Category: bbc

David Tennant saturation…

david_tennantYou just might have noticed that there are a couple of Doctor Who episodes showing on BBC1 during this festive period.

What’s more, they are the last appearances as the Doctor by David Tennant – a role he has played for the past four years.

It’s generally accepted that Tennant has played a blinder as the time-travelling Gallifreyan, something no-one thought possible when he took over from Christopher Eccleston, back in 2005.

I’m a big fan and have already watched the Christmas Day episode and am looking forward to the final throw of Tennant’s (and Russell T Davies’) dice on New Year’s Day.

What I do object to, though, is the utter Doctor Who – and of David Tennant, in particular – saturation across the BBC in the last couple of weeks.

He alone is apparently making 75 appearances on the BBC over Christmas and New Year.

I’ve seen him presenting Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as a panellist on QI and a guest on Alan Carr’s Chatty Man. I’ve also heard him on radio being interviewed by Kirsty Young for Desert Island Discs, co-presenting the Jonathan Ross Saturday morning R2 slot with Catherine Tate, interviewing Dr Who collaborator Russell T Davies on R2 for a show called Who on Who and at least one other appearance I can’t remember.

Surely, this is total overkill? Most of us understand the need to plug important shows, but there’s a limit to the amount of exposure one show/man can expect.

Worst of all, it doesn’t even seem to have worked that well. Christmas Day viewing figures showed that, although 10 million people tuned in to see Tennant in action, it was only the 3rd most watched programme behind EastEnders and the Royle Family, and down on both of the previous two years’ audiences.

The Tennant exposure is not the first time that the BBC has been accused of overfilling schedules this year. When U2 released their new album back in February, the BBC came in for flak for heavily plugging the launch of No Line On The Horizon on Radio 1, 2, 4 and BBC2.

On the one hand, this shows how popular the BBC is and how many external outlets desperately want to be linked to its important shows, but it also gives weight to those naysayers who are trying to reduce the BBC’s power and influence.

Let’s just hope the New Year’s Day episode of Doctor Who does well, because otherwise poor David Tennant’s efforts will be sorely in vain.

Bruce Forsyth proves why it’s time to quit Strictly

bruce forsythHow ironic that something someone else had done has highlighted why it’s time for Bruce Forsyth to hang up his Strictly Come Dancing hat.

The furore over Anton Du Beke’s use of the word ‘paki’ towards his dancing partner Laila Rouass had all but died down, when Bruce entered the fray earlier today.

The Daily Mail reported this morning that Bruce had said that Du Beke’s comments were no worse than Americans calling us ‘limeys’ and he effectively criticised the culture of political correctness that exists in the UK.

But less than 12 hours later, Bruce seems to have backtracked and now says that ‘Du Beke was wrong’.

Bruce Forsyth may have been a wonderful entertainer in his day and have delighted audiences, but it’s clear that the BBC might have to wave goodbye to his multitude of talents after this faux pas.

Equally, the powers-that-be will be wondering what to do about Du Beke. There had been whispers that he was in line to succeed Brucie and his latest gig on Hole In The Wall seemed to endorse that fact, but this is likely to put a dent in that ambition.

Privately, the BBC is still backing Bu Beke, but the rumours that Terry Wogan is a candidate to take over Strictly next year will become much stronger after this latest furore.

Sadly, it seems that even the slightest of tongue-slips can dent the loftiest of ambitions and it’s not always the older generations, such as Forsyth and Ron Atkinson, who are prone to gaffes.

When is a TV tribute night not a tribute night?

davidleanSo last night was David Lean tribute night on BBC4 – except it wasn’t really, was it?

Tribute nights have become popular currency on TV in recent years. Whether it’s a way to bulk out the schedules or a genuine homage to a feted TV show/celebrity/music act, they crop up with increasing regularity on the terrestrial channels, at least.

The David Lean night was a classic case of much puff and not enough substance. There was a very interesting documentary from Jonathan Ross is his film critic mode, followed by the classic Lean movie In Which We Serve – and that was it. That was the sum total of the David Lean night.

You’d have thought the BBC might have been able to stretch to showing two of Lean’s movies, but no. Just the one.

To make matters worse, the night was sandwiched between a repeated Mark Lawson interview with Richard Wilson. Oh, the shame!