March Round-up: TV

I seem to have been to the theatre a lot the past couple of weeks, as well as getting through several books, movies and TV shows. I'm just going to bundle them together so that I can start afresh in April. Too busy/lazy to give each the review it deserves! 

Roger and Val Have Just Got In: Series 2 (2012) built on the touching, funny first series of two-handers between Dawn French and Alfred Molina by introducing new conflicts (Roger's living, estranged son from an adolescent fling) and resolving old issues, such as Roger's tribunal and Val's desire to be Deputy Head. Rarely predictably, always heart-felt and honest, this little series goes to show that you don't need exciting locations, massive casts or manufactured incidents to create laughs and warmth, you just need the talented French and Molina cooking tea or hiding in a wendy house. And that last moment was simply wonderful.

A million miles away from the subtly of Roger and Val was the fourth series of Let's Dance for Sport Relief (2012), a gloriously silly spectacle of 'celebrities' and sports people creating dances for charity. Rowland Rivron was quite rightly crowned winner after a knackering version of Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice - a relief after the boring winners last year. Other favourites this year included a couple of women from Eastenders doing a creditable Telephone; Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards' gloriously daffy, and exceptionally competent, Austin Powers dancing to Soul Bossa Nova; and Arabella Weir's sultry Can't Get You Out of My Head, unfairly beaten by Omid Djalili to the final. Not quite as instantly classic as previous years, but still good Saturday night entertainment.

While on the subject of daft Saturday night TV, I must make mention of Harry Hill's TV Burp, which came to an end (bar the best ofs) with the conclusion of series 11. It may not have been as consistently funny as it used to be, but it was still practically the only regular show worth watching on ITV. Childish and daffy it may have been, but Harry was also knowing and aware of the ridiculousness of much of the telly he poked fun at. There were regular laugh-out-loud moments, as well as joyfully sublime/ridiculous scenes of Harry dancing around his desk with busts of Queen Victoria, a horse and various old characters. Where the final series was lacking in the dearth of celebrities getting involved, there were far to many random people plucked from documentaries to perform odd musical pieces at the end of episodes. Where was the star-packed 'cataracts?' piece of previous series? At least in the final show, the real Heather from Eastenders turned up, alongside Amanda Lamb (never 'eard of her!) to give some kind of weird closure. 

More serious yet at the same time still full of light moments of delicious British humour was Being Human: Series 4 (2012). After dispensing with Mitchell in the last episode of series 3, the first show of the new series wasted little time in preparing the new dynamic that would find George and Nina (the latter offscreen) killed off, leaving Annie to look after their baby alongside Damien Molony's new vampire, Hal, and Michael Socha's werewolf, Tom. In no time at all I had invested in the new characters and their foibles - Hal's OCD and curious mannerisms, combined with Tom's sweetly naive youth and Annie's kick ass new role as mother/protector of baby Eve made for compelling viewing (Annie was much less wet as a mother than Scully was in season 9 of The X-Files). By the end of the final, heart-breaking episode I'd almost completely forgotten about George and Mitchell (but not Nina, who deserved an on-screen ending). The new ghost character is spunky, and although some great villains were hatched and then quickly despatched this series, the seeds of series 5 have already been sown and have left me hungry for more.

December Round-up: TV

True Blood: Season 3 (2010)
Following up season 2's sexed up mynad shenanigans with half-naked beefcake werewolves, fairies and more shapeshifters than you can shake a stick at, True Blood's third outing (which seems to only be taking place about a month after the first episode - a lot goes on in a short spell in Bon Temps) featured more bloody, soapy goings on for Sookie and the gang. Eric continued to be the most interesting of the main characters, mostly by virtue of his murky motivations and touches of humanity. He's still miles more exciting than boring old Bill, who became more intriguing as revelations of his relationship with Sookie came out towards the season end. Sookie got more and more kick ass, especially as she played 'who's lying to me now' with her suitors, as vampire king Russell, a deliciously camp, extravagant performance, went completely batshit crazy and instigated double-cross upon double-cross with our star vampires and their fairy friend. Elsewhere Jason had a rather boring relationship with some skank who turns into a panther for no discernable reason; Tara got to mash in a vampire rapist's head before thankfully heading off, alive, into the sunset; Sam had to deal with his hick birth parents and kinda-hot-but-irritating kid brother; and Lafeyette finally got a storyline - and a hot boyfriend - that looks like it may take him, and the audience, into some intriguing directions next season. Season 3 of True Blood didn't feel as 'must watch' as the last 2 but I enjoyed it all the same, there's nothing quite like it out there. And it's so much better than the bloodless Twilight saga. 

