The first recording today starts with the end of Best of Friends.
There’s a trail for Animalia.
Then, an episode of SMart – Heroes which is actually a repeat from 2005.
Media Centre Description: Mark Speight and Kirsten O’Brien present the programme that turns everyday objects into exciting and easy-to-make pictures. Mark strolls through Monet’s garden and is impressed with what he sees, Kirsten gets clicking with her mouse to become a digital pop art princess and in Arty Towers the pair box clever and get their heads into masterpieces.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Sunday 18th November 2007 11:58
There’s a trail for The Sarah Jane Adventures. There’s also a short animated programme called Bernard.
Then the recording stops during Bring It On in which it appears Dick ‘n’ Dom have rebranded as “Rich & Dom”
The next recording starts with the end of Newsround.
There’s another trail for Animalia.
Then, another episode of SMart which suddenly has a third presenter, Mike Fischetti. I don’t like change.
Mark and Kirsten create a picture of a Woolly Mammoth.
Kirsten and Mike go out to a rock face, and make a big picture of a river.
Mark teaches some children to draw an elephant.
Mike makes a Hollywood sign from shadows.
Andy Akinwolere from Blue Peter is in the studio, and there’s a lot of ribbing him over the fact that fellow presenter Gethin Jones is currently on Strictly Come Dancing.
Andy helps Mark create a Nigerian village scene.
Kirsten makes a pig from corrugated cardboard.
Marks mother comes to visit.
The children compete to create portraits of Andy.
Media Centre Description: Fun tips for improving your artwork. Blue Peter’s Andy Akinwolere joins Kirsten, Mark and Mike in the studio to find out about cling-film art, make animals out of cardboard, and create a waterfall while abseiling. There is also time to draw a Nigerian village scene in pastels.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Sunday 18th November 2007 16:58
After this, there’s a trail for The Sarah Jane Adventures. Then the recording stops with the start of Chucklevision.
The next recording is a repeat of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – The Disaster Show.
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. A broadcast goes haywire when the cue-card workers and propmasters stage a wildcat strike.
Recorded from More 4 on Monday 19th November 2007 00:08
After this, there’s the start of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The last recording today starts with the end of Graham Norton Uncut.
There’s a trail for Never Mind The Buzzcocks and a new trail for the next Mighty Boosh.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly-discovered superpowers they possess. After ‘helping’ Suresh search for more people with special abilities, Sylar’s rampage continues with two Heroes being confronted by the stronger-powered serial killer. Nathan must factor what he’s learned from Linderman into difficult decisions that will shape the future. As Thompson uses every tool at his disposal to find Claire, Linderman drafts Jessica into his far-reaching plans.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Monday 19th November 2007 00:15
Today’s first recording is Film 2007 with Jonathan Ross and it’s a repeat of the one we saw three days ago. I skip goodness knows how many, but keep two copies of the same episode. Stupid past me.
Media Centre Description: Russell Crowe talks about his role as a 70s cop in ‘American Gangster’, which sees him working with ‘Gladiator’ director Sir Ridley Scott again. Plus, reviews of the epic adventure ‘Beowulf’ and a look at the film version of Monica Ali’s bestselling novel ‘Brick Lane’.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Saturday 17th November 2007 14:38
After this there’s trails for The Omid Djalili Show and Lead Balloon. Then there’s the start of a movie, Legend. No, not Tom Hardy as the Kray Twins, it’s Tom Cruise and pixies versus Tim Curry as the devil.
The next recording is another episode of Robin Hood – Show Me The Money. Someone on this show likes using movie references as episode titles. We’ve actually missed last week’s episode (which was called For England…! which I would say is a Goldeneye reference)
The previous episode revolved around a Pact to overthrow the King, and had a guest appearance by Denis Lawson. In this episode, Robin is still trying to get hold of the pact, when they catch someone in a trap in the forest, but when he tells them he needs £2000 to pay off a bond to the Canon of Birkley for his fiancée, Robin sees a way to find the pact, and offers to pay off the bond.
Allan is advising the Sheriff about all the ways Robin gets into the castle. Marian threatens him to stop.
Tony Slattery plays the Canon of Birkley (a quick blast from the Slatterywatch klaxon which doesn’t get quite as much use as it did in the 80s and 90s). When John brings the money to him, he won’t release his fiancée because she’s already been bought by another lord, so he tells him he still has to pay “early redemption charges”.
Marion talks to her father, still being held in the dungeon. “I must warn Robin.” “Is he worthy of all these risks you take for him?” “Yes!” “He can’t change anything.” “Yes, he can. He’s going to show the traitors’ Pact to the King. The Sheriff’s days are numbered.” “And does Robin know where it is? This Pact?” “No. But he’ll find it.” “The pair of you… You’re dreamers.” “Dreamers?! Because we are not weak like you?” “How dare you?” “You caused all this! You allowed the Sheriff to take your job. You stood there and did nothing.” “That is not true.” “And you condemn Robin… You should be helping us.” There’s nothing that hurts a parent more than disapproval from your children. When she leaves, he realises he’s taken a small knife from her hair.
Robin finds Allan in the castle, and there’s a fight. Allan keeps protesting that he wouldn’t betray him. I wonder how long we have to wait before the inevitable redemption arc? Marian has to stop Robin killing him, because he’s so worried he’ll betray her.
They mount an escape for John’s fiancee Beatrice.
Marian’s father, clearly stung by her calling him weak, has used her knife to kill his jailer, and got into the Sheriff’s bedroom, where he believes the Pact is being kept. Robin arrives, just as he finds it in the Sheriff’s safe, and there’s a tense moment when the Sheriff wakes up, and suspects someone’s hiding in the room. Robin has to distract the Sheriff while Marian’s father escapes.
They get out to the courtyard, but the Sheriff gets there and warns the guards. So Robin has to distract them, by shooting the bags of money that the Sheriff has suspended in a birdcage above the courtyard, so all the guards are distracted by the loot.
They almost get away, but the Canon of Birkley catches them, and threatens Marian’s father. Robin warns him off. “Leave it, Birkley! You’re a man of God. You cannot kill.” “And you, Hood, are a man of war who cannot kill!” So Robin kills him.
But Birkley has already stabbed Marian’s father, and there’s a tearful death scene. “I’ve never quite understood my daughter’s feelings for you.” “Well, I probably don’t deserve them.” “No, I think maybe you do. You’d better take this…Pact.” “You will NOT give up your life for mine.” “For England. Robin, listen to me. For Marian to lose both of us would kill her.” “Edward, Edward… That is not going to happen.” “Give her a message from me. Tell her… Tell her… ..it’s good to dream.”
Another tearful scene when Marian sees her father.
Gisborne tells Marian she might not be safe in the castle. He found the knife that killed Edward’s jailer, and it’s her knife. “The Sheriff WILL care. And when he finds out that it was your dagger that killed his jailer, he will hang you.”
Robin is in her room ready to comfort her. I did wonder for a moment if they’d contrive to make her think Robin was responsible, but thankfully they didn’t. “It’s my fault. I told him he was weak.” “He died a hero’s death. He got the Pact. For England.” “He died believing he had a wilful daughter.” “No. He asked me to give you a message… ‘It’s good to dream.'” He takes her to stay with them in the forest.
To end on an upbeat note, Robin performs a wedding for John and Beatrice.
Media Centre Description:
Recorded from BBC ONE on Saturday 17th November 2007 19:05
There’s a reminder about voting on Strictly Come Dancing. Then the recording ends with the start of National Lottery Who Dares Wins.
The next recording starts with the end of A Perfect Spy.
There’s a trail for The Genius of Photography and one for The Omid Djalili Show.
Then, the first episode in a new series of Lead Balloon – Giraffe. Rick is the ‘Celebrity Oracle’ on a quiz show presented by Michael Fenton Stevens, where he manages to lose the contestant a car.
Magda has handed in her resignation. She’s got a job interview at the Nail Bar.
Tony Gardner’s Michael loves quiz shows. “Yes, some of the answers they give. The stupidity of the general public never ceases to amaze me.”
The husband of the contestant on the quiz show is saying that Rick said if they were wrong he’d buy the car himself, so Rick ordered a tape from the studio and is trying to persuade his writing partner Marty that he said “A Car”.
