LISTINGS TELEVISION
I God Bless The Child (Channel 4)
Ill-l l .Sllpm. A gritty TV mov ic following the nightmarish journey of a motherand her child through America‘s underclass after entering a shelter for the homeless.
WEDNESDAY 22
I Bapido ( BBCZ ) 7.3t)-.s'pm. The I‘ranglais music show em crs Lou Reed. Teenage Fanclub and the IL? parodyists The Joshua Trio.
I Top Gun (Scottish ) S- ltlpm. Tom Cruise stars as daring fighter pilot l’etc Mitchell. trying to become ‘top gun' at an elite L'S air combat school and impress Kelly .\lc(iillisinto the bargain. .\lostlygung-ho nonsense. partly redeemed by astonishing aerial sequences.
I The Day The World Changed ( Bist ‘2)
S «S. lllpm. l.i/ l.ochhcad talks about the execution of Mary Queen ()fScots. the day that the lov e-hate relationship between Izngland and Scotland really began. according to I.ochhead.
I Travelog (Channel 4) SSH—9pm. John llegley \isits unitcd(icrman_\. discovering a frailcr and more fascinating (iermany cast of the old border.
I Churchill: To Conquer Or To Diet But '1) 9.3“ lll..‘~(lpm. The T\' biography ofthe tubby cigar-puffer reaches the first two years of the war and for the first time gathers ey c-w itncss reports of Churchill's stormy first meeting with his new ally Stalill.
I Golden Girls ( ( ‘hanncl 4) it)» lll_3llpm. Blanche is mistaken lor the mother of her grandchild and is too flattered to own tipto the truth. Complications ensue . .
I The 291 Club (Channel 4)
l 1.30pm l2..‘~llam. Courageous contestants try otit their acts in front ofthe tough audience at the l lackncy Iimpire. Introduced by DJ lilayne and Miles
(‘raw lord.
THURSDAY 23
I The Munro Show ( Seottisll ) ().3(L-7pnt. .‘vluricl (iray elambcrs tip Scotland‘s most southerly Munro. Ben l.omond. and encounters some talking goats on the way. UK. who spiked the Kendal mint cake'.’ I Vic Beeves' Big Night Out (Channel 4) S.3()-9pm. Repeated surrealism from Vic and Bob. remembering punk rock.giv ing otlt adv ice on aromatherapy and wheeling otit Judge Nutmeg.
I Taggart: Nest Dl Vipers ( Scottish)
9— lllpm. The concluding part of a three-episode story. with gritty Jim on the trail ol a murderer making free with deadly srlakes.
I Arena: How Did You Do It Billy? ( BBCZ) 9.3m ill..‘~llpm. The reclusive screenwriter. producer and director Billy Wilder gives his first full and frank interview abottt his life andcareer. itl three parts. continuing on Friday and Saturday. In passing. he talks about the stars he has directed. including Dietrich. Bogart. Curtis. Lemmon. Swanson. Cagney. Laughton and Monroe.
I Brides DlChrist (Channel4)
“L 1 1.05pm. A major new Australian drama set in a Sydney convent dttring the l‘)()(ls following the stories of two young novices Diane (Josephine Byrnes) and Veronica (Lisa Hensley). See preview.
I NB (Scottish) llHS—l l . 15pm. Entertainment events reviewed and previewed by Janice I-‘orsytll. Bryan Burnett and Allan Campbell.
I Just For Laughs (Channel 4) l HIS—l 1.40pm. Clive Anderson hostsa
new series of highlights from the lWl Montreal Comedy Festival. The first Programme features brash Americans Bill Hicks. Denis Leary and Roseanne Barr. I The Saltire Scottish BookAwards (Scottish) 1 HS» ll.45pnt. Jenny Brown talks to writers shortlisted for the annual award.