This is England '88 (2011)
Spread over 3 nights just before Christmas, the latest installment of Shane Meadow's distinctly British (comedy-) drama was also set during the 1988 festive period and featured the same gang as before, dealing with new issues and repercussions from 1986. So Lol (Vicky McClure) is a single mother, plagued by visions of the father she killed last series that are genuinely creepy - they could have been hard to swallow in a series that aims for realism, but it worked well to indicate why the unfortunate Lol was so depressed. Her nearly-husband Woody is living in supposed domestic bliss at home with his loving parents and sweet new girlfriend, who are unknowingly smothering the real Woody with kindnesses. He's one of my favourite characters - he tries so hard to be a good son, employee and boyfriend, but he's dying inside, longing to be back with Lol, back with the friends who 'betrayed' him. It's a terrific performance from Joe Gilgun, who steers Woody on a delicate course through humour, distress and anger without ever making him unlikable - I was rooting for him all the way. Young Shaun (Thomas Turgoose), with his permanently worried, Charlie Brown-like demeanour, is now at drama school and is fed up with girlfriend Smell (maybe because she's now Warwick Davis' PA?) and dealing with conflicting feelings about his middle class co-star. The supporting cast do not have as much to do in terms of their own storylines compared to '86 but that's ok because Lol, Woody and Shaun provide laughs, heartache and drama enough to make this series another must-watch drama.

Young Apprentice (2011)
It seems that I never wrote about this year's The Apprentice (series 7), which is a shame as it was a cracker, won by multiple task-loser yet most likable candidate Tom. Barely a few weeks (it felt like, actually a couple of months) after the end of this series came Junior Young Apprentice 2011. Last year's show presented a gregarious bunch of young entrepreneurs who stood out against their older forebears by being reasonable, considerate and less likely to bitch. It turns out that might have been an anomaly as this year's youngsters reverted to common Apprentice type. Never less than watchable, Young Apprentice almost undid all of the good work in the preceding weeks by featuring a final where I didn't care who won - Zara (who 'triumphed') talked a lot of nothing and was just dull, while Irish James (who, like nearly all of the male candidates, proved that there actually is a young obesity empidemic) was so money-driven and coniving his every sweaty red-faced utterance made me more and more sad for him. The real winner, Harry H, a friendly, patient, credible candidate (the only one?), was axed in the penultimate week when Lord Sugar stupidly lumbered him with Harry M, a petulant, illiterate, childish cretin who had lost every single task and was clearly a bad luck charm. This one decision from Sugar almost scuppered the whole thing and I hope it's one he regrets. 

Life's Too Short: Series 1 (2011)
There have been a few shows I've started watching this year and then ultimately decided I couldn't be bothered sticking with them to see if they got better, as there's plenty more readily enjoyable stuff out there. These included Outcasts, The Hour and a couple of things I've blocked from my memory, and very nearly Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's latest, Life's Too Short. I stuck with the latter though, through all 7 episodes, as I had faith that it would improve, and I also really liked Warwick Davis' performance. I'm not convinced it ever did improve, and the laugh ratio was fairly low, especially in comparison with The Office and Extras. The central premise, that Davis is down on his luck, going through divorce and struggling for work, leads to all sorts of embarrassing situations for the short-statured star, some of which poke fun at reactions to Warwick's size and some of which use his being a dwarf to mine for laughs. The problem with Life's Too Short is that so much of the humour comes across as just mean spirited rather than clever - there's too much 'oh aren't we cutting edge, we're not making fun of AIDs or disabled people, we're just pointing out the absurd things real racists/homophobes/sexists say for comic effect'. Sometimes Davis' performance is 'too Ricky Gervais', as in you could see the words coming right out of his mouth, and this is a detriment, as is every time the writer/directors turn up, shoe-horned in to all but one episode. Although I like a celebrity cameo (Keith Chegwin, Shaun Williamson and Les Dennis provided the biggest laughs in episode 6 discussing suicide), I reckon the show would benefit from less of them and concentrating on the promising romance between Warwick and his blind date Amy. My wonder now is whether to stick with a second series, and I think I might based solely on the blind faith that it will get better.