Rick learns that one reason Magda is leaving is that she thinks Rick called her a dog. “Last week in the kitchen, you were making a sandwich and I said, aren’t you going to clean up after yourself?” “Yeah, and I said Magda will do it.” “You said Magda will clear it. Why keep a dog and bark yourself?”
He thinks he should buy Magda some flowers to apologise, and almost steals some tribute flowers from the scene of an accident.
He has agreed to buy a car for the contestant to the value of his fee for the programme, £2,000. He goes to a dealership run by Bob Marlin (Ralph Ineson), and balks at spending the whole £2K, preferring to buy a much cheaper car. Marlin tries to dissuade him from the cheaper car but Rick is determined to pay as little as possible. But when they come to the paperwork he asks “Yeah, on that subject, I was wondering if you could let me have an invoice for, I don’t know, a little bit more, like £2,000 or something.” “Well, I can’t falsify the paperwork if that’s what you mean.” He tells him how his father went to jail for 18 months for dodgy dealing, and it broke him.
Magda comes back, the Nail Bar job having fallen through. “They say I’m not good at talking with customers.”
Rick bought another very cheap car from the small ads. “£450 with a full tank of petrol?” But he gets a ring on the doorbell. It’s the police. “The thing is, her husband’s had it checked over by the A.A. and it turned out it’s a complete death trap.” “Really? Well, look, I had no idea.” “We need to know where you got it from because if someone’s charged you a couple of grand for what is essentially a coffin on wheels, we need to know about it.” And he gives them Bob Marlin’s name.
So the programme ends with Bob Marlin being led away from his wife and young son by the police.
Media Centre Description: Sitcom. Jack Dee returns as angst-ridden comedian Rick Spleen for series two. According to Rick, his career is blossoming and he’s never been so popular. In other words, he’s still a self-deluded liar. In the opening episode, Rick appears as a ‘Celebrity Oracle’ on a day time quiz show. Back at home, Magda, his surly Eastern European help, has finally handed in her notice.
Recorded from BBC FOUR on Saturday 17th November 2007 20:58
After this there’s a trail for Visions of the Future. Then the recording stops with the start of Dawn French’s More Men Who Do Comedy featuring Graham Norton.
Strap in everyone. There’s over 8 hours of TV today. It might be a long one.
The first recording starts with a trail for Cranford. There’s also a trail for Monarchy: The Royal Family At Work. I think this was the series whose trailer got the BBC into a lot of trouble because it was edited to make it look like the Queen had stormed out of a photoshoot.
Then, it’s the first part of Children in Need 2007. Excuse me while I shed a small tear at the sight of BBC Television Centre.
It’s presented, of course, by Terry Wogan. He tells us they raised £18.3m on the night last year, so I wonder if they’ll manage that this year.
The first item tonight is a countrywide singalong of a song from Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat led by the winning Joseph, Lee Mead. I have to admit, as someone who grew up in the 70s, I couldn’t help joining in, as we did a Joseph medley at school, so those songs are in my head forever.
Lee’s microphone cuts out halfway through, and they gamely continue with just the children backing singing, and they bring out a hand microphone, but that doesn’t work either! They have to vamp a little longer, and it’s not until he finally puts the coat on that a floor manager comes running on to switch on the microphone. After yesterday’s Disaster Show on Studio 60, I quite enjoyed this.
After the performance, Terry congratulates Lee on winning “Rear of the Year” and comments “I found myself through hard experience that people don’t look at your face. They look at your trousers.” A sly reference at the recent controversy of his rather too tight corduroy trousers on Points of View which left little to the imagination.
Andrew Lloyd Webber brings on the first of this evening’s oversize cheques.
Fearne Cotton goes backstage and catches some men in their underwear in costume.
The stars of Hollyoaks sing a medley of T-Rex songs. It’s not a great performance.
The Spice Girls are seen by satellite from America where they’re preparing for their World Tour. They’ve got this year’s CiN single. One thing I notice is that there’s almost no satellite delay here. I presume that’s because the BBC could use a whole broadcast channel to an actual satellite, whereas today channels would tend to use internet transmission, where the latency is rather higher.
CBBC presenters Sam and Mark do a fairly creditable performance of the soul classic Try a Little Tenderness although it’s very clear they are basically doing Andrew Strong’s performance from The Commitments.
There’s a fun Robin Hood segment, featuring Lucy Armstrong and Richard Armitage.
John Craven has a cheque from a Countryfile calendar.
Jason Donovan sings a song.
Angellica Bell meets Joe Swash at the top of the Post Office Tower. (I’m old, that’s what it’s called.)
There’s a performance by the Shaolin Monks. I wonder if the child labour laws apply to them?
Wendy Peters from Coronation Street performs a Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend and Material Girl mashup.
Fearne is backstage with Anton du Beke.
Ronan Keating beings in a huge cheque from Radio 2.
The first total of the night is £5,175,608.
The Spice Girls perform the official single, Headlines (Friendship Never Ends).
John Barrowman sings Your Song accompanied by Myleene Klass.
Fearne goes backstage with some Strictly stars.
John Barrowman then introduces a special Doctor Who mini-episode. It’s written by Steven Moffat, and it features the Doctor meeting one of his former selves, played by Peter Davison. And this would have been before Davison was Tennant’s son-in-law, when he married Georgia Moffett, Davison’s daughter.
This is entirely delightful. It’s a whole story, but it’s drenched in fanservice. In a good way.
Gabby Logan, who recently left Strictly, which according to Terry was a big shock, performs a foxtrot, introduced by Arlene Phillips.
There’s a dance from the Strictly professionals.
Sharon D Clarke sings Aretha Franklin’s RESPECT.
Simon Cowell, Danni Minogue, Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne are wheeled on stage for an awkward feeling link. Cowell looks like he thinks he might be shot at any time.
Last year’s X-Factor winner Leona Lewis performs Bleeding Love.
There’s another total. £8,028,267
Boyzone have reunited and do a medley of their hits, along with some slightly half-hearted choreography.
There’s Junior Dragon’s Den.
Joss Stone performs a song.
There’s an Eastenders tribute to Sgt Pepper which feels like they’ve covered the whole album.
There’s more music from the cast of The Bill.
And a song from Kylie Minogue.
The first half of the evening closes with another total. £10,928,932
Media Centre Description:
Recorded from BBC ONE on Friday 16th November 2007 18:58
After this, there’s a trail for football, and a trail for Never Mind the Bozzcocks when the recording ends.
The next recording starts with the end of BBC London News, and the weather.
There’s trails for Radio 5 Live, Cranford and Radio 1Xtra.
Then Children in Need 2007 continues, beginning with Pudsey doing the “In The Air Tonight” Cadbury’s advert.
There’s a performance from the London cast of Dirty Dancing.
There’s another total showing how much was raised during the news. £12,227,725
More music from the Sugababes.
And music from Westlife.
There’s quite an amusing Hotel Babylon sketch, with a large number of cameos from classic sitcom performers.
More music from David Gray, who sings Babylon (no relation).
The Newsreaders do All That Jazz from Chicago.
There’s another performance from the Spice Girls.
Music from Annie Lennox.
There’s another total. At this stage they’re still almost £4,000,000 short of last year’s on the night total. I’m still pulling for them.
Jo Brand presents a special edition of Never Mind the Buzzcocks pitting Radio 1 (Fearne Cotton, Chris Moyles and Tony Blackburn) against Radio 2 (Terry Wogan, Ken Bruce and Jeremy Vine). Rather delightfully, they’re doing it live in the studio, so it’s rather shambolic.
There’s another total. Inching closer. £16,504,463
Lee Mead, after having sped across London to appear in Joseph on stage, has come back to perform another number, a cover of the David Essex classic I’m Gonna Make You A Star.
Fearne talks to Jo Brand and the rest of her winning team backstage.
McFly perform.
The cast of Grease perform a couple of songs.
Denise Van Outen performs The Look of Love. Not the ABC one, the Dusty Springfield Burt Bacharach one.
Breakfast presenters Carol Kirkwood and Chris Hollins perform Baby It’s Cold Outside.
There’s a gallop around the regions for some performances, starting with Shayne Ward.
Alfie Boe.
Wet Wet Wet.
Eliot Minor, who I have never heard of before this minute.
There’s another West End cast, this time, the cast of Footloose.
