DVD Releases: November 2007

My personal picks of the best DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray discs out in the UK this month:

5 NOVEMBER

Babylon 5: Complete Collection + Lost Tales
Bleak House [BLU-RAY / HD-DVD]
Desperate Housewives: Season 3
Chinatown: Special Collector's Edition
Doctor Who: Series 3
The Good German
House: Season 1-3 Box Set
Jimmy Carr - Comedian: Live
The Jungle Book: 2-Disc Special Edition
Meet The Robinsons [BLU-RAY]
Monty Python's Life Of Brian: Immaculate Edition
Monty Python: Live At The Hollywood Bowl
Monty Python: Definitive Box Set
Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Trilogy - 4-Disc Box Set
Peep Show: Series 4
Peep Show: Series 1-4 Box Set
Pitch Black [HD-DVD]
Planet Earth [HD-DVD / BLU-RAY]
Tales Of The Unexpected: Series 5
Zulu: Special Edition


12 NOVEMBER

The Addam's Family: Complete Series Giftset
Bond: Ultimate Collectors Set
Chicago [BLU-RAY]
The Fast & The Furious 1-3 Box Set
The Game [HD-DVD]
Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix
Harry Potter 1-5 Limited Edition Trunk DVD Box Set
Pan's Labyrinth [BLU-RAY]
Primeval: Series 1
Ricky Gervais Live: Fame
Ricky Gervais Live: Animals/Politics/Fame Box Set
Shaun The Sheep: Christmas Box Set
Shrek The Third

19 NOVEMBER

24: Season 1-6 Box Set
Angel: Complete Collection
Black Christmas
CSI: Season 7
Die Hard [BLU-RAY]
Die Hard 2 [BLU-RAY]
Edward Scissorhands [BLU-RAY]
Family Guy: Season 1-6 Box Set
Hairspray [BLU-RAY]
The Host [BLU-RAY / HD-DVD]
House: Season 1-3 Box Set
M*A*S*H: Season 1-11 Box Set
Nosferatu (Restored)
The OC: Season 1-4 Box Set
Pan's Labyrinth [BLU-RAY/HD-DVD]
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End [BLU-RAY / DVD]
Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy Box Set
Rome: Season 1-2 Box Set
Seinfeld: Complete Season 1-9 Box Set
Star Trek Original Series (Remastered) Season 1 Box Set [DVD-HD]
The Sopranos: Complete Series Box Set
Torchwood: Series 1 Complete
Wolf Creek [BLU-RAY / HD-DVD]
The X-Files: Complete Collector's Edition

26 NOVEMBER

Entourage: Season 3
Evan Almighty [HD-DVD / DVD]
The Frighteners [HD-DVD]
Inside Man [HD-DVD]
Lee Evans: 2007 Live Show Collection
Robin Hood: Series 1 [BLU-RAY/ HD-DVD]
Shrek The Third
Shrek Trilogy Box Set

Please note: All release dates are subject to change.
This page will be updated if/when new information becomes available.

Box Office Charts: w/e 2 November 2007

In the US, Saw IV is everyone's Halloween treat at #1... Steve Carrell has better luck with straight drama Dan In Real Life, in comparison to summer comedy Evan Almighty, in at #2... and The Nightmare Before Christmas re-release does well to stay in the chart for a second week, now at #8.

US TOP 10

1. Saw IV $31.8m
2. Dan In Real Life $11.8m
3. 30 Days Of Night $6.86m
4. The Game Plan $6.13m
5. Why Did I Get Married? $5.64m
6. Michael Clayton $4.92m
7. Gone Baby Gone $3.82m
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas $3.45m
9. We Own The Night $3.4m
10. The Comebacks $3.37

In the UK, the talking rats of Ratatouille keep #1, knocking Saw IV into #2 place... Cronenberg's Eastern Promises does okay at #4... Heartbreak Kid and Resident Evil 3 stay mid-chart... Simon Pegg's Run, Fat Boy, Run is still in the chart... turkey The Seeker is set to vanish at #9... and Michael Moore's latest documentary Sicko is a big sickly flop at #10.

