MSN TV: ITV's ANT & DEC'S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY

Over at MSN today: I've reviewed the second episode of ANT & DEC'S SATURDAY NIGHT TAKEAWAY, which has been revived on ITV after a four-year hiatus.

In all honesty, I find Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway occasionally wearisome because not all of the features work and unavoidable adverts interrupt the pacing. I often change channels towards the end, once it becomes clear the only thing left is the Win the Ads final game. Yes, it's the segment that does what it says on the tin; it offers a member of the studio audience a chance to win the contents of a commercial break. Nevertheless, after a four-year absence, Takeaway is something of a refreshing volte-face for Saturday TV which is usually swamped with lightweight drama, quizzes, and talent shows. Even during its original run it was something of a throwback to classic shows like Noel's Saturday Roadshow and House Party, which clearly made an impression on a younger Ant & Dec.

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MSN TV: BBC1's MARY AND MARTHA

Today over at MSN: I've reviewed Richard Curtis' one-off drama MARY AND MARTHA, starring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn as mothers drawn together by tragedies involving malaria...

Mary and Martha is a 90-minute drama (also to be shown on HBO) that Richard Curtis wrote to increase awareness of malaria - a preventable disease that kills millions of children every year. As a figurehead for Comic Relief, Curtis has been involved with such issues for decades now, and this drama feels like a very clever idea. There are people who won't sit down to watch an evening's telethon or buy a Red Nose Day product, but maybe a fictional story tackling a real problem stands a better chance of reaching an untapped audience.

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COMMUNITY, 4.4 – 'Alternative History of the German Invasion'

We're four episodes into Community's new season, and my disgruntlement about creator Dan Harmon's absence has dissolved to an extent. These four episodes haven't been brilliant, but they prove the show is still very watchable and the performances likeable. Is it missing a spark of genius that came from Harmon's atypical mind? Undoubtedly. But what remains is a show with a fun cast, trying its best to stay true to the spirit of what's come before. It hasn't been a washout, and in some ways "Alternative History of the German Invasion" was the most rounded episode of the season so far. I still think the Halloween special was the funniest, but the actual plot and theme of this week's half-hour was decent.

MSN TV: ITV's FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD & LIGHTFIELDS

Today over at MSN: a double-bill of reviews from last night on ITV; the Simon Cowell-produced cookery series FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD and supernatural drama LIGHTFIELDS.

Simon Cowell's production company is behind Food Glorious Food, which explains why it feels very much like X Factor for amateur chefs. The pacing and editing evoked memories of X Factor audition episodes, but instead of self-deluded, tone-deaf fools murdering I Believe I Can Fly, viewers were treated to dotty women crushing cabbages with their bare feet. Presented by Countdown's Carol Vorderman (who's only counting the money these days), Food Glorious Food kicked off in the pretty spa town of Malvern in Worcestershire. It was obvious from the start that the show intends to play on an audience's sense of cultural idealism.

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The most interesting thing about Marchlands was how it was a rare thing in television; a UK remake of a US pilot that didn't go to series. The concept is definitely suited to the British drama model, which means the story doesn't outstay its welcome across five episodes, and yet the show can return as different incarnations. The triptych of tales woven together for Lightfields takes place in 1944, 1975 and 2012.

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MSN TV: BBC2's HEADING OUT

Over at MSN today: I reviewed the premiere of BBC Two's new sitcom HEADING OUT, written by and starring comedian/presenter Sue Perkins as a middle-aged lesbian vet.

Sue Perkins' career has yo-yoed since she achieved cult stardom as part of a double-act with Mel Giedroyc on Light Lunch in the 1990s. She practically vanished for most of the 2000s, but her comeback's been going for a while, thanks to successful appearances on Have I Got News For You? and QI. This led to the unexpected success of cooking show The Great British Bake Off (reuniting her with comedy partner Mel). And now she's been given arguably the BBC's biggest show of support: the opportunity to write and star in her own sitcom. But will Sue Perkins echo the success of fellow female comic, Miranda Hart? Or does her forte lie in impromptu presenting?

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BBC cast THE MUSKETEERS

clockwise: Tom Burke, Luke Pasqualino,
Howard Charles & Santiago Cabrera

The BBC have already started work on their replacement for Merlin, the adventure series Atlantis, but they're also working on The Musketeers—a ten-part drama based on Alexandre Dumas's classic novel The Three Musketeers, adapted by Primeval creator Adrian Hodges.

