TV

Due South
1x23 Letting Go [2nd watch; season finale]

The Event
1x08 For the Good of Our Country
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x06 (3/12/10 edition)
Ugh.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x02 (3/12/10 edition)
I think it's fair to describe the quality of this as "...mixed".
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Films

Surrogates (2009)
[#118 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Nearly Christmas now -- which hopefully means a big jump in numbers, of course -- but, me being me, that doesn't mean I've stopped buying things. This week's lot includes another "Complete Series" Blu-ray set, hence the big jumps in discs and TV episodes. Lovely.

Number of titles in collection: 1,247 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 149 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,093 [up 43]
Number of films in collection: 1,319 [up 5]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,472 [up 120]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles rated 12:
188
(15.1% of the total)

I've now covered titles rated U, PG, 15, 18 and those unrated, so that only leaves the 12s. (And a bunch of foreign ratings where I only have a handful in each, but shh.) So, job done!

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Due South
1x22 Victoria's Secret Part 2 [2nd watch]

Live at the Apollo
6x02 (2/12/10 edition)
Lee Mack's everywhere at the minute: he hosted HIGNFY the other night, he hosted this (which is last week's), and he's the host of tonight's (i.e. not the one below) Buzzcocks. Madness.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x07 Episode 7
Oh my lord, that might just be the worst episode of Buzzcocks ever. Tim Westwood is a horrid person and an appalling host. How does he have a career?!
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Fiction

It's a Dog's Life by Michael Morpurgo & Patrick Benson
Lovely.

TV

Due South
1x21 Victoria's Secret Part 1 [2nd watch]

Mad Men
4x13 Tomorrowland [season finale]
Low-key, even by Mad Men's standards. Previous seasons have ended with cliffhangers or big changes; despite Don's sudden engagement, I wouldn't say this had either. Not as enticing for next year as the season three finale was, then, but Mad Men is always worth watching.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x04 A New Low
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Story of England
Part 6 Victoria to the Present Day [final episode]
Taking my usual style of watching at the last possible minute to the extreme with this one: I downloaded it on the last day it was available from iPlayer, then at the end of the 30 days you have to watch a download I played it, in order to buy an extra seven days in which to watch it. Today (of course) is day seven.
Amazing how time flies, too -- doesn't feel like five weeks (or, long enough to re-run the whole series at one a week) since I watched the previous episode.

Fiction

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
Chapter Two in which Owl does a crossword, and a Spelling Bee is held
While these are quite good, I can't help but feel they're a bit over-written -- Milne's stories weren't quite so lengthily detailed, I swear. Plus, isn't "Spelling Bee" an Americanism? Certainly feels like one. Tsk.

TV

Due South
1x20 Heaven and Earth [2nd watch]

Have I Got News For You
40x08 (2/12/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
3x06 Pink Chanel Suit
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

QI
8x11 Highs and Lows (extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Wolfman: Unrated Version (2010)
[#117 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

TV

Due South
1x18 The Deal [2nd watch]
1x19 An Invitation to Romance [2nd watch]
BBC Two have taken a break from their Due South repeats this week, for some sport or other, which is fortunate for me because I'm about 8 episodes behind.

TV

Due South
1x17 The Blue Line [2nd watch]

House
7x07 A Pox on Our House

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x03 Episode 3

The Rob Brydon Show
1x06 Centenary Special [season finale]
This may just be the oddest episode of a chat show ever, set (yes, it has a special setting) decades in the future, with a 100-year-old Brydon looking back at his first series all those years ago in 2010. What this means in practice is a few highlights and lots of outtakes from the other five episodes, but it's certainly an unusual -- and, in fairness, entertaining -- way of presenting them.

Strictly Come Dancing
8x21 Week 10 Results (aka Movie Night Results)
More film-inspired routines, hurrah. Also, farewell to the dancer the 2010 series will surely be most remembered for.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Films

The Outrage (1964)
[#116 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

The History Boys (2006)

Nicholas Hytner’s film of Alan Bennett’s play, about a group of unlikely ’80s grammar school boys trying out for Oxbridge, sticks with a Bennett screenplay and the original West End/Broadway cast. However, it succeeds in not being very stagey — to the credit of Bennett’s screen adaptation and Hytner’s direction, I should imagine.

Total Recall (1990)

the joy of Total Recall is in discovering another ’80s blockbuster (ignore the fact it was released in 1990), the kind of thing I grew up watching on rented videos and BBC One Bank Holiday schedules, whose practical effects and general style and tone vividly recalls that era for me

Plus, as you've undoubtedly noticed, it's now December, which means the November update went up this week too.

More next Sunday.

