Yey, The Mighty Boosh Are Back

BBC3 tonight at 10pm I think, for those of you without freeview or living in the colonies then get you over to their mini site on the BBC.

Simon is out at a black tie do with work and I am here at home in my pjs and the metaphorical curlers and bloody Autumn watch on the telly. It's a bit odd because it's normally me who is out with work :) But I do have the boosh to look forward too.

I [heart] The Daily Show

On average, we don't really care that much about American politics in the UK, heck most of us don't really care about British politics as Hannah reflected on recently. Of course there are some Brits who do care about what happens within the Beltway, (hey I lived there, I know these things), with a deep and abiding passion, so much so we wonder if they are a bit confused.

Now most Brits know who Bush is and that he's an idiot but the recognition rate of the rest of them; Cheney, Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney drops away sharper than the inverse square law. However before our American cousins get too upset at our mostly pitiful knowledge of their politicians I have to point out that we are probably more aware of who Larry Craig is than who is in the Tory Shadow Cabinet. But then again we are more likely to pick out a member of Lordie out of make up than the shadow minister for Education.

There are two groups who valiantly strive against this wave of British indifference in US politics. The first lot are those whose eduction/job depends on the knowledge the rest of us who gain our intimate knowledge of US pols and what they get up to from The Daily Show on More 4. We are a select and small band but we are dedicated and fond. The Daily Show is great, the satire sharp, funny and they even do irony from time to time, something we Brits tend to believe is physically impossible for Americans. It's far more incisive than any thing that we have here except perhaps The Now Show - Bring back the podcast. Thanks to Jon I am even beginning to care about whether it's Barack or Hillary in 08. I now know all about Mitt Romney's brave sons, the sordid and very funny details of Larry Craig, but sadly I still don't know who the Shadow Education Minister is.

Ads I loathe

Normally I'm fairly laid back about the adverts on the telly (cue hollow laughs from the sofa next to me) but right now there is a crop of really annoying crap adverts. They are memorable that's true which is one of the aims of any advert but these fail the biggest test of making me want to buy. Any half decent ad plants the idea into your head, right now Becky is trying to persuade me that we should go to M&S tomorrow to do our weekly shop so that we get the free fairtrade dipping chocolate. Now that's an ad that works we want chocolate we want it now and we want it from M&S however we will not be getting it as we were strong and more importantly Marks and Sparks are closed right now.

No these ads just make me want to never try to the product.

The Kellogg's Bran Flakes advert with all the fake health fads - just eating a bowl of Kellogg's, a bit of fruit and drinking more water is not going to make you healthy: you have to stop eating crap and this ad is shit.

MFI - Arguing, horrible families - why would anyone want to associate themselves with that?

Orange Mobile Phone - Faux naive songs seemingly aimed at morons hate, hate, hate.

Best Satire On Telly

The Thick Of It - It's the best fucking satire on telly, filmed in a pseudo documentary way it's a pure class, our "hero" is a spin doctor who makes Alistair Campbell look like a 1st year at a convent school, trying to ensure that he spins himself safe after the prime minister suddenly resigns. It's classic Armando Iannucci. For you lucky people who haven't seen it yet the two parter is going to be shown on BBC2 9.30-10.30 Saturday the 7th and the next Saturday 14th 9.00 til 10pm.

oooooOOOOOOoooooo

Doctor Who - Series Three (new style) starts tomorrow at 7pm, and I'm just a little bit excited.

BBC Archives

The BBC are running a trial where they are opening some of their archives to the general public, it is coming to an end on Friday 29 September as they have to review it before submitting to the BBC Governors for permission to carry on full time. Details here the archive material right now is probably more of curiosity interest to a casual blogger like me but I can see it becoming a very useful resource for many, teaching, historians, and casual bloggers like me who want to illustrate a point.

The point demonstrated here is that they didn't half talk posh back in the thirties.

The Dwarf Planet Formally Known As Xena

Has been renamed Eris. The Bad Astronomer has the gen

I would have said more but I'm still stunned at the wonderment that is Extras the second series and The Michell and Webb Look on BBC2. Highly recommended both of them

Beta Band

I'm watching a programme about the denial of oxygen for the IRA which happened in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a stupid idea let idiots condemn themselves in their own words and voice. It didn't reduce violence it just gave the IRA and Sinn Féin an added romance. What caused a semblance of peace in the province was terrorists sitting down with government and negotiating.

But hush my mouth that idea is heresy to some.

Oooh forgot to say - this post is called Beta Band because throughout the programme they were using the bands music which struck me a very odd.

Life On Mars

Sam Tyler - "Where's my PC terminal?"

1970's Copper - "Who?"

Just watched Life On Mars on BBC1. Yay it was great, a mash up of the Sweeney with Quantum Leap and that Comic Strip Presents send up of Spender and the like. I'm a sucker for a good police procedural and this looks like it has the potential to be a classic. The mis-matched pair who will learn "to have grudging respect for each other" the quest to get home ala Quantum Leap, the natty suits, the better bits of the early seventies rock cannon and the little details to invoke the early 70's. I enjoyed the nods to the classic police series of the past, perhaps Brian Blessed will turn up in a later episode. There was wit and pathos and John Simms was excellent, he had me engaged in his character from almost the get go.