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February 2008 Archives

Afghanistan - and Ross Kemp

Posted by Remote Control on February 28, 2008 11:00 PM

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On the news tonight, journalism's worst-kept secret was out in the open: Prince Harry is in Afghanistan. The government had the good grace to acknowledge the fact that when the British media said it wouldn't report that we had a member of the royal family on the front-line, it kept its word.

Instead, it fell to the normally very impressive Drudge Report to break the blackout, and probably put some lives at risk as a result. As it is, Drudge may well be claiming the big news, but it appears to have broken on some little-known Aussie website last month. Still, plenty of journalists have fallen into the trap of claiming an exclusive when in fact it's not - doesn't stop them looking rather daft when it gets pointed out their exclusive is anything but though.

Change is good - and Bill Bailey dances with dogs

Posted by Remote Control on February 22, 2008 5:34 PM

MUCH debate in the last few weeks about Ashes to Ashes - rip roaring success or just a slapstick Life on Mars? Two distinct camps appear to be emerging - those who wanted Life on Mars to be recreated in the 1980s, and those who just like the new show.

Me? I fall into the second camp. Change can be a good thing, and the whole point of Ashes to Ashes is that the central character - DI Alex Drake - actually understands what is happening to her. She gets that has slipped into a coma and is now living out some bizarre life in the 1980s. She understands this because she has studied Sam Tyler, the star of Life On Mars, who was transported back to the 1970s when he went into a coma.

Rentaghost for the 21st century

Posted by Remote Control on February 17, 2008 5:02 PM

Something seems amiss with the BBC3 schedules at the moment - there's a distinct lack of Two Pints of Lager and Packet of Crisps at present.

Still, some of the new shows coming through as the channel tries to grow up a bit are worth checking out - like Being Human (BBC 3, 9pm), a one-off drama (or as one-off as a drama which is repeated three hours after it premieres can be) which is one of six the BBC have lined up for the next few weeks.

The Battle of the Bongs

Posted by Remote Control on February 16, 2008 3:30 PM

BONG! After a month, the headline viewing figures are in for the battle of the News at 10s – and the winner is … the BBC.

And we’re not just talking a small, on points, victory – quite often, the BBC’s Ten O’Clock News is pulling in twice as many viewers at the recently reincarnated ITV News At Ten.

Roobarb and Custard

Posted by Remote Control on February 12, 2008 5:53 PM

It's only when you watch it as an adult that it seems a little less, well, n normal!

Neighbours - on Five

Posted by Remote Control on February 10, 2008 5:23 PM

FORGET the advent of colour telly, the arrival of Channel four, the launch of BskyB or indeed digital television – the biggest thing to rock our increasingly square eyes happens today. At 1.45pm to be precise.

Neighbours moves to Channel 5. Now admittedly, tongue was firmly in cheek when writing the previous paragraph, but there is no doubting that the decision by Channel 5 to bid very highly for Neighbours, the Aussie soap we all grew up with, suggested that they felt the Beeb wasn’t getting the most out of it.


Ashes to Ashes (BBC 1, 9pm)

Posted by Remote Control on February 7, 2008 11:19 PM

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It could so easily have gone so wrong. Spin-offs often do just that. Spin off. And then go wrong.

But within minutes of Ashes to Ashes bursting onto our screens, it was obvious - it's got the ability to be every bit as good as Life On Mars, even if we're doing without John Sim in the lead character role.

Grange Hill: Top 10 clips

Posted by Remote Control on February 6, 2008 5:47 PM

There aren't many things guaranteed to stop work than a discussion about childrens' TV, so the announcement that Grange Hill was to be axed by the BBC will have probably hit British productivity harder than any rise in fuel prices.

Here, Remote Control - ably assisted by the newsdesks of the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo - goes in search of classic Grange Hill moments on Youtube

Grange Hill: The End

Posted by Remote Control on February 6, 2008 2:11 PM

So Grange Hill is being axed. Cue lots of people, mostly in their 20s, 30s and 40s all lamenting the passing of a programme from their youth.

Naturally, none of them have watched Grange Hill for quite a long time. Which is just as well, because a childrens' TV programme which still grabs the attention of men and women over the age of 20 wouldn't be hitting its target audience.

Pepsi makes sure Justin Timberlake takes a good beating

Posted by Remote Control on February 3, 2008 11:39 PM

Justin Timberlake taking a battering? Repeatedly thrown against a wall? Chucked into the street? Damaged by a fire hydrant?

It might only be in a commercial (and therefore not real) but in the battle of Pepsi v Coca Cola, it's the boys in blue getting my vote...

Gladiators ready...

Posted by Remote Control on February 3, 2008 10:42 PM

Admittedly, it wasn't the biggest news story of the week last week, but it was interesting all the same - Gladiators making a return to our TV screens.

I can't remember why Gladiators stopped on ITV - although it did seem to attract a lot of scandal.

But that hasn't stopped Sky One digging it up, brushing it down and adding it to its schedules for later this year.

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Remote Control in the February 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

January 2008 is the previous archive.March 2008 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the home page or by looking through the archives.