TV

Colditz
2x12 Death Sentence
2x13 Liberation [series finale]
And so that's that. The title of the final episode probably gives a fair idea of what happens.
And while that's all well and good, the series ends the moment they all leave Colditz -- a fitting final image, maybe, but this is the series that began with three whole episodes set outside the camp. It might have been nice to see some of the characters return home, particularly Lt. Carter, who's spent much of the series missing his wife. With so much time passed (the series began after Dunkirk and ends at the end (more or less) of the war), it would have been nice to spend half an episode or so seeing how things have changed for these men when they get back home. Plus, on a more personal note, I wouldn't've minded a bit more time given to the ending of my favourite character, Hauptmann Ulmann. Can't have it all.
But hey-ho -- these things aside, it was rather good.

Have I Got News For You
40x07 (25/11/10 edition; extended repeat)

Merlin
3x13 The Coming of Arthur Part Two [season finale]
Good finale, I thought. I like that it doesn't feel the need to end on a cliffhanger. They can be effective, but I can't help but feel too many series resort to them. Wrap things up for a bit! Also, nice amounts of the myth cropping up now. I wonder if we'll see Arthur fully installed as King for a season or two before the producers' five-year plan comes to an end...
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x03 Let's Do It
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

QI
8x10 Health and Safety (extended repeat)
XL repeats skip two episodes to come back in sync with BBC One. Just in case you were trying to keep track.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Strictly Come Dancing
8x20 Week 10 (aka Movie Night)
I'm usually in the room when Strictly's being watched, but rarely or barely watch any of it myself. Movie Night's a different beast though, what with being a film fan, and I found it all rather entertaining. Except Gavin Henson. But Matt Baker's Austin Powers was particularly spot-on.
[Watch it (soon) on iPlayer.]

Articles

How to design a Hollywood poster: just add sparks by Ali
(from TheShiznit.co.uk)
It's funny because it's true.

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Except last week, which fell apart due to an abundance of real-world commitments and an equal abundance of new titles. And not just any new titles, but a complex array of (mostly last-minute) BD-to-DVD upgrades -- things like a "complete series" set with four seasons replacing the three individual seasons I had; or BD-to-DVD upgrades where I may or may not be keeping the original DVD. For instance, despite the number of titles only going up one, there are seven new titles in my collection this week.

It all sounds trivial -- and ultimately, it is -- but it still required working out.

Number of titles in collection: 1,242 [no change]
Of which DVDs: 1,096 [down 6]
Of which Blu-rays: 146 [up 6]

Number of discs in collection: 3,050 [up 10]
Number of films in collection: 1,314 [up 6]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,352 [up 19]

Statistic of the week:

Number of Digital Copies:
Continuing my recap of early stats of the week, here's one from exactly a year ago again.

The number stands at 16, up 6 from last year (actually up 7, but I just upgraded a DVD that had a digital copy for the Blu-ray that doesn't). That means 1.3% of my collection has one, which is up 0.4% on last year -- more digital copies around then, but still hardly a significant number.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Colditz
2x11 Chameleon
As the Allies approach and German defeat seems increasingly inevitable, Major Mohn finally gives up hope in the Third Reich and tries to strike deals to save his own skin. Of course, as the most hated man in Colditz, he soon finds he has no friends -- indeed, only outright enemies -- on both sides. A long-awaited tearing down ensues, though it seems he has escaped... for now...

The Event
1x07 I Know Who You Are
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x05 (26/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Robert's Web
1x01 (26/11/10 edition)
New Internet-based comedy -- a panel show without any panels, if you will -- hosted by Robert Webb. Do you see what they've done with the title? Do you?
Yes, well, the show itself is better than that.
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Disney will set sail for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 & 6 back-to-back by Drew McWeeny
(from Motion Captured at HitFix)
Because that produced such high-quality cinematic delights last time round. On the other hand, they did make a ton of cash.

TV

Colditz
2x08 The Gambler
2x09 Senior American Officer
2x10 Very Important Person
As it heads toward its final finale, Colditz is getting rather addictive (clearly). Still three episodes to go though...

Live at the Apollo
6x01 (25/11/10 edition)

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
[5th watch]
And finally, Return of the King is calculated much like Fellowship: once in the cinema, once on DVD, the extended twice, and now the theatrical on Blu-ray. Which means I've seen Two Towers more than either of the other two, despite it being my least favourite. But I'm hardly going to watch the first and third and skip the second just to even the numbers up.

Fiction

Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
Chapter One in which Christopher Robin returns
Being the first authorised sequel to A.A. Milne's original Winnie-the-Pooh stories, featuring ten new tales. Thank goodness, it's suitably super.

