Ask Rhod Gilbert

BBC 1, Wednesdays 10.45pm

Those who know me will have expected this review long ago, but it has taken many re-writes to make it not seem gushy! Much as I try to remain objective I do feel there is little these guys can do that I would not love so I have watched it over and again trying to bore myself to the point I can find something negative to say; but still I have nothing.

The show has a feel of intimacy to it, as though rather than watching people try to be funny you are just in the pub having a chat with them. With a huge array of panel shows featuring the same faces time and again each fighting for their camera time, this is a refreshing approach. And okay, nothing has really changed since the last series and I am aware I have (quite recently) criticised other shows for this very thing – but much as I hate the cliché thing: if it ain’t broke… blah blah!


This first episode featured guests David Hasseloff, Kimberley Wyatt and Phill Jupitus. I have to admit, having seen Jupitus live a few times I expected more of him than we saw in this programme, but I feel he was very much overshadowed by Hasselhoff! I have never particularly been a fan, even in the days of Knight Rider (Airwolf was more my thing, Michael Knight was far too clean-cut for my liking!) but I have to say I found him highly entertaining through this episode – not enough to persuade me to watch BGT (or X-Factor? – No it’s definitely BGT – see, researched a fact and came right back, I can do it!) but I would no longer turn a show off just because he happened to be on it.

I did notice during the first series that most of the questions posed were repeated from the brilliantly funny Irish comedy "Great Unanswered Questions" but thankfully that seems not to be the case this time around. It is far easier to roll with the jokes when you do not already know the true answer!

Ok, for some the humour might at times be a little puerile, nonsensical and juvenile but to my mind that suits the loose, easy flowing format well. This series is unpretentious and unapologetic, treating everyone with equal contempt regardless of status and as such brings out the best in its guests.


So there you are; another fabulous series! Watch it – many times – it gets funnier I assure you!


Showing Wednesday nights at the bizarre time of 10:45pm and repeated Sundays around midnight – or on the Iplayer at any time of course!


And for no other reason than to show off as usual; another of my baby's drawings!

Fresh Meat

C4, Wednesdays at 10pm


Created by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, the writers of (amongst many other credits) Peep Show, this series follows a group of students as they begin university life. From such a strong writing team and with a cast of established performers most people will recognise from other shows, expectations were always going to be high for this offering.

The show has been slated quite horrifically by most, but I doubt those speaking out most loudly against it are amongst the demographic anyway and whilst people are holding such high expectations there is precious little margin for error.

The first episode saw the new students arrive in their shared house, to find the brilliantly dark and sometimes sinister Howard, played by the fantastic Greg McHugh and struggle to fit in with one another.

Ok, the dialogue is stilted in some parts, but in reality this is to be expected anyway from a group of strangers being thrown together as these characters are. The maladroit sentences, often trailing off as the character becomes aware of the awkwardness were well delivered, feeling natural as the viewer cringes with the character rather than at them upon remembering the many times they have said something similar.

I was taken by some of the small observations; when we first meet Howard and he delivers a string of murmurs, having not spoken aloud for a while; the reaction of Josie (Kimberley Nixon) as she and JP (Jack Whitehall) are talking at the bar and he declares with such immense pride his somewhat geeky set of A-levels; Josie’s trip to the fridge to cover her embarrassment as JP makes his official arrival at the house. Whilst many have given the writers unwarranted criticism over contrived dialogue pauses and so on, it seems that details like this have been overlooked with the assumption that writing a script is only about putting words into the actors’ mouths.

Admittedly, this show gives little in the way of hearty belly laughs, but in all fairness I do not think that is the point. There is an overall sense of reality to the characters and the storyline, resulting in a very entertaining comic drama which does not challenge, does not make you have to think and does not insult the audience.

I personally am looking forward to the development of the characters as the series continues and shall be holding overall judgement until having seen a few more episodes.

If you missed episode one, or just wanted to wait and watch it once the hype died down, it is available on the 4od player for a few weeks. Episode two is on Wednesday 28th at 10pm with repeats on Mondays at 11.10pm.

Newsjack

Thursdays at 10:30pm, BBC Radio 4 Extra



Newsjack takes a light, satirical look at the week’s new events through a series of sketches and one-liners.

Just starting its fifth series, this programme shows no sign of pausing for breath: headed this time round by the brilliant Justin Edwards, it is every bit as fast-paced and entertaining as previous offerings.

It helps, of course, that the show does not have a formal writing team; this stops it from feeling tired as can so often happen. I love the magazine feel to the show, reminding me a little (if I can reference without glaringly giving away my age!) of watching KYTV in my youth, although to the “now” generation I guess it is more like a verbal version of Tumblr! I note that this show even holds the attention of my teens; no mean feet indeed, considering they (and most of their age) have horrendously short attention for anything without a visual. This can only serve to reinforce my point that the punchy delivery, quick-fire scripts and dynamic performances really do contribute to a fantastic piece of radio!

