Wednesday, 6 June 2012

The TVWEEK: Sunday 10th -Friday 15th June 2012

Sunday
9.00pm Nina Conti - A Ventriloquist's Story: Her Master's Voice BBC4 - Documentary following internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Nina Conti, as she takes the bereaved puppets of her mentor and erstwhile lover Ken Campbell on a pilgrimage to Venthaven, the resting place for puppets of dead ventriloquists. She takes a personal and professional journey through the strange, surprising and often hilarious world of ventriloquism and, along the way, gets to know her latex and wooden travelling partners, and with them deconstructs herself and her lost love.
10.00pm Louis Theroux: Twilight of the Porn Stars BBC2 - Louis Theroux catches up with the porn stars he first met in a 1997 documentary to find a business struggling with the deluge of free porn on the internet. Louis revisits some of the original programme's contributors as well as meeting the latest crop of porn performers dreaming of porn stardom 
10.00pm Mark Wright's Hollywood Nights ITV2 - Former TOWIE star Mark Wright and his best mates leave Essex for the holiday of a lifetime in Los Angeles. In this first episode, Mark and his pals Nick, Neil, Georgie and Tommy land in LA, but their quest to find accommodation does not go well when they get lost driving around the city. On their first night out, they try to get to grips with the local nightlife. Things start looking up when they hit an American diner, where it is not just the food which takes the boys' fancy. 
Monday
8.00pm The Restaurant Inspector Five - Continuation of the second series. 
9.00pm Britain in a Day BBC2 - Documentary directed by BAFTA-winner Morgan Matthews offers an extraordinarily candid look at 21st century life across the UK, crafted from over 750 hours of footage, including 11,526 clips submitted to YouTube. On Saturday 12th November 2011, an eclectic range of British people turned the camera on themselves, capturing the entertaining and mundane, the exciting and unusual, the poignant and the everyday. The result tells the fascinating story of the British public in their own words. The documentary offers remarkable insight into the lives, loves, fears and hopes of people living in Britain today. This captivating self-portrait of Britain forms part of the BBC's Cultural Olympiad. 
9.00pm Kicked Out Kids BBC3 - Documentary that follows the stories of four young people whose relationships with their parents have become so bad that they risk being kicked out for good. Enter the mediators, intent on helping these families resolve their problems before it is too late. Charlotte, 16, was kicked out by her dad after she threw a party which turned out to be the final straw. Tyler, 14, was taken away by social services at his mum's request. She insists she will do it again if his behaviour does not change. Sisters Viviana, 15, and Stephanie, 14, cannot go a day without a fight, and risk being taken into foster care. The mediators step in to unearth what the real issues are beneath petty squabbles over housework and manners, and restore harmony between teenagers and their parents.
Tuesday
9.00pm Glammour Model: Mum, Baby & Me BBC3 - Two years after the success of the documentary Glamour Models, Mum and Me we return to see 16-year-old Georgia embark on the most life changing months of her life. Her mother Alicia, the topless model and plastic surgery addict, is having a baby and throwing their lives upside down. This film follows their unusual yet endearing mother-daughter relationship. 
10.35pm A Great British Journey: Furness story BBC1 - Peter Snow charts the rise and fall of London's docklands over the centuries, and hears extraordinary stories of gruesome traditions, lost craftsmanship and secretive communities. 
Wednesday
10.00pm A Short History of Everything Else Channel 4 - Comedian Griff Rhys Jones hosts this brand new comedy panel show using archive TV clips to challenge players to give A Short History of Everything Else. Each week Griff is joined by the two regular team captains, Marcus Brigstocke and Charlie Baker who, along with this week's guests Kirsty Wark and Micky Flanagan, try to prove that they remember more about 'everything else' than the other team, adding their own irreverent interpretations along the way. 
Thursday
8.00pm Country House Rescue Channel 4 - Back for a new, fourth series, this time with entrepreneur Simon Davis at the helm, the owners of six stately British homes seek help in securing the future of their unique properties for generations to come. Viscount and Viscountess Brookeborough have lived in Colebrooke Park, a neo-classical mansion in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, for over 30 years. Having rescued the property, built in 1820, from near ruin, Alan and Janet have devoted their lives to maintaining the house, raising the funds they need by hosting exclusive shooting parties. But their work isn't sustainable. Simon believes the answer lies in the conversion of the house and grounds into a health and wellbeing business that includes a spa in the former stable. But Alan and Janet are reluctant to open their home to strangers 
9.00pm The Man Who Made us Fat BBC2 - In the first of this three-part series, Jacques Peretti traces those responsible for revolutionising our eating habits, to find out how decisions made in America 40 years ago influence the way we eat now. Peretti travels to America to investigate the story of high-fructose corn syrup.