Articles

Final Doctor Who game ep for Christmas by Matthew Reynolds
(from Digital Spy)
Christmas Day, to be precise, which is a neat idea -- extra Christmas present and all that kind of palaver. It's titled Shadows of the Vashta Nerada which, as any Who fan will surely immediately realise, means a return for the enemy from Silence in the Library (Steven Moffat's weakest story, if you ask me, but a great idea for a monster). Interesting choice.
I've still not played the last two games though, what with the first one being a bit rubbish (never did write that review, did I). I ought to catch up...

Nolan confirms Batman departure by Hugh Armitage
(from Digital Spy)
No no, don't worry, he's still directing The Dark Knight Rises -- but that will be his last Batman film. Probably for the best -- gets to close off a definite three-part story that way, and with lightning already having struck twice it's pushing it to ask for a third, never mind fourth.

Who exec: 'No old monsters in series six' by Justin Harp
(from Digital Spy)
Hm. I can't say I'll miss the Daleks -- we've had plenty of them in the new series for now, thanks -- but it seems a shame not to dig into that rich history at least a little bit. It's worked well so far, anyway, and there are still a few iconic monsters that merit a return appearance.
(The article warns of spoilers, but there aren't any really, just a bit of a plot description for the Christmas special. There is a mildly amusing overuse of square brackets though.)

TV

Colditz
2x07 French Leave

Due South
1x16 The Wild Bunch [2nd watch]

Mad Men
4x12 Blowing Smoke
Mad Men just goes from strength to strength -- I don't think there's anything else quite so addictive on TV at the moment.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x06 Scaredycat Part 3 [season finale]
I'd meant to watch this last Friday (having watched the first two parts on Wednesday and Thursday); can't remember why I didn't now. Anyway, I saw that twist coming! Go me!

TV

Band of Brothers
Part Seven The Breaking Point [2nd watch]
Along with no Internet we had no digital TV, which meant I couldn't catch up with recordings of Colditz -- so instead I finally got on with Band of Brothers. Silver lining 'n' all that.

Due South
1x15 The Man Who Knew Too Little [2nd watch]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
[6th watch]
Similar to Fellowship yesterday, my viewing number for Two Towers is derived from twice in the cinema, once on DVD, twice for the extended cut on DVD, and now the theatrical again on Blu-ray -- that's 6. Again, I can't help but feel it's more.

Music

The Union by Elton John & Leon Russell
Specifically, the Deluxe Edition, which boasts two extra tracks.

TV

House
7x06 Office Politics

Just Good Friends
1x04 Fatherly Advice

Madman Across the Water: The Making of Elton John

The Mentalist
3x05 The Red Ponies
[Watch it (again) on Demand Five.]

Films

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
[5th watch]
I'm never quite certain how many times I've seen Lord of the Rings, and how should one count it when there are extended editions to consider? I know, I know, it doesn't matter. But I've arrived at the figure of "5" for Fellowship based on seeing it once in the cinema, once on DVD, the extended cut twice on DVD, and now the theatrical again on Blu-ray. I suspect the real number may be slightly higher.

Internet problems

As I'm currently having problems with my Internet, there'll be no updates until further notice -- just writing this simple message via iPhone is tricky enough.

Rest assured, dear reader, that I'm keeping a record of what I would have posted, all ready to be back-dated once my 'net returns. I wouldn't want you to miss out!

TV

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x02 Episode 2
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Beauty and the Beast (1991)
[4th or so watch]
Or The Special Edition of Beauty & the Beast, as the credits would have this six-minutes-longer version (adding a new song) which I'm not sure if I've seen before or not. So I've yet to decide if it counts in 100 Films (as an 'a' film, of course); depends whether I feel like writing about it or not, I think.
(Last time I watched the film in any form, incidentally, was August 2008. I think it was on (*shudder*) VHS.)

this week on 100 Films

3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

It Happened Here (1965)

depicting a 1940s Britain under Nazi occupation [using] a dramatic narrative, as opposed to faux-documentary, to show off their vision of an occupied Britain... shot in grainy, handheld black-and-white with a rough-round-the-edges feel that gives it the air of documentary even when it’s undoubtedly scripted and performed.

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

it’s a bit like a DVD commentary, except instead of people involved with the film recounting anecdotes or academics offering analysis, we have people taking the piss out of it... The experience is very much like watching a movie with some mates when you’re in the mindset to take the piss out of the film.

Panic in the Streets (1950)

not a particularly film noir-y film noir. That’s not a problem, just an observation. There’s still a criminal underworld, a (slightly) downtrodden hero, criminal wrongdoings, some shadow-drenched photography, and a smattering of other traits that do place it within the genre, but it’s not a textbook example.

More next Sunday.