As always, you have probably missed the first episode by now but be sure to “tune in” (does anyone need to tune in nowadays?) for the next this week – or, yes you can search the I-player for it!

Andrew Lawrence - What To Do...

...IF YOU ARE NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE (Radio 4, Wednesdays at 11pm or on I-player until the following Weds)

I have mentioned this show before: series one was absolutely brilliant and I had been anxiously awaiting series two since I first heard it was being recorded!

Having watched one of Lawrence’ preview shows in the summer, much of the material is familiar to me but in all honesty it really does not matter; with much of his performance being more down to his effortless delivery and general attitude of indifference towards his audience, it doesn’t feel that you are just waiting for the next punchline to arrive. I did note when I reviewed his live show that I found he had developed a slightly darker, edgier tone: happily this has remained for the current series and I am looking forward to seeing how much further he dares push it in the future.

I have said before, though, and will re-iterate… this show needs to be more than thirteen minutes long! Okay, so it will require the writing of much more material, but I am sure that is not beyond the capabilities of a comedian such as Andrew Lawrence!

Sad to see him still referred to through the media as an unknown... I would like to think that the efforts he has put in should have his name imprinted on the minds of most who pretend comedy matters to them by now!

It would be nice to see something a little different from him down the line, although with his current material touring well into the spring of 2012 I doubt he will find the time to do anything else.


Tune in and listen… or I-player it - but be fast because as with all radio shows, there is only server space for one episode at a time and you have already missed a couple!

Knuckling Down

I have always loved the autumn with a passion!

The flourish of colour descending over trees and plants as they present their swansong; outings with excited children collecting conkers, berries and other treasures to clutter the house before spring returns; making jams, chutneys and soups to use up garden stock. Autumn also represents a time for clearance, for reflection; the time for festivals as we celebrate harvests, Samhain and its many variants and most importantly the run-up to Christmas.

From Of the Fun and the Funny

There are so many joys to be had at this time of the year, but by far the best is that the television suddenly remembers its sole purpose in existence is to entertain us.

And so I return to focus. With a sudden influx of comedy worth writing about, I now begin a series of reviews of some of the new season’s offerings. I cannot say in which order they will appear; some are written already, some are words floating in my head, some are little more than an “I really must get around to watching that” but of the many shows on at the moment, either completely new or the return of old favourites, there should be something to suit most who appreciate the value of laughter and the effort put in by those who contribute to the comedy we all love most.

Handcuffed

Having only lived here for two years, I figured it might finally be time to empty those last few boxes from the garage.

I have already talked about the aesthetic nature of Miss-middle but it should be noted that she is also something of a magpie, thus hoards all types of treasures on the basis that they look quite pretty.

So at the bottom of the last box, in the midst of single earrings, paperclips, odd screws and other unwanted trinkets she spotted a pair of ornate keys bound with a red ribbon. I had come across them earlier in the box, but had passed them over in favour of bigger, more useful things and was planning to just tip the remaining contents directly into the bin. Daughter knows me, though and anticipating my next action thrust her hand in the box grabbing up all the shiny objects in one swoop.

“Wow!” says she “these are pretty! What do they open?”

I had no idea, but assumed maybe a jewellery box or something judging by the size and how decorative they were. I told her she could have them and she duly attached them to her phone with the rest of her prettiest possessions.

Slightly embarrassing, then, to climb the stairs later and overhear a conversation between daughter and the hub-creature starting with:
“What are you doing with handcuff keys?”

This chat in the presence of all three children; one fully understanding the connotations, one getting the gist but too embarrassed to let on, the other far to young to understand anything; least of all the need to not discuss it outside the family unit.

So the next day imagine my further embarrassment on hearing baby telling her friends her mummy must have been arrested once because the police had given her handcuff keys!

Losing credibility daily as a mum now: whenever I berate Miss-middle for anything, she points out “Well at least I wouldn’t give a child a set of keys from sexy handcuffs”; the oldest expressed curiosity at firstly where are the handcuffs and secondly how could I not remember owning any and baby still thinks I have a secret past as a master criminal no matter how strongly I protest otherwise!



Lesson for the day: When life draws a halt to your sexual activities through whatever circumstances, remove all evidence whilst you still remember its purpose.



Media? Not especially relevant (although slightly!) the amazing David Bowie singing "Reptile" with Nine Inch Nails

World Cup Rugby

On the rugby world cup….

Being as it is a big deal, I guess I ought at least to acknowledge the event!

Actually, I like to watch the rugby so it is good to have an excuse to sit around watching during the day when I should be doing far more important things!

But this being a feminine(ish) household, don’t expect any relevant punditry! The types of conversations we have do tend to veer around the clothing, players’ physiques and critiques of the fashion choices of the fans – but we are watching the sport too: honest!

