, some drama, some action, some sci-fi-ish time travelling mularky, some romance and it really did try to ask some ‘why are we all here’ type questions. All good stuff. Really good stuff. My TV moment is actually a trailer – a Life On Mars trailer that combined Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt, and one of my favourites when I was growing up; Camberwick Green. This made me laugh and really tapped into my gooey reserve of nostalgia.
Ah! Christmas! A time when everyone gets together, gets the merry on, drinks, sings around the pianner and eats themselves into comas. It’s actually quite fantastic. This year has seen me laughing more than any Yule that came before it. The weight gained by mince pies has been lost by tittering and shivering.
However, not helping me at all has been the TV. Of course, there have been great Christmas moments. Last night’s Extras Christmas Special was great value. James May moaning about his sisters and their toys provided some ace fun… but to saturation point, there has been musical after musical and feature length animation after animation… and guess who doesn’t really like ‘em?
I wrote about it in the Top 10 Shows of the Year, but Katie Hopkins’ “back to The North and his Northern Chums” comment about Adam Hosker was undoubtedly my TV moment of the year. Not because I enjoyed it, but because it still has the power to rile me all these months later.
So of course, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask Adam about it, could I? But don’t worry, I asked him some other stuff too. Hop over the jump and check out our interview to find out just what Adam thinks of Katie (it ain’t pretty) and why you might not have seen the last of him in Sir Alan’s scary boardroom…
Noel Streatfield’s novel Ballet Shoes has been well-loved by little girls and not-so little girls everywhere for decades now, so it was important that the BBC did it justice with their Boxing Day adaptation. BBC doing period drama – did you ever expect it to fail?
Of course not, and all expectations were easily matched. The fabulous cast included some of our favourite established actors – including Dame Eileen Atkins, Victoria Wood, Marc Warren and Emilia Fox – but, if anything, they were all outshone by the young actresses playing the three adoptive sisters intent on getting their names into the history books.
One of the unexpected delights of last year’s Christmas television was, without doubt, Channel 4′s Big Fat Quiz Of The Year. With Jimmy Carr at the helm, and Jonathan Ross, Rob Brydon, Noel Fielding and Russell Brand among the panellists, I expected it simply to be a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours – sort of an extended edition of 8 Out Of 10 Cats.
But it was *much* better than that, as absolutely everyone was on top form, and it was clear that they were having a blast. Putting Fielding and Brand together was inspired, and their indie-cool attitudes clashed brilliantly with the music-hall humour of Brydon and his team-mate David Walliams.
Ooh this is quite a treat for me – here at TV Scoop we each have shows that we cover (no-one else has dared review The Mighty Boosh for example…) so it’s good to look back at the year and have a little chat about shows I didn’t get to review at the time.
Well, that’s the theory anyway – in practice I usually ran to the computer as soon as a show I loved came to an end. So Cranford, Boosh and Peep Show are all involved, but with the added bonus of Doctor Who and Life On Mars! Woo!
It didn’t quite hit the heights of previous series, but there were still some terrific moments in Doctor Who this year. One of them was when the Master came back (played with extreme gusto by John Simm). Suddenly, the Doctor had an old foe to battle. Here’s a clip, when the Master re-generates back into his (almost) old self.
Sparkling dialogue, laugh-out-loud moments, magnificent acting and drama, Cranford hit the heights this year. Here’s a clip to enjoy, featuring the terrific Imelda Staunton and Julia McKenzie.
Perfect for Christmas Day viewing (watch someone else’s frantic family life), Outnumbered was one of the gems of 2007. The almost-half-improvised show unearthed a new star in Romona Marquez, and breathed new life into the family sitcom format. Hurrah!
You made it! We’re finally at the number one spot on our list of TV stars that we would and wouldn’t’ want to get caught under the mistletoe with! So far our list has seen the likes of stars such as Ewan McGregor, Billie Piper, and Russell Brand - and here we are at number one. Finally!
1.) Richard Hammond
I know, I know, I know. I’ve declared my undying TV love for Richard before. I believe I was even told by many coworkers that I’m not allowed to put The Hamster at number one, but sod it. How could I NOT put him at number one!? He’s had a fantastic year with Top Gear, he managed to not get in any serious accidents, and he even has a book out. He deserves to be at number one. Plus…just look at his hair! Does your hair look like that? No. I didn’t think so.
Find out the NUMBER ONE TV star we wouldn’t want to be a caught under the mistletoe with after the jump!
Ah… The Queen. She’s got a World Service voice hasn’t she? As Christmas comes around, it’s worth having a gleek at Her Maj’, and her annual Krimble Speech. Here’s the 1990 speech, which sounds bizarrely poignant in 2007 (with talk of terrorism and war). The Royals have their own YouTube channel now. Click here to see what they’ve got… let’s just hope that we’ll be seeing Prince Phil doing Jackass styled stunts in the New Year…
There’s an unwritten rule about adaptations of Dickens. You have to throw heavyweight acting talent at them. As many as possible. Even roles that only appear on-screen for a few minutes have to be occupied by familiar faces. It’s as if the stories hold such a highly regarded position in our national psyche that the only way to do them justice is to make sure the very sharpest and ablest actors are drummed into service. Which is nothing short of the truth, of course. For many, Dickens simply IS Christmas, and the bull’s-eye glass windows of the Old Curiosity Shop shine out at us from the wintry Dickensian scenes of many a Christmas card.