The casting's already started coming together, with the musketeers played by Merlin's Santiago Cabrera (Aramis), The Hour's Tom Burke (Athos) and Howard Charles (Porthos). They're be joined by hero D'Artagnan (Skins's Luke Pasqualino), creepy Cardinal Richlieu (The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi), and actors such as Tamla Kari (Cuckoo), Maimie McCoy (Wallander) and Hugo Speer (Bedlam).

Speaking about his new show, Hodges said he's "thrilled to be working with such a dynamic, talented and attractive ensemble cast" and that the show is "all about passion, romance, heroism and action, and I can't think of a better group of actors to embody those diverse qualities."

BBC Drama Controller Ben Stephenson added that "the ambition of this drama is clearly illustrated with such a world class mix of talent—the perfect team to take the audience on thrilling action adventures every week."

The Musketeers will broadcast in 2014, with filming beginning this April. I'm guessing it will plug the Saturday night gap when Doctor Who and Atlantis are off-air, so perhaps next winter or summer?

BLACK MIRROR – 'The Waldo Moment'

Interesting to note that series 2 of Black Mirror has reversed the style of series 1's episodes; beginning with the "emotive hard sci-fi" one, continuing with the "scary high-concept" one, and now ending with the "blackly satirical" one. "The Waldo Moment" was unfortunately the weakest of this year's triptych, and perhaps the worst episode of Black Mirror yet made, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable and though-provoking. I just think the concept wasn't presented in a manner that made it feel believable, and didn't soar high enough—ignoring the divisive end credits footage, which felt like a thin attempt to make the preceding hour feel more important in retrospect.

Sky Living take a bite of HANNIBAL

Sky Living have picked up the UK rights to NBC's impending crime drama Hannibal, about a FBI profiler (Hugh Dancy) tasked with catching serial killers, aided by his therapist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson)—who's secretly rather partial to human flesh.

I wouldn't have expected Sky Living to get their mitts on this show, given how the channel still has a female-skewing vibe. But maybe this is part of Sky's plan to make it more appealing to men, who usually find the schedule filled with Ghost Whisperer, America's Next Top Model and Grey's Anatomy repeats. If you ask me Hannibal should be on Sky1 or Sky Atlantic instead of The Following, but what do I know. Maybe the name-recognition will succeed in drawing more male eyeballs Living's way.

Antonia Hurford-Jones, the channel's director, has this to say about their acquisition: "we are delighted to be adding Hannibal to our line-up of quality US drama on Sky Living. This series is perfect for Sky Living because it will appeal not only to our core female audience, but to a shared one too. Plus, it will complement our new original commissions which are starting to come through."

Oh, right—so that's definitely their plan then. Will it work?

Hannibal will premiere on 4 April in the US, but a UK airdate hasn't been announced yet.

BEING HUMAN, 5.4 – 'The Greater Good'

One thing that's becoming clear about Being Human is that I'm completely bored of the central theme of monsters feeling guilty about their true natures, and whether or not they can live as "humans" in polite society. After five series the idea feels completely exhausted, so for that reason alone I'm glad the show is drawing to a close. It hasn't helped that we have three new characters in Hal (Damien Molony), Tom (Michael Socha) and Alex (Kate Bracken), because their general concerns and issues are largely the same as Mitchell, George and Annie's were. What's left to really say about three creatures of the night sharing a house together?

MSN TV: Fox's DEXTER - season 7

Today over at MSN: I've reviewed the season 7 premiere of Showtime's DEXTER, which finally made its UK debut on Fox last night. This is a rewritten and condensed version of my original review from last September, so don't worry if you're already well aware of my thoughts about Dexter's brilliant seventh season...

It's a relief to feel passionate about Dexter again, following a two-season run of wasted opportunities. Season five has admirers, but most agree the sixth was a creative quagmire, complete with a largely obvious mid-year twist. I was reluctant to get excited about Debra seeing Dexter kill someone, but this premiere earned my respect by refusing to backtrack. The bulk of Are You..? was taken up with the fallout from Deb witnessing her brother stick a knife through the heart of religious zealot Travis. It was especially fun to see the episode tease the audience with the possibility of Debra believing Dexter's lies, or for Dexter to scarper now his secret is exposed to someone he can't keep quiet by killing them.

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