The total is getting close to last year’s but still not over. Announcer Alan Dedicoat promises that if they beat the total he’ll read out the total naked. “Naked as a jaybird” he says, in what is undoubtedly a reference to Ray Stevens’ hit, The Streak.
There’s more music, from The Songbirds.
More music from the regions, with Orson.
Aled Jones.
Kate Nash.
Hard-Fi.
Fearne is backstage again, this time where they’re calculating the totals for the donations.
There’s a few repeats of items seen before. Then more music, this time from Blake, a vocal group of ex rugby players. Thankfully, they chose not to sing “The Hair on her dickie di-do” and instead opted for the much lovelier “God Only Knows”.
The cast of Rent perform the song from Rent.
I’m fairly sure that’s a young Luke Evans there on the right.
The final total of the night has, thankfully, beaten the total for last year, although it was close. I wonder if, this being 2007 and the start of the financial collapse, money was tight for more people this year?
Media Centre Description:
Recorded from BBC ONE on Friday 16th November 2007 22:34
After this, there’s a trail for National Lottery Who Dares Wins.
There’s Weather, a trail for The Blair Years and a different trail for The Omid Djalili Show.
Then, as a special treat for me, the recording continues with almost a whole episode of Top Gear albeit a signed version. This one was memorable for me because of the segment where Jeremy Clarkson drives a tiny car around the BBC White City building. The day they were filming this, my team had to go to a meeting in White City (we usually worked in the Broadcast Centre around the corner) and Clarkson was waiting outside the window standing next to the car.
The recording stops just before the programme ends.
The next recording (yes, there’s more) starts with the end of Quatermass II (parts of which were filmed literally just up the road from me).
There’s a trail for Radio 1Xtra. And an ad for the Digital Switch-over.
Then it’s Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Best of Both Worldspart II. and it’s hard to believe I don’t have this on my tapes, but thinking about it, I definitely had it on VHS, so I probably didn’t bother recording it when it came around on Sky.
I just explained to my children the circumstances surrounding this particular episode. That it was part 2 of a story, where part 1 had set up a huge cliffhanger, and was also the last episode of the previous season, so we, as an audience, had to wait until the start of the next season. I guess it’s lucky that US TV seasons stretch (with repeats) to around nine months, so the wait for part 2 would have been about three months. Over here, I think we had it better, and we might have got the videos at the same time, but I can’t remember now.
I suspect most of my readers are probably familiar with this story. So here’s a few of my highlights.
I love the very swift resolution of the cliffhanger, where Riker orders Worf to fire on the Borg cube with their supposed Borg-busting weapon – only to have it not work, because the assimilated Captain Picard, now identifying as Locutus of Borg, knows all their plans.
In a call to Admiral Hansen, when the ambitious Commander Shelby, a Borg specialist, says “You realize, Admiral, that with the assistance of Captain Picard the Borg will be ready for your defenses” he rebukes her. “I never met anyone with more drive, determination or more courage than Jean-Luc Picard and there is no way in hell that he would assist the Borg. I want that clear. He is… a casualty of war.”
The small tear from Picard’s eye, as he’s having more Borg shit applied to him.
Elizabeth Dennehy is good as Commander Shelby. She keeps pushing Riker for the now vacant First Officer slot, despite the fact that he doesn’t like her.
Riker telling his command crew that he needs then all to remain in their current posts, and gives Shelby the Number One job.
Guinan giving Riker a pep talk when he really needs one, and demonstrating the immense value of casting an Oscar winner in a role like this. “Picard is still here with us. In this room. If he had died, it would be easier. But he didn’t. They took him from us a piece at a time. Did he ever tell you why we’re so close?” “No.” “Oh. Then let me just say that our relationship is beyond friendship, beyond family. And I will let him go. And you must do the same. There can only be one Captain.” “It’s not that simple. This was his crew. He wrote the book on this ship.” “If the Borg know everything he knows it’s time to throw that book away. You must let him go, Riker. It’s the only way to beat him. The only way to save him. And that is now your chair… Captain.”
The Enterprise reaching Wolf 359, the site of the unsuccessful attempt by the Federation fleet to engage the Borg. Also, how strange that this episode has come up just a few days after Invaders from Mars also mentioned that star, leading me to wonder if its use here was a reference.
Riker ‘negotiates’ with Locutus from the Battle Bridge, which we don’t often see. Also, are viewscreens holographic, because Locutus is definitely looking to the side of his laptop camera in this shot.
Emergency Saucer Separation, which is only for the direst emergency (or that time in the pilot episode where they just wanted to show that the Enterprise does this now).
The reveal of Riker’s plan, with Data and Worf on a shuttle, launching while the Enterprise and the Borg ship are firing at each other.
Data and Worf boarding the Borg ship and capturing Locutus.
They get back to the shuttle and leave. As they exit the Borg shield, the Borg ship fires on them and the shuttle explodes. But Transporter Chief O’Brien never misses.
Locutus is dismissive of Riker’s tactics. “A futile maneuver. Incorrect strategy, Number One to risk your crew and ship to retrieve only one man. Picard would never have approved.”
“Captain, the Borg have entered Sector 001.”
Data is linking his positronic brain to Picard’s Borg implants. Crusher is there to monitor his lifesigns, Deanna is there to see if Data is reaching Picard. Chief O’Brien is monitoring Data’s positronic brain. It’s a real team effort.
When Data gets a connection into the Borg command system, Locutus wakes up, and starts trying to get out of his link. It’s not looking good until a had grabs his arm with all the pointy stuff on it. It’s Data.
Then Picard makes contact with Data.
“Sleep, Data.” Picard is able to tell Data which Borg subcommand he should feed into the collective, to make all the Borg go into regeneration mode.
Shelby takes an away team to the Borg ship to confirm all the Borg are in regeneration mode. They spot that the ship has started a self destruct cycle and get out of there quick.
Farewell Borg Cube.
Picard survives the breaking of the link. Riker asks him “How much do you remember?” “Everything. Including some brilliantly unorthodox strategy from a former First Officer of mine.”
Shelby leaves to go and help rebuild the fleet. Riker’s back in the First Officer’s chair. And Picard… isn’t quite better yet. I love the non-triumphal feel of the end of the episode.
Media Centre Description: Sci-fi drama series about the crew of the USS Enterprise. Kidnapped and assimilated by the Borg, Capt Picard is trapped aboard their ship. At the helm of the Enterprise, Riker is faced with a momentous decision.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Saturday 17th November 2007 02:38
After this, there’s a brief teaser for… something.
And a trail for Radio 1Xtra.
Then, the next episode starts, and the recording has about five minutes of it.
The next recording starts with the end of the previous episode.
The next episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation is Family.
Here’s a new spacedock we’ve not seen before.
Worf’s adoptive parents are visiting the Enterprise, and of course he’s not looking forward to it.
Meanwhile, Picard has decided, during his recovery from the Borg, to visit his brother at their childhood home in France. As he’s walking there he meets a young boy, his nephew, and tries to have a joke with him, which the boy completely fails to understand. Picard’s long-standing inability to interact normally with children strikes again. The boy speaks perfect English with no accent.
He meets his brother’s wife, Marie, who also speaks perfect English. She’s played by Samantha Eggar.
Picard and his brother really don’t get on.
The third family-themed story in the episode has Dr Crusher looking at her late husband’s belongings. I swear, when she opened the container, I thought “Why is there a Santa suit in there?” It’s his old-style Starfleet uniform. She finds a holographic recording her husband made for Wesley just after he was born, and wonders if she should give it to him.
Picard meets an old friend, Louis, who’s working on a scientific project to raise the ocean floor. Louis tells him that the project is looking for a new leader, and tells him he’d be ideal for the position.
Guinan talks to Worf’s parents. His mother says “I’m afraid that Worf feels that we do not understand him.” “Well, part of him may feel that way. But there’s another part that I’ve seen. The part that comes in and drinks prune juice. The part that looks out the window towards home. But he’s not looking towards the Klingon Empire. He’s looking towards you.”
Picard’s friend Louis tells him that the Atlantis Project are definitely interested in offering him the post of Director.
Worf’s parents talk to him about his discommendation by the Klingons from an earlier episode. “We didn’t exactly understand it all.” “We didn’t have to. We know what kind of man you are.” “Whatever you did we know it was for a good reason.” “I must bear my dishonor alone.” “That is not true.” “I’m sorry if this is too human of us but whatever you are suffering you must remember we are with you.” “And that we’re proud of you. And that we love you.” “You are our son.” I love these two.