TV

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x02 Episode 2
Some of their impressions are spot-on brilliant. Others, you wonder why they bothered.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
3x12 The Coming of Arthur Part One
The season finale begins! Where'd that come from, eh? This season has shot by. Good start though, promising an even better second half.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
3x05 (18/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the short edition (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Odd Man Out (1947)
[#115 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
My viewing inspired by an excellent (as always) piece at Riding the High Country.

TV

Colditz
2x06 Ace in the Hole

The Event
1x06 Loyalty
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

QI
8x07 Horrible (extended repeat)
The XL repeats return, with the one episode I missed entirely too. Hooray!
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Q&A: Colin Morgan talks the Merlin finale by Morgan Jeffery
(from Digital Spy)
A nice interview with Merlin's star, though beware spoilers for the season finale.

TV

Colditz
2x05 Frogs in the Well

Due South
1x14 An Eye for an Eye [2nd watch]

Nazi Collaborators
Episode 2 Chaim Rumkowski
I'm sure no one's particularly bothered, but it seems the listings for this episode (including the one linked above) were wrong.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x05 Episode 5
This episode seemed to have a particularly eclectic selection of guests.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x05 Scaredycat Part 2

TV

Colditz
2x04 The Guests

Due South
1x13 Hawk and a Handsaw [2nd watch]

Nazi Collaborators
Episode 1 Pierre Laval
Original 13-part series for Yesterday looking at (the title might give this away) those who collaborated with the Nazis. For more info, try this press release, or this (slightly harsh, I think) review of episode one.

Mad Men
4x11 Chinese Wall
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x04 Scaredycat Part 1
It's a fortnight since I finished the first serial in this series. Feels ages ago.

Fiction

Star Trek: Countdown by Mike Johnson, Tim Jones & David Messina
Number One (of Four)
Having watched Star Trek again the other day, I was inspired to finally read this, the four-issue mini-series that tells the events leading up to the film (those in the original/future timeline, featuring Nero, Spock 'Prime' and the Next Generation crew). My copy of these came as an Amazon-exclusive with the Blu-ray. Scaled to fit, it's a teensy bit small, but just about readable.

Articles

The Disney 50 at BFI Southbank
(from BFI)
To celebrate Disney's 50th animated feature film (they've made many more than that, I'm certain, but the 50th in their canon, or Animated Classic line, or whatever they choose to call it these days), BFI Southbank will be showing one a week next year. Which is rather nice. If you live in London.

TV

Colditz
2x03 Odd Man In

Have I Got News For You
40x06 (18/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x02 Before I Die
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Articles

Joss Whedon bares his teeth over new Buffy film by Ben Child
(from Film Blog at guardian.co.uk)
This was all over twitter and even made it into Proper News, so you've probably heard, but in case not...

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
1x08 Episode 8 [season finale]

Colditz
2x02 Ghosts

The Sarah Jane Adventures
4x11 Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part One
4x12 Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith Part Two [season finale]
Nice finale to a good season, well done all. Had sneakily hoped for a trailer for the next series, as they've already filmed half of it, but no such luck. Ah well.
[Watch parts one and two, or a compilation of both, on iPlayer.]

TV

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson
2x01 Episode 1
I wasn't sure we'd see this back -- and the BBC certainly look to have buried it, at half 10 on Sundays -- but I'm glad it is, because I do like a good impressions show, and this is actually a rather good one.

The Rob Brydon Show
1x05 (15/10/10 edition)
Watching the fifth episode fifth? Why, that's not in the spirit of how I've viewed the series so far! (And I'll be watching the sixth sixth too. Shocking!)

Films

Star Trek (2009)
[2nd watch]
This was #24 in 100 Films 2009. Last time I watched it was in the cinemas, 18 months ago.

this week on 100 Films

2 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

Force of Evil (1948)

comes well recommended, with places on several 1,000 Best Movies lists and inclusion both on They Shoot Pictures…'s 250 Quintessential Noir Films and in the US National Film Registry, not to mention a full 5/5 in Paul Duncan's consistently handy Pocket Essential Film Noir. But it didn't work for me. To be blunt, I found it dull.

The Spiral Staircase (1945)

screenwriter Mel Dinelli and director Robert Siodmak spin a yarn that, over the course of just one dark and stormy night, blends together gothic horror, film noir, serial killer thriller and Christie-esque whodunnit. The resulting blend makes for a film that is, for several reasons, an exceptionally entertaining work.

More next Sunday.

