Everything Is Illuminated (2005)

 

This film is based on American writer Jonathan Safron Foer’s successful 2002 novel in which he relates his trip to Ukraine in search of a woman called Augustina. She saved his grandfather’s life during the second world war when the Nazis destroyed the small Jewish settlement of Trachimbrod. In the novel this personal odyssey is told in parallel to showing the events that happened decades earlier making it more an epic story. The author’s actual journey turned out somewhat disappointedly and nothing was really found. For the film adaptation this somewhat uneventful resolution to the search is given a fictional weight that still sits appropriately with the subject matter.

 

Top of the Pops 14 June 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 Bruno Brookes: “Good evening. How are you? Hope you're well. Welcome to Top of the Pops, another wild n wacky version reflecting seven new entries on the chart this week and the first one on the show tonight at number thirty two, Guru Josh back in the Top Forty with this song, Whose Law Is It Anyway.”

 [32] GURU JOSH: Whose Law (Is It Anyway?). Josh gets a nice visual gag into his performance, about halfway through. The camera pushes in towards him and he flinches backwards with a pretend shocked look on his face as if it has knocked him backwards. You don't often see physical comedy on Top of the Pops.

Top of the Pops 31 May & 7 June 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 31/05/1990

 Simon Mayo: “Hi, welcome to Top of the Pops. Not just half an hour of fabulous music but your own personal guide to some of the great outfits being worn during the world cup on your TV this summer. This is the figure hugging Italian outfit and we'll kick things off in Italy with Black Box. Yes indeed. This is Everybody, Everybody at twenty two this week.”

 [22] BLACK BOX: Everybody, Everybody. Didn't there used to be two blokes in Black Box? Yes but apparently only one of them could make it this week.

Simon Mayo has a running theme this week, the shirts of the World Cup. While Black Box are on he makes a quick change to the official Ireland shirt, to introduce Talk Talk.

Doctor Who - The Reality War review

 

There’s a lot to unpack here in a story that sometimes seems like it contains a whole season’s worth in one go. Given the episode’s big surprises are already out there in the media it seems almost pointless to put a spoiler warning on any review of `The Reality War` especially as everyone got the chance to watch it at the same time. I saw it at one of the cinema screenings and can report that the two most unexpected moments provoked considerable excitement from the lively crowd which after all the online bile directed at recent seasons was rather heartwarming. While being able to see some of its narrative shortcomings I have really enjoyed this season in a way I hadn’t expected to. I always try and do positive reviews but last year it was a strain sometimes whereas this season I feel every episode has worked for me, even this one. So, strap in, and let’s take a meander though this packed episode free of the instantaneousness of the surprises and look at the implications.

Karate Kid - Legends review

 

While some of this year’s big films are pushing three hours in length, Karate Kid- Legends clocks in at a compact ninety-four minutes and not a moment of those minutes is slack. This is a lean movie that successfully draws together the Karate Kid lore but its not a Cobra Kai film. In fact, both Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, despite their prominence on the promotional posters, are used relatively sparingly. Rightly the film focuses on the `kid`, in this case Li Fong played with determination by Ben Wang and his travails as his mother moves them to New York from Beijing.

 Spoilers after the break

Clockwork Mice (1995)

 

 This 1995 film is something of curio. It sits somewhere in between the naturalness of Kes and the theatricality of Dead Poets Society and both of those films’ influence is present. The natural kid’s acting and dialogue is a bit like Ken Loach’s style yet the rich musical soundtrack and use of dramatic shots accompanied by the repeated theme played on dulcimer is more Peter Weir. That’s not to say the film has no value of its own; indeed, in subject matter it ploughs its own furrow set in a rural special needs school where a new teacher, Steve Drake, at first struggles to get to grips with the chaotic atmosphere.

 

Top of the Pops 24 May 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 Anthea Turner: “Hallo! And welcome to Top of the Pops on BBC1! Also listeners on Radio 1! FM stereo! Not forgetting the people in the south of England who are tuning in for the very first time! On 98.2! We're starting [indecipherable]! The B-52s at number twenty!”

 [20] THE B-52s: Roam. Kudos to Dave Chapman, Video Effects, and Ben Fuller, Vision Mixer. One of them (or both it could be a team effort) perfectly times the spinning wipes between shots on the twanging guitar bit* of the song. It makes for a great transition from the opening choral bit into the body of the song. And it's nice to see it repeated a couple of other times.