Picard’s brother is needling him. Picard asks “Were you so jealous?” “Yes, damn it! I was always so jealous, and I had a right to be!” “A right?” “I was always your brother. Watching you receive the cheers. Watching you break every rule our father made and get away with it.” “Why didn’t you break a few rules?” “Because I was the elder brother the responsible one. It was my job to look after you.” “Look after me? You? You were a bully!” “Sometimes… maybe. Sometimes I even enjoyed bullying you.”
Inevitably, this turns into a fight. But after they’ve rolled around in the mud for a while, they both start laughing. Picard says “You were asking for it, you know.” Robert replies “Yes, but you needed it. You have been terribly hard on yourself.” And this finally breaks the dam that’s been holding him back. “You don’t know, Robert. You don’t know. They took everything I was. They used me to kill and to destroy and I couldn’t stop them. I should have been able to stop them. I tried. I tried so hard. But I wasn’t strong enough. I wasn’t good enough! I should have been able to stop them. I should… I should…”
Wesley plays his father’s holographic message.
Picard says goodbye to his family, and even gets a hug from his brother.
After he’s left, they look out as their son is sitting under a tree. Marie says “He’s still out there. Dreaming about starships and adventures. It’s getting late.” Robert replies “Yes. But let him dream, hmm?”
Media Centre Description: Sci-fi drama series about the crew of the USS Enterprise. While docking for repairs at an Earth station, the crew has an opportunity to visit their families, an experience that is particularly painful for Captain Picard.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Saturday 17th November 2007 03:23
After this, there’s a trail for Earth: The Power of the Planet which explains the earlier teaser. These programmes were always popular in our house as at least one of my daughters was fascinated with geology and earthquakes.
There’s also a Digital Switchover ad. Then the recording stops with some Pages from Ceefax.
The first recording today starts with the end of Property Ladder.
Then, another episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – The Disaster Show.
Alison Janney is the guest host, and I have to say, every scene she has with Timothy Busfield is great, and it makes me quite emotional to see them together, in another Aaron Sorkin show. The West Wing is one of my favourite ever shows, so parts of this one did make me slightly emotional. OK, mostly when these two are interacting, but it’s CJ and Danny, together again. Who wouldn’t love that?
Cal has to explain to the cast that the propmasters have gone on strike. “Well, Danny was talking about the contract negotiations and he got frustrated and he said something a little impolitic that may have been interpreted the wrong way.” “What did he say?” “He said, ‘For the love of God, you’re just prop guys, you’re easily replaceable.'” And not only the propmasters, but the cue card guys.
Simon’s girlfriend has broken up with him. “She says I’m never with one woman for more than a couple of months.” “How long have you been with Stephanie?” “A couple of months.” “Well… It lasted a couple of months because she just broke up with me.”
Harriet does an unintentional spit-take when she discovers she’s got alcohol in her mug instead of water.
Alison Janney’s monologue doesn’t go well. They’ve given her an earpiece so she can hear Cal in the gallery, and when she makes her entrance he breaks the news to her. “Okay, Allison, say “thank you” right now if you can hear me.” “Thank you.” “Good. You’re probably noticing there are no cue cards out there. I lied before, we don’t have the cue card guys. I didn’t want to make you nervous.” “Thank you very much.” “I’ve got the script right here, if you need us.” “No, you’re really too kind.” “That’s the spirit.” When the monologue’s over she calls up to the gallery. “I will come up there and kill you.”
Jack Rudolph arrives with someone from security. Someone has called in a bomb threat, referencing a sketch called “Mohammed, the Thin Skinned Prophet”. Jack asks “What do you think about dumping the live show so everybody can get out and airing the dress?” “We can’t air the dress tonight.” “Why not?” “We record the signal in RGB, we were missing the “B.”” “You didn’t record the color “blue” at the dress?” “Yeah, we also had to interrupt the first music set when a tool belt fell on the stage.”
Lucy and Tom are due to go to Hawaii in the morning, but they were going with Simon and Stephanie. Now Stephanie has dumped Simon, it’s looking like the trip won’t happen. But when they pass Simon, he’s heading to the Green Room to find a date for Hawaii.
He might be in luck, as there’s a woman called Claire in the green room who once went out with him, but he didn’t phone her the next day. “I tried calling you 50 different ways.” “You are so full of it.” “I lost the piece of paper, but I remembered all the digits were prime numbers. One, three, five, seven, 11. I had Tom Jeter’s little brother, a mechanical engineer, kick out all the possible combinations and I called them all.” “You’re kidding.” “I’m not.”
The Bomb Squad arrive. They have a German Shepherd who only speaks German.
Everything is going wrong. Alison is expecting gunshots and squib explosions, but they don’t come, so her actions look a bit strange. “Did I look stupid?” “Well, you can probably check it out for yourself on YouTube in a couple minutes.”
Simon gets a surprise when his ex-girlfriend Stephanie turns up and apologises for breaking up, saying she wants to go to Hawaii and stick with the relationship. So he has to disappear and break it off with Claire.
Jack has been getting progressively drunker as the evening goes on. He compliments Alison. “I watch every episode, and The West Wing’s never been better.” “We’ve been off the air for over a year.” “Loved you on Chicago Hope.” “That was Christine Lahti.” “Not my night.”
Simon breaks up with Claire. Painfully.
Lucy sees Stephanie, and sympathises with the break up. “I think you’ve misread Simon. I’ve gotten to know him over the past year, and I think I can tell when he’s serious about a girl and when he’s just going for a snog.” “I know, you’re right. I’m gonna make it up to him in Hawaii.” “No, it’s too late. He’s already invited someone else. But I am sure when we get back…” “He invited someone else?”
There’s a great payoff from the sketch which had missing gunfire and squibs when they’re doing a James Bond Sketch.
They get the caller of the bomb threat. A teenager who had been watching the rehearsal, and who left his phone at the studio, so they called him up and told him to come and collect his phone, so they can arrest him. “What the hell were you thinking?” “Honestly, sir, honestly, I just thought… I thought it would be on the news and we’d see it on TV.” “Take ’em away.” “Why wasn’t it on the news?” “It’s Friday night.” “Aren’t bomb threats a big deal?” “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”
Even the closing goodbyes are a mess. “All right, you know what? That’s it! I’m supposed to stand here and pretend a German Shepherd isn’t sniffing me right now. The whole night has been a complete disaster. The prop guys walk out ’cause Danny Tripp is an idiot! And there are no cue cards! I had no cash in my wallet! And the machine gun went off a half hour after I got shot!”
“Now I’m turning you on in the control room. If you can hear me, say, “Thank you.”” “Thank you.” “It was a bad show. Can you hear me?” “Yeah, thank you very much.” “I mean, classically bad. But it still beats digging a hole for a living, right? Tell me you still didn’t have the time of your life tonight.” She smiles, nods, looks straight at the camera and says “Thank you.” And I’m crying again,
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. A broadcast goes haywire when the cue-card workers and propmasters stage a wildcat strike.
Recorded from More 4 on Thursday 15th November 2007 21:58
After this, there’s the start of Sex in the 90s – Lap Dance War.
The next recording starts with the end of Newsnight.
There’s Weather. And a trail for The Blair Years.
There’s also a TV Licensing ad. And a trail for The Omid Djalili Show.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly-discovered superpowers they possess. After ‘helping’ Suresh search for more people with special abilities, Sylar’s rampage continues with two Heroes being confronted by the stronger-powered serial killer. Nathan must factor what he’s learned from Linderman into difficult decisions that will shape the future. As Thompson uses every tool at his disposal to find Claire, Linderman drafts Jessica into his far-reaching plans.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Thursday 15th November 2007 23:18
And a trail for Radio 5 Live. Plus an ad for The Open University.
Then, the recording ends with the start of Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe which I have unaccountably failed to archive. Shame on past me. I really regret it.
The last recording today starts with the end of Don’t Tell The Bride. This is a show that I only know from the trailers, and it looks like it could be a horrible mess. Maybe some are, but this episode (the first in the series) looks like it turned out pretty well. And I don’t know who these people are, but I was crying. She even liked the can-can girls he arranged, which might have needed some context from the parts of the programme I don’t have here.