TV

Children in Need 2010
Being the post-midnight stretch, naturally (are you surprised I'm thorough enough to list it separately?)
Lots of repeats, as per usual, but once you've stuck with it for five hours it feels wrong to quit with only two to go. Besides which, they often pull out a couple of new bits, not to mention the final total. Down on last year though it may be, £18.1m is nothing to be sniffed at.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Merlin
3x11 The Sorcerer's Shadow
Guest starring the guy who plays Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies -- he's in the sorcerer's shadow indeed.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
3x04 (11/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
[Watch the short edition (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Toy Story 3 (2010)
[#114 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

TV

Children in Need 2010
How good was that Doctor Who trailer?! I was naturally excited for the Christmas special anyway, but that looked exceptional. And beautifully shot too.
Meanwhile, 'East Street' amused me because I have almost no idea who is in which soap, so that could just be what either is always like for all I knew. But they pitched it such-like that I got (all?) the jokes. So that was nice.
More CiN tomorrow, of course.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Colditz
2x01 Arrival of a Hero

Mastermind
for Children in Need [2010 special]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Films

Solaris (1972)
[#113 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]
Being the Russian original, obviously. My review of the US remake is here.

Articles

A Serbian Film: Is this the nastiest film ever made? by Geoffrey Macnab
(from The Independent)

If this was just another bad and grotesque horror film, nobody would be paying any attention to it. The fact that it has already provoked such ferocious debate suggests that it can't be dismissed that easily.

If you've heard of the film or the controversy but don't know any details, this article will go someway towards enlightening you; not just by mentioning what in the film is controversial, but also the debates, discussions and reactions around it.

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Number of titles in collection: 1,242 [up 3]
Of which DVDs: 1,102 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 140 [up 3]

Number of discs in collection: 3,040 [up 3]
Number of films in collection: 1,308 [up 3]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,333 [no change]

Statistic of the week:

Total running time of collection (approx.):
214 days, 22 hours, and 44 minutes.
(Up 2 days, 15 hours, and 46 minutes from last month.)

Incidentally, the next time I do a running time update should be Christmas Eve! Exciting stuff.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Colditz
1x14 Gone Away Part 1
1x15 Gone Away Part 2: With the Wild Geese [season finale]

The Graham Norton Show
8x04 (12/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

QI
8x09 House and Home
I notice in this week's Radio Times (or rather next week's; the one that's out now and covers from next Saturday on) that the QI XL repeats are returning. It seems they're picking up where they left off (the first will be for episode 7), which is probably a good thing (especially for me, as I missed episode 7 due to the extended repeats stopping).
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Have I Got News For You
40x05 (11/11/10 edition; extended repeat)
An exceptionally amusing edition, I thought.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mad Men
4x10 Hands and Knees
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Rob Brydon Show
1x03 (1/10/10 edition)
Stephen Fry -- yay! Seasick Steve -- yay! And Daniel Sloss, one of the few young comedians I actually quite like.

Films

The Spiral Staircase (1945)
[#112 in 100 Films in a Year 2010]

Articles

Couple who met at university to marry by James Browne
(from Caledonian Mercury)

Two people who went to university together are to get married, it has emerged.

William Windsor (or possibly Wales or possibly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and Kate Middleton, both 28, met at St Andrews University eight years ago.

Mr Windsor is a Flight Lieutenant in the RAF – and also a prince.

Wall-to-wall, dewy-eyed hysterical coverage can be found in every other media outlet.

TV

Colditz
1x13 The Way Out

The Event
1x05 Casualties of War
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x04 Episode 4
Presented by Sir Terry Wogan. I need say no more.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
4x09 Lost in Time Part One
4x10 Lost in Time Part Two
[Watch parts one and two, or a compilation of both, on iPlayer.]

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
1x07 Episode 7

Colditz
1x11 Court Martial
1x12 Murder?

Due South
1x12 You Must Remember This [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Miranda
2x01 The New Me
A triumphant return for one of the Beeb's best sitcoms currently on the air. We're having a rather good time for sitcoms at the minute, actually, I think.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Spooks
9x08 Episode 8 [season finale]
Series finale? Could be. But apparently it isn't.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Carpool
1x01 Jason Manford & Rufus Hound
1x02 Chris Addison & Arthur Smith
Carpool -- or Carpool with Toyota Prius Toyota, as the title screen would have it -- is an odd programme really: host Robert Llewellyn drives a famous/fairly well-known (delete as appropriate) person somewhere and they chat along the way. It's not like a proper chat show -- it's not nearly so structured -- but it doesn't strain for out-and-out comedy either. For better or worse, it really is like watching two people just have a chat in the car. Some viewers will therefore hate it, but I can see why this means it's developed a cult following among others.

