Category Archives: TV

Atlantis: Series Two. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 1/10

Cast: Mark Addy, Jack Donnelly, Robert Emms, Aiysha Hart, Sarah Parish, Jemima Roper, Juliet Stevenson, Amy Manson, Ken Bones, Peter De Jersey, Lorcan Cranitch, Vincent Regan, Robert Lindsay, Joseph Timms, John Hannah, Robert Pugh, Ronald Pickup, Philip Correia, Anya Taylor-Joy.

The surprise was not that Atlantis was cancelled but the fact that it was made at all.

In one of the rare mistakes of drama production by the B.B.C., Atlantis finally washed up on the shores of discontent and died a long lingering death in a series that was split in two. Much heralded as a winter replacement for Doctor Who, the second series of the fantasy based drama descended to the point where arguably viewers were watching to see how bad it could actually become.

Atlantis: Series Two. Television Review. full post

(579 words, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)

Inspector George Gently: Gently Between Friends. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Lisa McGrillis, Adrian Bower, Louise Brealey, Emma Cunniffe, Anthony Flanagan, Jim Moir, Nick Sidi, Kris Deedigan, Luke Maddison, Glyn Pritchard, Paul Brennen, Simon Hubbard, Annabel Scholey, Lawrence Neal, Jim Kitson, Shaughan Seymour, William Troughton.

Arguments between friends, especially life long ones, can be the source of much anger and hatred; yet somehow they blow over without much issue or ceremony, a drink and a proper handshake, one without descending into sarcasm and cynicism. It is the ones that don’t blow over, where hatred and jealousy become entwined and unable to be torn apart, that’s when the spectre of murder rears its ugly head and the free flowing nature of Gently Between Friends is disturbed.

Inspector George Gently: Gently Between Friends. Television Review. full post

(407 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Inspector George Gently: Breathe In The Air. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Lisa McGrillis, Simon Hubbard, Nicholas Woodeson,  Lesley Nicol, Mark Aiken, Ashleigh Armstrong, Emily Atkinson, Bryony Corrigan, Jonathan Cullen, Jason Done, Ben Fiske, Suzy Kane, Patsy Lowe, Deidre Mullins, Georgia Nicholson, Derek Riddell, Annabel Scholey, Richard Shanks.

The stench of corporate corruption is not a new, it is perhaps not even fashionable to look to hard into it when thousands of jobs are stake; however not a single penny of hush money should ever be paid, to the even more corrupt or to the victims of the abuse perpetrated in the name of profit and business. For Inspector George Gently the 60s may be coming to a close but the chance to Breathe in the Air and bring the corrupted to book is never a closed chapter.

Inspector George Gently: Breathe In The Air. Television Review. full post

(514 words, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

Inspector George Gently: Gently With The Women. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby, Lisa McGrillis, Jeremy Swift, Lucy Liemann, Emily Woof, Derek Riddell, Denise Welch, Alice Blundell, Paul Charlton, Mickey Cochrane, Christine Berriman Dawson, Simon Hubbard, Madeline Knight, Lillian Macardle, Annabel Scholey, Robert Whitelock, Philippa Wilson.

There are few crimes that are as horrific as murder, and yet when they take place the nation is divided it seems between those who with macho intent deliver a sermon well worn and so outdated that it barely deserves repeating and those who understand how the unbalancing of the act can have on the local area, the people and nature.

Inspector George Gently: Gently With The Women. Television Review. full post

(424 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Banished, Television Review. B.B.C.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Julian Rhind-Tutt, MyAnna Buring, Russell Tovey, David Wenham, Orla Brady, Ewen Bremner, Ryan Corr, David Dawson, Ned Dennehy, Brooke Harman, Joseph Millson, Nicholas Moss, Adam Nagaitis, Genevieve O’ Reilly, Joanna Vanderham, David Walmsley, Bianca Rudman, Jordan Patrick Smith, Tim McCunn.

 

Banished, Television Review. B.B.C. full post

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

Dara And Ed’s Great Big Adventure, Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

For some older viewers there will never be another broadcaster or journalist to replace the calm authorative voice of Alan Whicker as the beacon of bringing scenes and a wide range of interesting people from other countries into the home. Perhaps there never will be his like again, like Jan Morris or Bill Bryson in literature, the essence of the reporting is quintessential to the understanding. They are also arguably for some the reason why they found their own adventures and did incredible things; the world after all is too small to be ignored and Dara O’ Briain and Ed Byrne are too good to be dismissed.

Dara And Ed’s Great Big Adventure, Television Review. full post

(693 words, estimated 2:46 mins reading time)

The Musketeers: Trial And Punishment. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles, Luke Pasqualino, Alexandra Dowling, Ryan Gage, Tamla Kari, Hugo Speer, Maimie McCoy, Marc Warren, Phil Rowson, Peter Sullivan, Alex Giannini, Charlotte Salt.

When the world turns on a single fateful decision to topple a King, the fall out is never going to be pretty, the lives that become embroiled in the plot, whether they know about it or not, are going to change, perhaps even ruined and the ultimate measure in Trial and Punishment is set, the pawns and the people placed in it all will feel the wrath of the King.

The Musketeers: Trial And Punishment. Television Review. full post

(505 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

The Musketeers, The Accused. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles, Alexandra Dowling, Luke Pasqualino, Ryan Gage, Tamla Kari, Maimie McCoy, Hugo Speer, Marc Warren, Phil Rowson, Charlotte Salt, Ed Stoppard, Marianne Oldham, Hara Yannas.

The end game is almost upon the faithful Musketeers. The Queen stands charged with treason and treachery, Aramis is deeply involved in a scandal that could bring civil war to France and Athos has started to see the deceitful Milady De Winter in a different light once more, the combination of all these chemical, potentially nuclear like explosive elements are enough to place the future of the country into unheralded jeopardy on the scale of Agincourt.

The Musketeers, The Accused. Television Review. full post

(484 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Arthur And George, Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Martin Clunes, Charles Edwards, Art Malik, Hattie Morahan, Emma Fielding, Alan McKenna, Conleth Hill, Hilary Maclean, Pearl Chada, Timothy Watson, Matthew Marsh, John Hollingworth, Ciaran Owens, Aaron Chawla, Lewis Crossland, Nicholas Chambers, Simon Meacock, Dean Ashton, Alexander Aze, Abbey Marise Butler, Michael Hadley, Lewis Kempster, Sonia Ritter, Timothy Walker.

Some writer’s lives are even more colourful and incident packed than those they create, some have the lives thrust upon them and some, a select few, such as Arthur Conan Doyle have lives that make reading a sheer work of art.

Arthur And George, Television Review. full post

(567 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

The Musketeers: The Prodigal Father. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Tom Burke, Santiago Cabrera, Howard Charles, Alexandra Dowling, Ryan Gage, Tamla Kari, Maimie McCoy, Luke Pasqualino, Hugh Speer, Marc Warren, Phoebe Dynevor, Ellie Bamber, Liam Cunningham, Emma Hamilton, Ed Stoppard, Ben Addis, Amanda Wass.

It’s hard enough on the soul when we find out what our friends are like when they turn against us, what it does to the fragile nature of inner peace when we find out what are parents are capable of, especially if like Porthos, one of them has been conveniently missing for the whole of your life, is an emotional response that you might not wish upon a sworn enemy.

The Musketeers: The Prodigal Father. Television Review. full post

(477 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)