There’s a trail for Can Fat Teens Hunt.
Then the first episode in series 3 of The Mighty Boosh – Eels. I guess I have to accept that this programme just isn’t for me. I think my problem with it is, I’ve never taken drugs.
Vince tries to sell a range of elbow patches, but they don’t sell well.
Naboo and Bollo go away for the weekend on a magic carpet, for a stag do. Among the other guests is Richard Ayoade.
Rich Fulcher plays a woman who saw some obscene graffiti on the shop shutters about Howard, and wants to avail herself of his services.
Vince is menaced by a green man with a polo mint over one eye, who has rather an obsession with eels.
For some reason, the schedule seems to have been running very late, and the end of the programme is missing.
Media Centre Description: Surreal sitcom about a jazz fan, a fashion victim, a mystic and their gorilla friend. Naboo and Bollo are off on the Head Shaman’s stag do, leaving Howard and Vince in charge of Nabootique. The duo challenge one another to a sales contest, each trying to sell their latest fads, elbow patches and the indie celebrity radar. Things go well until an unexpected visit from the evil cockney Hitcher. After summoning Elsie Queen of Eels, the Hitcher demands protection money from the boys.
Recorded from BBC THREE on Friday 16th November 2007 01:48
The first recording today starts with the end of Bear Behaving Badly.
There’s a Children in Need trail.
Then, an episode of SMart – Food. First, some painted toast.
Mark makes a picture with flour.
Some edible stained glass windows using boiled sweets and dough.
Kirsten meets Prudence Emma Staite, as artist who makes sculptures out of chocolate, all designed to be eaten.
She and Kirsten make some chocolate portraits.
Mark makes a picture with rice.
Morph tries his hand at teaching.
Kirsten makes some pop-art with potato prints.
Mark helps some children with their art problems.
There’s a brief biography of Cezanne.
The big studio art piece is portraits made from a lot of food.
Media Centre Description: Mark Speight and Kirsten O’Brien present the programme that turns everyday objects into exciting and easy-to-make pictures, as well as answering art queries. Kirsten’s dreams come true as she learns to make art with chocolate, Mark gets creative with flour and there are some surprising facts about old master Cezanne.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Wednesday 14th November 2007 10:43
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly-discovered superpowers they possess. After ‘helping’ Suresh search for more people with special abilities, Sylar’s rampage continues with two Heroes being confronted by the stronger-powered serial killer. Nathan must factor what he’s learned from Linderman into difficult decisions that will shape the future. As Thompson uses every tool at his disposal to find Claire, Linderman drafts Jessica into his far-reaching plans.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Wednesday 14th November 2007 21:00
After this there’s a trail for Lead Balloon and a trail for The Might Boosh.
Then there’s the start of Heroes Unmasked…
Which continues in the next recording. It’s Heroes Unmasked – Isaac which says goodbye to Isaac Mendez. It’s still quite odd to hear him with his natural UK accent.
There’s a clip of him in a UK production of Taming of the Shrew.
Oh God, now they’re captioning Mr Bennet as “H.R.G.” Make it stop.
Milo Ventimiglia talks about his relationship with Isaac, before heading off to a job interview.
Ruth Ammon talks a lot about the design of the rooftop outside Isaac’s apartment, and how it started as one of Isaac’s paintings, so they needed a distinct piece of decoration that would make it instantly recognisable.
Dennis Hammer: “It was a very difficult thing to lose him because he’s a fantastic guy and gave a great performance and it was one of the things in the first season that was difficult.”
My recording cuts off before the end.
Media Centre Description: Behind the scenes of the drama series Heroes. This edition looks at Isaac Mendez, the character who has overcome drugs, the loss of his girlfriend and the prospect of death, whilst still managing to remain a Hero. Includes an exclusive interview with actor Santiago Cabrera, plus a look at how the Deveaux Rooftop was created and conceived, a set that has been the scene of dramas for so many of the Heroes.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Wednesday 14th November 2007 21:45
The last recording today starts with the end of Drop Dead Gorgeous.
There’s 60 Seconds of news.
There’s a trail for Radio 5 Live and The Mighty Boosh.
Next, there is a new episode of Heroes – Five Years Gone.
Future Hiro explains to Hiro and Ando what happened. “Five years ago, a man named Sylar exploded in the heart of the city, changing the world forever.” In this future, Hiro tried to kill Sylar but couldn’t because Sylar had already got Claire’s powers. Hiro tells him that Peter got his message, and saved Claire. Future Hiro asks him if he killed Sylar, and Hiro has to tell him no. He tells Hiro he has to go back. “On the day the bomb explodes, you have to kill Sylar.”
But their discussion is cut short as the authorities arrive – led by Matt Parkman. Is he working for the bad guys now? He captures Hiro, but Ando and Future Hiro get away.
They need help to get Hiro back so he can go back in time to kill Sylar. They need to find Peter, so they go to Las Vegas, where Peter’s girlfriend is. Guess who she is? It’s Jessica. Of course, Ando’s reaction is “Maybe the future’s not so bad.” Hardly surprising, since he was one of her best customers when she was selling webcam access.
She doesn’t want to take them to see Peter. When she meets Peter, he’s got a huge scar on his face. I was hoping for an eyepatch or a goatee, given this is sort-of an alternate universe story, but a big scar counts too. But we do learn that it’s not Jessica, but Niki, who’s in charge.
Nathan is President. He talks to Mohinder, asking if he’s found a way to reverse the superpowers. Mohinder admits he hasn’t. Nathan starts talking about another option. “In your original assessment, you posited a potential solution. Extinction.” “Yes, but I never meant to suggest that…” “‘They wouldn’t be the first species to be exterminated for the preservation of another.’ Your words.” “I was talking about the natural order of things. What you’re talking about is genocide.” “Self-defence. And I’m not suggesting it lightly. We’ve just run out of options.” “You’re one of them, Nathan. Am I supposed to march you off to the gas chambers as well?” “I’m thankful for the secrets you’ve kept. But let’s be honest. I can fly. I’m hardly dangerous.”
Bennet appears to be running some kind of underground railroad for superpowered people. And because he’s a good guy now, he’s lost the horn-rimmed glasses. Future Hiro and Ando ask him to put them in contact with some of the people he’s saved. They use the fact that Hiro helped save Claire’s life five years ago to work on him.
Bennet goes to see Claire and tells her she needs to disappear again. But she’s got a boyfriend and they’re planning to get married.
Parkman almost captures Ando and Future Hiro but Peter arrives and gets them away. Parkman goes to see Bennet, who had tipped Parkman off about them, so they’re working together. But Parkman turns on Bennet, and finds out where Claire is from him, so he can bring her to Nathan.
Ando learns from Peter that he’s dead in the future.
Mohinder tells Nathan that he thinks Hiro is trying to go back to the past and Kill Sylar, stop the bomb and save the world. Nathan tells him “Today I’m going to announce that you’ve developed a treatment to reverse this.” “You’re going to lie.” “The world will cheer.” “And what happens when people start dying?” “I’ll say you made a mistake… ..a fatal error. At first, the world will mourn. They’ll be united in grief. And then they’ll just be united.” Then Parkman arrives to tell him that the Hiro they have in custody is one of two. Parkman says “I want to put him down.” “No. I want Dr Suresh to do it.”
Parkman has brought Claire back for Nathan. He’s monologuing now. “I’m the leader of the free world. For all I know, I’m the most special person there is. Lord knows I found enough power. Met a lot of special people. Like this girl named Candice, who allowed me to become president. But I’m done. I just want to eliminate the competition. I don’t need any more power, especially not after you.” Then he changes into Sylar and starts taking the top of her head off. This is getting very grim.
Peter, Future Hiro and Ando go to the DHS to rescue Hiro.
Upstairs, Mohinder is there, about to deliver the fatal poison to Hiro, while the Haitian uses his power blocking powers to keep Hiro there, and to ensure that Peter and Future Hiro can’t get past Matt and his troops. But Mohinder hasn’t lost all his morals, and he injects the Haitian instead, which allows Peter and Future Hiro to use their powers to get to Hiro.
It’s a good thing Mohinder read Isaac’s comic. This is what Isaac meant when he told Sylar he was giving them the means to kill him.