UK TOP 10

1. Ratatouille £3.5m
2. Saw IV £2.4m
3. Stardust £2.3m
4. Eastern Promises £623k
5. Rendition £546k
6. The Heartbreak Kid £344k
7. Resident Evil: Extinction £251k
8. Run, Fat Boy, Run £224k
9. The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising £165k
10. Sicko £156k

UK RELEASES THIS WEEK

30 DAYS OF NIGHT
An Alaskan town is plunged into a month of darkness; perfect conditions for a group of invading vampires. Action-horror starring Josh Hartnett and Melissa George.

DEATH AT A FUNERAL
A dark secret is revealed at the funeral of a dysfunctional family's patriarch. Black comedy starring Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes and Daisy Donovan.

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
Queen Elizabeth I leads England when the Spanish Armada attack. Historical drama sequel starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen and Geoffrey Rush.

INTERVIEW
A fading political journalist is forced to interview America's most popular soap actress. Drama starring Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller.

THE LOOKOUT
A once-promising school athlete becomes embroiled in the planning of a heist. Crime thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels and Isla Fisher.

THE PETER SERAFINOWICZ SHOW 1.5 – "Episode 5"

I was very disappointed last night. After a moderate creep up in quality since episode 2. Episode 5 was straight back to unfunny, languid, stretched, weak ideas. This was the worst episode yet, sorry to say...

A sketch-by-sketch:

BBN News: As much as I like the idea, it's getting tiresome now.

Acting Masterclass... with Robert DeNiro: Good impression, but not one of the best sketches. I quite liked the improv scene with DeNiro and Brando, though – where DeNiro's talent stretches to just choosing to say "milk"!

O! News: The Sarcasm Of The Christ was amusing, but Robin Williams saying the "x-word" was a miss, and a Donald Trump sketch was just alright (in the UK, Trump's not really known enough for a parody to work that well.)

Butterfield International Hotel: I've grown to quite like the character, but this wasn't very good. That said, the idea that the hotel's stars were actually asterix's warning of problems was funny.

Dead Or Undead: Parody of Deal Or No Deal where the boxes either contain skeletons or zombies. Stretched to breaking point.

Robot Hunter: A South African Steve Irwin tracks wild robots in a woodland. Sounds much funnier than it was, sadly.

Evile Cream: Moisturising cream parody; so weak I've forgotten the joke.

James Bond Bestiality: Suave 007 is accused of bestiality with a flamingo by local cops... and gets away with it. Hmmm...

Sexual Classics: Pastiche of those classical album ads, but with the recordings of a sexual nature. Not bad.

Modern Life... Let's Have A Good Night's Sleep: Great music and vibe with these sketches, but this wasn't one of the best. Quite liked the constant sausage eating bits, though.

BuyIt Channel: Prince Charles sells a crown encrusted with invisible "ghost diamonds". Ye-es.

Dental Patient Chat: Sigh.

Laurel & Hardy "Soap & Water": Fun little parody of those black-and-white classics, but now with swearing! "What did you fucking do that for?" Actually very funny.

Columbo: Very, very bad. Only included so Peter can do a weak impression of Peter Falk and the episode can end with Columbo-style credits.


I actually hate being so down on TPSS, as I was giddy with excitement over this show a few months ago. I adore Look Around You and think Peter himself is a gifted performer, but the writing quality and standard of ideas has been very low. There's enough pace and amusing moments to make it just about watchable, but it's wholly forgettable.

Happy Birthday, Channel 4!

Channel 4 is the only television channel I'd ever celebrate a birthday with. The BBC is such an omnipresent institution it seems immortal and beyond aging, and nobody really likes ITV as a brand, do they?

Many people can remember 2 November 1982 when Richard Whitely heralded the birth of Channel 4 with the first episode of Countdown.

I was only a toddler at the time, so for me CH4 has been just as constant as the BBC in my mind, but it still has a special place in my heart.

For me, Channel 4 was where...

... I first saw female nudity -- on Eurotrash, in the bygone age before those "10-minute freeviews" on Television X...