FRIDAY 24
I 100% (BBCZ) 7. 15—8pm. The new-look ‘youth‘ show investigates the problem of suicide among young people and pays a visit to Swansea (no connection implied). I Grace and Favour (BBCI ) 8—8.3(lpm. The ex-staff of Grace Brothers department store revive a lot of old gags best left buried as they come to terms with country life at Millstone Manor.
I Victoria Wood as Seen on TV ( BBCZ) $9.3(lpm. The repeated comedy series continues. with guests includingJuIie Walters and Patricia Routledge.
I Cheers (Channel 4) 9—9.30pm. Cliffis asked to re-enact the first mail delivery on the Boston Post Road. but his horse proves a touch recalcitrant.
I Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Channel 4) 10.35—1 1.05pm. Clive Anderson returns with a new series ofthe improvisation show. When you‘ve heard one song about domestic appliances. you‘ve heard ‘em all. I The Funny Farm (Scottish) 11.10-11.40pm. Stu Who? returns to present a new series of stand-up comedy and music. Guests on the first show are Phil Kay. Mark Thomas. Richard Morton. Mickey Hutton and Jack Dee (soon to be seen in his own Channel 4series).
I Rock The Box: Monterey Pop (Channel 4) 12.05am—i .35am. D.A. Pennebaker‘s documentary from 1967. featuring footage ofThc Mamas And Papas. The Animals. Ravi Shankar. Otis Redding and Canned Heat. Trivia fans should look out forthe carpentry work as a young Harrison Ford was the man responsible.
SATURDAY 25
I nghl To Reply (Channel 4) 6.3(l—7pm. Sheena McDonald hosts another collection of complaints from the Video Box. and studio discussions.
I Inspector Morse (Scottish) 8—10pm. John Thaw stars as the Oxford aesthete detective with Kevin Whately as his faithful sergeant.
I That's Lite (BBC1)9.10-9.50pm.
Saintly litigant Esther Rantzen and her collection of sad hangers-on continue their search for a new pop star. Any Satanic
thrash combos out there 1’
I Supper Man (Scottish) ll.()5pm—12.05am. Bard stuff for Burns night. as you wash down your haggis and whisky. not to mention neeps.
SUNDAY 26
I The Darling Buds or May (Scottish) 7.45—8.45pm. Return of the sickly sweet Larkins who stormed the ratings charts last year. Mariette (Catherine ZetaJones) is on the verge of producing the first Larkin grandchild.
I African Nations Cup (Channel 4) 8—9.3(lpm. Highlights ofthe African soccer tournament offering viewers a rare oppportunity to see the likes of Cameroon and Algeria battling it out. Stars tolook out for include Abedi Pele othana. Laghrissi of Morocco and Charlie Ntamark of Walsall and Cameroon. Channel 4 are running this as a prelude to that ludicrous collection ofpadded meatheads playing around the commercial breaks in the American Superbowl. another example ofthe Yanksinventing their own daft game so that they can be the best in the world. As the rest of the globe knows. the round ball rules.
I Loveioy(BBCl)8.15—9.1tlpm. lan McShane stars as the Antiques Roadshow-style detective advising on the restoration ofan ancient harp belonging to guest stars. top Irish rockers l Iothousc Flowers. Next week he provides a valuation for Teenage Fanclub‘s collection ofold Batman comics.
IATime To Dance (BBCI )9. IO—lllpm. The third part of the Melvyn Bragg menopausal fantasy starring Ronald Pickup and Dervla Kirwan.
I The Cloning Dl Joanna May (Scottish) 9.35—lll.35pnt. A two-part fantasy thriller based on the Fay Weldon novel. Joanna May is a wealthy woman who is still infatuated with her estranged husband. who still loves her. or a version of her. An intriguing tale of lust and genetic experimentation.
I Screen Two: Flea Bites ( BBCZ)
10.05—1 1.35pm. Alan Dosser directs a charming tale of the developing friendship between a young boy (Anthony Hill) and a Polish exile (Nigel Hawthorne) who share a fascination for the flea circus. the ‘smallest show on earth'.