Future Hiro gets shot by Parkman. He phones Nathan, who’s just given his address telling the world he’s discovered the cure. He tells him that Peter’s holding him off, so Nathan/Sylar just flies away from the memorial.
He gets Peter out of the room, and the two face off, Sylar revealing his true identity.
Hiro transports Ando and himself back in time, after some encouraging words from Ando. He’s back on the balcony outside Isaac’s apartment. He looks at the comic, showing him killing Sylar. “Now the hard part.”
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly-discovered superpowers they possess. Thrown five years in the future, Hiro and Ando discover that people with extraordinary abilities are not only widely known about, but are being registered, imprisoned, hunted and even killed as terrorists. As the President takes his first step towards a ‘final solution’, the pair get swept up in what could be a final battle and encounter a range of new and darkly familiar faces.
Recorded from BBC THREE on Wednesday 14th November 2007 22:00
After this there’s a trail for The Mighty Boosh and Radio 1Xtra.
Then the recording stops with the start of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. No, they’re not re-running the series, it’s the rather less successful original movie.
Media Centre Description: Mark Speight and Kirsten O’Brien present the programme that turns everyday objects into exciting and easy-to-make pictures, as well as answering art queries. Mark paints a picture on an RAF plane, Kirsten finds that art is a fairytale and Morph’s imagination is all at sea.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Tuesday 13th November 2007 10:43
Media Centre Description: Drama series about the British Security Service. Attempting to stop an Iranian nuclear deal on British soil, Adam is framed for the killing of a mugger, who turns out to be a journalist investigating the Tehran train bomb. Ros fears Adam may have been compromised by his source, the Iranian Special Consul’s wife, with whom Adam is conducting an affair. The journalist on the verge of printing the story, Ben Kaplan, might in fact be the one person that can save Adam and the credibility of MI5.
Recorded from BBC ONE on Tuesday 13th November 2007 20:58
Then the recording stops after the start of The Ten O’Clock News. It leads with a damning report about abuse within the immigration services. It’s depressing to see that this country can’t run a decent, humane immigration system no matter who’s in power, although in this instance, the abuse was from people working for private contractors.
The next recording starts with the programme already in progress. It’s a new episode of Spooks – series 6 episode 6, and this recording is missing most of the ‘Previously On’. Adam and Ros talk about what happened at the end of the last episode, when Ros killed Ana, the wife of the Iranian Consul, after she tried to kill Adam. She tells Adam “Harry’s told Bakhshi. We’ve agreed to let him prepare his own cover story.”
Harry tells the team that he’s been informed that, because the Iranians knew that the original trigger plans were fakes, there must be a mole on the Grid. Which might be awkward for Ros since she definitely put three listening devices there. And her handler from the shadowy Yalta group listens in while Harry is telling them that.
Now they know the triggers obtained by the Iranians are heading to Tehran today, they have to ground every flight. But then they receive an email threat telling them that if the triggers don’t make it to Tehran, a poisonous neurotoxin will be released into the water supply.
Ros meets her Yalta handler. They’re behind the real triggers. They’re anti-American, so arming Iran seems sensible to them.
Ros suggests they try to get the Iranian Consul Bakhshi on their side, And that’s how we learn that she didn’t kill Ana at the end of the previous episode.
They discover that the triggers are flying out to Tehran on a British airline flight. Malcolm gets on the plane to set up covert communication for the Grid, but while he’s there he’s monitoring the maintenance team, who are saying that the plane’s flame arresters have been smashed, meaning the plane shouldn’t fly. “If she hits turbulence, there’s nothing to protect the fuel vapour. If she flies through an electrical storm, she’s a sitting duck.” But they can’t delay the flight because Bakhshi would release the poison. And of course, Harry finds out it was the Americans who crippled the plane so it wouldn’t take off.
Adam boards the flight. He’s given three possible passengers who could be the courier, and he’ll have to search their bags somehow, without tipping anyone off, because if the Iranians get wind of it they’ll release the poison. Luckily, Ros is also on board posing as part of the cabin crew.
Jo and Malcolm get to where the poison is set to go off, but there’s a trap and it’s released. So they have to find a way to stop it entering the water supply.
Malcolm realises that because the pumping station is underground, if they kill the power, not contaminated water can be pumped up. So Jo has to go to town on the mains electricity circuits with an axe.
Harry goes to see Bakhshi to try to get him to stop the triggers. As leverage, he lets him talk to his not dead wife.
Ros and Adam don’t find anything on any of the three suspect passengers. But then they discover that Connie’s list was incomplete and there is an extra passenger. They work out who it is, and Adam ascertains it’s an American man, who he suspects isn’t the frequent Tehran visitor he says he is. They also get word that the poison has been stopped, so they can now do whatever they can to stop the triggers. Adam roughs the man up, handcuffs him, and destroys his laptop, as that’s the only place the triggers could be.
The plane is supposed to divert from Tehran, but the pilots are not altering course because they now think Adam’s behaviour is a hijack attempt. Malcolm instructs Ros to send a code via Bluetooth, which cuts the plane’s fuel pumps so it has to make an emergency landing, But it also causes some extreme turbulence, and Ros is knocked unconscious. One of the passengers sees this – he’s one of the suspects Adam had to check out earlier – and he takes some breaths from the oxygen masks, then leaves his seat to help Ros. Then he and Adam get her into a seat and put a mask on her, then share the other mask. I did like this moment of solidarity.
Nobody thinks to help the handcuffed American though.
Harry talks to CIA chief Hogan and tells him they found the courier. Hogan tells Harry that the American was one of his agents, put there in case Adam screwed up. Which I guess he did. So the courier is somebody else.
Harry phones Adam to tell him the news. He figures out that the reason the pilot wouldn’t reroute when he got the orders to was because it’s the pilot who was carrying the triggers. But he’s being held on the plane and can’t stop the pilot.
Somehow, the Iranians have someone on this NATO airbase ready to switch bags with the pilot.
The man who was in the Grid sweeping for listening devices was actually working for Yalta. “We can’t afford to burn Ros. Not yet.”
Ros finally realises the pilot was the courier, but she doesn’t find anything in his bag. Then she sees the jeep with the pickup man driving away and realises the triggers are gone.
Media Centre Description: Drama series about the British Security Service.
Recorded from BBC THREE on Tuesday 13th November 2007 22:30
There’s a report on which films are attracting Oscar Buzz.
And a location report on Brick Lane.
Media Centre Description: Russell Crowe talks about his role as a 70’s cop in ‘American Gangster’, which sees him working with ‘Gladiator’ director Sir Ridley Scott again. Plus, reviews of the epic adventure ‘Beowulf’ and a look at the film version of Monica Ali’s bestselling novel ‘Brick Lane’.
Recorded from BBC ONE on Tuesday 13th November 2007 23:23
The first recording today starts with the end of an episode of Bear Behaving Badly.
There’s a trail for Raven: The Secret Temple.
Then, after a long hiatus, it’s an episode of SMart – Elements.
It’s a signed showing. I’m not quite sure there’s enough wind to really get Mark’s hair like this.
They make windsocks decorated as carp.
Morph does a bit of unintentional kitesurfing.
Mark draws a picture of the Great Fire of London.
Mark visits an art project where a group of children help build a dragon sculpture of wood.
Then they set it on fire. Typical bloody kids.
There’s a short biography of Turner.
Mark draws the Weather.
They use a digger to make some bigger art.
In Arty Towers, they make some bubble painting.
Kirsten makes an underwater scene.
Here’s the big studio picture. I think it’s the end of V For Vendetta.
Media Centre Description: Mark Speight and Kirsten O’Brien present the programme that turns everyday objects into exciting and easy-to-make pictures, as well as answering art queries. Mark helps some Cornish viewers send a sculpture up in flames. Kirsten makes art for a windy day. And a digger driver creates a picture in the mud.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 12th November 2007 10:43
Then the recording stops with the start of Get 100.
The other recording today starts with a trail for Brasil Brasil.
Then, we have a classic movie, which I’m surprised I never recorded on my tapes. It’s Invaders from Mars, the 1953 original, not the 1986 Tobe Hooper remake.
I love 1950s titles.
And you don’t often get the credit “Production Designed and Directed By”
Young David MacLean is a keen stargazer. His dad is an important scientist working somewhere secret.
