I was a bit sick today... and the TV became my nurse maid. So imagine my surprise to find Saturday night TV that was surprisingly entertaining -- and even informative, at times! How weird. Was my enjoyment part of the sickness? Hmm, maybe. But here's what I watched...
The World's Greatest Elvis - BBC1, 7pm
It's another of those pointless light-entertainment shows, this time dirtying Elvis Pressly's memory by having a cheesy impersonation competition take place in a BBC studio. There's a reason these kitsch nightmares are usually held in working men's clubs, and not on TV. Still, everything was as glitzy as a Christmas bauble and Vernon Kaye (complete with new hairdo) was well-suited to the material. I couldn't stomach much of it, though -- as there's something inherently boring about middle-aged men pretending to be The King. Oh, but did you know Vernon Kaye was named after Elvis' father?
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Celebrity Edition - ITV1, 8.40 pm
It'll never recapture its former glory, now we've had a handful of millionaires and seen every connotation of how the game can go, but you can still get suckered in. Chris Tarrant is as relentlessly chipper about everything, but he's been stuck on autopilot since about 2001, so it was wise of them to recently alter the format...
The changes have been good and haven't ripped the soul out of the show, just responded to genuine criticisms and viewing fatigue. So now there are only 12 questions, less messing around with questions like "how many legs does a dog have?" and revamped music. It's still a beautifully simply and involving game... just not essential viewing these days. And thank God this was the last celebrity special! Don't they seem to drag on for months!
Dahl's Revolting Rule Book - ITV3, 8pm
There's Something About... Dahl - ITV3, 9pm
Yes, tucked away on ITV3 was a Roald Dahl weekend! Why did nobody tell me? A whole evening of great shows, shedding light on this mysterious author -- the first one affectionally presented by Richard E. Grant. I could have done without Jo Brand's involvement, though. Anyway, the interviews with fellow authors and Dahl's family were wonderful and it all reminded me of how brilliant Dahl was.
I loved his books as a kid, and watching these documentaries made me ache to read his entire back-catalogue again -- particularly The BFG and The Witches. It was also nice to see Quentin Blake receive plaudits for his accompanying drawings that helped deepen Dahl's unique world. Oh, and I want one of those amazing cakes Heston Blumenthal made to celebrate Dahl's would-be 90th birthday! If you didn't see these shows, check your listings for a repeat, and catch Sunday's programming...
The 100 Greatest Kids TV Shows - E4, 9pm
This countdown is seemingly repeated every weekend for nostalgia-hounds, but it's nice to dip into when there's an advert break elsewhere. It always brings back some great childhood memories and has you chuckling over how primitive some of the classics from the 60s and 70s were. Will there be similar shows in 30 years sniggering about Teletubbies and Bob The Builder?
The Screenwipe Guide To TV - BBC Four, 10pm
Charlie Brooker's series always goes unnoticed on BBC Four, so I recommend you search YouTube for some chopped-up episodes. This special was entertaining and informative about TV production costs and the insanity that surrounds getting good shows made in the UK.
Who'd have thought a man falling off a log could be so expensive to film and such a logistical nightmare? At times Brooker's downbeat attitude can get a little annoying, as there are plenty of good aspects to working in TV that he always ignores -- but his comedy comes from being the grumpy insider. It's worth watching just for his demonstration of the power of editing and explanations about how even simple TV shows can cost £47,000!