Doctor Who - Wish World review

 

Arriving amidst a barrage of negative news stories which have now spread from online griping to traditional media `Wish World` could be the penultimate episode of this iteration of Doctor Who. In various order the show will be cancelled, Disney will not fund any more, Ncuti Gatwa has left / been sacked/ is too woke and the show could be on hiatus for a year / three years/ indefinitely. Some or none of this may be true. Which is kind of an appropriate backdrop for this episode.

 

Mission Impossible- The Final Reckoning review

 

Warning- this film contains wild peril! Yes, it’s Tom Cruise back for the eighth- and apparently final- impossible mission. Prepare for incredulity to be generated as Tom engages in a series of ludicrously risky quests to avoid the world ending. It is three hours of tense seat edge scenarios which of course any ordinary person would not be able to complete. Such ingredients combine to create a relentless rollercoaster which only stops for breath so it can tell us what the jiggins is going on.

 

 

Doctor Who- The Interstellar Song Contest review

 

To be honest, I had been expecting this episode to be the season’s dud but it just goes to show that you can never predict what Doctor Who might do. From a spectacular opening through what is at times a surprisingly serious story yet one that also has its frivolous moments, `The Interstellar Song Contest`  is like one of those unfavoured  Eurovision entries that ends up winning the whole thing.

 

Spoilers past this point

 

Andor Season 2 Episodes 10 -12 review

 Some Star Wars aficionados may not care for the careful pace, contemporary allusions or darker elements of Andor; just looking at those who complained about the lengthy sequence of Mon Mothma dancing is enough to tell you that. Maybe the series is too subtle for those who like Star Wars to literally be about battles with only the basic character templates that the films had. Andor is a work of art, a crafted, thoughtful achievement whose appeal will surely last a long, long time. These final three episode shunt the story right up to just before Rogue One and show the variety and the class the series has. 

Spoilers after the break

Eurovision 2025 notes + observations

 

Popera triumphs again!!

Some thoughts on the show in general and notes made while watching about each song. Last year’s winner was the first time my favourite song in the Final actually won though with Nemo singing opera while spinning on top of a metal dias and referencing ammonites how could it not win? Plus they hitch hiked to the event!! It sort of makes up for `Cha Cha Cha` not winning in 2023 which as we all know it should have done. So maybe I’m getting better at predicting these. The overall standard this year is higher than average and I genuinely could not even hazard a guess as to who would win though i had my faves. 

Top of the Pops 10th & 17th May 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

10/05/1990 

 Gary Davies: “Hello. Good evening. I hope you're having a great Thursday evening. You're going to enjoy tonight's programme, in the studio we have Beats International, Mantronix featuring Wondress, we've got Adamski, Michael Bolton, and we start off with the highest new entry at number five. Better The Devil You Know, over there it's Kylie.”

 [5] KYLIE MINOGUE: Better The Devil You Know. Top of the Pops is in a rut. There's nothing wrong with happy little pop songs to open the programme but this is the fourth in a row. And three of those four were produced by Stock, Aitken, and Waterman; Sinitta wasn't much to my surprise. I'd suggest that as recent Number One act, Beats International would be a better choice to open tonight's show, or Mantronix.

Doctor Who- The Story and the Engine review

 

It’s refreshing to see Doctor Who narratively venturing much more beyond England these days - even if it’s still filmed in the UK - and this story set in Nigeria finds writer Inua Ellams bringing a tale of friendship, stories, and ambition to life mostly inside a small barber’s shop. This incongruous setting becomes the heart of an intriguing and ultimately uplifting story about the value both of friendship and of fiction. That it comes in a week when thee have been news stories about us reading less seems apt though stories as this episode shows can be told just as effectively as they can be read.  The more Doctors and eras we run through the further away the classic series feels yet this episode seems to be able to bring it all together with a strong sense of both the new and the old. It does need to be watched twice- or at least with more attention than I clearly gave it on first viewing- because its deceptively light and has an antagonist whose performance is full of nuance.

 Spoilers past this point.

