Thank **** - after the Beeb cancelled all their schedule on Friday night for Big Phils Memorial it's finally time for the MasterChef final - yeehaaaahhhhh my fave program on the telly!!
Tom Jones on the One Show tonight talking about his new album.'Surrounded by Time'. The man still has a fantastic voice and this album sounds like it's a very personal, reflective piece. I very much hope he's not on his way out, but I get the impression that this is in a similar vein to Johnny Cash's last album. I'm going to buy it.
Was out round the corner for a chilly dinner al fresco with some friends this evening and the background music was a playlist from Spotify called Southern Gothic. Utterly brilliant mood music behind good conversation, wine and food. The only song I recognised was Johnny Cash’s version of Personal Jesus, but many sounded familiar. I will look up and return with comments.* Also a really nice wine called lusso (or perhaps luso) from Portugal was sampled. Actually guzzled. * this is a 7 hour 11 minute long playlist. I probably heard about the first four and a half hours worth this evening, and was constantly turning round to say - hold on, this is great, who is it? Having looked at the artists/songs on the list I have probably heard about 30 minutes worth before. Great stuff, but not if you are a depressive character.
Last night on BBC Scotland, excellent documentary about Dale Barclay, lead singer of The Amazing Snakeheads, the bands rise from the underground scene in Glasgow, and his battle with brain cancer, which he sadly lost at the tender age of 32. He was an exceptional talent, maybe not to everyones taste, heavy rock'n'roll and a fantastic showman - bit of a Nick Cave vibe mixed with Josh Homme! Dale Barclay: All On Black: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000vmv8 via @bbciplayer
Thursdays are "Travel Back" days, this week it's the 2010s......and it is Lauren Laverne who's on just now, she does play some ****e amongst the good stuff!!
please log in to view this image Anyone else been watching this series? Proper water-cooler TV. I can't wait for the finale on Sunday when we'll all be gathered around the water-cooler in our front room. Seriously though, it's been very good.
Kelly MacDonald has acted everyone else off the screen. Some of the writing has been lazy and stilted to put it mildly. But it draws you in. I hope the rumours that tonight’s is the last ever are true.
Yeah, I would agree about the writing, but then he does have to get all the catchphrases in. I just let it all wash over me and enjoy it for what it is. I'd be happy enough if there were another series. Just heard someone on the radio talking about a 'Dine of Duty' meal he's preparing. Didn't catch all of it, but the main course was a haddock dish - Grilled H with Lime of Duty and Bent Capers, followed by a CHIS Board with Onion, Chilli and Garlic (OCG) relish. It's getting like the Eurovision Song Contest.
There is an Antiques Roadshow on now which is focussing on artefacts from the aftermath of World War Two. I think it’s a repeat, but it’s very moving and, in good taste, they are not pricing anything. Reminds me of the book Savage Continent by Keith Lowe, a great and sombre review of the amazing carnage that continued after the formal end of WW2, almost everywhere in Europe, which was a revelation to me, and which I think I have mentioned on this thread before. There are still real links between this history and today. Wife has just told me that she was living in Lyons (year out as a French degree student) when Klaus Barbie, the Butcher of Lyon, was on trial for war crimes.
There's very little exciting new TV about at the moment, so I've been delving into the world cinema archives for some hidden gems.... I've just finished The Investigation, available on iPlayer, following the efforts of the Danish police as they try to gather enough evidence to prove the guilt of the man responsible for the murder of journalist Kim Wall aboard his self-made submarine. I remember the story going around on the news back in 2017/2018 but the investigation, and the efforts that they went to to locate all of her missing body parts is phenomenal. An intriguing watch, all the more satisfying for knowing it's a true story. Deutschland '89 (All4) - follow up to Deutschland '83 and '86 sees Martin Rauch still carrying out the bidding of his Stasi superiors whilst also working with the CIA, all amongst the fall-out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, East Germany and the Berlin Wall. Brilliant, especially if you've watched the previous two seasons. The Valhalla Murders (iPlayer) - Icelandic crime drama following a series of murders linked to abuse at a childrens home. Dark, and very atmospheric. I'd always fancied visiting Reykavic, but this shows you the side of Iceland that tourists probably never see, and it's pretty grim....very good watch. DNA (iPlayer) - another Nordic crime show, a case of child abduction, leading to child trafficking across Denmark, Poland and France - great twist towards the end, although if you're tuned in you can probably see it coming.