Thursday 11 April 2013

TV

Elementary
1x19 Snow Angels
After yonks away, Elementary's back with a pretty good episode. It seems to have found a better groove as the season progresses, being less of a regular cop show and moving (slightly) more in the direction of "adventures" for its leads, which is what Sherlock Holmes should have really. It's still no Sherlock, but it's getting good enough on its own feet.
Unfortunately, it's now another fortnight 'til the next episode. Silly Americans and their silly scheduling.

The Matt Lucas Awards
2x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins
6x03 (6/4/13 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Not Going Out
6x01 Rabbit
There seem to have been a fair few articles slagging off Not Going Out to accompany its return for a sixth run, either explicitly or by association. Well, tosh and piffle. I like it, and I found this a particularly amusing episode. I laughed out loud several times, and that happens too rarely in so many 'acclaimed' 'comedies'.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Plebs
1x03 The Erotic Vase
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Non-Fiction

JN-T: The Life & Scandalous Times of John Nathan-Turner by Richard Marson
Preface
Chapter 1


You may have heard of this -- I mentioned SFX's review a month ago, and more recently it caused a stir that led to the front page of a couple of tabloids... just as SFX predicted! According to the publisher's site it's not out yet, but they sent out a bunch of copies already (mine arrived today, and based on twitter I've received it a few days later than a lot of people!), so... yeah.

Not read much of it yet, as you can see, but it's a solid opening. The really interesting stuff -- the Doctor Who years, and all the controversy -- is still to come.

Additionally, today I've also spotted a few reviews of the book that exceed the mere critical appraisal to become worthwhile reading in their own right. There's Matthew Sweet's for the Guardian, Brian J. Robb's for Sci-Fi Bulletin, and Anthony Weight's for Doctor Who News. The last includes this particularly insightful, truthful comment near the end:

I think [Nathan-Turner] would have been pleased that he’ll be remembered, and that’s where the curse of Doctor Who is at least paying him something back. [The BBC1 controller when Who was axed in 1989,] Jonathan Powell – refreshingly honest as an interviewee here – may well have been a far superior drama producer to Nathan-Turner, with a track record the latter couldn’t hope to match. He’s produced several BAFTA-winning productions of high quality. But he’ll never have a biography written about him. Nobody will ever research his life in detail, track down and speak to his teachers and schoolfriends. Trace the progress of his career in television, from the studio floor to the producer’s chair. When he dies, it will be little-noted outside of his friends and family.

Doctor Who can destroy careers. But Doctor Who fans remember.