Andor Season 2 Episodes 4 -9 review

 

Ghorman is the focus of these six episodes set a further year on from the opening trio. Episode four `Ever Heard of Ghorman?` is a well-constructed narrative presenting multiple sides of the situation. So, we have Syril ensconced in a bureaucratic job but he’s really here to help stir up rebellion thus justifying later use of force. Back on Coruscant, Andor and Bix are living in a very dingy looking apartment but he is destined to be sent to Ghorman by the episode’s end by Luthen whose found out about the focus on the planet courtesy of the undercover supervisor Yung. Mon Mothma’s efforts to stop a bill that will give larger powers to the ISB is hampered by paranoia over Ghorman.

Top of the Pops 3 May 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

Simon Mayo: “Welcome to the programme. A local election edition of the programme. Music to elect your councillor to. We'll start with a song that was a hit in 1969 for a band called Vanity Fair. They disappeared down the plug hole of rock and roll but they left behind an important song. Hitchin a Ride, it's a hit for Sinitta.”

 [26] SINITTA: Hitchin' A Ride. The legs of Simon Mayo get the programme off to a poor start. He's wearing white shorts that make his calves look spindly. An image not helped by Priscilla Hoadley, Vision Mixer. She makes the unwise choice to cut to Simon Mayo via a Quantel zoom in. It gives the impression Simon Mayo's knees are lunging for you.

Speaking of poor starts, here's Sinitta. I was going to say this seemed like a rerun of her last performance, but it turned out I was thinking of Sonia and Counting Every Minute, from 19/04/1990.

Doctor Who - Lucky Day review

 

Pete McTighe returns to the series after penning two stories for Chris Chibnall’s iteration and it’s not surprising that he’s tapping directly into wider contemporary concerns as he did in his previous stories. Whereas, especially with `Kerblam! ` there was some doubt in those as to the message (was he supporting the likes of Amazon or not?)  this episode leaves little doubt. As articulated through both sides of the argument this is an angry script even if it is initially seeming like a rom com. It pivots on a superb mid episode twist which is amongst the best the series has done- think `Utopia` here albeit in an earthbound context. Its also another quite meta episode- a character really does comment on how the special effects have improved.

Spoilers past this point

Thunderbolts* review

 

Thunderbolts* is a joy. Despite the subject matter touching on some serious issues it’s actually a lot of fun to watch with performances pitched just right and a healthy sense of perspective. Though it does broadly follow the Marvel template the film is also adept enough to find some different angles to tell that story making it feel fresh. Best of all Thunderbolts* manages to take the ever- lengthening lore to new places without getting too weighted down by that backstory finding enough new ground to suggest that there’s still legs in this big screen superhero lark yet.

 Spoilers past this point

 

Top of the Pops 26 April 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

 Bruno Brookes: “Good evening. Yes, here they are, Britain's biggest hits in vision. This is Top of the Pops, Europe's biggest and most prestigious pop show. Hope you're well. We start off with a song which was a big hit for Odyssey all those years ago, it's now back in the top forty. Use it Up And Wear It Out with Pat and Mick.”

 [25] PAT AND MICK: Use It Up and Wear It Out. Use It Up And Wear It Out was a hit for Odyssey in the summer of 1980. I don't consider that to be “all those years ago” but Bruno Brookes clearly believes the Odyssey version was decoded from hieroglyphs found on the side of a pyramid; right next to the announcement of Alan Freeman's birth.

What's happened to the captions? They've gone all basic. A quick check of the closing titles (they look rubbish) reveals the caption for Cypher Graphics operator has been deleted. Has the Cyper caption machine been sabotaged by the Quantel Corporation? I hope they haven't broken David Ward's thumbs.

Doctor Who- The Well review

 

Something Doctor Who does less frequently these days is the outright horror story in which something terrible is lurking picking off victims. `The Well` is an excellent example of how to do this yet keep within the show’s remit of being inclusive to a younger audience. Its secrets were held back during the promotional trailers for good reason because this is one of those episodes that needs to be watched with as little information as possible for it to have maximum effect. So, if you’ve not watched it yet, please don’t read this review or any other reviews till you have.