Late at night, he’s woken up by a lot of noise, and sees a flying saucer appear to land somewhere behind his house. We see, but he doesn’t, that the saucer buries itself under the ground. He tells his father about it, and he goes out to see if there’s anything there, but he’s somehow taken underground.
In the morning, he hasn’t returned, so his wife calls the police, who go and look around. Then one of them falls into a newly appearing hole in the ground. Shortly followed by the other policeman.
David’s father returns, but he’s very sullen and miserable.
David notices a strange scar on his neck, and when he asks about it, his father hits him in the face.
David goes out and looks at where the saucer landed through a telescope, and he sees a little girl walk over there and disappear.
He goes over to the neighbour’s house and tells the girl’s mother that she disappeared, but as he’s telling her, the girl arrives at the door. She’s got the same impassive expression on her face as his father.
He runs out, and sees smoke coming from the house’s cellar. Someone has poured petrol down there and set it alight.
He goes to the police, but the police chief has also been changed, and orders him to be put into custody. But the thing I want to talk about is how, for a film that’s directed by the production designer, it has a lot of very minimalist sets. The police station has almost nothing in it, and I wonder how they wind that clock.
The desk sergeant, who hasn’t been taken over, calls for someone to come and see David. She’s Dr Pat Blake, from the city health department, and she listens to David’s story about the spaceship and how his father changed. He can’t quite believe it, so she phones a local astronomer Dr Stuart Kelston, who tells her he knows David. “He’s a pretty realistic young fella.”
David’s mother comes to pick him up, but his father is with her too, so she’s been taken over. Dr Blake prevents them from taking him by telling them that he’s developing Polio. She’s my favourite character so far.
She takes David to see Dr Kelston. “He’s my favourite astronomer” he says. Then there’s a very long exposition scene during which he talks about the possibility of life on other planets, and around other stars. He singles out one in particular just as an example – Wolf 359. Which I only knew as the location of a massive space battle in Star Trek The Next Generation and had just assumed it was made up. But it’s a real star. So now I’d really like to know if they used it in Star Trek as a reference to this film, or if it’s just a coincidence.
His lecture moves to more local places. “Here’s one of our artist’s conception of a Martian landscape.” “Grass, lakes, vegetation?” “They’ve got oxygen in their atmosphere, and water vapour too.” “And ice caps at either pole, just as we have.” “Still, what does all of this mean?” “That some form of life exists on Mars.” “But it looks so bleak and deserted.” He just showed an artist’s impression with grass and vegetation, and then says there might be some form of life. So what’s grass and vegetation then?
He then breaks out his collection of models of spaceships that people have “reported seeing.” He’s got all sorts of spaceships.
Even one that closely resembles the one David saw.
David gets to use the big telescope at the observatory. Kelston is still lecturing. “There isn’t enough oxygen on Mars, and the surface is too cold to support human life as we know it. There is a theory, consequently, that their cities are underground, near some central core of heat, or that they live in spaceships.” “You don’t believe that?” “I’m a scientist.” “But it can’t be proved.” “It can’t be disproved, either. Could you disprove, for example, that the Martians have bred a race of synthetic humans to save themselves from extinction?” “Synthetic humans?” “The theory calls them mutants.” He’s the worst scientist ever.
He shows them one possible reason why Martians might want to come to earth. There’s a rocket at a nearby airbase. He explains what it might be used for. “Then it’s merely a matter of time before we set up interplanetary stations, equipped with atomic power, and operated by remote control. And if any nation dared attack us, just by pushing a few buttons, we could wipe them out in a matter of minutes.” And he’s worked out a complete conspiracy theory-style explanation for everything. “What’s David’s father?” “He’s an engineer over at the Armistead Plant.” “What’s made at that plant, David?” “Gosh, I don’t know. Dad will never talk.” “Because the plant your dad works at is where the whole motor assembly for that rocket was made.” “But what did they want with little Kathy Wilson?” “Nothing, David. But Kathy’s father is Dr. William Wilson.” “The physicist?” “The man who conceived that rocket and whose house was burned down.”
They look at the place where the saucer landed, just in time to see David’s father bring General Mayberry there, and watch hm fall into the ground.
Kelston contacts the military to warn them, and there’s an interminable montage of tanks being loaded onto trains. There’s a lot of stock footage in this film.
They get news that young Kathy, the girl who burned her parents’ house down, died of a cerebral haemorrhage, so Dr Blake goes to see, and comes back with the cause – a tiny implant in her neck.
One of the local factories is blown up, and the two policemen who were converted earlier are found there. They both collapse as their implants kill them.
At the rocket base, General Mayberry is spotted, with two large cases. When he runs, guards shoot at him, and the cases explode, so he was clearly going to sabotage the rocket.
We meet Dr Wilson, the father of young Kathy, who’s processing his grief by getting on with all his sciencing. I don’t know how many physicists work by pouring coloured liquids into flasks, and having lots of bunsen burners, but I guess I just don’t understand all this advanced science.
Outside his building, David’s mother pulls up, and tells the guard her car isn’t running, and when he tries to help her, her husband whacks him over the head. Then he takes a rifle into the facility, and tries to shoot Dr Wilson, but luckily he happens to duck at exactly the right time. They drive away, but have a crash and are caught by the army and taken to a hospital.
The Army blast a hole where everyone has been disappearing, and finally see what’s under there, which is not much. They think the saucer must have moved underground.
Dr Blake gets news about David’s parents and takes him aside to tell him they’re being operated on to remove the implants. But as they’re talking, they hear the strange sound that’s preceded other disappearances, and they both vanish underground. I did wonder how the film would contrive to get David into the spaceship, because it was obvious that would have to happen.
We get our first very dark and murky look at the Martian “mutants”.
Two of them carry a ball containing another creature, presumably an actual Martian rather than a mutant. He doesn’t say an awful lot, so I’m assuming it’s all telepathy or something.
On the surface, the army use their special detectors to find out where the saucer has moved to, and they start laying charges to break through, while also bombarding other locations as a distraction. There’s an awful lot of explosions, all of which seem to be stock footage too.
Sergeant Rinaldi, who was sucked underground earlier, arrives to talk to David and Dr Blake. The shoulder of her dress has been ripped, but in a sexy way. She asks him who the strange creature is. “He is mankind, developed to its ultimate intelligence. These are his slaves, existing only to do his will, just as you will.” So an ultimate intelligence just defaults to total slavery? That’s a depressing thought.
There’s an awful lot of running around, explosions, and corridors. Dr Blake is prepped to have an implant
After more running about, shooting mutants and collapsing tunnels (I swear they use the same collapsing tunnel shot about six times in this movie) she’s rescued by Dr Kelston.
Just to ramp up the tension a bit more there’s a countdown to when the army’s explosives will blow up the ship.
But there’s still a search for David and Sgt Rinaldi, so it’s a race against time. But they’re all trapped by a tunnel collapse. They find David and Rinaldi, and David gets one of the mutants’ tunnelling guns to make a new exit. Sure enough, the same footage of a tunnel explosion.
The saucer starts emerging from the ground.
This isn’t the best print of the film – it’s probably an old telecine from a while back, and it’s got a lot of scratches, but this scene of Blake and Kelston running is just completely out of focus. Probably a telecine glitch, as I can’t imagine it would be this out of focus in the film.
The saucer flies up, but then the explosives go off.
Dr Blake reassures David about his parents. “With a control point destroyed, nothing can possibly happen to your mother and father now. They’re going to be all right.” “Gee, thanks.”
But we don’t see them again, and the last shot is David asleep under the watchful eye of Kelston and Blake, as if they’ve adopted him. Slightly weird.
Media Centre Description: Sci-fi classic. A young boy’s excitement at seeing a spaceship land outside his house quickly turns to fear when everyone who visits the site returns in a zombie-like state, apparently under the control of the alien life forms within the vessel.
Recorded from BBC FOUR on Monday 12th November 2007 22:00
It’s two repeats today. And we seem to have skipped Saturday altogether, so I’ve missed an episode of Robin Hood. And strictly speaking, both of these programmes are from Monday, but because we use the standard TV Broadcast day, that starts at 6am, so these count as Sunday.
