TELEVISION LISTINGS
I Horizon: Genie (BBC2) 8—8.50pm. The disturbing story of Genie. who spent the ’ first thirteen years of her life in a small Californian town tied up in a single room with a deranged. violent father and a blind mother. When she was discovered in l970. she was used as the subject of experiments by linguists. paediatricians and psychologists.
I Under The Hammer (Scottish) ‘)—l0pm. Richard Wilson stars in the auctioneering comedy/drama. which is shaping up as lTV's [.m'ejnv. A portrait looks likely to attract a substantial sum. until doubts begin to emerge about its authenticity.
I Homicide: Lite On The Street (Channel 4) 10—1 lpm. A therapist visits the Baltimore Homicide Division. and an initially reluctant Bolander (Ned Beatty) ends up asking her out on a date.
TUESDAY 1
I How Do They Do That? (BBC!) 8—8.45pm. Avuncular host Desmond Lynam presents the pop science show highlighting human problem-solving ; achievements.
I Undercover Britain: A Home For Olive (Channel 4) 9—9.30pm. Behind that mild- mannered GAP facade lies retired social worker Lilias Ward and a hidden camera. recording the neglect and iniquities in Britain‘s retirement homes.
I All Quiet On The Preston Front (BBC! ) ‘).30—lO.20pm. The Territorial Army comedy drama finds Hodge (Colin Buchanan) sharing some of his deepest secrets with the nerdish Eric.
I 40 Minutes: Squeegies (BBC2) 9.50—10.30pm. Who are those people who insist on scrubbing your windscreen at traffic-lights? People like Leah. the 28- year-old ‘Queen Bee‘ who strikes up a relationship with her captive customers. I EXS: Meeting Grappelli (BBC!) l0.20—l().5()pm. A new series ofthe BBC Scotland arts documentary strand opens with a profile of 86-year-old violinist Stephan Grappelli who pays a visit to his friend and collaborator Martin Taylor in Ayr. ()ver tea and jazz he recounts stories from his remarkable lite.
NY
.4): . 4‘ fl I I I I Bill Hall (Channel 4) 10—! l.55pm. Ken Loach's enthralling tragi-comedy won the European Film ()f The Year prize in l99l. Robert Carlyle plays a young Glaswegian seeking work as a labourer in London among a group of wise guys. idealists and 2 cynics. I Whiclter's World: Aboard The Real Orient Express (Scottish) 10.40—1 1.40pm. Alan Whickerjoins royalty and celebrities i on board the express from Singapore to Bangkok. During the trip the Duke of ' Kent sings Noel Coward. and the Brits ; attempt to teach the Malaysians how to play cricket. One for all you diehard ? imperialists out there. L_fi_.___ __ ___, _ 74 The List 28 January Ii) February l‘)‘)4
, Grantham stars as undercover ex-cop ; Mick Raynor in the depressingly ' downbeat crime series. Finding himself
I The late Show (BBC2)
ll. 15—] 1.55pm. Sheena MacDonald presents the first Scottish edition for 1994 with a rare performance from the Cocteau Twins and a profile of wn'ter A.L. Kennedy among the highlights.
WEDNESDAY 2
I On The line (BBC2) 7.30—8pm. A report on the problems faced by some footballers‘ wives. including neglect. alcohol abuse and domestic violence.
I Travelog (Channel 4) 8.30—9pm. Andy Kershaw travels to Romania to see how the country has changed since the downfall of the Ceaucescus.
I 99-1 (Scottish) 9-lOpm. Leslie
framed. Raynor devises an ingenious plan to outwit a drugs baron.
I The Day Today (BBC2 ) 9—9.30pm. Radio hit On The Hour takes the TV route. Steve Coogan does his bit as hapless sports presenter Alan Partridge. and the rest of the team includes Armando lanucci. Chris Morris. Doott Mackichen and Patrick Marber.
I G.0.S.Il. - Great Onnond Street Hospital (BBC 1 ) 9.30—10. l()pm. Sue Cook presents a behind-the-scenes documentary at the London hospital as it moves into a new building and faces the problems ofcompeting in the market- place.
