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A lost generation of child actors.
TV nostalgia is an insidious beast timely focus on homosexuality, dressed in granny’s clothing which travellers and, of course, girls’ should be shot like the lame nag it is. football.
BllT . . . sometimes it’s alright. like It’s the characters, though, that stick when it’s pertinent to your generation. In the brain. llight from episode one, like when there’s sufficient reason for Tucker Jenkins and his dog-cared the ritual celebratory cracking open of rapscalllon coterle rendered a
a new pack of videos. like when, at blueprint for pubescent wastrets, long flippin’ last, the BBC decide to mums cooed over the cherublc Justin mark Grange Itill’s 15th anniversary by Bennet and the girls wanted to be repeating that most meritorious of Trish’n’ltathy. Those supercool
Depressing things at the best of times, Although recent comments by the aWards ceremonies. In a period when Prime Minister may have sabotaged its
British commercial TV seems hellbent chances, Casualty should have won.
gig: "$92M int “amidst “mm” to the" “on' on American-style formula-chasing and Given previous BAFTA arithmetic "5d “toga-ton" "Inc ’ sq“ ' gram“. peel” I" "BWIM' but mm the BBC is ironically wasting millions cock-ups, who‘s to say that it didn't. tugs "Imam "Eggs [ammo ts s" minty: ' :3" swtom‘ on Euro~flops while headed by a slick It took Kenith Trodd to add a note of p 9 mm o a c “a on m meant sh ster who makes eve rsonal dignity to proceedings. ‘Don‘t vet loo startin a aln ’sa eran e llill’s thin s (usuall Eastenders) - like y W pc - . ~ 5 ~ crtorgl’lgil Bedmtfid ‘lt ghould still Su 9 Tull eirt wll ldf tll penny mun“ m “m “was 9'0” m the iccrm‘ he “dV'SCd “'5 d b u i .83" '° 0 co" 0'39 3' (BBCl) were always going to make fellow recipients, but if anyone 8‘"? up 8'03"“: da ohm” are q" mammal “Ml! smnne' Fm gloomy viewing. deserved the cloying tribute Colin “hag: [gist'aIg‘o'res the 3:3,:“9' tordéastm (tanks; and 1:" Or as Angus Deayton slyly put it: ‘lt‘s Welland paid him then it was Trodd. a t m t I, pt m t 9 0' 9' n on Is), was a hard to appreciate the stamina and _ I 9 h [a "918’ '0 a comp 8‘ ones , zenith 0' the" cam“ sheer hard work required to watch this ‘ _ . shinesadys erg, racltstn lttlndfiltullying. I l imaginelthe regattas wilt attraft a thing.‘ Our host Grill Rhys-Jones cut a ll“! '5 two Pans “names to r prog mme o s e- ep arge nosta g c au once u peop e sad t-t ,m in ht. a u. .u-t . .-t- , adolescent dilemmas, Grange llill has who started watching Grange llill with his ptfiddtng Sgigfcfsfigct‘sggzgigi one parigéepfigtzntigarfe pans personalised them all from Claire’s Tucker’ - yes indeedy, Phil - ‘but it’s a the looming void. Over in the StateS his ' crush on hunky Mr llopwood to bit like Disney In that a new comedy Sidekick Met Smith nailed lammo’s bonanza drug binge to the generation of viewers will discover it.’ despairingty in from of a bunch of relentlessly innovative producer who reprobate lmelda’s psychosis to (Fiona Shepherd) t .d H H M t-. .. . . merits our undying gratitude for his Chrissle’s illegitimate offsprlng rl lit eran e llill is re eated on eeczi m gOgg my“ 9 W - 8' '“l-“k-b“ ' - - ' t . 9 ,9 9 P '0 who stared on In horrified fascmation Work mm Dem” Pom” akin“ 1‘“ through to the most recent series Sunday 4 April at 10.35am. as thc fat Lime), Sweatad bucketS and alone the scores of other writers he‘s died a grisly death with faintly dlSE‘OVL’Wd 9nd "Ul‘luer- Making V Offensive material hatch, politely oblique reference to the - comprehensible to even the most clued- d‘mcumcf‘ 0‘ bani-helm?“ '” ":5 in of Brit viewers. current climate at t e BB he to us The awards themselves were dully ‘th Sl‘ruggle 209$ 0n‘- JOh“ Bl" . - predictable. Absolutely fabulous do?