Billed as an anti-romantic comedy, BBC3's new sitcom Him and Her is a beautifully simple look into the world of a pair of lazy, unemployed 20-somethings. The show stars the brilliant Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani as Steve and Becky, a couple who spend their days having sex, eating, watching Cash in the Attic and arguing over who found out that Inspector Morse's first name was Endeavour first.
It is set solely in their small, dingy one bedroom flat and to be honest, not much happens in each episode, yet the exquisite dialogue, superb acting and natural chemistry between the two leads all make it hugely watchable and the subtle yet often hilarious gags leave it far from dull.
In a world where production companies are more and more concerned with making the biggest and best shows out there, this low-key and down-to-earth comedy is a welcomed breath of fresh air.
Now I admit that I'm usually a supporter of the statement that "women aren't funny," this may seem slightly harsh, especially coming from a woman. But I mean on a professional scale, there are very few women comedians out there who come anywhere close to challenging some of our best male comics, however this new female led sitcom is a breath of fresh air for television audiences.
Comedienne Miranda Hart, plays a hopeless 30-something toy-shop owner in a new comedy that is genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious. The show harks back to sitcoms of the 70's with it's studio audience and simple one room settings but without feeling dated. After seeing a trailer for the show I wasn't holding out much hope of comedy gold, but I'm very glad I gave it chance. It may not be the most clever, sharp or satirical comedy out there; it errs on the side of slapstick on numerous occasions and some of the situations Miranda finds herself in are ridiculous, but you wont care about this as you will be too busy laughing.
The main storyline running throughout the series sees Miranda trying to win the affection of gorgeous chef Gary who works next door; the suspense over how their relationship will end is played out as well as in any soap or drama. Miranda's awkwardness is brilliantly juxtaposed by her organised and good-looking best friend, Stevie and her life is made a whole lot worse by the ever presence of her pushy mother.
Ultimately it's Miranda Hart's brilliant comic performance which makes this comedy worth watching, proving that there are a few women, at least, out there who can be funny.
Why, oh why, do wrinkly old women feel the need to get stark bollock naked (what's the female equivalent of that phrase?) when showering in swimming baths? I understand that showering in your swimming costume doesn't get you 100% squeaky clean but it does prevent fellow swimmers from having to go through the embarrassment of showering with someone who reminds them of their nan. Why can't they simply rinse themselves off as best they can and then shower later in the privacy of their own bathroom, I mean it's not like they have to get back to the office!
I resent having to put up with this sight every time I fancy a nice little swim. If I wanted to see wrinkly, naked Grannies I'm pretty sure there are websites for that kind of thing!
Recently, from some unbeknown reason my boyfriend bought me Peter Andre's "long awaited new album" Revelation. Although I never would have bought it myself I, of course, gave it a listen. (a few listens actually, but purely for the purpose of this review obviously.)
When it comes to picking sides in the whole Jordan and Peter debacle I definitely fall into Team Andre's corner (the lesser of two evils, some might say) and quite a large part of me actually wanted the album to be good, so it pains me to write my verdict of the album; that verdict being that its, quite frankly, rubbish.
There is one major problem with the album and that's the simple fact that all the songs-with the exception of maybe two-sound the same. The abnormally short gap between tracks doesn't help matters either. The first single 'Behind Closed Doors' really is the best track on the album and annoying buying it on the strength of the single hoping for more of the same standard I feel will be left bitterly disappointed. 'Call the Doctor,' which I'm sure will be the next single, is one of the better tracks but even this demonstrates my other major gripe with the record: the lyrics. Whilst I admire Andre for writing his own songs, the album, for me, is just too personal. Lyrics like; 'it hurts so bad 'cus I was true to her, I'm regretting having anything to with her' are blatant and lacking in sensitivity and intelligence.
Saying all this there are a few nice touches on the album; some of the arrangements really work, especially the choir on 'Unconditional' and a couple of the songs are catchy. You can tell that Andre really put his heart and soul into making this album and i do believe there's the makings of a good record in there somewhere and who knows maybe his next album will be the masterpiece that his fans hoped 'Revelation' would be.
The album cover points out another flaw: Peter's taking himself just a little bit too seriously. Plus, why isn't he wearing any socks?!