Spoilers past this point

 

Andor Season 2 Episodes 1 - 3 review

 

I only got to see the first season of Andor last year so its fresher in my mind than it will be for many, which is a help as this second season jumps right into things. Set a year on from the end of season one this first trio of episodes charts events that represent the differing fortunes of the Empire and the rebels. The scenes- sometimes intermeshed with the same incidental music- paint a vivid picture of life at the top and at the bottom while also humanising both sides with some rich characters that make even the slowest sequences shine. In other words it’s as good- and often even better - than season one.

 Spoilers after the break

Top of the Pops Triple April 1990 Megamix!

3 Editions- words: Chris Arnsby

 05/04/1990 

Anthea Turner: “Hello! Good evening! And welcome to Top of the Pops! On BBC1 and Radio 1! Tonight in the studio we've got Jason Donovan, our Song For Europe sung by Emma and Snap! But we're gonna start off tonight's show with a brand new entry at number sixteen! It's Happy Mondays! Step On!”

[16] HAPPY MONDAYS: STEP ON. Paul Ciani is unsure of the status of Bez. Everyone else gets at least one close up but not Bez. He is just there. The camera constantly glides past him to focus on Shaun Ryder, Paul Ryder, Rowetta, whoever, but Paul Ciani relegates Bez to Andrew Ridgeley status.
Bez does not care.

 

Doctor Who- Lux review

 

There are times when it seems like Doctor Who can’t offer anything new and is destined to run itself dry repeating variations on previous themes. And there are times- less so nowadays- when it excels by trying something new. `Lux` is by a long way the best episode since Russell T Davies returned to the show, surely the first classic he’s written in his second era. Its consistently interesting, throwing up the unexpected and visually manages to do something we’ve not seen before in the show. The sequence where Mr Ring-a -Ding steps out of the cinema screen was the most arresting moment of the earliest trailers; little did we know what an involving narrative it was to be a part of.

Top of the Pops 22nd & 29th March 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

22/03/1990

Gary Davies: “Hello. A very good evening to you. Welcome to Top of the Pops coming to you in stereo on Radio 1FM. Three bands making their debut tonight we have Snap, we've got Orbital, and They Might Be Giants but we start off with no strangers to Top of the Pops with Handful of Promises, it's Big Fun.”

 [21] BIG FUN: HANDFULL OF PROMISES. Bletch. I'm obviously in a rotten mood. I can't be bothered to try and find anything positive to say about Big Fun. The blonde one, the blonde one, and the blonde one go through their pre-programmed moves. It's not really any different to their other songs. If you like those then you'll like this because this song is also those. The only real amusement comes from watching the cameras try and give equal time to the blonde one because if the camera favoured the blonde one over the blonde one or the blonde one, then the blonde one and the blonde one might get jealous and the whole group could fall apart.

Doctor Who - The Robot Revolution review

 

If you’ve been following the lively on-line chatter preceding this season then you may know that the future of the series, at least in this current iteration, seems to be in doubt. Even Russell T Davies, always optimistic in his assessment, has back pedalled from suggesting the show is safe to recent statements suggesting he knows there is going to be a hiatus. Meanwhile even more ardent fans seem to concur that last season was underwhelming and does not seem to have captured enough of the wider public imagination to justify Disney’s continued co funding. One thing RTD did say somewhere lately though is that this version of the show is being targeted towards a younger audience and its worth bearing that in mind when watching.

 

Z Nation Season 3 (2016)

 

Catching up on the Zs - its wild peril in season three of this splatterific series, first shown in 2016  

Curiously the third season begins with an episode set sometime in the second. No Mercy is introduced as a flashback episode though it’s not clear when it is supposed to be set, especially if, like me, it’s two years since you watched season two. It’s a feature length premiere that re-introduces us to the attributes that make Z Nation a top-class adventure series with a creative edge when it comes to the Zs themselves. For example, we have zombies sporting metal helmets so that they can’t simply be despatched in the usual manner with a shot to the head.

They are part of the force used by an enigmatic character known as The Man who is searching for scientists whose name he has on a list. One of those names- Doctor Miles Teller -is holed up at a remote community built around a research lab. It just happens to be close to where our motely band of protagonists currently are. It’s a brisk episode with plenty of action yet not without a heart either. Teller’s wife for example was isolated years after she became infected from one of her experiments attempting to find a cure. Her glowing semi zombie appearance is alarming yet she is not a monster and the episode makes her sympathetic even though she can’t speak. 

Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite work as well with a sub plot about a feral boy, only able to make animal noises, who starts to copy 10K (they name him 5K!) though this puts him a risk.  Unlike Teller’s wife, the boy’s inability to speak and the fact that 10K isn’t the most loquacious character hampers this plot though there’s a terrific chase the two are involved in.  As ever the episode is presented for maximum impact, director Abram Cox enjoying the opportunities all the dust and sunlight offers to contrast the harsh outdoors with claustrophobic indoors. Why the community paint everything red when about to defend the place isn’t clear but it definitely makes for a great visual.

Top of the Pops 15 March 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby
Simon Mayo: “Well, welcome to the pops. We've a rock and roll edition for you tonight with three debut performances before seven thirty. And now we start with a band who are appearing at Manchester Apollo tonight and then they're at Wembley next week. They're at number twenty seven doing Deliverance. Would you welcome please to Top of the Pops, The Mission.

 [27] THE MISSION: DELIVERENCE. Wow, somebody really loves The Mission. Listen to them shriek.

Belated noticing of Format Change: Paul Ciani's gone right off having the host introduce the show from the studio Crows Nest. It hasn't been used for that purpose since Anthea Turner was up there for the 15/02/1990 show.

Snow White review

 

Disney’s venerable fairy tale deals in absolutes so may seem ill equipped for the modern age where everything is held to question and things are rarely clear or clean cut. Can a story with such simplistic figures survive? The answer, at least as far as the latest adaptation goes, remains in the air. Online generated controversies over casting and the rumoured political differences between the two leads that made them enemies in real life as well as on screen have already given the film a bad reputation. Judging from the rows of empty seat at the first week performance I attended this may have put some people off.  Yet those arguments, rather like the plot of Snow White, take a simplistic view of matters being either right or wrong and few things actually are. On an artistic level the film is also suffering due to its proximity to Wicked which has superior songs, stellar performances and a more involving plot. Nevertheless Snow White does what it is supposed to do and if the delighted reaction from kids at one particular development at the showing I went to is any indication it seems to hit the right notes for a younger audience.

 

Top of the Pops 8 March 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby
 Bruno Brookes: “Good evening. How are you? Welcome to your favourite fab pop show. This is Top of the Pops on a Thursday evening. Bros are in the studio a bit later on amongst Marc Almond live. First of all at number Five here is Guru Josh with a great song called Infinity 1990s Time For The Guru.”

 [5] GURU JOSH: INFINITY (1990's: TIME FOR THE GURU). Quantel transitions! Is anything more likely to get these reviews off to a worse start than me trying to describe via the medium of text why something has visual appeal? I might as well try to explain what a horse feels like to a man with no fingers.

Anyway. Something complicated has happened to the Quantel box. Previously the electronic effects have all been hard edged but here they've got a much softer appearance. Has someone invented the Blur filter? The result looks eerily liquid and makes the modified pictures almost flow across the screen.

Mysterious Island (1961)

 

Mysterious Island was one of a slew of pictures produced by Charles Schneer that specialised in action adventure coupled with stop motion monsters courtesy of Ray Harryhausen. Yet it lacks the flair and invention of others and comes across, despite the presence of big monsters, as rather uneventful. It is an attempt at less outlandish rather than mythical creatures; all of the dangers on the island are simply overgrown species we recognise and unfortunately this robs the story of a lot of excitement. Well, would you rather see a cyclops come to life or a giant chicken trying to be menacing?

 

The Electric State review

 

The Electric State is rumoured to be the most expensive streaming movie yet made though I really think it deserves a cinematic release to truly appreciate the retro futuristic designs on display. Its based on an illustrated novel originally called The Passage by Swedish artist Simon Stalnehag. He started out as a concept artist and illustrator for video games and created the drawings that formed the basis for his books in his spare time, inspired by a childhood love of science fiction films.

Spoilers after the break

Mickey 17 review

 

Bong Joon Ho’s successor to his Oscar winning Parasite proves a timely release with its depiction of technology getting ahead of ways to control it and also portraying a somewhat unhinged but powerful politician let loose. It’s a lively if overlong story originally intended for release a year ago and it seems to have already been written off as a box office failure. At times it feels like the script writers have made a simple idea complicated with too much extraneous material. Like last year’s Megalopolis though it is not short of ambition and something to say, it’s just that the delivery is not always as concise as it could be.