I Middlemarch (BBC2) 9.30-l0.30pm. The fourth episode of Andrew Davies‘s six-part adaptation of the classic George Eliot novel. Mr Brooke‘s (Robert Hardy) candidacy for Parliament is undermined by his less-than-convincing performance on the hustings.
I Walk On The Wild Side (Channel 4) [1.05-1 1.35pm. A report from suburban Surrey on the activities of teenage computer hackers who obtain information from secret government and industry files. ‘ and steal from credit card companies.
who fails to find inspiration for an acne cream. Before he knows it. there‘s a boil growing out of the side of his head and it‘s talking to him. . .
I The Man From Auntie (BBC!) lO—lO.30pm. Ben Elton offers more sardonic and satirical observations on life as we live it.
I Married With Children (Scottish) 10.30—l lptn. The third episode of the English special finds Al and Bud on the run from a bunch of murderous villagers.
FRIDAY 4
I The living Soap (BBC2) 7. !S—7.45pm. Plenty of prejudices confirmed in this episode as student layabout Karen heads abroad for a holiday in the sun just as the new term starts.
I Home Truths (BBC!) 8—9pm. Radio star Steve Wright hosts the series looking at the professional and private lives of celebrities from sport. entertainment and politics.
I The Chief (Scottish) 9—l()pm. Cade faces a tough moral diletnma when an anti-abortion campaign intitnidates a young woman with its propaganda.
I Home Improvement (Channel 4) 9.30—10pm. ‘My life is hardware‘ is the catchphrase ofTV DlY man Tim Taylor.
j played by Tim Allen in this satirical ' sitcom. it currently tops the ratings in the USA. Will it become another big hit for
Channel 4 over here‘.’ See feature.
5 I Further Abroad With Jonathan Meades: i ‘ Belgium (BBC2) 9.30—10pm. Plucky cockpit of Europe. or boring Lowlands
backwater? Meades discovers a country where the bizarre is commonplace. exploring coffin shops. horse restaurants.
' the Penguin Museum. and the Undenvear
Collection. I Roseanne (Channel 4) 10—] 1pm. A
, new series of the hit sitcom with an , audience second only to Home Improve/rim! in the States. Darlene (Sara
Gilbert) is off to college. unless David cat) persuade her otherwise . . .
I The Unpleasant World or Penn And
THURSDAY 3 ;
I Minder (Scottish) 8.30-9.30pm. The
interminable Cockney series finds Arfur
9—9.3(lpm. Cholesterol-heavy fun with
selling a dodgy car to a nun. and reaping the consequences. I The All-lieu Alexei Sayle Show (BBC2 ) .
Lex and pals. Stephen Lewis (the legendary Blakey from ()n The Buses) returns as an inspector — in the US police. I Absolutely Fabulous (BBC! ) ‘).3()—l()pm. Edina attempts to reduce her bulk by using mud and bandages. but her mummification is interrupted by the death of her father.
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I How To Get Ahead In Advertising (Channel 4) 10—1 1.45pm. Director Bruce Robinson and his Wit/mail And I star Richard E. Grant are reunited for a savagely funny satire on the advertising industry. Grant is the ruthless copywriter
Teller (Channel 4) l().3()—l 1.05pm. Those vulgar Americans make a big mistake
' when they take on the muscle and wit of
Alexei Sayle.
I The Omen (Scottish) l0.3()pm-12.35am. Gregory Peck and Lee Remick star in the frankly scary tale of an
American atnbassador to London who
eventually clocks on to the realisation that the infant he is raising as his son is in fact the Antichrist. i hate it when that happens.
SATURDAY 5 WEDNESDAY 9 ‘
I Grandstand (BBC!) l2. lS--5.!Spm. Featuring live coverage of the Scotland v England rugby international from Murrayfield.
I NYPD Blue (Channel 4) 9— 10pm. Caruso and Sipowitz investigate a double homicide at a liquor store. while Goldstein ignores Kelly‘s warnings about confronting criminals. See feature.
