I don’t generally think of myself as a telly addict, but I’ve been incredibly excited ever since I flicked through the TV listings on Saturday.
Yes, we all know that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will be making their return to BBC2 this Thursday with Life’s Too Short, but it was actually the arrival three other shows that caught my eye.
First of all, Masterchef: The Professionals and figuring out when you can watch the next episode doesn’t get tougher than this. The first went out on Monday at 8.30pm. On Tuesday it switched to 7pm before it moves to 8pm for Wednesday and Thursday. Next week’s transmission times are a closely guarded secret but boffins are dusting off the machines at Bletchley Park in the hope of catching Greg Wallace performing unspeakable acts with a spoon.
Watching the first episode proved to be very distressing, and not just because Monica has a stare that could turn stone to stone. For some reason the voiceover who has been making Masterchef her own for the past six years, India Fisher, has been replaced by some bloke. This one small change has – to my mind – changed the programme beyond all recognition. I felt as though I was watching a badly dubbed version Masterchef originally intended for a distant land. It remains to be seen whether this new chap will rise to the occassion or sink like so many souffles.
Returning for a second series on Thursday night is Rev. (BBC2 9pm), the sitcom about an inner-city Church of England parish. The first series was bloody marvelous, though perhaps unsurprisingly given the subject, gained a small (but loyal) audience. However it did receive a good PR boost when the following photo taken during filming went viral. I await the return of Tom Hollander, Olivia Coleman and Miles Jupp with much anticipation.
Last and by no means least, this week saw the return of Gareth Malone with his new series The Choir – Military Wives. I appreciate I’ve already ventured into homoerotic territory this week with my ramblings about my hairdresser, but I make no apology for my adoration of Mr Malone.
The basic premise of every series is that Gareth will form a choir in an unlikely or disjointed community leaving everyone with big smiles on their faces and warm fuzzy feelings inside. This time he has set up camp on a military base and created a choir from the wives and girlfriends left behind whilst the men are on duty in Afghanistan.
As the episode began, I wondered whether what is basically a well-trodden formula could survive another outing. I became further concerned when I noticed more and more cliches spilling out of Malone’s mouth. Then the narrator started to get on my nerves. By now, I was getting very worried that my love affair with The Choir was reaching an end.
And then the choir sang their first song and all my fears were put to rest. It’s not that they were amazing, but it’s a simply beautiful watching these people coming together to sing. Thank you Mr Malone, once again you’ve made me a very happy man.
For more choir fun…
My favourite choir from The Choir.
Who thought watching loads of youngsters singing about feeling suicidal could be so sweet?
For the record, I’ve just noticed that each one of the programmes I’ve mentioned is on BBC2. That is delivering quality first, not cutting back on creativity.
malcranmer 
India Fisher’s ghastly hushed reverential precious faux-holy voice-over was the reason I had to give up watching Masterchef – I just could afford replacing a smashed telly every week.
masterchef professional bad planning. the two chefs last night were WAY superior than the two tonight. yet one terrific chef got sent home last night and a mediocre goes through tonite. How did that happen- pitting the two best against each other and the two lesser against each other? wont be bothering to watch anymore…
Tonight’s Masterchef semi final (Thurs 8th Dec) was totally spoilt by the intro “Tonight’s programme shows how 3 can become 4” – or words to that effect, telling all the viewers that both cooks make it through to the final, even before the programme has started. A bit like telling the result of a match before the kick-off!
It totally destroyed any suspense – not an outcome that the programme makers had intended, I assume.
Explanation please!
Tell Michel that Shiraz and Syrah are the same and that you should take the meat and bone from the duck WITHOUT cutting it open.
if i were Oli Farrar i think i would be having words with my solicitor, when the programme started the compeitors were told there would be three semi finals, Semi final 2 Oli Farrar was told he was in the final.
now just because Michel and Greg could not agree, he is out of the final, surely it would have been fairer to Oli to have a ” Cook Off ” between the other two, as who should get to the final.
Oli had won his place but now he has not got his place, UNFAIR UNFAIR
I love master chef i just have one really HUGE issue with it and all of the BBC’s cooking competition programs and thats the so called critics who the hell are these people and what makes them so damn special ? i would prefer by far top chefs judging these programs, i dont want to hear ^i don’t like it, it’s not cooked the way i like” i want to know if it was cooked the way it should be and wether its cooked well by a person that CAM actually cook at or above the level of the person that made it.
Get rid of the critics they are anoying and a total waste of space. if that was done this show would be worth watching at the end.
I’ve stopped watching Masterchef Professionals. Reason: Greg and Monica are mean on the technical testing. Greg doesn’t know how to cook stuff either and Monica shows him. She’s a bit high and mighty, saying things like my 5 year old can make this. Oh yeh, because you’ve shown him how to do it, and presumably at some point someone has shown you. Then they both make ridiculous faces at the contestant (which mean what the hell do you think you are doing). It’s a bit weird when Greg has only just been shown how to do it, to suddenly take the higher ground. The whole thing doesn’t gel well. To make things worse, they then bitch about the contestant saying fancy a chef cooking for 8 years and not making this/or that. Well deary me. I bet I could find something Monica’s never cooked before and get her to make it to my specifications, but i’m not going to tell her what those specifications are, and if it isn’t done quite how I do it then she fails. I’m not the only to have stopped watching, many of my friends and even my sister who once loved the show have stopped watching. This technical challenge is unfair and makes very uncomfortable viewing they need to change the format. They need to give the contestants some of the recipe, but not all and see how they get on. You don’t get this level of bitchiness on the Great British Bakeoff. I actually preferred the knowledge of the ingredients bit, as I felt I could learn something too.