Colditz
1x10 Tweedledum
Having read several articles about Colditz in the build up to Yesterday's repeat run, it seems to be a rule that this episode must always be mentioned when discussing the series. It's the award-winning one where a doctor's orderly feigns madness in an attempt to escape and (spoilers!) though he's successful, having to fake madness permanently for months on end sends him genuinely insane. Fortunately, the quality of the episode means it survives the repeated hype, particularly an excellent performance from Michael Bryant as the orderly in question.

Due South
1x11 Gift of the Wheelman [2nd watch]
Merry Christmas! Bit early, I know, but that's what happen when you watch US series at odd times -- they almost invariably have a Christmas-themed episode.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Harry Patch: The Last Tommy
Documentary on the last few surviving veterans from World War I, which aired in August 2009 after the last, Harry Patch, passed away.

The Stephen K Amos Show
1x01 Episode 1
Well that was... inconsistent.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

Born Free (1966)

It’s easy to see why this is a classic for animal lovers: the constantly playful cubs are are delight, the affectionate older Elsa endearing, the attempts to release her ethologically engaging

And its sequel,

Living Free (1972)

The Adamsons devote months of their time, give up a promising career, spend all their savings, drive themselves into debt, and are nearly killed several times, all in a frequently-extreme effort to save three delinquent lion cubs who would be put down were it not for their sentimental attachment.

And finally...

Late Spring (1949)

It would be a lie to say Late Spring came as some kind of personal revelation to the unimpeachable genius of Ozu; but, at least, I got on with it considerably better than I did Tokyo Story. I might even go so far as to say I enjoyed it.

More next Sunday.

TV

Colditz
1x09 Bribery and Corruption

Have I Got News For You
40x04 (4/11/10 edition; extended repeat)

Merlin
3x10 Queen of Hearts
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Russell Howard's Good News
3x03 (4/11/10 edition; extended repeat)

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

It's one of those weeks where more's changed than it appears in the list, thanks to a raft of new acquisitions, some DVD-to-BD upgrades, some DVDs disappearing in advance of a future upgrade, and more shenanigans of that sort. Hence the 24-hour delay.

For the curious, the TV episodes figure jumps so much thanks to Doctor Who series 5 (13), the complete Dollhouse (26), and a classic Doctor Who (Horror of Fang Rock, 4).

Number of titles in collection: 1,239 [up 5]
Of which DVDs: 1,102 [no change]
Of which Blu-rays: 137 [up 5]

Number of discs in collection: 3,037 [up 14]
Number of films in collection: 1,305 [up 1]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,333 [up 43]

Statistic of the week:

DTS soundtracks:
258
(20.8% of the total)

Last week I promised to provide updates on some of the stats from the early weeks of Collection Count, and so here's another: the number of titles which include a DTS soundtrack, originally featured exactly a year ago on (obviously) 13th November 2009.

On DVD, DTS soundtracks were a coveted rarity (as far as I've been able to tell down the years, most audiophiles believe they're superior to Dolby). But while Dolby tracks dominated the surround sphere on DVD, it seems that on Blu-ray DTS's DTS-HD Master Audio format has beaten out Dolby's TrueHD on the whole. Which, in short, means this number is jumping up all the time. Lovely.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

The Event
1x04 A Matter of Life and Death
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x03 (5/11/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

How I Met Your Mother
5x24 Doppelgangers [season finale]
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Articles

Q&A: The executive producer of 24! by Catriona Wightman
(from Digital Spy)
Beware of spoilers if (like me) you've yet to see season eight, but there are also some intriguing largely-non-spoiler-y hints about the potential movie (which isn't greenlit but is very much in the works).

Title of Christmas Special Revealed!
(from Doctor Who official site)

Back in July, Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, revealed the story will be, 'Doctor Who's clever twist on the much loved A Christmas Carol' and now the title reflects that... The Doctor's next adventure is entitled: A Christmas Carol.

Smacks a little of "oh fine, let's just call it that then" to me.

TV

Argumental
3x13 Best of Argumental [series finale]
These end-of-season compilations feel so pointless when they're literally just a "best of" -- add unseen bits and outtakes, please.

Due South
1x10 A Cop, a Mountie, and a Baby [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mock the Week
9x11 (7/10/10 edition)
It's a bit odd watching something topical like Mock the Week a month or two after broadcast. When you catch them a year (or more, or much more) later on Dave, it's just very old news; but like this, it just feels a tad out of date. This episode especially, I suppose, because it covers the Chilean miners when they were still very much stuck down the mine.

QI
8x08 Hypothetical
Annoyingly, I completely missed episode seven because BBC Two decided to stop showing the extended versions for no apparent reason, and I didn't realise soon enough to catch the (inexplicably, not series-linked) regular episode. Grr.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

The Sarah Jane Adventures
4x07 The Empty Planet Part One
4x08 The Empty Planet Part Two
[Watch parts one and two, or a compilation of both, on iPlayer.]