 

Top of the Pops 1 March 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Jakki Brambles: “Well hello. Good evening and welcome. It may well be a windswept Great Britain but we have got a sizzling show for you tonight and you can hear it loud and clear, crystal clear, on Radio 1FM in stereo. Starting tonight's show with a man who's had more hits than I've been on diets. We're into the thousands here. Welcome Shakin' Stevens.”

[29] SHAKIN' STEVENS: I MIGHT. The winter of 1990 was blustery with high winds (no more curried eggs for me, no wonder I can't go to parties any more, etc). I remember the Burns' Day Storm of 25th January but I don't recall what Wikipedia calls Storm Vivian, 25th -27th February, which is what Jakki Brambles is referring to here. The wind must have been howling outside as this edition was recorded on Tuesday.

Fairies (1978)

 

BBC play that tells the story of the Cottingley Fairies photos- just five years before the truth emerged.

Can you imagine if someone took a photograph of a strange creature now and posted it on Instagram how much fuss there would be? It would be trending in minutes. In 1917 this was not the case. Photographs were almost exclusively for private use so it’s not unusual that after two girls had taken pictures of what appeared to be real fairies they lay untouched for three years until a chance sighting of the pictures led to what was a lot of excitement around the world. The sensation was heightened when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, by then a world famous author, believed that the pictures were real. It ignited a debate; a tabloid frenzy and differing opinions from the villagers whose quiet life was interrupted when word got out where these fairies apparently were. It’s a true story and BBC4 recently showed Fairies, a Play of the Week drama, first broadcast in 1978. It’s a pity it was made four years before he truth was finally uncovered…

 

Logan's Run (1976)

 

Released in 1976, Logan’s Run is based on the 1967 novel by William F Nolan and George Clayton Johnson who curiously originally conceived the idea as a film script. The film was adapted by David Zelag Goodman and stars Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan and Peter Ustinov. Its narrative dips into ideas of a society devoted to pleasure, the value of youth versus old age, euthanasia and how people are controlled by invented myths. Just don’t expect these topics to be dealt with  in a lot of detail. While the movie strives to show what everyday life is like in this seemingly perfect future it falls short explaining how or why or indeed any background at all. Nevertheless, it is a sumptuous Seventies production with colour, some excellent direction and good performances making an easy watch. Just don’t ask any difficult questions...

 

Top of the Pops 22 February 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Bonus master tape bit: The picture stabilises on a long shot of the new Triangle Stage. Two members of the studio crew are working the crowd. The sound quality is a bit too muffled to accurately transcribe what they are saying, alas for the historical record, but it's basically a warning to the audience to avoid the people shepherding the cameras around: “...They go rushing at great speed. People are going to push you out of the way. Don't hit them. Don't touch them. Don't do anything to them. These guys are here to save your lives alright? Give them a round of applause. Right? They're over there [points]. They're over there [points]. They're over there [points]. They've got a Top of the Pops t-shirt.... quiet... now listen... I want a great big round of applause for the brilliant the wonderful the divine Liza Minnelli!”

Liza Minnelli enters. She waves shyly. And then starts to sing Love Pains. Her performance style is very similar to the one she used for Losing My Mind (10/08/1989) very mannered, very still, and a lot of direct eye contact with the camera; a very Princess Diana-ish Bambi-eyes gaze looking up at the camera through her fringe. The song comes to an end and the lens of the camera wanders away as if it is hunting for something new to look at.

The screen blanks out as the audio continues.
Voice 1: “Lovely.”
Voice 2: “Well done.”
Liza Minnelli: [Joke shouting] “Oh drat! We have to do it again you guys.

[Crowd cheers and applauds].

The picture snaps back on and focuses again on a long shot of the Triangle Stage. The long shot is held for around a minute, time enough to take in a strange object which hangs from the ceiling and gently rotates, to the left of the stage. Take two ends quickly, after about 25 seconds. There seems to be a problem with the crane shot, it's misaligned as it pans in and Liza Minnelli drifts out of the centre of frame. The screen blanks and the crowd groan as the music cuts out.