... I gawped at the bonkers behaviour of "grown ups" on The Word...

... The Big Breakfast made school mornings worth getting up for....

... Countdown was required viewing if I was skiving a day off college...

... I first saw Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer on their Big Night Out...

... Chris Evans' TFI Friday became perfect pre-pub entertainment...

... Whose Line Is It Anyway? was the funniest TV show of the 90s...

... I'd get genuine glee from watching Richard O'Brien prancing about on The Crystal Maze with his harmonica...

... Big Brother was riveting summer's viewing, when Nasty Nick's lies were exposed by the housemates...

... Father Ted saved the British sitcom's reputation in the 90s...

... I'd find classic foreign films on after 11 pm, or premieres of all the best British fare like Four Weddings And A Funeral and Trainspotting...

... I first saw Paul O'Grady, Chris Evans, Frank Sidebottom(!), Jack Dee, Johnny Vaughan, Pob(!), Lee Evans, Ricky Gervais and Sacha Baron Cohen...

... I'd recoil at the sight of John McCrirrick and his odd hand gestures during the horse racing every Saturday afternoon...

... kids watched Movie Watch, not Film with Barry Norman on BBC1...

... Gamesmaster was perfect after-school entertainment at 6 pm...

... I'd go to see US hit shows -- Roseanne, The Wonder Years, Frasier, Lost, ER, The West Wing, The Sopranos, Desperate Housewives, etc.

... I saw real autopsies of dead bodies... so, umm... thanks?

Ahhh, memories...

So happy birthday Channel 4! You're 25 years old (a man now) but I hope you never "grow up" to become an old grump. Don't eat too much cake.. but if you're making a wish as you blow out your candles... can I suggest bringing Big Breakfast and Whose Line back, please?

CALIFORNICATION 1.4 – "Fear And Loathing At The Fundraiser"

Writer: Daisy Gardner
Director: Michael Lembeck

Cast: David Duchovny (Hank Moody), Natascha McElhone (Karen Van Der Beek), Madeleine Martin (Rebecca), Madeline Zima (Mia), Evan Handler (Charlie), Damian Young (William "Bill" Cross), Rachel Miner (Dani), John Scarangello (Hollywood Jerk), Chris Williams (Todd Carr), Camille Langfield (Sandy Carr), Amy Price-Francis (Meredtih), Robert Merrill (Jonathan Mandel) & Kathy Christopherson (Nikki Mandel)

Meredith convinces Hank to escort her to an environmental fundraiser. Coincidentally, Bill and Karen are at the same event -- and Karen makes a scene...

Becca: Do you remember what you used to do for me when I couldn't sleep?
Hank: Dose you with opiates?
Becca: No. Look at the ocean and count mermaids.
Hank: I did do that. I'm a better father than I thought.

Fear And Loathing At The Fundraiser is less hectic than previous episodes, essentially focusing on one event and featuring practically no bed-hopping antics for Hank (David Duchovny). For now, he's dating Meredith (Amy Price-Francis), who drags him to an environmental fundraiser, primarily to make a married man jealous – which Hank doesn't really mind that much.

As luck would have it, Hank's ex-wife Karen (Natascha McElhone) is at the same event with fiancé Bill (Damian Young), and reveals an interesting new vibe to her character – visually in evidence with a tattoo on her left shoulder blade. Here, Karen brashly stands up for herself when a man bumps into her and calls her the c-word. Bill is eager to avoid making a scene, whereas Karen is more interested in getting an apology from the foulmouthed creep.

It's the first clear evidence that Karen and Bill have very different ways of dealing with life, with Karen's attitude much closer to Hank's. Indeed, when Hank learns about what happened, he immediately punches the creep.

As usual, most of the episode's enjoyment comes from watching super-confident Hank glide around between people, spitting out quips. Like House, the show rests almost entirely on the shoulders of its lead (perhaps more so, as there's little life-and-death drama anywhere). Duchovny makes for an immensely likable and suave lead, but Hank isn't someone you'd really want to trade places with. Well, not forever.

