Review 49 – Getting On

In a TV schedule overrun with procedural crime dramas, reality shows and Jack Whitehall, Getting On was all too easy to miss. But for those who did catch the third series on BBC Four last year, they’ll have enjoyed a superbly dark and very funny sitcom.

I’ll pause while the blogosphere shouts in unison “there’s a BBC Four?!?” and goes to dig out an old TV guide from the recycling bin.

Are you back? Good.

I’m just teasing of course, but when flicking through the channels it’s very easy to lose all will to live when you reach BBC Three and decide your TV would be better off buried in the back garden alongside Gnasher the hamster. With your ex-flat screen pushing up the daisies, you’ll miss out on all of BBC Four’s gems.

Set in an NHS hospital, Getting On revolves around the staff and patients in a care of the elderly – geriatric – ward. It’s primarily told from the point of view of the nurses and ward sisters, which is quite refreshing given how often TV shows set in the medical world focus on doctors.

Much of the humour arrives from the bureaucracy and politics of the NHS where new initiatives are constantly being dreamt up to distract the staff from patient care. And yet whilst this could make for a very cynical show, it can be incredibly warm and tender.

This is largely due to the interplay between the excellent leads; Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan and Vicki Pepperdine – who also share the writing credits. There are some heart-wrenching scenes, though as I mentioned earlier, the sadness is often played to darkly coming effect – perhaps inevitable given the setting.

Yet, there are two potential barriers to getting on with Getting On.

One: it’s so blue.

In appearance that is, not language. Whilst the colour palette of washed out blues does mirror the aging population of the ward, I’d prefer it if things looked a little brighter.

Two: shakey-cam.

Shot with handheld cameras there are lots of jump-cuts and random zooms. I watched an episode after an evening in the pub and the two pints of ale resting in my stomach suddenly felt like half a bottle of whiskey.

Having said that, whilst it does take me a moment to get used to the above as I sit down to each episode, I soon forgot and become totally engrossed. What’s more, Getting On is further proof that Jo Brand is a national treasure.

Whilst the series isn’t on the box at present, you can pick up DVDs or download episodes from the usual suspects.

Review 45 – David Attenborough’s Africa on BBC One

Africa on BBC One

Everything in life would be cooler if it played out in slow motion. Fact.

People making a last ditch sprint through closing train doors. Dropped jam jars smashing into thousands of pieces on supermarket floors. Farrow & Ball drying on a feature wall.

Clearly the BBC’s wildlife department agree, judging by the extensive use in the latest worth-the-licence-fee-alone programme to arrive on our screens.

Africa started last week on BBC1 (9pm Wednesdays) and answered the question, why is everyone suddenly talking about fighting giraffes?

The opening episode was fantastic. It looked ruddy gorgeous and the insights into the creatures of the Kalahari were fascinating.

The dedication required by the crew is beyond compare. It’s staggering to think people will stick it out for months in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth, surrounded by ravenous beasts for just a minute or two of footage (insert TOWIE joke here).

So, this explains all the slow motion. Sure, flesh wobbles look great in slo-mo, but they also help to stretch out incredibly hard to come by footage and allow time for an imaginative narrative.

And imaginative it was. During a sequence with a drongo and a family of meerkats, we’re told the story of how the bird flits between helping and choosing the mammals according to whim. Later we were told about an ‘eccentric’ black rhino. I can’t help but feel that at times the descriptions of the animal’s behaviour were pure story-telling.

And as the programme wore on, I found myself increasingly thinking about how it had been made. From what I could work out, it’s pretty much like film-making; A mixture of multiple-takes, multiple camera set ups, dubbed audio and stand-ins.

And none of this is a criticism, it just reaffirms how dedicated the makers of Africa are in bringing us something so genuinely cinematic.

But – and this is the best bit – you don’t even have to go to the cinema. It’s been made for you, to watch in your home. All that’s asked in return is you buy a TV licence (or not if you watch on iPlayer) which is also good for thousands more hours of entertainment over the year.

Review 41 – This week’s telly

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.

Review 10 – Wind

I can promise now that this blog post will not be a detailed description of my inner workings. Nor will I share with you my secret for relieving wind of the trapped variety (that deserves an entry of its own). No. With Hurricane Katia bringing windy weather and disruption to the UK, I thought I’d review what was up until recently my least favourite element; the wind.

