TELEVISION LISTINGS

THURSDAY 20 g

I Iiealth And Efficiency (BBC 1) 8—8.30pm. The hospital black comedy series continues. When a baby goes missing. a journalist just happens to be hanging around the ward sniffing for a story.

I Minder (Scottish) 8.30—9.30pm. The 100th episode of the ailing Cockney series finds Arfur and his brainless nephew hiding dubious chum Sidney on a caravan site near Brighton.

I Secret History: The Soviet Wives Attair . (Channel 4) 9—lOpm. The award-winning documentary series returns with the moving stories of British servicemen who married Russian girlfriends at the end of the war. The combined efforts of Stalin and the British Government kept the couples apart.

I The All-New Alexei Sayle Show (BBC2) g 9—9.30pm. More girth-enhanced ' philosophy and humour from Britain‘s most inventive laugh merchant. See feature.

~-M_W~‘

I Film 0n Four: One Man’s War (Channel 4) lO—l l.40pm. A true story from 70s Paraguay. Anthony Hopkins plays a doctor and artist who runs a free clinic for the poor. When he criticises the brutal regime of General Stroessner. his son is killed. apparently as an act of revenge. I Married With Children (Scottish) 10.30—l lptn. The Bundys win a trip to London. but their English holiday is about to turn into a typical nightmare. A chance to see how those Americans view the Brits.

FRIDAY 21

I The living Soap (BBCZ) 7. l5—7.45pm. A new year and a new term for the students. but is that still December‘s washing-up in the sink?

I Home Truths (BBCl ) 8—9pm. Radio

5 star Steve Wright hosts a new series

looking at the professional and private

: lives of celebrities from sport. . entertainment and politics. with guests

drawn from the usual B list of celebs .

. including Lulu. Kriss Akabusi and Adam i Faith.

I The Chief (Scottish) 9— l0pm. Cade has

i to guarantee the safety of a key witness to i a burglary who is being victitnised by a

, dangerous gang.

I Further Abroad With Jonathan Meades:

Middlebrow-On-Tee (BBC2) 9.30— 1 ()pm.

I The eccentric Meades looks at the cult of

golf in the Home Counties. and the people who play the game.

I Cheers (Channel 4) 9.30-l0pm. Diane is haunted by memories of Andy Schroeder. the mad actor who tried to

strangle her.

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.é’nr ' - 7: a 1!; .~ . .. . a I The Unpleasant World at Penn And

Teller (Channel 4) 10.30—1 1.05pm. Penn juggles with broken glass. Teller demonstrates the art of popcorn terror. and Dawn French is shown the ‘eye and thumb' trick. Yeuchh.

I The Dead Pool (Scottish) l0.30pm—12.10am. Clint Eastwood stars as unorthodox (violent. with plenty of bad language sounds pretty orthodox to me) cop ‘Dirty‘ Harry Callahan. assigned to investigate a series of murders linked to a list ofcelebrities.

SATURDAY 22

I Unplugged: Annie lennox ( BBCZ) 7.15—8.05pm. Aberdeen‘s top popster croons through a few of her less technologically-aided ditties as part of the ongoing series of MTV concerts.

I The Classical Music Awards 1994 (BBCZ) 8.55—l().05pm. Melvyn Bragg hosts the annual shindig from the Albert Hall. featuring live performances from some of the award-winners.

I IIYPD Blue (Channel 4) 9— IOpm. The second episode of the raunchy cop series finds Sipowitz recovering frotn his wounds. but unable to remember who shot him.

I Broadway Stories (Channel 4 )

l 1.50pm—I2. l5am. Mike McSltane narrates the tale of Rose Viola. a tasteful

- nightclub stripper who falls in love with a

young man who wants to take her home to meet his mother.

SUNDAY 23

I Whisky Galore (Channel 4)

3.30—5. 10pm. lfyou liked the lager ad. you’ll love this. Alexander Mackendrick‘s Ealing comedy pitches Compton Mackenzie’s tale as a wily victory over bureaucracy by Hebridean islanders who happen upon a batch of whisky from a shipwreck. Great characters in a beautiful location.

I Vice-Versa (Scottish) 6.30—8. 15pm. Life-swap movies are never great. but this is a dully predictable tale of what ensues when divorced father Judge Reinhold and his bored son Fred Savage find themselves exchanging bodies thanks to a magical skull from the Far East. The script is by Clement and La Frenais. who should know better.

I Comic Asides: The Last Word (BBC2) 9—9.30pm. Another in the series of comedy pilot shows. this looks promising. Mark McGann stars as abrasive journalist Michael Ditnmock who finds himself demoted to Obituaries. where his style is somewhat out of place.

I The South Bank Show (Scottish) llpm—midnight. Lenny Henry heads for the USA. with a camera crew in attendance to record his experiences and observations.

MONDAY 24

I The lien And Stlmpy Show (BBC2) 6.25-6.50pm. More adventures of the cool cat and crazy chihuahua in the cult American animation sen'es.

I Cutting Edge: Graham Taylor (Channel 4) 9—l0pm. So what exactly did Taylor say when that San Marino goal went in? Find out in this revealing documentary following the England manager on his last months in charge. Thanks to the hidden microphone. we are privy to some of the worst experiences of any soccer manager‘s career. See preview.

I Dave Allen (Scottish) 10.40—1 l.l0pm. Observational wit and shaggy dog stories from the old-fashioned Irish comic.

TUESDAY 25

I The Cook, The Thief, iiis Wile And Her Lover (Channel 4) l()pm~12.20am. Peter Greenaway goes right over the top in this lushly-shot saga of adultery and revenge. Spiced up with plentiful violence. excretion and cannibalism. it‘s essentially an experiment in excess. where the nauseating visuals swiftly become overbearing. Michael Gatnbon. Helen Mirren and Tim Roth head a thespy cast. I Supermodels (Scottish)

1 l.4()pm—|2.40am. A behind-the-scenes look at the business of the highly-paid celebrity models. Against the backdrop of the Paris Fashion Week. the supermodels speak about life at the summit of the industry. and what happens when a model's face ceases to earn money.

WEDNESDAY 26

I Middlemarch (BBCZ) 9.30— 10.30pm. A further instalment ofthe l‘)th century town saga. adapted front George Eliot’s novel.

I S & M (Channel 4) l().35~l |.()5pm. Repeated improvisation from vulgar Englishman Tony Slattery and tubby Yank Mike McShane.

I Walk On The Wild Side (Channel 4)

l 105—] 1.35pm. Further revelations front the world of youth crime in the investigative documentary series.

THURSDAY 27

I Health And Efficiency (BBC l) 8.30—9pm. The comedy series set in a deregulated health-care organisation. presided over by Dr Rex Regis (Roger Lloyd Pack).

I Scotland Yard (Scottish) 9.30—10pm. More revelations behind the scenes at the police headquarters. in the documentary series.

I Absolutely Fabulous (BBC 1) 9.30—10pm. The eagerly-awaited second series of the award-winning sitcom. Jennifer Saunders returns as scatty PR Edina. with Joanna Lumley as Patsy and Julia Sawalha as long-suffering daughter Saffron. See feature.

I Film (in Four: Prospero’s Books (Channel 4) lOpm—l2.20am. More Greenaway in this excessively pretentious reading of The Tempest. Computer graphics represent the eponymous books. Sir John Gielgud is Prospero. Michael Clark is Caliban. and the overall effect is of arty viewzak. with little to engage any other sense.

64 The List l4-27 January I994