Our esteemed editor has already suggested this is one of the must-see programmes of Christmas 2007, but it comes with a health warning. Those warm, friendly, twinkly lights shining through from within may look welcoming, but in reality they illuminate a tale of wickedness and greed, loss and death that is anything but cosy.
I’m bottling out of picking a single movie this week, much the same as I did last year. And revisiting that year-old post, it’s interesting to see which films are being repeated over the festive season this year. But whatever your tastes there’ll be something there for you, and I wouldn’t presume to make your choice for you this week out of so much rip-roaringly good celluloid. Let’s face it, we all have different moods over Christmas so from one minute to the next you might feel like a thriller, some escapist fantasy, or to sit around with the kids and smile your way through an animated feature (while they play with their empty boxes and look for some spare batteries).
Click through for a rapid run-down of the best of what’s on offer next week by genre. I’m guaranteed to be watching at least some of these with you, so have a very happy movie-watching Christmas and normal service will resume next week!
Ah yes. No Classic Christmas TV round-up would be complete with this clip. It brings back back fond family memories to me – fit-to-burst because of too much Christmas dinner, we all sat round and watched this. And when this came on, my Uncle Ken cackled his unmistakable laugh. Ken, this is for you.
Next week is when it all happens. It’s Christmas. Christmas. Christmas. Christmas. We all get excited then come out of the other side moaning that there was nothing on telly. It’s always the same. Except, there are always good programmes on… you just have to look for them in among the repeats, the soaps and the rubbish.
And, dear readers, this is where we come in. We’ve trawled the schedules to find you the best bits. The bits that will make you laugh, cry, think and leave you feeling that television – yes, television – will be able to cure all the world’s ills. Well, at least cure a hangover and bad bout of sprout-induced wind. Read on over the jump for the Top 10 Christmas programmes you cannot afford to miss.
Some of our American readers may shudder at the sight of Alvin and The Chipmunks around Yuletide, but over here in Blighty, we still love ‘em! Here they are, Dave Seville (no relation to our Cate) in tow, singing their big Christmas hit! Remember, everyone at TVScoop really wants a hula-hoop this year.
We’re down to our final two Christmas hotties! (And final two not-so-hottys.) I know you’ve been waiting for this forever, and I promise. I will not disappoint. Oh no I won’t. Yesterday we had the ultimate Heroes hottie Hayden Panettiere and the I’m A Celebrity star David Gest on our list. Take a look at who we have today.
2). Ewan McGregor
Whether he’s snorgling his gorgeous wife Eve, hanging out with his BFF Charley, or visiting children in Africa, Ewan is ridiculously brilliant. Sure, he’s incredibly hot. Sure, he may show his bare ass on television. Sure, he may have his daughters named tattooed on his arm – but he’s more than just a pretty face, people. He works with Unicef. He makes damn good television. HE CAN RIDE A MOTORCYCLE THROUGH SAND. Never mind the kissing, I’d just like to high five him under the mistletoe. (And never wash my hand again.)
Find out who we wouldn’t want to be a caught under the mistletoe with after the jump!
Even though I like Heston Blumenthal and eating in his restaurant has become a lifetime ambition of mine, I haven’t cared much for his In Search Of Perfection series. They have both left me frustrated and a bit angry. If you haven’t watched them, Heston takes well-know dishes like spag bol, bangers and mash and trifle, and applies his very own brand of food alchemy to them. He complicates them; he uses strange-looking machines and takes about four days to make a single chip, thanks to some very convoluted methods. Cooking programmes should, in my opinion, be aspirational and inspire the viewer to go out and cook the dishes themselves. Heston’s series leave me a bit cold and have the opposite affect.
But this was something else. Instead of re-working established dishes, he did what he does best – cook singularly unique food and provide an all-encompassing, multi-sensual experience for his guests. This programme left me staggered, and I felt I’d witnessed something really special from a man who, it’s very obvious, is absolutely at the top of his game.
MONDAY BEST: Britain and Ireland’s Next Model, Living TV, 9pm According to Ambassador of England, and definitely Australian person Elle McPherson, the new direction of the latest series of Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model will be “Uniquely British, the sense of humour and the styling is very British… more hybrid backgrounds… and I think [...]
Being a grump (click here for a grumble about Christmas), the prospect of a New Year evening fills me with a fair amount of dread (and no, I don’t mean that I’m a Rastafarian). For me, cheering at the stroke of midnight on December 31st/January 1st is a slightly empty experience. I mean, what exactly are you cheering? The survival of another year? ‘We made it! Yeah!’ That’s a bit depressing isn’t it? Even worse than especially drunk people is the thought of watching the New Year come in with the telly.
Ah! Christmas! A time when everyone gets together, gets the merry on, drinks, sings around the pianner and eats themselves into comas. It’s actually quite fantastic. This year has seen me laughing more than any Yule that came before it. The weight gained by mince pies has been lost by tittering and shivering.
I wrote about it in the 
There’s an unwritten rule about adaptations of Dickens. You have to throw heavyweight acting talent at them. As many as possible. Even roles that only appear on-screen for a few minutes have to be occupied by familiar faces. It’s as if the stories hold such a highly regarded position in our national psyche that the only way to do them justice is to make sure the very sharpest and ablest actors are drummed into service. Which is nothing short of the truth, of course. For many, Dickens simply IS Christmas, and the bull’s-eye glass windows of the Old Curiosity Shop shine out at us from the wintry Dickensian scenes of many a Christmas card.
I’m bottling out of picking a single movie this week, much the same 
2). Ewan McGregor
From: Would you pay for ITV?