2002.15 THE RETURN OF JEAN-LUC

Star Trek is having a bit of a renaissance at the moment via streaming. There are 2 new series current with more in the pipeline.

2001.14 STUMBLING START

So the Yuletide season came and went, it's like it never happened except for the fact we are hundreds of pounds skinter and a few lbs heavier.

1812.21 THE FESTIVE TV ROUND-UP - WEEK 1

One of my favourite Christmas pastimes is scrutinising the festive edition of the Radio Times (other listings magazines are available but to be honest they're just a bit shit - in my opinion).

1811.18 GET ME OUT OF HERE!

As a rule I don't like reality tv. I find it unstimulating and dull. Luckily Morticia generally agrees, with one exception.

1712.20 MY HIGHLIGHTER'S TELLY PICK (part 2)

So you've gotten through Christmas and you can finally relax and watch some TV. So here's my pick from Boxing Day through to the new year. 

1712.16 MY HIGHLIGHTER'S TELLY PICK

As usual I have been scouring the pages of the festive double issue of the Radio Times to find the seasonal gems to enjoy over the Christmas period. So here's my pick of the top telly this Christmas...

1709.24 TREKKING AGAIN!

It's been a long 12 years since any new Star Trek was on our TV screens. The time is almost upon us, the long wait is almost over...

1709.23 OLD BILL

Classic TV is something I enjoy. One classic show is enjoying a little bit of a revival on one of our digital channels. It was a particular favourite of mine  back in the day.

1709.03 THE PURGE

Seven years ago I negotiated a new Sky+HD box after my original Sky box started to fail (actually it turned out to be the dish at fault). In fact I wrote a blog post about it at the time. Well I am now in a similar position with my current 7 year old box having intermittent trouble recognising the viewing card.

1707.16 NEW WHO

So we were told that the new actor to play The Doctor in 'Doctor Who' would be revealed directly after the Men's Wimbledon Finals. I monitored social media and learned the tennis had finished early so quickly turned over to the last few minutes of the men's final.

1612.19 CHRISTMAS TV PICK II

So as promised, here is my pick for festive TV for that 'no mans land' of Christmas, the middle bit between the big day and New Year.

1611.21 TO BALDLY GO THRO TIME AND SPACE

There are 2 big Sci Fi shows on the horizon that have me excited.

There is Star Trek Discovery which I've mentioned before. The show has had a number of hiccups along the way. It was put back to May next year and then showrunner, Brian Fuller took a back seat (blaming his non-Trek workload). I am at this point a little worried about this show. It's destined for streaming which isn't a bad thing except in the US it's going on the networks own streaming service. The rest of the world (except Canada) get it on Netflix. There's little more known about the show other than a basic premise, no actors have been announced or even suggested at this point. In this case no news is definitely not good news.

Secondly, our home grown Sci Fi legend that is Doctor Who returns after a year long 'rest' with the now traditional Christmas Day Special. 'Children In Need' on Friday featured a trailer to the upcoming episode "The Return of Doctor Mysterio". This episode pits the Doctor against a superhero and features Matt Lucus (Little Britain, Alice in Wonderland). There's a new series next year.

Sci Fi is in the doldrums at the moment, it's good to have something to look forward to.

1611.17 PRELUDE TO CHRISTMAS

Well the Christmas preamble is well on it's way with retailers in full festive mode pushing their wares on the great unwashed. I have to admit I've been dragged into this shopping frenzy by Morticia (under duress you understand).

As well as the shops the media is also getting in on the action, pop up channels 'Christmas 24' and 'True Christmas'  are churning out cheesy American Christmas movies 24 hours a day.

Formula for cheesy American Christmas movie is...

Santa's child/sibling/elf arrives in American town/city to find love

+

single parent with sickly cute kid

=

some sort of caper where someone learns true meaning of Christmas oh and the two get together.

You can tweak the basics but most follow this formula. 

What about the pre Christmas traditions? Most are new and created for the purpose of making the said great unwashed buy stuff they don't want.

The John Lewis Ad

This only started back in 2007 and only became a 'thing' more recently. This year's is a bit shit. Better than the pervert on the moon from last year though. You can see this year's ad featuring Buster the dog here.

