Tangram

Yes I can see that happening but it was rather relaxing to watch

Davita

As a boat captain myself, but on much bigger craft than a canal cruiser, I can say it is difficult to keep straight if boating downstream. The prop wash from a small engine, and the relative size of rudder on a long narrow boat, is rather ineffective...but it's funny to watch other F-up.

Oink

I thought the programme Last Whites of the East End that documents elements of white-flight was interesting. The sample and scale was too small to be terribly informative but it was very funny. Especially the old ladies' "tea-dance", I was just waiting to hear the sound of a hip breaking or a slightly disjointed profanity that only an East End nan would use. Anyway it was worth a watch if only for the gratuitous shot of the pie and mash shop in nearly every frame.

Stinkypup

Top Gear. Dreadful... Simply dreadful. Evans trying to copy Clarkson's mannerisms - why not be your own man?

mikelincs

Just started to watch 'Spotless' Premise is a firm that is employed to clean up crime scenes etc falls foul of a crime boss who makes then use their expertise to clean up after 'incidents'. It's a French/English production. Watched the first 3 episodes so far and it looks quite good, possibly goes into areas where US series wouldn't with necrophilia in one episode.

BristolUK

Could be interesting. 10 episodes available to download already. I'll try the first ones.

Oakvillian

I don't think that's really fair. Clarkson "borrowed" so much of his on-screen persona from Evans' TFI Friday - and frankly Willman took a lot of production cues from Ginger too, for the original Top Gear reboot in 2002. It's a bit unkind to criticise Chris Evans for aping the guy who aped him in the first place...

I thought the show was OK. Bearing in mind that it took the Clarkson/Hammond/May gang a good two seasons to bed in (who remembers that may wasn't even in the 2002 series - whatever happened to Jason Dawe?), I'll give it a watch for the rest of this series at least. I thought LeBlanc was surprisingly comfortable as a presenter rather than an actor - a bit stilted in the first studio segment, but much better by the end of the show. Of course, in the pre-filmed segments, you'd expect him to be able to cope with mugging to camera and delivering scripted lines. And they can apparently both drive, too, which is encouraging in a car show.

Oink

I haven't had the stomach for it yet.

Stinkypup

I used to watch TFI- I'm not so sure that Clarkson would have the humility to copy anyone let alone Chris Evans. I quite liked him on TFI, he is a good radio presenter but I don't think that he was a good choice for Top Gear.
I don't see why they had to continue the same plot, different cast, why not do it differently and originally? The old format with the other three was well, theirs. I feel that it would have been good to back to the drawing board and bring on something new.
Tweaking the cheap car, slight off road track etc didn't do it. Oh and Gordon Ramsey is a bloody good chef but so so smug.. A parody of old self who thinks that he really is the dogs bollox . Just my opinion though

Oink

These days they've got to make sure a foreigner and a ginger are on television, it political correctness gone mad. What next? Are they going to ban police dramas in case it upsets criminals and they're not going to allow children to play cricket anymore in case Sri Lankans see it. Is there's no end to the loony-left's interference?

BristolUK

Series two of Happy Valley every bit as good as the first so far.

A very messy killing - don't mean bloody or anything, just not easy with fighting back, no nice convenient hold or expert snapping of neck sort of thing.

It struck me as very real and how you might just "lose it" in a mad moment.

Atlantic Xpat

If Aaron Sorkin's preachy approach to politics and drama is appeals, then "The Newsroom" Series 1-3 is now on Crave TV. It didn't get particularly good reviews & is probably as far away from how an actual Newsroom works as to be meaningless but I enjoyed it when it was first on TV and have been rewatching it lately.

BristolUK

That was a brilliant series. I've always loved journo/reporter based stuff right from Lou Grant and another TV news based series...what was it...drat it, can't remember. Not Drop the Dead Donkey but that was great too, for different reasons. Possibly on channel4. Woman news reporter. I thought it was Kathryn Harrold but I can't see anything listed on IMDB.

Of course All the President's Men and more recently Spotlight were right up my street.

As was Adventure Weekly when I were a lad.

Tangram

I enjoyed it when it was on HBO and sorry it ended after series 3.

magnumpi

Rovers

Sky 1

Like The Royal Family but set in a lower league supporters bar