“ ‘ dc“?er h'm- ‘ hl picked up a couple, which. in a thin 1‘ 5 am”! “me BAFTA gave (radii year for new comedy‘ it probably Lane another plaudlt of some sort, in t _ ‘ deserved. although the sUspicion has to the hope mm ll m'gm PM“uadc me mad . Armando Ianucci With radio s be that Jennifer Saundersts Sitcom is old bat to call It a day. Her latest ‘ increasing use a testing ground for the Sort of tad-aka that StrikeS a Chord in horrendous offering luv (BBCd) finds TV comedy: ll. s worth. keeping an car may Pm" In an“ vat“ the incestuoaS media ghett0 hut watttd her disappearing even deeper into the L‘éli‘fl‘éi‘ Jét‘i'?al’éfii"fi'l‘?fiiéflu'éiip In Good Voice The kind of programme We a “’53 °““-" “"d‘m “"d- "'5 “"7” "f ““"""‘”"’y “"9 “Mm” Armando lanueei was the man behind that reminds you that radio isn‘t jUst an very Clcvcr'dcvc'r m mic Abfuh (as [.hc Luv ls fwo par?“ [fanflifim to 0m PM the successful Mary Whitehouse impoverished version of TV. Madtl)l am:th PR IUWics delight m labelling '[lg‘lrtwdhdnd [hue pml:lflmnpllcjc mi‘hh ‘ ~ . . ~ - - - . - . .. e c aracters s *a uent ane-is . I-Ltperl'ance and Radio Four's excellent Prior of Steeleye Span fame presents a m at.th momcpl’ m much the same h t- w , d pt; ,rtd_w.. I _. t . . t way It was de rlgueur to squeal at the m' 8 mg (l y ‘ Ldr)’ On The Hour. Can he follow the route six-part series exploring solo and un wen Dr) ) Th 0 d D t k _ t' at ObservationS Wtth thc occasional of David Jason. Griff Rhys-Jones and harmony vocal styles featuring leading c (I e w m e" d‘ plchctaa vulgarity to Show that they‘re the countless others who be an their names in folk, roots. 0 . blues, an. t - o ., _ - _ . i. . .- . . .. . careers in radio? Radio One? Saturday and gospel. The first gaggrammeJ The susluc'on "a? tape that Zilécotftégfhctj??h5r:t:;:10nd] swusus 27 Math 8 t . . . - .. . Jennifer Saunders s srtcom ls . -. - - ‘ I . - ‘ * '~ Opm- '"L‘Udes the Dnfle“ Under The . . Sue Johnston is in it of course. being The Dresser Why does a comedian Boardwalk‘ and The Fl in Pickets’ the sort of In- oke that strikes . .. . . - . -.-
. y g the best exponent of the Victimised always reach a pomt in his career when ‘Only You‘ (featuring the dulcet tones a chord in the incestuous whine in Equity Johnston crops up on he wants to be ‘taken seriously’ as a of Coronation Street's Doug). Radio .v .r thtn , .x .c t T}, , CNS-ta] Mtt—t, dramatic actor and to prove he can turn Two. Tuesday 30 March. I 0.02pm. "aleldia busiwould Ielavse hots/Zdayfdcestpife having range that is his hand to King Lear as easily as lioots OT Cane Few writers have dealt ass e 3" ence co d' hmttcd t0 doing a very ncat hm. in stoic Whose Line Is It Anyway?. That said, more movingly with the cruelty and suffering. Shc certainly isn't rtght {Or the prospect of Michael Palin’s radio beauty of life in the Deep South than year. As Alan Yentob is about to find comedy‘ although that probably isn't a drama debut as Norman in Ronald Jean Toomer whose I923 masterpiece out. fashion in these kinds of shows is very accurate description of Lat. Harwood’s play is an intriguing one. on race relations in America was out of fickle. anyway. If one Brooks-Mt, refugee Radio Four. Monday 29 March. print for over forty years. This . Inspector Morse and John Thaw wcrcn~t enough. Juhc Peasgotxj (thc 7.45pm. programme features extracts from his (enjoying a few moments escape from hapless Fran in thc Close) is woefully
Birthday This time it‘s Dawn French work and looks at his writing from a the horrors of being unwatched in miscast as an ctharca] dream girl. Her making her radio drama debut in a 90s perspective. A brilliant blues and Provence) collected a couple of mic as a stripper in somewhat song Michael Frayn story about a heavily jazz soundtrack adds appropriate singularly undeserved awards for a lazy (Scattish) is more ht:r style‘ although pregnant woman who visits her sister atmosphere. Radio Three. Friday 2 and complacent last series, presumably She doesn‘t save that menopausal on her birthday. Radio Four. Monday April. l().45pm. given out of relief that the overcooked comedy from descending into mawktah 29 March. 2.02pm. (Margaret O’Connor) detective was finally calling it a day. whimsy either. (Tom Lapptn)
52 The List 26 March—8 April I993