Buster the dog ©John Lewis

Other retailers such as Marks and Spencer and Sainsburys (and more recently the likes of Aldi) have tried to muscle in on the act. My favourite has to be Sainsburys (their ads are far superior in my opinion), see the latest one here.

©Sainsburys 

None of the ads have encouraged me to shop in the respective outlets so whilst entertaining, they seem to be ineffective.

Black Friday

This nasty little 'tradition' was first brought to our shores (from America) in 2013 by Asda, the Leeds based supermarket chain which also happens to be a subsidy of US retail giant, Walmart. Since then it has spread like a plague being peddled by the likes of Amazon, Tesco and Argos. Black Friday has to be the worst example of greed I've ever seen. I view this 'thing' with absolute contempt. The behaviour it encourages is beyond despicable, watching mad mobs fight over a discounted telly is soul destroying.

Image subject to copyright 

Christmas is a great time to connect with family and friends, eat and drink a bit too much and watch cheesy movies (I do secretly enjoy those cheesy movies) but the greed, especially from big business is unacceptable. Enjoy this time but don't get caught up in the commercialised mess that Christmas has become.

1608.08 MONKEY MAGIC

Around the meal table at work the other day we were discussing childhood television and our favourite shows off the day. Of course there are quite a few a bit younger than me so their offerings were a bit recent or I'd not heard of them. Then someone (of similar age to me) mentioned "Monkey".

Monkey was a Chinese production which was adapted and translated into English and I think shown on BBC 2 in the afternoon. It followed a Buddhist monk (played by a girl) and the Monkey King as they ventured from China to India assisted by Pigsy and Sandy. I remember the next day at school we'd all want to play at "Monkey", acting out the fight scenes and hoping you didn't have to be Pigsy.  I do recall being very good at the cloud summoning finger blowy thing. 

It was an unlikely hit with kids of my generation giving them larger than life characters, some kung fu and a moral life lesson. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, it had an awesome theme tune too.

1606.05 TOP TELLY PART 3

The final installment of my pick of current shows being piped into my television... 

Doctor Who
I've watched Doctor Who since I had eyes. What is there to say? I love it.

Angie Tribeca
An Airplane/Naked Gun style comedy that's actually quite good.

Celebrity Juice
Got fed up with this ages ago but with a live show to start the latest series off I ended up watching the rest and enjoyed it (again).

Have I Got News For You
Classic comedy current affairs panel show. Still good stuff.

Marvel's Agent Carter
A spin off from Captain America this show featured a strong female lead. Sadly the American tv execs have decided to bin it after 2 seasons.

Big Bang Theory
One of the most successful sitcoms since 'Friends'. What's not to like?

Aliens
I thought this was going to be like 'Misfits'. If there's a season 2 I might just give it a miss.

Wentworth Prison
A reboot of the old Australian soap 'Prisoner Cell Block H'. With season 3 about to arrive in the UK this show is surprisingly great drama.

The Last Leg

Current affairs discussion with Adam Hills. One of the funniest and thought provoking shows on TV. New series from this week. 

The Secret Life of the Zoo
The only documentary on my list. Behind the scenes of Chester Zoo.

The Walking Dead
Gripping zombie action. I would like some progression towards an end game next season.

X Files
It was great to see this show revived after son long with the original cast. I'm still only halfway through.

Mock the Week
Another comedy current affairs panel show. 

This list isn't exhaustive, it's a selection of shows I've watched this year. 

1606.02 NEW TOP GEAR

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars, and the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine programme, but over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style. [source: Wikipedia]

Ok, I admit it. Top Gear used to be a bit of a guilty pleasure. When the controversy ensued and the original trio were no longer going to be presenting I thought it was all done with. But no, the BBC pushed forward with an all new presenting team. Chris Evans was named the new front man with Matt LeBlanc and a number of other journalists assisting. The critics were against the new team before it even started. But they went ahead and made a new series, it aired on Sunday.

So today I decided to watch on iPlayer. I went into this with an open mind not listening to the critics. I wanted to like this, I was worried however.

Source: BBC

So the presenters? I like Chris Evans, I did feel the style was a little forced but this was the first show so I accept he needs to find his level. Matt LeBlanc seemed like fun, he handled the transition from acting to presenting. All in all the ingredients were there but what was wrong? The chemistry just wasn't there. I can't put my finger on it, maybe it'll find it's feet.

