This being the season ol good TV, video releases are as thin on the ground as unopened presents, here are a selection of some ol the best.
I One Little Indian An ideal (‘hristmas gift to grace the video cabinet of any happening wigwam. The selection includes songs and videos from The Sugareubcs. The Shamen. They Might Be (iiants. Finitribe and many many more. It'll be a pity ifthe specific nature ofthe collection restricts its audience to those in the know and an occasional
like Boots the Chemist. it has something for everyone. An eye-opener for those who equate lndie purely with janeg guitar and (ireater Manchester. (A. Mc(‘askey) (Virgin Vision. £9.99)
I Joe Versus The Volcano Tom Hanks is a lank-haired
hypochondriac employed in the advertising department of a medical sales company. One day his worst fears are realised by a new doctor who informs him he hasa ‘brain cloud‘. Naturally. his view of the world is somewhat changed by this startling discovery. So, the next day when a multi- millionaire calls by and asks him to do something very brave. like jump into a volcano. he is not entirely immune to the offer. A mildly amusing. easy-going comedy that will neither tax your powers of concentration nor move you greatly. (Warner Home Video, Rental)
VIDEOS
adventurous spectator. for
MEDIA
I :- Never again
See it this sounds familiar: ‘There comes a point, during the course at an evening’s drinking when you think “Oh my God, I’ve had enough, I couldn’t possibly manage anything else.” And that’s when you move onto the shorts.’ Then you move onto all tours and then oblivion. Later, much later, you wake up on the lloor with a steam-hammer trying to break through the back at your head. You lind it’s 10.55pm on New Year’s day and, with immaculate timing, BBC Scotland are screening Pete McCarthy’s Hangover Show.
The show, guaranteed to bring up unpleasant memories, was recorded
are clutched and ribs dug as the erstwhile MC at London’s Comedy Store and scriptwriter for Smith and
the painlul memories of the night belore and the morning alter. Not
the demon hangover was a big hit with the assembled hacks at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and it staggered oit with the Critics’ Award for Best Comedy.
McCarthy insists he is neither pro nor anti-alcohol and while acknowledging its dangers, he will delend our right to make tun oi it to the last drop. 0i his own exploits whilst under the altluence
live in tront ol a studio audience. Heads
Jones drags his spiritual lollowers over
surprisingly his one-man celebration at
Pete McCarthy, expounding his theory on hangovers and how to deal with them in The Hangover Show, New Year’s Day(BBC1) 10.55pm.
ol incohol, he recalls being mistaken for a log by a car-load ot Italian medical students who drove over him one night. As tor ‘cures’, he opts for a hair-ot-the-dog, claiming that the brain should not be left in a state oi cold turkey. But, remember, ilyou’re trying this at home, you may want a grown-up to help you with your hangover.
(Ross Parsons)
The Hangover Show (8801 ), New Year’s Day,10.55—11.35pm.
I- Radio
angry calls-to-arms in the nation’s newspapers. Letters to editors railed against the change and a Commons motion was introduced ‘deploring' the decision. And the cause ol all this rumpus? The re-lntroduction of capital punishment? A new Prime Minister? No, this is serious: more enduring and more female than any cabinet hitherto, Woman’s Hour is to be reshullled.
Woman’s Hour started 43 years ago (presented by a man), with household hints and leminine titbits to spice up the day at home. Since then all but the name has changed. It is now a live magazine show which looks beyond the home, at women in the arts, in politics and in the media. Where medicine and the law have continually let women down, Woman’s Hour has kept listeners intormed on everything from Hormone ReplacementTherapy to the new married women’s tax. This year saw presenters step out lrom behind the microphones to launch ‘Back to the Future’ — a six-month campaign to help women wishing to return to work, with workshops and conferences across the country.
So no wonder Radio 4 controller Michael Green met with some hostility when he said that he wanted to make Woman's Hour more relevant to the other 50 per cent of Britain’s population. He is now eager to set the record straight: Woman’s Hour is not drowning, but moving lrom 2pm to
There were scenes at near-hysteria and
«v k
The caring lace ot radio: Woman’s Hour. but what oh what are they planning to do with it?
10.30am, a time when more people will listen to it, according to Mr Green, who regards the show as Radio 4’s best magazine programme. Fartrom loyal old dogs, it seems that Radio 4 listeners are ‘the most promiscuous’ — the most likelyto channel-hop being the under-35 listeners who Green most wants to attract to the station. Misplaced mid-morning leatures and documentaries are lrightening oil listeners and Woman’s Hour is scheduled to take over their slot next September, when Radio 4 moves its main output to PM. Green will probably change the title - his female department heads leel that it is dated — but he insists that both content and presenters will be the same. Judging from the reaction solar, he won’t have much choice. (Miranda France)
V VIDEOS
I Dreams Kurosawa‘s superbly photographed film gives an opportunity to share in the imaginings ofa highly active subconscious. The subject matter delivers a rather despondent message and involves a somewhat bleak pre-oceupation with disaster. A guilt-ridden scenario in the aftermath of World War Two and a near future catastrophe involving a nuclear reactor within Mount Fuji being two of the more obvious non-allegorical examples. The final sequence does however. offer some hope for man’s future. albeit dependent on the warnings contained in the preceding cautionary tales. (A. McCaskey) (Warner Home Video. Rental)
I Loose Canons Based on the premise that people with multiple personality disorders are a good source ofgags. this film was a turkey from the start. Dan Aykroyd is used to this kind of capering. but even he has never been so poorly provided for in a movie. The main joke is that at moments ofgreat stress he goes into some kind of crazed comic overdrive and amuses the robbers before knocking lumps out ofthem. What may have sounded like a great idea over a few drinks at the producer‘s house looks sadly uninspired in reality. Gene llackman makes a game attempt at the hardened cop who can‘t come to terms with either his ‘screwball' partner or his life outwith the force. Why oh why didn‘t someone take them on one side and point out that it was a turkey. well and truly stuffed. Even fans of naff comedies will be frustrated by this one. (RCA/Columbia. Rental)
I The John Barnes Story Unfortunately. this John Barnes story has little time for the points raised in the book ()uloins Skin. which fearlessly tackled the spectre of racism both on and offthe field ofplay. ltdoes however, contain vintage footage ofthe England winger in his early days at Watford. at Liverpool and, ofcourse. for his country — scoring the goal that he will undoubtedly be remembered for. against Brazil. (Castle, £9.99)
68 The ListEi‘Becgri-ber(1-996:lil:lanuary 1991