The only other recurring plot so far revolves around Charlie (Evan Handler) who has been developing his naughty relationship with Dani (Rachel Miner), who here strips to deliver paperwork in her teeth and later becomes Charlie's personal lingerie-clad model for an impromptu office photo-shoot. It's little more than cheeky fun, deflated when Hank catches them red-handed.

After the opening episodes sketched Hank as a sex-obsessed playboy, the recent episodes have begun to give him more refinement. He seems like a good friend to have (a shoulder to cry on), stands up for those he loves (Karen) and his relationship with daughter Becca (Madeleine Martin) is surprisingly tender.

So yes, at the moment Californication is doing a decent job, although the lack of a major plot (beyond the Hank/Karen/Bill/Mia love.. square?) could soon become an issue. At the moment, it's just pleasant to watch Duchovny, McElhone and Handler do their stuff, helped along by the zingy dialogue, inherent sauciness, and nudity...

But that could become a little stale unless Hank's given something meatier to grapple with, and not just opine the fact he's writing a blog (ooh, the very idea!) and waltz through scenes being smooth.


1 November 2007
Five, 10.00 pm

TV PICKS: November 2007

My pick of the best TV shows that debut in the UK this month...

And Then You Die -- Dave (Mon 26)
Six-part panel show about bad moments in peoples' lives, hosted by a puppet called Barrie Stardust.

Autopsy: Emergency Room -- Channel 4 (Tue 6)
Three-part series from controversial Dr Gunther von Hadens, this time demonstrating how you can save lives...

The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz -- Channel 4 (Fri 2)
Comedy quiz special to celebrate 25 years of Channel 4, hosted by Jimmy Carr; with panelists Frank Skinner, Jack Dee, Alan Carr, David Mitchell, Carol Vorderman & Richard Ayoade.

Bones -- Sky One (Thu 8)
Season 3 of the forensic science procedural drama, starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz (Angel).

Earth: The Power Of The Planet -- BBC2 (Mon 19)
Five-part documentary presented by Dr Iain Stewart that charts the life of our planet, from its creation 4.6 billion years ago, using spectacular imagery.

Free Agents -- Channel 4 (Wed 7)
Romantic sitcom pilot that's part of the Comedy Showcase season, starring Stephen Mangan (Green Wing) and Sharon Horgan as a temperamental couple...

The Great Pretender -- ITV1 (Mon 5)
Daytime quiz show hosted by Chris Tarrant.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! -- ITV1 (Mon 12)
Return of the reality show that sends a group of celebrities into the Australian jungle, to perform bushtucker trials and secure viewer votes...

Journeyman -- Sky One (Thu 8)
Sci-fi drama series about a time-travelling San Francisco reporter, starring Kevin McKidd (Rome).

Kenny Everett: License To Laugh -- ITV1 (Sun 18)
One-hour special to celebrate the popular comedian's life, with contributions from celebrity fans like Billy Connelly, Chris Moyles, Russell Brand and Leigh Francis.

Lead Balloon -- BBC Four (Thu 8)
Second season of the sitcom starring Jack Dee as disgruntled comedian Rick Spleen...

Learners -- BBC1 (Sun 11)
Comedy drama starring David Tennant and Jessica Hynes, with Tennant playing a devout Christian driving instructor giving lessons to Hynes...

The Mighty Boosh -- BBC3 (Thu 15)
Third season of the surreal comedy series, starring Noel Fielding and Julian Barrett, whose oddball characters Vince and Howard now work in a second-hand shop.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks -- BBC2 (Thu 15)
Return of the popular music quiz show, hosted by Simon Amstell, with team captains Bill Bailey and Phill Jupitus. Noel Fielding will stand-in for Bill Bailey for three weeks.

The Omid Djalil Show -- BBC1 (Sat 17)
The Anglo-Iranian comedian presents a show where he tackles subjects like identity, sex, death and religion.

Saturday Night Divas -- ITV1 (Sat 3)
Entertainment special hosted by Myleene Klass, with performances by Celine Dion, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis, Chaka Khan, Jamelia and Natasha Bedingfield.