TV

Mad Men
4x09 The Beautiful Girls
How does this keep being so good? And why don't more people watch it?
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x03 Episode 3
aka The Jedward Edition. Oh my.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x03 Sleepyhead Part 3
Twist-tastic! Though that bit with the tongue at the end could've been done better -- it was so CGI-y I assumed the story had somehow slipped into a dream.

TV

Due South
1x09 Chicago Holiday Part 2 [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x02 Sleepyhead Part 2

TV

Colditz
1x08 The Traitor

Due South
1x08 Chicago Holiday Part 1 [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Thorne
1x01 Sleepyhead Part 1
This is Sky's attempt at home-produced Adult Crime Drama... so why it has a name like a CBBC series I don't know.

Whites
1x06 Episode 6 [season finale]
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
1x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Colditz
1x07 Lord, Didn't It Rain

Dave's One Night Stand
1x04 Sarah Millican
One of the more successful editions of this series, I thought; certainly more so than the preceding episode.
There's one more episode of One Night Stand (tonight's, in fact), but as it stars the unfunny Russell Kane and two others I'm never sure about, I just can't be bothered -- the Johnny Vegas one was bad enough.
[Watch it (again) on Dave's website.]

Downton Abbey
1x07 Episode Seven [season finale]
A satisfying finale: packed with drama, but enough happy resolutions and/or desired turnouts to keep it enjoyable without slipping too far into implausible audience-wish-fulfillment. Looking forward to seeing where they go with it in the second series -- covering the years of the First World War, as it seems to imply, or perhaps a Surprising Four Year Jump Forward? Either way, it's eagerly awaited.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Spooks
9x07 Episode 7
One of the better episodes this year, even if it did feel like one huge infodump in places. Ruth's subplot was excellent, however.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

this week on 100 Films

3 new reviews were posted to 100 Films in a Year this week, and they were...

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Somehow, it holds a decent score on both viewer-rated IMDb and critic-rated Rotten Tomatoes. This surprised me for two reasons: one, I thought it had gone down badly; and two, it deserved to go down badly. No pleasant surprises here — it's as weak and irritating as the title.

Hercules (1997)

the tale is told with surprising faithfulness. There’s still a healthy dose of anachronistic content to liven up the humour though. In fact, the sequences with Hercules’ adoring fans and merchandising empire ring even more true in this Twilight-obsessed world than they did 13 years ago.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Rambo becomes a superhuman killing machine — running round a jungle topless, muscles shiny and bulging, taking out more-or-less an army single-handed. It’s cartoonish and ludicrous, which can be fun in its own way... but only for action movie fans, losing any crossover appeal the first film had.

And as we passed into November last Monday, there's also the October summary to check out.

More next Sunday.

TV

Argumental
3x12 (2/11/10 edition)

The Armstrong & Miller Show
3x01 Episode 1
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Dave's One Night Stand
1x03 Johnny Vegas
Or, The Fat Northerner Edition.
[Watch it (again) on Dave's website.]

House
7x05 Unplanned Parenthood
It's quite neat being behind on programmes -- there's no new House on Sky1 this Sunday, thanks to a two-week hiatus in the US, but being a week behind already I shan't notice. Shiny.

How I Met Your Mother
5x23 The Wedding Bride
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

Merlin
3x08 The Eye of the Phoenix
3x09 Love in the Time of Dragons
The Eye of the Phoenix was particularly good, I thought; perhaps Merlin's best episode, in fact.
[Watch The Eye of the Phoenix and Love in the Time of Dragons (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Due South
1x07 Chinatown [2nd watch]
A particularly good episode, I thought. Just in case you're interested.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Event
1x03 Protect Them From the Truth
[Watch it (again) on 4oD.]

The Graham Norton Show
8x02 (29/10/10 edition)
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

The Mentalist
3x04 Red Carpet Treatment
[Watch it (again) on the new-look Demand Five.]

Collection Count

Collection Count tracks my DVD/Blu-ray collection via a number of statistics every week.

Some solid increases this week. It would've been more, but I was forgetting that TheHut-owned sites such as Sendit and Zavvi are untrustworthy when it comes to sending out items complete or as advertised, so there's a number of returns to make. They're also not top of the pile when it comes to sending out pre-orders, so a few things to wait for there too.

Best of all, though, is the number of titles in my collection. In case you need it spelling out: one, two, three, four...