Overall the programme felt overlong even though it was the same length as previous episodes, I found myself distracted by anything and everything. I think the word I'm looking for is "boring".

Will I watch again? I may try episode 2 to see if it gets any better.

1605.25 TOP TELLY PART 2

Ok here's the second look into my telly viewing habits. They're in no particular order. If you missed part one you can see it here.

Sleepy Hollow

An 'out of time' reimagining of the Ichabod Crane story sees the hero transported to modern day. This season (3) has been a bit difficult and I was surprised to see it get renewed for a 4th season. I expect many changes next season.

Continuum

This is an older show I'm catching up with on Netflix. I'm busy with other shows at the moment so it's on hold. A time travel sci fi show, what's not to like?

Elementary

I love Sherlock Holmes. I am a big fan of all the incarnations. This version sees Sherlock in modern day New York.

You're The Worst

I came across this by accident and was immediately hooked by this grown up comedy. Season 1 was crammed on 5USA (double bills every week), I'm hoping we get following seasons in due course (although Channel 5 aren't to reliable).

Spooks

Never caught this on it's original run (called MI5 in the US) so I binge watched season 1 and half of season 2 on Netflix.

Second Chance

This has just started showing on Universal channel and I've got episode 1 queued on my planner. Just learned it has been cancelled so not sure whether to bother.

American Horror Story

Supernatural anthology series. Last season "Hotel" was one of the best yet. Can't wait for the next season.

American Crime Story: People Vs OJ Simpson

Don't know if this was a 'one off' series but it was very well made and gripping (even if everyone obviously knew the outcome).

Colony

Another alien invasion show. I've given up after 2 episodes because it just wasn't gripping me.

iZombie

Another chance find on Netflix. A light hearted crime show with a zombie twist.

Raised by Wolves

One of those 'hidden gems', an actually funny sitcom returned for season 2.

Sherlock

Most of the world likes this one. 

Humans

Quite a thought provoking drama about androids set in an alternative present day. Hoping for a season 2 soon. 

The A Word

An eye opening and occasionally funny drama about how a family copes with a child with autism. The little boy acted amazingly. 

I've still got some more to mention. Coming soon to a blog post near you. 

1605.14 TOP TELLY PART 1

I used to do this years ago so here's a look at my current telly choice. This is not a review, it's more of a snapshot into what is on my telly at the moment. 

Arrow, Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow

I grouped these together because they all are interconnected. Arrow I feel has lost some of it's darkness but is still compelling. The Flash, I feel,  is the strongest of the group and is proper 'comic book' action. Legends of Tomorrow was the latest offering and most anticipated. Sadly though it's the most disappointing so far. I'm hoping it pulls it's socks up ready for season 2 (confirmed).

Supergirl

In the same vein as the Arrow/Flash shows (they even inhabit the same DC universe) this is a hero show supported by an ensemble support team. So far it's entertaining but not as gripping as it's siblings (season 2 confirmed)

The Simpsons

What's can I say about the Simpsons? Homer is a God amongst yellow men. Long may it run.

Daredevil

A Netflix exclusive show which does a great job of reinventing the blind hero after an abysmal movie adaptation. Dark, violent and moody - a superhero show for grown ups. Currently enjoying season 2.

Better Call Saul

Another Netflix exclusive and Breaking Bad prequel that's compelling to watch. Has the same BB feel whilst still being completely different. Just cracking through season 2.

Limitless

A sequel to the movie of the same name, this amusing drama is easy and enjoyable to watch (season 2 not confirmed). It'll be a shame if it gets cancelled. 

11.22.63

A Stephen King standalone miniseries about a time traveller who has to prevent the assassination of JFK. I'm almost at the end, so far this is an amazing story. The only show on TV that I watch on transmission day.

Bates Motel

A slow burner up to now but as Norman Bates gets more crazy the better it becomes. I feel the best is yet to come. 

Blue Bloods

Staple easy watching NYPD police drama about a family who all work in law enforcement.

This is just a small look at what I'm watching on TV at the moment. There is more which I'll share in a second post soon.