“Throughout the show we do get technical hitches. It's not always your fault.” Says one of the studio crew. To the crowd presumably. “Don't worry about it. Just bear with us. Bear with us as we try and record this show, yeah?” Take three is fine.

Love Pains will not feature on Top of the Pops.

The screen blanks again. When we return to the studio we are apparently looking at Mark Goodier down the Death Star Trench. This odd look comes courtesy of either Vision Mixer Hilary West or Ian Simpson in Video Effects. They are rehearsing the Quantel transition out of the Top of the Pops titles and because the countdown clock for the title sequence is currently held at 10 seconds, the effect is of two black walls sandwiching the host.

Top of the Pops 15 February 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

 Anthea Turner: “Welcome to Top of the Pops! And for the next half hour on BBC1 and Radio 1 we've got videos including Rod Stewart and Tina Turner! We've got chart news! And in the studio we've got The Wedding Present! The Stranglers! But on stage now it's Britain's highest new entry! At number five! Black Box!”

 [5] BLACK BOX: I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY ELSE. This edition is hosted by the “newly wed,” (© Gary Davies MCM) Anthea Turner. She tied the knot with Peter Powell, yes, That! Peter! Powell!, but by 1990 he'd moved on from being a presenter and DJ to run a management company.

David Ward, has a rival. Who is David Ward? He once was King of the Cypher Graphics system but he's been dethroned by newcomer Rockett Norton. It was actually last week that Rockett made his debut but on that occasion his captions were very much in line with the ones produced by David Ward; apart from adding a wireframe graphic of the Top of the Pops symbol behind the chart number. This week Rockett Norton has been allowed to really take the Cypher system for a spin to see what it can do. And what it can do is very fancy indeed. The caption for Black Box falls from the top of the screen packed in a (purple) 3D box and the chart position and letters tumble out of the box and line themselves up, as the box disappears back up the screen. Très bon. Very très bon indeed.

Big Boys season 3 review

Back for a third and final season Big Boys is probably the first show to make the previous decade nostalgic in the same way popular culture has lionised the Eighties or Nineties for some time. One day all dramas will namedrop cultural icons from 2013 or 2015 just like nowadays they hark back to 1985 or 1996.  Like a lot of successful comedy Big Boys has its roots in real life experiences yet its also the case that a brilliant cast propel Jack Rooke’s wonderfully eccentric, filthy and often poignant script into the stratosphere.  Its deceptively casual anarchy lands on so many levels ranging from hysterical slapstick, bawdy dialogue, realistic drama and bittersweet moments.  Some may find it hits too hard in one or more of these areas- and it is not for the faint hearted- but this is television at its most direct. 

 

Cobra Kai Season 6 Eps 11-15 review

 

The long tale of warring dojos and high kicks comes to an end with this final salvo of five episodes concluding the elongated season six whose initial episodes dropped last summer. It’s been a mixed bag this last season with the early episodes proving that all potential combinations of characters falling out / making up had been done. It all felt a bit forced. The middle set was a lot better culminating in an unexcepted dust up to rival that in the second season’s iconic school fight. Despite the far-fetched manner by which we got there it was definitely a highlight of the entire show’s run.  Its a crowded affair though, just look at how many people are on the publicity poster!

Spoilers on the mat beyond this point...

Top of the Pops 8 February 1990

 Words: Chris Arnsby

Gary Davies: “Hello. Very good evening to you. Welcome to another Thursday night's Top of the Pops we have a very busy programme for you. In fact the gang are going to tell you who's in the studio tonight. We've got...”
Audience member 1: “Beats International!"
Audience member 2: “The Beloved!”
Audience member 3: “Phil Collins!”
Audience member 4: “Del Amitri!”

Gary Davies: “Well, we start off at number ten in the charts with Instant Replay. Over there. It's Yell!”

 

Captain America- Brave New World review

 

The Captain America films have been my favourite of the individual Marvel movies and this fourth offering definitely contains enough to earn its place on that list. It’s a lively affair with some excellent set pieces and a strong cast. Yet it falls a bit short simply because of the way it has been marketed. I hate spoilers and do my best to avoid them but when the studio itself gives away a crucial moment to which the whole film is leading to it rather deflates the overall product.  