Dragons' Den: Series 9 (2011)

basics…
Yet another series of the venerable business game show, with the novelty of new dragon Hilary Devey replacing ‘silver fox’ James Caan in the Dragon line up.

brilliant…
The introduction of Devey, with her dulcet northern tones and her massive shoulder pads, has added a dash of theatricality to the Den, along with a new dynamic. Now there are two female Dragons, and on occasion Deborah Meaden and Devey clash with the odd withering look. None of the Dragons are afraid to speak their mind but Devey adds a real earthy worldliness with a lack of business buzzwords. Duncan Bannatyne is still reliably grumpy, if not more so, Theo Paphitis has got a scowl for every occasion, and Peter Jones can be relied upon to see gold where the others just see rocks. There were some crazy pitches this year, including a particularly funny one from a guy trying to sell instant-abs via sun beds, but as usual I’ve forgotten them as soon as the show’s done. Dragon’s Den has become a reassuring programme that I can watch while washing up, not something that needs my full attention, but I still enjoy it.

but…
As ever, Evan Davis lurks around the Den’s basement looking like Gollum and providing as much useful input as a chocolate teapot. I don’t think he’s recorded any new voice-overs, I reckon as a cost saving measure the BBC just cuts old ones over the top of the new pitches. It’s hard to notice any difference.

briefly…
Reliable, funny and with the occasional surprise, Dragon’s Den remains one of the few reality shows I’ll willingly let into my life. I draw the line at the spin off shows though.

Let's Dance for Comic Relief: Series 3 (2011)

I'll keep this brief, because I am very disappointed in the result. The last two series were presented by Steve Jones and Claudia Winkleman, whereas the magic Winkleman has been replaced by bland One Show sofa jockey Alex Jones, and the last two series were won by genuinely funny, entertaining performances. This series was won by some bloke from Emmerdale and a comedian (in the words of Harry Hill: 'Never 'eard of 'em!') who did a tap dance number that was dull. But that's the voting British public for you - look how they screwed up the last general election...

The real highlights of this series were Lulu as a gangsta rapper; Katie Price (yes, Jordan) dressed as a man dressed as a woman, with a very entertaining intro video - 'I'm vacuous'; robbed-Russell Kane dancing Crazy in Love as Beyoncé; a hilarious Jared Christmas as Madonna in Hung Up; and Ade Edmondson's lovely Dying Swan, with pan-wielding cameo by Rik Mayall. These were all hilarious and worthy winners. Let's hope Let's Dance returns to the heights of last years next time.

The Apprentice: Series 6 (2010)

It took a while for the latest series of The Apprentice to get to BBC1, and when it finally arrived it was as addictive as ever. Reality TV doesn't really float my boat, but I got into The Apprentice a couple of series back and have been an avid viewer ever since. It's a docusoap really, with a business element tacked on. There's jeopardy, laughs and frustration as the duff candidates make it through firings, and as Lord Sugar dashes off another groan-inducing pun. There's dispair at the language these grown adults use with each other and in work situations (not to mention on camera), along with astounding displays of ignorance. And there's Nick and Karen, skulking in the background, scowling and dripping scorn on the candidates' abilities. 

It all adds up to a very satisfying whole, and what made this series even better was the fact that You're Fired, the show that follows on BBC2 and features interviews with the fired candidate, is now fronted by Dara O'Briain, fast becoming my favourite TV comedian. He brought a level of wit and humour to the series that previous host Adrian Chiles could only dream of. Dara's open shock at Stuart Baggs The Brand not having been fired was hilarious, and his favouritism was refreshing in the type of show that doesn't allow presenters opinions (see Bruce Forsyth's 'you're all my favourites'). 

I was pleased that Stella and Chris made it to the final, though I called it wrongly for Chris. They were both pleasant, personable, competent people and either deserved to win. On the opposite end of the scale Stuart was just repugnant, and so many of the others just hopeless. I did really like Joanna's no-nonsense, no corporate bullshit approach though, it's a shame she couldn't have been in the final 2. Jamie talked a lot of hot air, and of the rest Alex was good value. My favourite scene this year was 'the battle of Trafalgar Square' as Stuart and Chris beat their metaphorical chests during a bus tour task, and Chris told Stuart to 'fuck off you fat twat'. Very well said. At least the late arrival of Series 6 means Series 7 may not be too far off now.

