Revrews
Sf Clltl Moll/v. BLUE/ORANGE BBC4, Wed 23 Feb, 9pm 0000
It i'. doubtful that you Hlll see arr/thing this fortnight more intriguing or rewarding than the alliillliillflll Of .100 l’enliall's superb 200’) pla, A condemnation of the costly machinations of our mental health facilities. this three handed drama reflects the National Health Sen/ice"; ongoing struggle to take lf:‘,()()ll.‘;|l)|lll*,’ for and deal with the mentally unwell. Seemingly set in the early ltlfllls around the time when Jonathan /ito was killed by a schi/ophrenic man and
Dispatches: Holy Offensive Channel
4, Mon 27 Feb, 8pm. Religious groups and the arts are in major conflict from TV's Jerry Springer to stageplay Behtzl. Where can the line be drawn?
The Real Exorcist Channel 4, Thu 24 Feb, l0pm. A documentary looking at the scarier than fiction drama behind the 1973 movie is followed by The Exorcism. which examines exactly what goes on in the brain during this much-misunderstood practice. Kidnapped BBC l. Sun 27 Feb. 6pm. lain Glen, Adrian Dunbar, Paul McGann and Gregor Fisher star in the classic story of rebellion and romance. Later in the same day, Ewen Bremner becomes the acclaimed author in The Adventures of Robert Louis Stevenson. Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore BBC4, Wed 2 Mar, 9pm. Rob Brydon portrays the first man to say the F-word on the telly with Catherine McCormack as his wife while Julian Sands plays Laurence Olivier.
ill‘; llrSi T/lEtJUT goxernrnent initiated
nlocations of care in the community schemes and 28-day (,’)lll|ll(}lllt’:lll notices, Penhall's film follows the pre-release hours of one nutty black inmate as a pompous consultant iBrian Cox) and his young registrar argue over whether this supposed son of ldi Arnin shoulrl be released. This brutal. searing play works remarkably well on the small screen. Cox. John 81mm and Shaun Parkes are phenomenal and. wrth cuts in mental health spending proposed lll Scotland this year. this is indeed a play for today.
(Paul Dalel
TODD DOCl llv‘llNTAllY JAMIE’S SCHOOL DINNERS Channel 4, Wed 23 Feb, 9pm 0000
Jamie Oliver provokes such extreme reactions in people. but no matter what you think of him he always makes hugely compelling TV. So as Oliver takes on the challenge of revolutionising lunchtimes at a London secondary school, whether you're marvelling at one of Britain's finest kitchen pioneers or laughing as twatty fat tongue loses his rag in front of a bunch of giggling dinner ladies. you're always glued to the screen.
He may be a despicable corporate marketing pawn to many. but he lays himself open to a kicking from all comers wrth his culinary crusades. And a kicking is what he gets when he finds kids Will take
this. and ; "r.’ is S'l‘éill i>’,.":‘:" endear/tars "iam- showr‘. there fire fex. i" lllfr C'lT-fllruii'. .‘."')’i’.l 2? TV (,llfrllll"} so :r lat. then‘selms " line in the harm,- or compelling tell,
iMark Robertson,
DOCUMENT/«ll i“ CHERISHED BBCt, Tue 22 Feb, 9pm 0000
In April 2002. Angela Cannings was convicted of murdering two of her babies. The evidence was based largely on the now—disproved claims of medical expert Sir Roy Meadow. This. as the titles dramatically declare at the opening. is her story.
From the drivrng music and onerous facts that launch this real-life drama. worries that it could be full—blown melodrama are raised. but then undone. Discreet scripting and narrative are underpinnr—zd by two gripping performances. imbued wrth humility and mooesty. by Sarah Lancashire and Timothy Spall.
The trauma of losing three babies (Angela was not charged wrth a third death) would be enough to break most people. Murder charges. conv.ction. the necessity of father. Terry Cannings. givrng up his Job to look after their orin SLJO.’I‘.’|llg child. Jade. and move into a small counCil house make survival seem impossible. But the strength straining with fragility shown by the whole famin is deeply mOVing. A few moments of OTT music deCisions can be fergiven in this convincing and thorough retelling of a modern day tragedy. iRuth Hedgesi
us (IOMT ov JOEY
Five, Sun 20 Feb, 8pm 00..
TWO AND A HALF MEN Five, Sun 20 Feb, 8.30pm 000
By that final, saccharine-drenched series, it was fair to say the only bearable thing about Friends was Joey. So when he packed his bags and headed west to California’s vibrant spin-off land, squeaks of delight were inevitable. Perhaps it’s our familiarity with the leading man but Joey gets into its stride quickly as Matt LeBlanc carries the whole shebang on his sizeable shoulders, with only the occasional corny Homerism slipping out. His comic three-way with Drea Sopranos de Matteo as his brassy big sister Gina and her freakboy rocket scientist son Michael is obvious but still packed with enough simple charm and cheap gags to fill Steve Martin’s jokebook for a month. By episode three, Joey is craving friends (as in ‘friends’, not Friends) and throws a party in an attempt to win over a neighbour. Goofy and happily shallow, Joey has the potential to be properly excellent, but only if it resists the schmaltz that made its predecessor wind
up so lame.
Elsewhere in American sitcomland, Charlie Sheen is relying on the same triangular comic format but to lesser effect. Charlie plays a Malibu- residing, jingle-writing bachelor while his nerdy brother Alan is played to fine effect by Jon Cryer (yes, you’re right, that is Ducky from Pretty in Pink). The comic sidekick here is Alan’s ten-year-old son Jake. Suffering My Two Dads déja v0 is a weird sensation indeed and while Sheen’s hipster doofus is appealing, he’s just a little too close to the Joey bone. (Mark Robertson)
l‘llSlfmlC/xl REVETv'ATLTl/HNT
THE TOURNAMENT Channel 4, Sat 19 Feb, 8pm 00.
Enacting historical battles has airways seemed rather pointless to we. but this attempted recreation of a medie‘.'al Jousting tOurnan‘ent at spectacular pEll‘ifl'OKf} Castle in ‘v‘tales is actually pretty engaging. Fighting I out for a purse of gold and the lad, 's ta‘.'0ur. Charmer it has assembled a veritable Village Peobie
of horse riding types: a combo, a mounted (/()ll’;‘:lllétll ic’in‘plete
with liar‘iriiecar
r'ioustachei an arm, rl‘apr arm a "i’i's‘: tr; 'ner.
The :prograrr‘rrie
best irf its 'iiurr‘inatiori of
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some of the conventions
SLJ’TC’LilVllllg the joint
Elllfl lllt: Eill‘fllllflll Tl) historical detail rather than as riveting reality l‘:lf:/lf3l()ll i‘tlie T);1Tll’,l[)<'1lll(,?tr‘: not, to be frank partrcularl, llll‘:l‘:‘)llll’} r,ti;ir‘ar,ter'.i That said. there are some arr iisirir; nion‘ent‘. In arrange’ the liasir. training. particularly when the four take to the dance “OUT TOT (’1 (Jr/l UT {)éjlll tO-pairn reed/r/al dancing. as well as the repeated injury lT‘lSlOTlUfl‘; of accident- prone policeman, Prick Pelicanc.
rAllari Radcliffe;
'2 ’/.a' 207'. THE LIST 101