Sold -- ITV1 (15 Nov)
Kris Marshall (My Family) stars in this comedy drama as a ruthless estate agent, alongside Anthony Head, Bryan Dick and Christina Cole.

Visions Of The Future -- BBC Four (Mon 5)
Three-part series where physicist Dr Michio Kaku predicts 21st-century advancements in technology...


And the TV embarassments that are best avoided...

Can Fat Teens Hunt? -- BBC3
10 overweight teenagers are sent into the jungles of Borneo, South East Asia. TV gold.

The Killer In Me -- ITV1 (Thu 8)
GMTV presenter Fiona Philips, retired footballer John Barnes, ex-children's TV presenter Toby Anstis and journalist Andrew Neil star in this documentary, where each have their DNA tested to see which common killer could be hidden in their genes! Is Toby Anstis related to Pete Sutcliffe? Is Harold Shipman a blood relative of Fiona Philips? Can we link John Barnes to a murder somewhere? Only one way to find out!

To The Manor Bowen -- Living TV (Wed 7)
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and his family are followed around by cameras as they move into a 17th-Century Gloucestershire manor house. Fascinating insight into the trials of a family moving home, or a chance to watch professional posh Llewelyn-Bowen prance about rubbing his decadence in your face?

Tittybangbang -- BBC3 (Sun 11)
Quite possibly the worst sketch show of the past... well, ever. Debbie Chazen and Lucy Montgomery try desperately to squeeze some laughs from one-note ideas with barely one joke between them. Obviously, such quality means this is the third series and a Christmas special is due later. Oh joy.


All dates subject to change. I will try and amend this post with changes and additions.

PUSHING DAISIES 1.3 – "The Fun In Funeral"

Writer: Bryan Fuller
Director: Paul Edwards

Cast: Lee Pace (Ned), Anna Friel (Charlotte "Chuck" Charles), Chi McBride (Emerson Cod), Ellen Greene (Vivan), Jim Dale (Narrator), Swoosie Kurtz (Lily), Kristin Chenoweth (Olive Snook), Sy Richardson (The Coroner), Raul Esparza (Alfredo Aldarisio), Field Cate (Young Ned), Victor Z. Isaac (The Delivery Boy), Brad Grunberg (Louis/Lawrence Schatz), Kristin Veitch (The 30s Woman), Howard Mann (The Elderly Man), Eddie Shin (Wilfred Woodruff), Albert Wong (Fambing Woo) & Leyna Nguyen (Newscaster)

A death at a funeral home sends Ned back to Couers d' Couers, to face his own part in a "murder". Later, Chuck bakes anti-depressants into a pie meant for her grieving aunts, which Olive decides to deliver...

"At that very moment Chuck saw the pie maker, perhaps not as he really was, but as he would always appear to her: her Prince Charming."

-- Narrator (Jim Dale)

Pushing Daisies is still convinced nobody knows the concept behind the show, so we begin with another regaling of the rules by narrator Jim Dale and some whimsical flashbacks to Young Ned (Field Cate) in a classroom with two jars of fireflies, which he uses to test his life-giving power.

Creator Bryan Fuller returns to write episode 3, The Fun In Funeral, which also acts as a direct continuation of the Pie-lette, because undertaker Lawrence Schatz (who randomly had to die as a result of Ned resurrecting Chuck for longer than 1 minute) returns as this episode's macguffin.

It transpires that Lawrence (Brad Grunberg) used to rob dead bodies of their jewelery, and has stashed the loot somewhere. His twin brother Louis (Brad Grunberg again) promptly arrives and the plot thickens when Ned (Lee Pace), Chuck (Anna Friel) and Emerson (Chi McBride) later discover Louis dead in the Piehole's freezer and unearth some hate-mail directed towards the Schatz brothers...

The production design retains its high quality, the budget even being stretches for throwaway gags (a salesman imagines being sucked out of a room along with all the oxygen). It’s wonderful to have a show that transports you to a modern fairytale world every week, although sometimes the vibrancy and bright designs can be a little distracting. Most off-putting at the moment is the repetitive musical cues, often intrusive and overused narrations by Jim Dale, and the central relationship between Ned and Chuck.