What are the purple leaves used as a garnish. Saw them being used when preparing sea urchin and other dishes
How Greg Wallace can consider himself qualified to comment or judge when he has not heard of “sole bonne femme” amazes me. Please let us have someone who knows more of the culinary art
HOW IT FAIR KERRY GETS THROUGH TEN MINS LATE !!!! NOT RIGHT , OTHERS MAY HAVE GOT THROUGH WITH EXTRA TIME , SHOULD BE INSTANT OUT & TOTAL NO NO!! .
Great comments everyone, keep them coming. I thought tonight’s episode was the best yet, such a turnaround in fortunes between the invention round and cooking for the critics.
It amuses me that whilst this programme uses Michel’s French classic dishes Greg seems to no little of the subject. When a contestant said he was cooking Sole Bonne Femme Greg said “Sole bonne femme? What’s sole bonne femme?!” It just happens to be one of the most used methods of cooking sole. On an earlier occasion he said increduously “Cheese with fish!?” He hasn’t heard of Sole Mornay either.
who in their right mind wants to pay hundreds of pounds for under cooked fowl and a mess of multicoloured mush thats been handled to death,such pretentious twaddle. door.
Really enjoy Masterchef. HOWEVER after least years fiasco ( and I can’t remember whether it was the Professionals version or not – although I think it was) when the contestants – all being told they had REACHED the final and were obviously, relieved, joyous and thrilled about it. In full knowledge that having a WEEK/ or a number of ‘task days’ – to have numerous attempts showing thier skill – so they could relax and know they had time to rectify errors if needed were subsequently on the first day of the final told that – “one of you will be going home today”!! TRULY was shocking, disgraceful, and not cricket chaps!!! In truth it was an additional semi-final so in fact NONE of the ‘finalists’ were, just that; Finalists (the clue is in the ‘final’ bit of the word)! I was so cross, especially as a contestant who was told they were in the final went out!!! Grossly unfair… I was on the point pf not watching the programme again…
I do realize that, however arbitary or not, the ‘pairing up is/can be difficult but once that is done, surely they have to select one winner of a semi final, no matter how good. Like Chelsea v Man United in one semi final – and Stubbins Oddsocks v Brading Athletico in the other – It truly is luck of the draw!!! Greg and Michel have to man up, the Mr. Ditherer with Mr Indecisive ‘ lets put them both through option’ is really unfair, unless all of the finalists experience the complete final stage. I am hoping that will be the case this time around. If that can’t be done, possibly the programme could be equally entertaining almost using the same format but not announcing the finalist until the ‘last’ pairing have finishd?
Just feel disappointed in the inability of such talented judges to make a decision. Good job their roles are not involved with life saving 😀 🙂
Im so glad im not a food snob,
pea purey, peas are round and have texture,
Potatoes, so smooth, no lumps ,
erm Potatoes are full of texture,
We have teeth to eat food,
Why not give the so called food criticts baby food, and a straw.
They cant chew a potatoe, or a pea, OMG it has skin on it,
Love the programe, but cant stand to see such snobbery.
We are in this together attitude.
I so wouldnt pay for the food they cook,
Maybe its me.
How refreshing to see a vegetarian invention challenge. Thankyou for remembering that vegetarians enjoy good food too, but can rarely get better than something they could buy themselves in a supermarket and heat up at home in a microwave when dining outt! It was a real treat too see six savory vegetarian dishes prepared so beautifully and served with such passion.
With regard to the comment I read (below) about the critics: I refer you to the poem “The Owl Critic” and the delightful children’s story “The Emporors New Clothes”. I find these people both pretencious and pointless. It would be far more enlightening and worthy to have the food judged by a panal of top draw chefs.
Its a shame, but I do understand that master chefs don’t no one cut of meat from another. Tonight 11/12/12 the so called wing rib is NOT that cut. what they have is fore Rib of beef with Flank (brisket end) still attached. When you cut this off as seen on TV the remaining cut of Fore quarter is called a Short Fore. If the crop end of brisket is also removed then is called a Fore XX. Any True Master Butcher (5th generation) like my self can see that from 100 miles away. A Wing Rib of beef is the first 2 bone cut from the Sirloin on the bone (rib end).
the other week a top chef was showing a shin of beef recipe when he was using a LEG of Beef! sorry differant ends of the animal.
You are truley great Chefs in the final and I admire you all but please respect other trades and get your facts from some one whom knows, a MASTER BUTCHER.
I think the producers have fallen at the final hurdle! After tonights screening, where contestants were judged by 1, 2 and 3 star Michelin chefs, tomorrow we’e off to see Heston?
WTF? This is the wrong way round!!
This is a real shame. This show has been great. What a shame to drop standards now. Heston is not the ultimate arbiter by any means!