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Big Brother Launch Night 2012


A look at the night Big Brother returned to Channel 5

Here we go. The daddy of reality TV is back with it’s second ‘normal’ series since moving to Channel 5. Last year was a slight disappointment with a very TOWIE approach taken with a focus on relationships, sex and downmarket immaturity. However, the one decent housemate went onto win and with a lot of criticism from fans it forced a promise of a change of approach. Judging by tonight’s launch, it seems the producers have learnt their lesson and the series looks promising. 

The House:
Channel 5 have obviously spent some money on the house. Fabulous would be the word to describe it. It’s one of the best ever, with the right weather I can see all the housemates living, bitching, fighting and flirting in the huge garden.


The Twist:
Housemate number 1 nominates 3 housemates based on first impressions. A good twist, similar to one used in BB4, but improved to make it more fair. 


The Production:
One thing that has improved since the move to Channel 5 is the better production values. The launch felt modern and fresh, and had a strong entertainment feel to it. I like these launches compared to the getting out of a car version which we used to see on Channel 4.

The Housemates. First Impressions:

Deana - Wealthy and Miss India. Seems like a nice girl and pretty normal for Big Brother. She didn’t pretend to not be looking forward to the twist, she promised to get the boring housemates out. I like her, even though she did end up being slightly pathetic during the nominations twist.


Aaron - Typical male model housemate. I don’t know why he was chosen. 

Caroline - A nicely spoken girl who seems a bit silly and dim. She could be very fun over the next few weeks, I bet she will be rather stubborn and annoy the other housemates.

Shievonne - She says she doesn’t know how she will cope without sugar. If she has her fizzy drinks she will be nice and plain. If she doesn’t she will be boring and plain 

Conor - A shallow man who is just bothered about his looks and sex. I bet he is a Georgie Shore reject. 

Lauren - Seems like a silly girl but I’m betting she will be quite the manipulator. 

Luke - A nice normal guy. I was wondering why he was chosen until it was revealed he is a transexual. I wouldn’t have suspected it. 


Adam - A man with an interesting background. He has been in jail but he doesn’t strike me as aggressive, he will try to be a powerful force in the house though.

Sara - Three words. A fierce bitch.

Scott - He made me laugh in his VT. He’s a funny snob. He will cause a lot of entertainment.

Ashleigh - Foul mouth but she amuses me. She looks pretty but acts rough. I have a feeling she will become very likable. 

Other Luke - I don’t really have an opinion on him. Typical plain lad. 

Lydia - Fame hungry model type. Evict it!

Benedict -  A teacher by day, a porn star by night. He actually seems like a guy with a deep personality.  I can see him causing a bit of conflict.

Chris - An odd combination. Big man personality with a high voice. I can see him being overwhelmed by the other guys in the house.

Victoria - A flirty ex-model. She will be rather entertaining after a few drinks. 

Overall everything is much better than last year. The housemates are more diverse, even if there are one too many model types for my liking, the twist worked well and the series looks very promising. I think the series looks set to be focused mainly on fun with the occasional bit of conflict. The big characters are certainly there but unfortunately there are a handful off dull housemates who will probably fly under the radar. The series has potential, good tasks and as little producer interference as possible will hopefully compliment the largely good selection of housemates and create a memorable series. Summer has begun.

Contributed by Luke Humphries.

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