In the past I hated the wind so much I even described it as devious. Whilst earth, fire and water can be just as tedious and troublesome, at least they are never afraid to show their face. Wind on the other hand is invisible; you can only see the effect it has. Assigning human characteristics to the weather is a sure sign you’re stewing over something too much.

It was probably cycling that brought about my irrational hatred of the wind. Whenever I took to the saddle, I could be guaranteed the wind would blow against me whichever direction I headed. If only I’d thought to offer my services to wind farms around the world. All I would have to do is cycle away from the blades of the giant turbines and I could help generate enough clean renewable energy to illuminate Blackpool for eternity.

Yet, in-spite of all this I have done a u-turn (and the wind is still blowing against me!). My opinion of wind has forever been changed by the year I spent living in ‘Windy Wellington’, the city where umbrellas go to die.

Throughout my first month in the New Zealand capital, I remember saying to people “gosh, what a windy day” only to be met with blank faces. This wasn’t because of my poor attempts at small talk – if anything Kiwis are just as obsessed with discussing the weather as Brits are – but because I patently didn’t know the first thing about Wellington wind.

What you or I would describe as a strong wind, a Wellingtonian would think of as barely a breeze. My idea of a gale force wind doesn’t even get a mention on the city’s weather forecast. It’s not windy in Wellington unless trees are leaning at a 90 degree angle and wheelie bins are hurtling along the street like Usain Bolt.

Whilst living there I not only learnt to cope with the wind, but more importantly to respect its awesome force and power. Being awoken what sounded like the outside of your house being ripped apart like paper became a way of life. In short, the recent windy weather in the UK has made me nostalgic for New Zealand and if that means I have to pick up the garden furniture every few hours, that’s no bad thing.

For more hot air…

Check out Wellington’s weather forcast thanks to the good people at MetService

The obligatory Michael Fish clip can be found HERE

For the record, the photo above is the extent of the destruction today’s wind has caused in the garden.

Review 1: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin’s most famous creation, Inspector Rebus, has been a fairly constant feature in my life over the past year.

It was a wet and windy afternoon in Wellington (a city not unlike Rebus’s own Edinburgh) when I dived into the excellent City Library and picked up the first installment in the 17-novel series, Knots & Crosses.

Immediately hooked by the easy style of prose, grisly details and well-constructed mysteries, I’ve spent the last twelve months getting to know the maverick Scottish detective and thoroughly enjoying his adventures. However all good things must come to an end and upon finishing the final page of Exit Music, a chapter in my own life had also drawn to a close. Rankin had long warned readers that Rebus would retire at the age of 60 (as is customary in the Lothian and Borders Police Force). So, writing at a rate of one a year and setting each novel around contemporary times, it had been known for a while that this would be the final Rebus novel.

Strangely, it comes as something of a relief to have now read every Rebus adventure. I always felt I was just a click of a mouse or an overheard snippet of conversation on a bus away from finding out how the series would conclude and was very keen that I get to the last sentence without already knowing whether Rankin had chosen to kill off his leading man (see Colin Dexter).

With this in mind, I won’t spoil it for anyone else (though I do not intend to keep all reviews spoiler-free). What I will say is that this final outing ranks among the best of the Rebus canon. From it’s suspense-laden introduction (something Rankin has really improved at with almost each novel), along every twist and turn, and right through to the conclusion, Exit Music is a thoroughly satisfying and exciting read.

Whilst there was clearly something that hooked me in the early Rebus novels, it is the past half a dozen or so that I have enjoyed the most. In comparison the earlier books can feel formulaic, overly dependent on stylised structures and at times downright confused*. None of these criticisms can be leveled at Exit Music which sees Rebus bowing out in top form.

So there we have it, the first review. Let’s be honest, it wasn’t really much of a review was it? However, it meant I spent some time today writing and thinking (and thinking some more then re-writing and re-writing) and that’s pretty much what a blog should be. Here’s to the next review tomorrow!

For a bit more about Ian Rankin and Rebus, check out:

Ian Rankin on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs – HERE

Ian Ranking coming to an Oxfam near you – HERE

The obligatory Wikipedia Page – HERE

*For the record: I loved Hide and Seek, Black and Blue and everything since Resurrection Men but have less fondness for the novels in between. The Falls and Dead Souls were my least favourite.