Mary Queen of Shops: Series 3 (2010)

I first saw Mary Queen of Shops when she worked on improving the fortunes of a charity shop in a London suburb but I didn’t watch them all, I took an interest as Andrew watched. The more I saw though, the more I quite enjoyed Mary Portas’ style and approach.

I recently managed to catch the last episode of the most recent series, and I had to wait for a (signed!) repeat at 2am as I couldn’t record the original broadcast and don’t like/missed it on iPlayer. This series has been fun, and Mary’s had some highs and lows as she’s attempted to bring 6 failing independent businesses back to life. The range of businesses has been diverse, including a bakery, a village corner shop, a hairdressers, greengrocers, furniture shop, and a hardware shop, and the owners have all had varying reactions to Mary’s suggestions.

 

In the first programme Mary came up against a bakery owner who just wouldn’t listen to Mary’s sensible suggestions, because she thought she knew best. The hardware shop owner was similarly stubborn, and it made me wonder why they’d bother applying to be on the programme if they were resistant to change. Other programmes had Mary making businesses into successes , and these made the best shows.

Mary Portas, my favourite TV lesbian, makes the show unmissable. In her chunky jewellery, striking clothes and red power-bob, she can knock people aside with a single backhanded compliment. If she didn’t mean so well she’d probably come off as rude, but as it is she’s just a marvel. She’s incredibly inspirational and makes great TV, and I will certainly watch her next time around.

Junior Apprentice (2010)

Junior Apprentice finally made it on screen after the election, since somehow having Lord Sugar on TV might influence people's political opinions. Eh? Whatever. Junior Apprentice was surprisingly good, and at times, better than the real thing. This was down to the lack of bitching, back-biting and general childishness of the regular adult contestants. The young 16-17 year old contestants could genuinely be seen to learn as the weeks went by. Hair-straightening sheep-shearer Tim particularly went from being pretty shiftless in the first cheese-selling task, to a place in the final, just being (unfairly) pipped at the winning post by Arjun. I liked Arjun all the way through, but I thought Tim was a more deserving winner as he'd grown, thought I suppose Arjun was a bit more consistent from the beginning. 

Of the others no one really stood out as a winner, but Zoe stood out as the most annoying. Initially I liked her because she seemed more competent that the other girls in her team, but then she quickly became irritating, pretentious and plain rude. She thought she was more mature than the others and then flew into hideous sulks when she didn't get her own way. Luckily Lord Sugar (no longer Sir'Alan) picked up on this, yet somehow she survived to the final. The other contestants were fun to watch, and Karen Brady, the new Margaret, did a decent job, though Nick is always my favourite for a wry put down or classic expression.

Over the Rainbow (2010)

I’m very sad that Over the Rainbow is over. I’m not usually one for Saturday night entertainment (other than Doctor Who or TV Burp) shows like this, but I enjoyed Any Dream Will Do, the BBC’s talent show to find a leading Joseph for a production of Technicolour Dreamcoat, a few years ago, so I thought I’d give this show a chance (I didn’t bother with the search for a Nancy/Oliver as I don’t know the Oliver musical).

I loved the camp theatricality, and the general fun that Over the Rainbow was packed full of. Graham Norton’s chemistry with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber is a highlight of these shows, and Lloyd Webber himself is a television gem, whether spouting bizarre, oddly suggestive bon mots about ‘choking on a chipolata’ or (during the general election) not wanting a ‘hung Dorothy’, or just watching the performances with a variety of bored, leering or indescribable facial expressions. At the start of every show, when Graham introduced the Lord, there was a burst of sinister Phantom of the Opera music, which made me smile every week, and is an example of the camp joy the show produced.

The judging panel for Over the Rainbow was completely different to the others that Lloyd Webber and Norton have been involved in. Instead of John Barrowman, we had Eastenders’ resident gay Johnny Partridge, scowling and huffing every time fellow judge Charlotte Church dared to contradict him. I did not like this man. He came across as humourless and was the biggest fault with the show. Church, on the other hand, was brilliant – she looked gorgeous, and when she performed, blew the other girls out of the water. The big revelation though was Sheila Hancock who was a fantastic critic, really getting to the heart of how the contestants could improve their performances, and she was unafraid to tell the truth. If she didn’t like the pop songs they performed, she said so, and in the final show she wonderfully told one of the finalists that she had feared she was all ‘eyes, teeth and tits’ before adding that she didn’t care what she said, it was the last show and they couldn’t sack her. Right there a (gay) icon was born!

