Category Archives: TV

Still Open All Hours, (Christmas 2018). Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: David Jason, James Baxter, Stephanie Cole, Brigit Forsyth, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Kulvindar Ghir, Sally Lindsay, Johnny Vegas, Tim Healy, Katie Radford, Rita Tushingham, Roger Sloman, Geoffrey Whitehead, Sophie Willan.

At any time of year it is important to remember to shop local, the CEOs of large corporations don’t need that extra few bucks in which to keep to themselves, so called high flyers who profit off the debt in which we have become accustomed too, can by the collective will of the people, find themselves a little poorer, a little less sanctimonious, a might less smug.

Still Open All Hours, (Christmas 2018). Television Review. full post

(471 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

Not Going Out -Live. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Lee Mack, Sally Breton, Hugh Dennis, Abigail Cruttenden, Deborah Grant, Geoffrey Whitehead, Mark Kempner,

There is always a concern when it comes to attempt to pull off the live show, especially when it a comedy, particularly when it is one comfortable in its own skin of being one that can be rehearsed to the point of exhaustion to make it seem sharp and on the ball. The trouble is with recording weeks or even months in advance is that relies far too eagerly on the set-up and not enough on the natural skill of the performer in which to bring the element of surprise, the ability to rise above the fluffed line with the spur of the moment quip or ad-lib in which to keep the momentum moving.

Not Going Out -Live. Television Review. full post

(449 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Death And Nightingales. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Matthew Rhys, Ann Skelly, Jamie Dornan, Valene Kane, Charlene McKenna, Martin McCann, Sean McGinley, Michael Smiley, Francis Magee, Des McAleer, Ciaran Flynn, Aoibheann Mullan, Paul Kennedy, Eugene O’Hare, Pip Torrens, Conor MacNeill, Frankie McCafferty.

Against the backdrop of the fight for radical Irish independence from Britain in the 19th Century, a story of corruption, betrayal and tragedy is neatly interwoven through a 24 hour period in the life of Beth Winters, a condensed down reflection of what was happening across the Irish Sea, the pride of individuality and freedom from what was arguably seen as a distant master, one who made all the rules but wanted to keep the people in chains, if not physically, then at least metaphorically.

Death And Nightingales. Television Review. full post

(422 words, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Mrs Wilson. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Ruth Wilson, Iain Glen, Otto Farrant, Fiona Shaw, Calam Lynch, Keeley Hawes, Anupam Kher, Joy Richardson, Ian McElhinney, Patrick Kennedy, Elizabeth Rider, Dave Hill, Wilf Scolding, Barbara Marten, Joseph Mydell, Alex Blake, Gemma McElhinney.

It is an inescapable certainty that truth is far more stranger than fiction could ever hope to be, the stories we weave in existence, through the lies we tell ourselves to make our lives more bearable, to the possible deceit in which we hold others captive by, truth is the reality in which we all find our hidden depths in which to practice either to deceive, or to thrill with our stories.

Mrs Wilson. Television Review. full post

(570 words, estimated 2:17 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: The Battle Of Ranskoor Av Kolos. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Phyllis Logan, Mark Addy, Percelle Ascott, Jan Lee.

A new Doctor at the helm, the act of actions and their consequences firmly established and the first recurring villain for Jodie Whittaker’s incarnation of the time travelling stranger from Gallifrey to deal with and yet, despite some glorious touches by Bradley Walsh as Graham, and the genuine appeal of the guest stars of Phyllis Logan and Mark Addy, the season finale of the 11th series of Doctor Who since its return in 2005, feels as if it has discovered a way to be underwhelming; not something that any fan of the show has perhaps ever truly recognised before.

Doctor Who: The Battle Of Ranskoor Av Kolos. Television Review. full post

(553 words, estimated 2:13 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: It Takes You Away. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Eleanor Wallwork, Kevin Eldon, Christian Rubeck, Lisa Stokke, Sharon D. Clarke.

Myths and legends are constantly interwoven with the fabric of life, it is in the race memory of us all which sees nursery rhymes as a constant source of bonding between parent and child, stories which captivate the memory with stringer force than anything we might read as adults. It is the fear of something other than perceived reality, of the existence of trolls and dark forests, of monsters and brave souls which we seek assurance from; it is the trepidation and the resolution of such stories which pave the way for all other stories to exist and take shape, the concern of what lies beyond the mirror’s reflection.

Doctor Who: It Takes You Away. Television Review. full post

(491 words, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

The Little Drummer Girl. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Florence Pugh, Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Shannon, Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Clare Holman, Kate Sumpter,  Gennady Fleyscher, Amir Khoury, Katharina Schuttler, Charles Dance, Lubna Azabal,  Daniel Litman, Charif Ghattas, Max Irons, Sam Troughton.

In the war to protect what you believe is yours, sometimes you have to employ methods in which are dubious at best, downright ugly at worst, it is the thinking and planning ahead in which wins the minds of the people you are charged with protecting, but one in which the enemy you have created will fight you every step of the way to kill you first.

The Little Drummer Girl. Television Review. full post

(440 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: The Witchfinders. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Alan Cumming, Siobhan Finneran, Tilly Steele, Tricia Kelly, Arthur Kay, Stavros Demetraki.

Some incarnations of The Doctor impress you from the very beginning, some take time to grow on you, in a world that has become increasingly impatient and demands results straight away, it is only to be expected that there are fans who might display a little less rationale when it comes to seeing their favourite character portrayed against the stereo-type they have built up in their own mind, expected but still disappointing, understood but concerned that they cannot see beyond their field of perceived vision of what makes a hero.

Doctor Who: The Witchfinders. Television Review. full post

(448 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Kerblam! Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Claudia Jessie, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Lee Mack, Callum Dixon, Leo Flanagan, Matthew Gravelle.

It is the scream of vile objectification, of trying to make someone feel superiority over you, no matter what situation you find yourself in, especially when it is concerned with the arts, there will always be someone who snidely looks down upon your choices, and shouts viciously, “Why don’t you get a proper job?”

Doctor Who: Kerblam! Television Review. full post

(600 words, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

Doctor Who: Demons Of The Punjab. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Leena Dhingra, Amita Suman, Shane Zaza, Hamza Jeetooa, Shaheen Khan, Shobna Gulati, Ravin J Ganatra, Bhavnisha Parmar, Emma Fielding, Nathalie Curzner, Isobel Middleton, Barbara Fadden.

Everything we do leaves a footprint in history, it is not just the so-called interesting characters of our time, the thought of as important, each one of has the potential to change the future with a single action, a smile in the right place to a person who may be contemplating a darker path, a word out of place due to anger can set in motion a war, falling in love across man-made boundaries can lead to a death of our making; that footprint in the sands of time does not discriminate, we all have the ability to effect the way our footprint is seen.

Doctor Who: Demons Of The Punjab. Television Review. full post

(563 words, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)