Ned and Chuck have been immediately stuck making doe-eyes at each other, lost in their own personal world of sickly romance that, narratively, seems to offer a dead-end. Of course, Ned has a secret that could ruin everything (he was responsible for killing her father to save his mother), but beyond that undercurrent of potential heartache, it's a relationship that's solid and irritatingly cutesy.

It might have been better to have Chuck politely spurn Ned's romantic advances after he brought her back to life. I know that's perhaps too predictable for boy/girl relationships on TV shows, but without an element of drama, you're just watching two people soppily in love – floating around in a day-glo world of happiness and charm, where even death is little more than an enjoyable lark.

Perhaps I'm being too unfair. Pushing Daisies is at least different to everything else on TV and that should be applauded. Visually and conceptually, it's head and shoulders above most other shows. The actors are all charming, although Lee Pace is still too ineffectual for my taste. In this episode's finale, when he's engaged in a sword fight with this week's villain, he still doesn't register as anything other than a likable goofball.

Bryan Fuller's script is pretty good, although the plot becomes quite hazy and desperate in its later moments. I'm finding it difficult to really care about murder mysteries where the dead are brought back to life and never seem particularly bothered about what happened to them! If victims don't seem to care, why should we?

On the plus side, Fuller has a great deal of fun playing around with the concept (kisses through cling-film for Chuck and Ned), a moment when Ned can't retouch a resurrected man when his coffin lid slams shut, and a revived body's first words being "honey, did you turn off the gas?"

Piehole waitress Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) is also given a greater part to play, as she hand delivers a pie to Chuck's aunts – Lily (Swoosie Kurtz) and Vivian (Ellen Greene) – who are grieving over Chuck's death. After being invited in, Olive soon realizes the big secret surrounding Chuck's appearance on the scene as her rival for Ned's affections. It's great to see early development on this issue of Chuck's secret life (pre-death?), and Chenoweth is a perfect match for the show; with squeaky voice, stilted mannerisms, smooth complexion and flawless hair. Never mind the production budget, she's by far the best "effect" on show.

The Fun In Funeral is entertaining, but it's becoming clear to me that Pushing Daisies has plenty of charm, but little bite. I'm yet to be convinced the Ned/Chuck relationship won't just become incredibly annoying, while the music and narration is already beginning to grate on me. I admire the show's ambition and applaud its style, but it’s emotionally leaving me as cold as that dead undertaker...


17 October 2007
NBC, 8/7c pm

Red Planet - Finalists Chosen!

The end is in sight for this screenplay competition. Or is it merely the beginning? Their website today reads:

"Thanks for your patience, but we've now decided on the finalists for the Red Planet Prize. The quality of entrants has been amazing and it's been incredibly hard to decide on those to make it through."

"Those that haven't made it, take heart. With two thousand entrants we had to be extremely exacting - so do please try again next year! Over the next week, the finalists will receive requests for their full scripts. We can't, unfortunately, individually reply to everyone else, but do keep writing and thank you."

My own full script is 96% finished (just doing some polishing, mainly) so I'll see if I've made it through to the next stage soon enough! But even if I don't make it through, the Red Planet competition has been a great way to kickstart my work ethic and having a deadline has been a brilliant incentive.

The writing hasn't been easy at times. I'm always very critical of my own work, so that makes it tougher. No script is ever truly "finished", so it's hard to know when to stop! There's nothing worse than deleting something that's not quite working in your script, only to find it's had a domino-effect and you're inadvertently unravelling your plot!

Fortunately, that didn't happened to any major degree -- but I did encounter problems that weren't obvious when I wrote my initial outline. But, all said, it's been a slow... but relatively painless experience. It's definitely made me champion the virtues of LOTS of planning before putting pen to paper (fingers to keys?)... so that's a good thing.

NATIONAL TV AWARDS 2007

I don't like British award shows. I can stomach the BAFTAs, because they're worth winning, and the British Comedy Awards can be hilarious and controversial. But everything else is usually tosh -- dominated by soaps, Doctor Who and whatever Ant & Dec appeared in.