MONDAY 27
I Horizon: In Search DlThe Noble Savage (BBCZ) 8. l()—9pm. A report on the culture and plight of the American Indian or Native American as it has become vogueish to call them.
I The Falklands War (Channel 4) 9— lllpm. The third programme in the four-part war history follows the Task Force‘s landing in South Georgia.
l‘ I El CID (Scottish) 9Llllpm. John Bird returns in the Costa Del Sol drama.sans
partner. but with his daughter(Amanda Redman) turning up to fill the gap.
' Ithirtysomething(Channel4)
l()—l().55pm. They‘re dropping like flies in
the yuppie soap. Who will be next'.’
TUESDAY 28
I Gamesmaster((‘hannel 4)6.3()—7pm. Dominik Diamond presents more video-game reviews and demonstrations. subjecting another celebrity to ritual humiliation at the hands of a spotty young games enthusiast.
I Cocktail (Scottish) 9— ll).
10.40-1 1.35pm. Tom Cruise again. this time in a ludicrous tale of a bartender impressing women with his manual dexterity (behind the bar that is) and ending up with a suitablycompliant heiress. Tosh from start to finish.
I Spender(BB(‘l)9.3(l—lt).25pm. Jimmy Nail stars as the less-than-polished plain-clothes copper fighting crime on Tyneside.
I 40 Minutes: (BBCZ) t).5()—l(l.3f)pm. The plight of women in prison is examined
through the tale of a mother in Holloway and her daughter growing up outside.
WEDNESDAY 29
I Churchill (BBC1)9.3()—l(l.3()pm. The third part ofthe four-part television biography follows his career to the end of the war and a crushing defeat in the 1945 General Election.
I Golden Girls (Channel 4) 10— 10.30pm. The Miami geriatrics series continues. with the usual crop of hormonal gags.
I The Secret Cabaret (Channel 4)
10.30—1 1pm. Simon Drake presents another collection of grisly stunts. gothic illusions and a fascinating expose of con-men‘s tricks.
I The 291 Club (Channel 4)
l l .3Ilpm—12.3()am. Hackney Empire plays host to more wannabes trying to bring a little bit ofHarlem to East I
London. lntrodttced by DJ Elayne and Miles Crawford.
THURSDAY 30
I The Munro Show (Scottish) b.3(l—7pm. Muriel Gray earns more money for old rope. walking boots and backpacks. scampering up another mountainside in the irreverent outdoors show.
I Taggart: Double Exposure (Scottish) 9—](lpm. The first part of a three-episode story. The mystery stars with the apparent suicide of a Glasgow lawyer. How is his death connected to the harassment ofthe only remaining tenants of a run-down tenement?
I The Germans (Channel 4) 9—10an The first in a new four-part series looking at the largest country in the EC and its people. See preview.
I Fire In The Blood ( BBCZ)9.3tL-1l).3t)pm. Meanwhile. BBCZ looks at the Spanish. in the first of a six-part series introduced by Ian (iibson. looking at the culture. religion. history. attitudes and aspirations of a vibrant nation.
I Brides DlChrisl (ChanneN)
Ill—l 1.05pm. The second-part ofthe
Australian drama serial set in aconvent.
starring Oscar-winning Brenda l‘ricker.
I NB (Scottish) HHS—l 1.15pm.
Entertainment events reviewed and
previewed by Janice l’orsyth. Bryan
Burnett and Allan Campbell.
IJust For Laughs (Channel-1)
ll.()5—l l .4llpm. (‘iive Anderson hosts
highlights from the 199] Montreal
Comedy Festival.
I Russian New Music (Channel 4)
1 1.4(lpm—12.3llam. A new series devoted
to Russian avant-garde music. opening
with a 50-minute profile ofesperimental
pianist Sergey Kuryokhin. Sec Music
preview. i
_ _ .. .J The List 17 — 3(lJanuary 1992 61