The first recording is not only a repeat – of Heroes – Parasite – but it’s only 5 minutes long, and a few seconds before the end, it switches to the end of an episode of Father Ted. I’m not even sure how a Media Centre recording can even do that. It’s very strange.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly discovered superpowers they possess. With the election and NYC’s destruction looming, Nathan has a disturbing meeting with the shadowy Linderman. Hiro’s attempt to steal the sword steers him into a grim new direction. Suresh makes a breakthrough on ‘the list’, but at great cost. DL begins to suspect all is not well at home. Isaac paints his most terrible painting yet. New Hero Candice Wilmer makes an illusive debut.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Monday 12th November 2007 00:02
The Father Ted mystery is somewhat explained by the other recording, which appears to start where the last one ended with the end of Father Ted as well.
Then it’s a repeat of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – 4am Miracle.
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. Matt waits for a moment of early-morning inspiration to rescue him from writer’s block. Jordan and Danny compete to see which of them will make the better parent.
Recorded from More 4 on Monday 12th November 2007 00:08
The recording stops with the start of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Here’s the ad breaks from Studio 60.
Adverts:
Kinder Bueno
Puzzleball
Dyson
Waterstone’s
Topps Tiles
trail: Forgotten Heroes: The Not Dead
trail: True Stories: The Mosquito Problem & Other Stories
Staples
Baileys
HSBC
Echo Falls
Philips Sonicare
F&F
Into The Wild in cinemas
trail: The Secret Millionaire
Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
Navman
Waterstone’s
Bisto
PC World
The Big Yellow Self Storage Company
Daily Telegraph
Ladbrokes
Ricky Tomlinson’s Footy DVD
Barclaycard – Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt
Twinings – Stephen Fry
Ladbrokes
trail: True Stories: The Mosquito Problem & Other Stories
Media Centre Description: Sci-fi drama series about space-age castaways adrift on the remnants of a lunar colony. The moon drifts into a zone whose strange character gives one man a chance to vindicate himself.
Recorded from ITV4 on Friday 9th November 2007 18:58
After this, there’s the start of an episode of The Contender.
The next recording starts in media res as I’ve missed the start (I see the start time of the recording is 9pm dead, so I was probably recording other things at the same time which I didn’t save.
It’s Have I Got News for You presented by Michael Aspel.
Ian’s guest is Reginald D Hunter.
Paul’s Guest is Sara Cox.
Media Centre Description: The topical comedy quiz is guest hosted by Michael Aspel as team captains Paul Merton and Ian Hislop are joined by Sara Cox and Reginald D Hunter.
Recorded from BBC ONE on Friday 9th November 2007 21:00
The first recording today starts with the end of Property Ladder.
Then, the next episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – 4am Miracle.
The studio is being sued by a former writer who claims she was forced to work in a hostile work environment, and she was fired for “not being one of the boys”. A lawyer visits to talk to the current writing and producing team, none of whom were there when the writer in question was there, so it’s a bit odd, but the rationale is she’s there to see what the actual work environment is like. Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that this is Aaron Sorkin again writing about something that happened to him? I did like that the lawyer, Mary Tate, is from the firm of Gage Whitney, which is the name of the firm that Sam Seaborn worked at before he joined the Bartlet campaign in The West Wing. In joke or a way to same money clearing the name?
Jordan has got a fake training baby which has sensors and tracks whether the baby is being cared for. Danny thinks it’s weird and she challenges him to look after it for the evening. I don’t think he’s holding it right.
Harriet is still working on Luke’s movie about the Rolling Stones, and they’re running over. She’s playing Anita Pallenberg, who was Keith Richards’ girlfriend, and the scene involves a 17 year old boy who shot himself in the head with a gun owned by Richards. This scene has Anita there with him, and portrays it as some weird Russian Roulette thing. Harriet doesn’t like the way it’s being portrayed, as the death was ruled a suicide, and Anita testified she wasn’t even there at the time, but it seems like Luke wants to make it look more like she’s responsible, and they argue about it. I’d have thought a better time to argue was before they were on set, with an actor rigged with blood packs that probably take an hour to reset when they have to go again.
“You’re shaking it like a snowglobe.” I see something like this, and think that maybe training babies are a bad idea. They might teach you to be as blasé with a real baby.
Simon is talking to Tom about the lawsuit, and it emerges that he slept with the woman a few times. “You got to go talk to the lawyer.” “I’ll lose my job. I’ll lose my house. I’ll lose my Lincoln Navigator.”
I’m going out on a limb to say that Harriet’s new boyfriend Luke is an arsehole. After another take, while they’re resetting the blood packs and cleaning the set again, he asks her what happened and she starts telling him about the big fight she had with Matt, and all the time she’s opening up to him, he’s throwing peanuts in his mouth, then he tells her he doesn’t care. “I thought the conversation was gonna be about you and me.” Then he says “You ready to go back to work?” “Yeah. I’m sorry. How much longer?” “As long as I feel like.”
Cal brings in a guillotine prop, and they joke about it. “You didn’t have a mini-guillotine?” “No, I wasn’t raised by the Addams Family.” They want to try it out, and Cal suggests Simon puts his head in, and I’m glad they don’t because then they try it on the fake baby, and naturally it cuts the doll’s head off. “I didn’t have it set right.” I’m just wondering, if this prop can do that when it’s set wrongly, where’s the propmaster who should be keeping this thing out of the hands of people who might want to play with it? This whole show is a health and safety nightmare. No wonder it’s being sued.
Matt reads the complaint against the show, and comes across a section where the writers were discussing all the ways they might have sex with Harriet.
It looks like Luke is breaking up with Harriet, which might explain his behaviour. “I can’t let you talk about Matthew like that.” “And why not?” “‘Cause he’d never let anybody talk about me like that.” “You’re a sucker, Harriet.” “Maybe. But he’d never go three hours into overtime just to screw with some guy who used to be his friend. Print takes four, seven, 12, 14 and 15. You got the shot. I’m out of here.”
Simon confesses to Mary about his affair. “I slept with Karen Salisbirk.” Tom asks “Is there any way this helps us?” She replies “No.” “I told you” says Simon. But it’s OK because the woman who Simon slept with was someone else. “Karen Salisbirk is short and blonde.” “Then who was the tall redhead?” “I don’t know.” “Connie Briar.” “Connie Briar! Yes! I should call her.”
Mary leaves, and gives Matt her card, implying he should call her and ask her out. “You want to wait till you’ve got Harriet out of your system?” “Yeah, probably should.” “How long do you suppose that’ll take?” “I have a hunch it’s gonna be a while, but you’re all right for asking.” “No wonder the girls like you.”
Matt talks to Danny about it and comes to a realisation. “I’m saying, she doesn’t come up here anymore. I had no idea how much I needed having her around.” “I know.”
Cal brings Danny the baby, after he’s had props fix it. “It was an hour of bionic pediatric surgery from props and f/x.” “What about the computer chip?” “Clean as a whistle. Baby thinks it slept three hours, was fed, changed and spoken to in a soothing voice.”
Maybe Danny shouldn’t have trusted props with the baby.
Harriet comes back from her set as Matt is still struggling with a sketch. “It’s a single-cell paramecium.” “That’s where I get stuck.” “I’ll put my stuff downstairs and come back and see if I can unstick you.” “I’d appreciate that.”
Media Centre Description: Drama series about a late-night comedy sketch show. Matt waits for a moment of early-morning inspiration to rescue him from writer’s block. Jordan and Danny compete to see which of them will make the better parent.
Recorded from More 4 on Thursday 8th November 2007 21:58
After this, there’s the start of a documentary called The World’s Most Offensive Joke.
The next recording start with the weather, and it’s not looking good.
There’s a trail for another Stephen Poliakoff film, A Real Summer.
There’s also an information film about digital switchover. My memory of this is that it didn’t happen until around 2012, but I just checked and it happened by region, and the earliest ones were being switched over (i.e. the analogue TV transmissions were stopped) right around this time.
Media Centre Description: Drama series in which people all over the world deal with the newly discovered superpowers they possess. With the election and NYC’s destruction looming, Nathan has a disturbing meeting with the shadowy Linderman. Hiro’s attempt to steal the sword steers him into a grim new direction. Suresh makes a breakthrough on ‘the list’, but at great cost. DL begins to suspect all is not well at home. Isaac paints his most terrible painting yet. New Hero Candice Wilmer makes an illusive debut.
Recorded from BBC TWO on Thursday 8th November 2007 23:18
VHiStory 