As far the Dorothies themselves, they really put in a lot of work and there were some fantastic singers/performers. My favourite, and I was sad to see her go out in the semi final, was Steph (daughter of ‘Let me be your fantasy’ 90’s singer Baby Dee!) who could sing, dance, and act with effortless enthusiasm and a ready smile. I hope she goes far! The winning Dorothy, Danielle, was good, although I didn’t think her voice was as amazing as Steph’s. The quality of all the girls was such that it was hard to pick a winner from the first show. There were a couple who I didn’t really like, particularly Emilie, who the public voted to put into the final 11 as a ‘wildcard’ and who inexplicably lasted several more weeks. Her singing was weak – as evidenced by her inability to sing the high note at the end of ‘Over the Rainbow’ when she was kicked off the show – and the massive gap in her front teeth was distracting through every performance. I was so glad when she went. I liked Welsh red-head Sophie, who somehow made it to the final, but she didn’t have the acting or singing ability (until she sang ‘Reflection’ in the semi) of the other girls.

Over the Rainbow was an all round success, and I do hope they do another show about a musical I’m interested in, and hopefully they’ll get John Barrowman back for it to make it even better!

Let's Dance for Sport Relief (2010)

Last year's Let's Dance for Comic Relief proved to be one of the best shows associated with the BBC charity, and I was pleased that the format was revived for Sport Relief this year - and I was relieved to find that the emphasis was still on humour, despite the change of charity. Thankfully the only concession to sport was the inclusion of Olympic athletes, darts, snooker and football players, otherwise it was another hilarious 4 part 'dance' competition. 

Robert Webb won the first series with a routine that is one of the funniest and most entertaining fews minutes ever screened on TV as he dragged up and flung himself around the stage to 'Flashdance... What a Feeling'. It was an unalloyed joy. One of the other hightlights from last year was runners up Paddy McGuinness and Keith Lemon's take on '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' from Dirty Dancing. 

This year's winner was another comedian in drag, this time Rufus Hound put in a sterling performance as Cheryl Cole with 'Fight for This Love'. It was a sure fire winner from the moment it opened the first show. Robert Webb, a judge for the final, quite rightly commented that Hound's performance was more watchable than Cheryl Cole, and added that quite frankly, who isn't. Love it. Other joys from this series were Katy Brand and her HUGE thighs jigging about to Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' (the runner-up), and the surprisingly funny and game Cheryl 'Heather from Eastenders' Fergison doing a wonderful Vanilla Ice to 'Ice Ice Baby'. The Grumpy Old Women (Jenny Eclair, Linda Robson, Susie Blake and Lesley Joseph) also put on a memorable performance, each dressed as a different incarnation of Lady Gaga for 'Poker Face'.

As with last year, Claudia Winkleman and Steve Jones proved to be an inspired pairing as hosts, making each other laugh and making the whole thing that much more watchable. It could've been so much worse (think Fearne Cotton... on second thoughts, don't, or you'll fall into a coma). Let's hope that Let's Dance becomes a permanent fixture on the charity 'Relief' calendar - let's face it, it's the only thing I'll be watching to do with Sports Relief!

Christmas TV (2009)

Another Christmas, another collection of Xmas TV specials. Here's a run-down of what I watched around the big day this year:

On Christmas Eve there wasn't a lot on, but I was rather excited about Victoria Wood's Midlife Christmas as there's not been a Victoria Wood comedy show on TV in years! It was a mildly amusing affair, never reaching the heights of the As Seen on TV series, and I think it would've been better as a series of different sketches instead of dragging out the Lark Pies to Cranchesterford parody. I was bemused by the gay postman character in this parody, and also by the gay vicar - what was Victoria Wood trying to say? Was she trying to just be inclusive? Neither character sat well with me. Maybe I didn't enjoy it because I'm not in midlife? The best bit was the updated classic song at the end, The Ballad of Barry and Freda (Let's Do It), and any scene with Julie Walters in it.

