UK TV review by Lorraine Fencer

Ah, that's a relief! "Celebrity Big Brother" (Ch4 & E4, all week) is over. I'm a BB addict (as you may have noticed), but I could barely keep my eyes open during this. Even the "Grand Final", I was quietly snoring on the sofa. But, Mark Owen? There must have been an awful lot of 20-something women voting, all the ex Take That fans. It's the only answer I can come up with.

"Have I Got News For You"(BBC2, Fri, 9.30) Potentially one of the worst guest presenters of the series - Boris Johnson. Yet this turned out to be the best so far. Deadpan & somewhat bemused, it was actually fun to watch. It's obviously scripted, and the writers haven't got the message that it's not Angus any more. The majority of the gags in recent weeks would have worked better with Angus's delivery, but this is the first show that's been
entertaining. I don't think I could actually stand him every week, but at
least he was funny.

"Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"(ITV, Sat 7.55) 300th show special. 300? Is that all? It's lost a bit of its shine with the allegations of cheating, but it's still got that certain "something". Something, obviously being £1M. Not sure about the "home interaction", I guess it must have been a completely live show for once, but it seemed a bit pointless. Except that it was a premium rate phone line. Extra money for Celador? Might that be
the reason? Nah, I couldn't suggest that, could I?

"Martine" (ITV, Sat 9.20) Hmmmm, with the exception of Kylie (and even she spent long enough in the wilderness) ex-soap stars aren't really notable for the length of their music careers, no matter how many try. Ok, classic musicals is a different route to taking your clothes off then moaning about people commenting on you taking your clothes off (Holly Valance, I'm looking at you here), but instead of turning into a pop nobody, she's in danger of turning into the new Jane McDonald. And the world needs another over-blown ballad singer about as much as Anne Diamond needs a good meal. Stage school brats graduate at 16 thinking they can sing, dance, act AND tell jokes, and don't take the hint when no-one's interested. Be quiet woman, please!

"Jeffrey Archer: The Truth" (BBC1, Sun 9pm) Inspired! Lord Archer of Weston-super-Mud invents disco & the mobile phone, chooses Geoff Hurst for the 1966 World Cup, and is The Beatles' musical advisor. All within the first five minutes. OK, it went on a bit, the closer it got to reality the less funny, but the detail, and Archer's unfailing belief in his own lies was fantastic. I'm still a bit scared by the idea of Archer as the rightful heir to the throne, but yeah, I enjoyed this. More please!

Lorraine

mailto:lorraine@scribeweekly.com

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