Friday 9 January 2009

 

The latest culture as recommended by our staff

Peter Hoskin

Pete suggests


Reptilian reverie

Wednesday, 6th February 2008

Lif in Cold Blood (BBC1); Ashes to Ashes (BBC1)

This new series has a lot going for it: the casting and acting, of course; the soundtrack; the loving recreation of Eighties style; the spooky guest appearances by Zippy and George the puppets from Rainbow and the clown from the Ashes to Ashes video; and the period-send-up jokes, which are often very funny. (I particularly liked the one where Hunt, as yet unfamiliar with the slang term for cocaine, thinks Charlie refers to a consignment of perfume; and his response to hearing that the suspect has made numerous calls using a phone card: ‘flash bastard!’). But it could have kept all these ingredients without descending into self-parody. What has happened, I’m guessing, is that the excellent creative team Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham were given a steer in the wrong direction by some high-up idiot who wanted more female viewers and didn’t really understand the product. Please tell me, someone, if my hunch is right.

Finally, can I take back what I said last week about Ross Kemp in Afghanistan (Sky One, Monday)? It’s really very exciting and gives you a much better sense of what it’s like to be out there than any programme that has been on before. That’ll teach me not to review programmes on the basis of a tiny sliver glimpsed on the internet.

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skidmore

February 8th, 2008 6:41am

you are so muh more readable when you review programmes. Keep it up. Your comments show a depth and understanding of the medium which is very welcome


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