Our Christmas Day viewing began with Top of the Pops Christmas. Christmas is often synonymous with a sense of disappointment, and what could be more disappointing than having to watch Reggie Yates and the talent-vacuum that is Fearne (I'm feeling bored as I type this) Cotton for the chance to see a bit of music on BBC1. It was quite a good line up this year, a mix of dirge and decent tunes - the later covered by The Saturdays, La Roux, and the fact the X-Factor wasn't number 1. The crap was made up of Robbie Williams and the dodgy dance act Diversity - the first time I've seen them, and they really are poor. 

After TOTP we stood for The Queen, well ok we stayed seated, but I like watching Her Majesty's annual broadcast. I don't know why. I like the royals, maybe that's it? 

The Gruffalo, although supposedly a family/kids treat for Xmas was actually rather enjoyable. Since I'm 25 the book passed me by, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The plot was a lovely, poetic tale, and the animation was wonderfully bright and bold - it looked quite different to Pixar, for example, without coming off as a cheap, kids-TV series. The voice cast were great too, even James Corden suited his role as the mouse. This was a pleasant surprise that I had no expectations of before watching, so perhaps that's the best way to approach these Xmas shows.

There was a LOT of expectation over the Xmas Doctor Who, the penultimate episode to feature David Tennant as the eponymous Doctor. After a beginning in which the Master escaped through the use of some unintelligible mumbo-jumbo that I'm not entirely convinced by, I allowed my disbelief to suspend itself almost to breaking point! The rest of the episode was top notch - the X-ray skeleton-like effects used on John Simm's the Master were scary, June Whitfield was delightful, and Bernard Cribbins continues to be the heart of the show, weirdly enough. The climax, with the Master having created a genuine Master race was thrilling! I just hope that the concluding part on New Year's Day will resolve everything satisfactorily, as Doctor Who has the habit of setting up an amazing evil before defeating it incredibly swiftly and/or conveniently. We'll see. 

During the making and eating of chicken sandwiches we watched the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas. I wouldn't have watched this if I hadn't somehow got into the non-festive edition 3 or 4 weeks ago - I even watched the entire 2009 finale last week. I've usually been against these populist reality shows, but I realised that there was actually a lot of skill and humour involved in Strictly and I enjoyed the shows I've seen. The Christmas programme was as camp as, well, the proverbial, and a nice time to spend while having tea.

The Royle Family special turned out to be hilarious and pitch perfect, as the recent specials have tended to be. Moving outside of the Royle's living room has done wonders for the series, allowing Caroline Ahern to expand her explorations of this very British family to a caravan holiday in the Pearl of Prestatyn this year. We cringed as the Royle's sang along to the theme tune to The One Show, as we do exactly the same thing! Although we then tend to switch off. This was one of the highlights of Christmas Day's offerings, the cast are all just fantastic, and it was great to see the return of Ralf Little and Jessica Hynes to the show. I can't wait for the next special! 

Following a non-festive Gavin & Stacey (which I'll cover when the series ends) we stayed awake for Catherine Tate: Nan's Christmas Carol. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I found the Catherine Tate Show tailed off as it went along over its 3 series, but again I was pleasantly surprised at how funny and well-plotted this special was. And it really was a special - Catherine Tate was a joy to watch (as she was in Doctor Who, earlier in the evening) and the ghosts that visited Nan were hilarious - Ben Miller as an inept ghost of Xmas past, Roger Lloyd Pack as a non-scary ghost of Xmas yet to come, and the best of all, an uber-camp, uber-Scottish turn from David Tennant (whose never off the screens this year) as the ghost of Xmas present. An absolute cracker!

And finally, after a day of watching BBC1, on Boxing Day we watched Harry Hill's TV Burp Review of the Year on ITV1. Maybe not quite as comprehensive, offensive or funny as Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe Review of the Year, it was still essential viewing. And the only programme worth viewing on ITV1 all Xmas - no wonder the BBC won the ratings war. I think the very worst programme ever made was shown on ITV1 on Boxing Day - Ant & Dec's Christmas Show. I didn't watch it, and I wouldn't, even at gunpoint, for the guests included: Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden, Robbie Williams, and I'm sure there was someone else, but my brain is crying out for mercy at having to think about this dross. 

There are a few more shows to look forward to our the Xmas / New Year period, including the concluding parts of Doctor Who and Cranford, the Outnumbered special, and Hamlet, but they're for another day and another post or two.