The National TV Awards has a certain important vibe to it, but this quickly disappears once Sir Trevor McDonald walks out onto the stage. Has a man ever been so ill-equipped to host an awards show? Oh, and don't give him jokes to tell – the man has no charisma and zero comic timing. Watching him die on stage has a certain ghoulish appeal, but it just maddens me that the NTAs don't replace him. He's always bad, year after year.

As expected, the results were predictable, dominated by the usual faces, and full of plugs for ITV shows. But the winners were...

Most Popular Actor – David Tennant (Doctor Who)
Not exactly stiff competition (Antony Cotton, Bradley from EastEnders and some bloke from Hollyoaks nobody's ever heard of), but still a fitting win.

Most Popular Actress – Lacey Turner (EastEnders)
Again, poor competition (Eileen from Corrie, Dawn from EastEnders), so the best choice of a bad bunch. But does anybody find one-note Lacey Turner particularly entertaining to watch? She was great about 5 years ago when the Slaters were at their peak, but she's been stuck in a stupid love-triangle with Bradley for 18 months or so!

Most Popular Drama – Doctor Who
The Bill, Shameless and Life On Mars were good competition, and it might have been nice to see Life On Mars win for once, but Doctor Who is undoubtedly more popular with the masses. Just a shame the fact it's sci-fi means sniffier people think geeks have somehow rigged the vote!

Most Popular Serial Drama – EastEnders
They've had the lowest ratings in years, but still more "popular" than Coronation Street? You do the math! Oh well, who even cares?

Most Popular Entertainment Programme – Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
I like SNT, but after a few weeks, it's essentially the same thing. The other nominees were a Take That special, Jonathan Ross' chat show, Deal Or No Deal and 8 Out Of 10 Cats. Well, SNT is probably the most entertaining, I have to concede.

Most Popular Reality Programme – I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
This "popular" qualification is annoying. The Apprentice is better – so doesn't that count for anything? Are we just going on ratings with the National TV Awards? If so, I could have saved everyone a lot of time and effort by just reading the BARB ratings out loud. Of the nominees -- yeah, Big Brother 8 was average at best and nobody who's been through puberty watches Shipwrecked. I can live with I'm A Celebrity as winner.

Most Popular Entertainment Presenter – Ant & Dec
Ant & Dec are technically one person, apparently. They're good, but I think Paul O'Grady should have won. Graham Norton is an outside chance these days, while Jonathan Ross' bubble is slowly deflating. No way Fern Britten was going to win!

Most Popular Talent Show – The X Factor
Is it? It gets beaten by Strictly Come Dancing every Saturday! Britain's Got Talent atleast didn't outstay its welcome, Any Dream Will Do is more polished, Dancing On Ice is just silly, but I think Strictly is both entertaining and more respected.

Most Popular Comedy Programme – The Catherine Tate Show
Poor competition in this category. Only fortysomethings like My Family and is Ugly Betty actually FUNNY? Harry Hill's TV Burp is great fun, but rarely a gut-buster. Tate may have won, but her sketch show was at its poorest this year.

Most Popular Factual Programme – Top Gear
No chance for Jeremy Kyle after recent tabloid events, while This Morning was an outside chance really. The F Word might have sneaked it, but obviously Top Gear is leaps and bounds ahead.

Most Popular Newcomer – Kim Ryder (Coronation Street)
Yeah, I agree with that. Eli from Emmerdale or Tania from EastEnders instead? Or some girl from Hollyoaks. No way. Kim's impressed me on Corrie -- making a decent go of being an actress after a failed pop career via reality TV show!

Special Recognition Award – Jeremy Clarkson
I don't mind Clarkson. I think he can be wry and amusing in the right context, and is obviously a great fit for Top Gear. Not sure I'd ever give him a special recognition award, though...


That's it for another year. No big surprises. For me, these awards shows just highlight how much American TV I watch. It would be interesting to have an awards show where anything broadcast on British TV is eligible to be voted on... then we'll see how well UK content does against US hits like Heroes, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, 24, etc!