So here is what is intriguing us mostly:

• COUTURE: Who the heck decided that the seventies-style tight sleeved t-shirts were appropriate for such top-heavy figures as the generic rugby player? I guess the reasoning is something to do with having the ability to grab at the opponents’ shirts or something, but the look is far from flattering! Baby is redesigning the rugby kits of the entire world as we speak!
• PHYSIQUE: This is quite possibly the only sport (unless you are one of those people who consider wrestling to be a sport rather than ballet for the perpetually unfit) in which the more out of shape you look the better you are considered at your game. Seeing a tall, fairly skinny guy on the pitch at the weekend we all just looked at one another as though to say “that guy is going to be killed in minutes!” Strangely, he wasn't - but there is something quite peculiar about a relatively good-looking slightly gangly figure amidst the more traditionally-shaped players!
• HAIR: Baby’s contribution was this: “They should shave their heads to stop them getting all sweaty in the head – especially that one; he’s far too beardy to play rugby!” She had thought it through though! The man in particular had quite a curly, bushy beard and in her mind the other players could grab it to stop him running. Says a lot for the type of matches she has been exposed to I think that she sees it as a possibility, but anyway I have to say she had a point – and they were all extra sweaty so maybe they should consider it!


The indoor games must be a bizarre experience for the players too. I grew up watching rugby with my dad and saw many games in the snow or in inches of mud which added enough to the atmosphere as a spectator; even more so for the players themselves; so to play completely void of any outdoor elements at all must make the game feel pretty strange.

Miss-middle and baby are both quite interested in playing. I remembered how as teenagers, my best friendling and I were once chatting with our PE teacher (mostly as a means to get out of doing any actual activity!) about how badly we wanted to not be playing cricket and he offered to teach us anything we chose instead … adding that favoured teacher expression “within reason”. I always suspected his next sentence was a lie and who knows I may meet him again one day and ask him, but he told us that in order to teach girls to play rugby required a “special licence” which none of the school staff had; but we could learn football! In reality, actually playing rugby at that time would not have been much fun (far too dirty – and as for all that running around! Ugh!!) and we were perfectly happy with our chosen fielding positions in cricket, passing entire lessons making daisy chains having opted to “go deep” far from anywhere the ball might ever reach but it made for a lively discussion nevertheless. Our request was not entirely unfounded, though; for one thing, there was a second playing field which was only used for rugby so the girls had never even seen it. That hardly seemed fair to us so we wanted to get onto that field too!

And yes, maybe the thought of being tackled to the ground by certain boys fuelled our request a little….


So anyway, that is about all I will say on the subject....



I don’t generally link to the IPlayer because the shows don’t stay on it for long enough – especially radio shows! But you really must listen to this – very funny ‘coverage’ of the rugby from the GLC boys which almost makes us sound like experts on the sport!

Rhys and Eggsy's Goldie Lookin' Cup

Easily Pleased - Or Not

I am not avoiding real work; I just need to clear some of the fluff from my head before I start properly!

And so here I be!


I have been accused before of being one of those people by whom it is impossible to ever feel you are doing right. I think today I see how people think that way – I don’t agree of course, but I understand.

The firstborn was ousted from college at the end of the last school year for non-attendance. In fairness to her, the college is appalling: teachers are allowed to take three week holidays in term-time and not replaced, yet the kids still have to roll up to the lesson to sign in and leave again; there is nowhere they are allowed to just hang out when not in lessons in spite of regular two or three hour timetable gaps; one teacher had her four year old child sitting in on most lessons or would be on the phone checking in with her childminder throughout; after accepting daughter for her first year, they switched some of her subjects without giving her a choice because they decided not to run certain courses... I could go on, but you get the picture; shit college, child doesn’t go, child is kicked out. She is not without ambition right now, though. There is a plan and she has taken action, having enrolled herself into a college far from home next September but in the here and now she is effectively taking an unscheduled gap year.

After having something of a mini-breakdown over the weekend I have been enjoying a rather self-indulgent week of mostly relaxing, a little reshuffle of my office, a day spent hanging out at my old place of work, a day with my mum; just being in the moment for a few days which has really suited me well (for the most part!).

Yesterday I explained to child one that I was not going to be waking her in the mornings, that if she chose to spend her life languishing in bed, it would be only herself to blame if she could not achieve the things she wanted out of life and that whilst I would do all I could to help her with the things she aims to do this year, I would not do anything for her whilst she lays in bed.

So this morning, having had Miss-middle and Baby heading out of the door in peace and calm all week, Child One was out of bed before breakfast and had commandeered the television remote for MTV in favour of the usual more sedate kid shows, created a noisy, chaotic and extremely stressful ante-school atmosphere and has disrupted the entire flow of my own day to the point where I almost want to send her back to bed!

I am used to silence throughout the house during the day, but because her focus right now is her music study I feel surrounded by noise. I cannot put my own music on as it’s too distracting for her and she is in and out of the office every two minutes “can you help?” “how do I?” “what time are you?”

So yes, it is quite possible there is no pleasing me!

Get out of bed ya lazies…. But do it without coming down the stairs and interfering with my life, ok?

That is all... thank you!