 

Spoilers follow in this review

 

The Mind of Mr JG Reeder S2 Eps 4-8(1971)

 

The Willing Victim (17 May 1971)

“Someone’s trying to kill you!” splutters Sir Jason after Reeder has told him about three varied attempts on his life. “That’s the conclusion I’d reached,” replied Reeder drily. The tone is thus set for an episode that, while potentially being the most serious yet, is also playful and unlikely at the same time. After these attempts, including having a piece of masonry pushed off a roof as Reeder is walking underneath in the opening sequence, the criminal mastermind Lew Cassio (an expressive Harry Towb with an untraceable accent) resorts to a more fiendish method to enact revenge on the man who put him and other colleague away. Tasked with undertaking this mission is his assistant Danny played by a younger Geoffrey Hughes of Coronation Street fame with wide eyed buffoonery.

The Mind of Mr JG Reeder S2 Eps 1-4 (1971)

 

The Duke (19 Apr 1971)

Two years after the first season, during which time Hugh Burden had scared viewers as the first villain faced by the third Doctor Who, the chilling Channing, The Mind of Mr J.G. Reeder returned. Its easy to overlook the fact that it was seen as a prestigious show with a 9pm slot on Monday evenings.  The title sequence this time is slightly different and suggests that all that is on Reeder's `criminal mind` are dancing girls  but the banjo led Twenties theme music remains. The opening story concerns a Chicago gangster, Duke Dorsey who has become the unlikely tenant of a country estate. When an attempt is made on his life, Reeder is assigned by Sir Jason to offer him official protection. Once there, the unassuming prosecutor discovers all is not as it seems. The episode is a little slow at first as Ray McAnally as Duke and Toby Robins as his much younger wife and former showgirl Sadie both struggle with Chicago accents and the somewhat stereotypical Chicagoan characters they play. Things liven up when Reeder arrives, his firm but polite Englishness rubbing against their brashness.

My latest novel- Earth Fire

I'm pleased to announce that I've published another novel in the Heart of the World series, the seventh in the series and my eighth in all. If that makes the process sound easy, its actually not but there is a lot of satisfaction in turning ideas into a story. The books are mainly aimed at a younger audience though theoretically can be enjoyed by anyone. At least anyone who doesn't read something and then say "well that could never happen". Because, you know, it just might....

Top of the Pops 2 February 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

Bruno Brookes: “Looking forward to the weekend. Good evening. Welcome to another spondicious Top of the Pops. All your favourite artists from the hit parade. And what a way to start. This is the highest climber up twenty three places, Lonnie Gordon makes a debut with this song. Happening All Over Again.

[9] LONNIE GORDON: HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN. New set. The Unfinished Stage has been pensioned off. It was first used just before Christmas, 21/12/1989, and the last appearance was technically last week but in an already partially disassembled state. If you want to be scrupulously accurate (I do, I do) then the Unfinished Stage was last properly used on the 11/01/1990 show (Fish, Big Wedge). That's barely four weeks of use. Paul Ciani must have hated it.

Top of the Pops 26 January 1990

 

Words: Chris Arnsby

Simon Mayo: “We're the Breakfast Crew, staying up late just for you. New temporary time slot just while the Commonwealth Games are on. The only show on BBC1 without Des Lynham.”
Jakki Brambles: “Lots of portions of talent tonight for you. We've got Sinead O'Connor, Phil Collins, and the wonderful Del Amitri.”
Simon Mayo: “We're gonna start with an AARGH!”
Jakki Brambles: “Think that's a yell.”
Simon Mayo: “That is a Yell. Down there.”

 [24] YELL!: INSTANT REPLAY. Where to begin? There's a new old broom back in town. Paul Ciani has returned; the hosts start the show in the Crow's Nest; Quantel graphics are used while Yell! perform (and also, probably, breach article 106 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice by impersonating a Captain. They should be fine as long as they don't go to America).

And what's this? New captions. Welcome to Cypher. The operator gets a credit as well; this week the Cypher Graphics are by David Ward. The captions are multi-coloured (yellow for Simon and purple for Jakki) and they spin and shrink and make letters fly across the screen. It's a whole new world.

It's 8pm. The Commonwealth Games occupy the 7-8pm slot. Top of the Pops has been bumped from Thursday to Friday. Chaos!