Number of titles in collection: 1,234 [up 7]
Of which DVDs: 1,102 [up 1]
Of which Blu-rays: 132 [up 6]

Number of discs in collection: 3,023 [up 15]
Number of films in collection: 1,304 [up 8]
Number of TV episodes in collection: 4,290 [up 10]

Statistic of the week:

Number of titles produced in the '00s:
664
(53.8% of the total)

After the look-how-far-I've-come first anniversary list of stats a fortnight ago, I've been curious about how a few other early Statistics of the Week have changed in the past year. So, over the next few weeks, I'll be picking up on some I've done before.

First is the first, number of titles produced in the '00s, which was at 589 titles (or 55.3% of my collection) back on 30th October 2009. The total has increased (by 12.7%), but how large a part of my collection they are is down (by 1.5%). Clearly I've bought more older films this year, though with the '10s now in the equation for the newest releases I should imagine it will only sink further in future.

See you next week, faithful reader.

TV

Colditz
1x05 Maximum Security
1x06 The Spirit of Freedom

Due South
1x06 Pizzas and Promises [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Electric Proms 2010
Elton John
His collaborations with Leon Russell sounded great, but Plan B's version of I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues was atrocious, his weak vocals sounding like a bad X Factor audition. Even Elton looked uncomfortable, and he'd supposedly picked the guy.
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer, or listen to the full 2½-hour concert in HD Sound.]

TV

Due South
1x05 They Eat Horses, Don't They? [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Mad Men
4x08 The Summer Man
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

Never Mind the Buzzcocks
24x02 Episode 2
Catherine Tate doesn't make a very good host. That's two eps down, two bad hosts. Still, Jack Dee next week (well, tomorrow night) -- he's more experienced at things like Reading Out Loud.
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Story of England
Part 5 Henry VIII to Industrial Revolution

TV

Argumental
3x11 (26/10/10 edition)
Coincidentally, this evening we learn via Marcus Brigstocke's twitter that Argumental has been cancelled. Shame -- I really rather liked it, especially as it was somewhat different from the identikit form of most comedy panel shows.
There's one of those online petitions to get it uncancelled here. At the time of posting, it's ratcheting up signatures at a rate of knots.

Colditz
1x04 Welcome to Colditz
Apt title, as we finally have an episode set almost entirely inside the prison. Though it begins with a lengthy (too lengthy, to be honest) sequence with another escaped prisoner. All looks set for a fourth 'first' episode, but no -- after his capture we don't see him 'til a brief, silent arrival much later in the episode. Who is he? Mysterious. Unless you recognise the actor.
In the main plot, there's another new arrival, as the British offers are delivered a new CO. Why? Not sure. But it makes for a plot, so, super.
I don't mean to sound like I'm doing Colditz down though -- it's fantastically well done; in particular, this episode and the preceding one are both excellent hours of TV. I hope it continues in such a vein.

Just Good Friends
1x03 Let's Spend the Night Together

House
7x04 Massage Therapy

Whites
1x05 Episode 5
[Watch it (again) in HD on iPlayer.]

TV

Ask Rhod Gilbert
1x05 Episode 5

Colditz
1x03 Name, Rank and Number
Another excellent, standalone, WW2-set story. Though this time, it ends with the series' first few scenes at the titular prison. It seems the cast is complete.

A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss
Part 3 The American Scream [final episode]
Mark Gatiss' series comes to a close by examining the re-emergence of American horror films in the '60s and '70s, and why he believes the genre has stalled rather after this point. It's another insightful, personalised account -- again, despite the criticism from some quarters about what he's chosen to leave out, we're talking here about a three-hour documentary covering decades and decades of a major genre; there's not room to cover it all, and the level of insight he offers is preferable to a dry overview of everything (which, even then, would surely miss some things).
Indeed, the sole shame with this series is that it's only three episodes long -- another two, or even three, covering the beginnings of screen horror and just where the genre has (or hasn't) gone in the last 30 years would be most welcome.

Spooks
9x06 Episode 6
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

TV

Colditz
1x02 Missing, Presumed Dead
Having spent episode one introducing us to a collection of characters and how they landed themselves in Colditz -- without a single scene at the titular prison -- episode two now jumps back to England to start again with a new chap. It certainly seems an unusual way to structure a series. And the number of scenes set in Colditz this episode? None, again.

Downton Abbey
1x06 Episode Six
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Dragons' Den
What Happened Next 5 Theo Paphitis [season finale]

Due South
1x04 Manhunt [2nd watch]
[Watch it (again) on iPlayer.]

Poirot
12x02 Hallowe'en Party
ITV chose to air this on Wednesday. Much more appropriate today, I feel.
[Watch it (again) on ITV Player.]

Articles

Johnny Cash comic hits iPhone, iPad by Mark Langshaw
(from Digital Spy)

the App scans the user's device for music by the late country and Western star to accompany each scene.

Ooh, that's clever then.