I A City or Sadness (BBC2) llpm—l.35am. Hou Hsiao-hsien's powerful portrait of a family embroiled in
, the conflict during the years between the
end of Japanese rule in Taiwan and the Communist takeover of mainland China. I Broadway Stories: The Brain Goes Home (Channel 4) l l.5()pm—lZ. 15am. The sad story of The Brain looking for refuge with one of his ‘dolls‘ after being stabbed by one Daffy Jack.
I Camera (Channel 4) 8—9pm. Another TV opera. this is composed by Anthony Moore with a libretto by Peter Blegvad. from an original idea by singer Dagmar Krause. lt‘s set in an imaginary tax-haven installed Tardis-like in a suburban house.
Weird. . I The Pope Must Die (Channel 4)
9—10.55pm. This film‘s Scottish cinetna
run was probably lengthened a day or so
by the support of fanatical Rangers supporters. but is the most dismal effort Robbie Coltrane has put his name to. He plays a rockin‘ pn'est mistaken for a Mafia frontman. Comedy of errors stuff ensues. all errors and no comedy.
I The South Bank Show (Scottish)
l lpm—midnight. Held over from last week. Lenny Henry pays a visit to the USA where he investigates the live comedy scene and contrasts the attitudes of US comics to the Brits.
I Alice In The Cities (Channel 4)
l l.55pm-2am. Dreary director Wim Wenders applies his painstaking approach to American culture in this opaque tale of a photo-journalist and his nine-year-old daughter travelling across the States.
MONDAY 7
I The lien And Stimpy Show (BBC2) 6.25—6.50pm. More adventures of the cool cat and crazy chihuahua in the cult American animation series.
I Cutting Edge: Shoplifting (Channel 4) 9—l()pm. A look at Britain’s biggest growth crime industry from both perspectives; the store detectives who try to prevent it. and the thieves coming up with ever-more ingenious methods of pilfering.
I Dave Allen (Scottish) l().4()—l 1.10pm. Observational wit and shaggy dog stories
I from the old-fashioned Irish comic.
TUESDAY 8
I Stormy Monday (Channel 4)
l()—l l.4()pm. A noirish British homage to the Hollywood B-movie frotn director Mike Figgis. set in Newcastle. Sting plays
- a jazz club owner. with Sean Bean as a
drifter who falls in love with American waitress Melanie Griffith. Visually stylish. if somewhat aimless stuff.
I EXS: My Name Is Albert Watson
(BBCl) l().2()-l().5()pm. A profile of the word-famous photographer who is virtually unknown in his Scottish homeland. Among those paying tribute to
I his talent are Al Green. Gary ()ldman and Eatnonn McCabe. See preview.
I Nighttighters (Scottish)
3 1040—] 1.40pm. The rarely-heard story of
the black pilots who formed the most
i successful US fighter squadron in the
. Second World War. They had to overcome , racist prejudice to become pilots. and their - - actions played a significant role in the
‘ growth of the Civil Rights movement after
the war.
I Middlemarch (B BC!) 9. 30— 1 0.30pm.
A further instalment ofthe 19th century town saga. adapted from George Eliot‘s
novel.
I S & M (Channel 4) 10.35—1 1.05pm. Repeated improvisation from vulgar Englishman Tony Slattery and tubby Yank Mike McShane.
I Walk On The Wild Side (Channel 4)
l |.()5—l l.35pm. Revelations from the world of youth crime in the investigative documentary series. Tonight we‘re on the
' razzle with ‘Possil Girls' directed by Liz
Ingram.
I Repossessed (Scottish)
lviidnight—l.3()am. Linda Blair rather sportineg appears in this [iron-is! spoof.
. She‘s all grown up now but still prone to a spot of satanic spewing. Otherwise the
SUNDAY 6
gags are all tedioust signposted.
THURSDAY 10
i I Minder (Scottish) 8.30—9.30pm. More dodgy dealings and Cockney capers with . George Cole.
9 I Absolutely Fabulous (BBC!)
9.10—10pm. Jennifer Saunders plays scatty PR Edina. with Joanna Lumley as Patsy and Julia Sawalha as long-suffering daughter Saffron.
I Bagdad Gate (Scottish) 10.30—1 lpm. US comedy from the diner in the desert.