X-Factor: The Judge's "Houses" Round Could someone please explain to me the point of the judges' 'houses' round of the X-Factor audition process? I've put houses in inverted commas for the very reason that, with the exception of Simon Cowell, none of the judges actually invited the contestants to their real houses but instead choosing to needlessly fly them to ridiculously showy, rented properties in Italy, Dubai and-for some peculiar reason-Marrakesh. I'm sure both the contestants and the viewers at home would revel in an insight into where the judges really spend their downtime. Not only this but it would surely add a much more personal aspect to the final audition round for the contestants, and make it look like the judges actually care enough about them to want to invite them into their actual homes.
However, this isn't my only gripe with last weekends shows; it's what happens when the contestants get to their luxury destinations. Are they subjected to a few tricky tasks to further sort the wheat from the chaff? Given a masterclass by the celebrity friends who joined the judges? No, they simply sing a minute or so of a song. The exact same thing that we saw them do at the first auditions and at bootcamp. I fail to see how this really tests the contestants and in my opinion it certainly doesn't make the most entertaining viewing. Aswell as this, the tedious decision to drag out the process over two shows, having the Sunday night show consisting of nothing more than the judges decisions and a further re-iteration of those bloody sob stories tested my patience with a show that I don't much care for in the first place.
Last night saw the return of the, once groundbreaking quiz show, Shooting Stars. After a somewhat lukewarm special last Christmas the decision was made for a brand new series to be bought back to our screens. Vic and Bob return as the irreverent hosts, the genius George Dawes (Matt Lucas’s best comedy creation by far!) is still the big baby with the scores and long-standing team captain Ulrika Jonsson is back to be tormented for her new boobs, and sexual exploits for another series. However there are a couple of noticeable people missing; former team captain Will Self was replaced by the equally deadpan Jack Dee for the Christmas special and this new series and despite doing a valiant job of being miserable, one can’t help but think that he is simply trying to be Will Self, with less success. The episode also suffered from the loss of the now sober Johnny Vegas. Some of the last series’ most memorable moments involve Johnny’s drunken ramblings or Reeves and Mortimer exploiting him in stupid challenges. The producers have tried to fill the Vegas sized hole with burger van owner Angelos Epithemiou (a comic creation of someone called Dan Skinner) who although funny and holds the potential to, in some other form, be even funnier, he just can’t make up for the loss of Johnny.
Although there was some moments of classic idiotic tom-foolery that Shooting Stars fans have come to love and expect, (Vic’s performance with corn on the cob being a stand-out moment) for me the show just couldn’t live up to expectations. Even George Dawes's song, which in the past has led to such comedy gems as “Lesbians,” his version of “No scrubs” and a song about baked potatoes left a lot to be desired. The shows final challenge which in previous series has had me literally gasping for breath was, although classically random, just a little bit lacking.
The first show in the new series was a gallant effort and I’m hoping it will only get better as the series progresses, and with the current speight of boring and tired panel shows all over the television schedules it certainly still remains a brilliant satire and a breath of fresh air. However, I just can’t help thinking that the BBC would have been better off re-running, the classic series. Series which saw such questions as "True or False: Bill Cosby was the worlds first black man?, with the answer of course being false- it was Sidney Poitier. And that saw such challenges as seeing how many hoover attachements Johnny Vegas could stick to his face, and Jarvis Cocker bein given the task of throwing mini Babybel cheese at a giant poster of Judy Finnigan's face.
To remind everyone of just how funny Shooting Stars was in it hayday, here are a couple of clips that are sure to have you laughing out loud.
I wouldn't be able to call myself a film fan if I didn't post about the tragic death of legendary 80's film writer and director John Hughes who died today, of a heart attack aged just 59. Hughes is responsible for one of my favourite films The Breakfast Club, along with other well known films such as Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Uncle Buck and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Hughes somehow managed to get inside the psyche of teenagers and created films that every young person can relate to; both at the time, and now, more than 20 years later. If anyone reading this hasn't seen at least one of this great man's films then I urge you to take his untimely death as an excuse to finally seek one out. I promise that you wont be disappointed.
The unforgettable theme song to The Breakfast Club was untitled "Don't You Forget About Me," and it's safe to say that for me and hopefully many others John Hughes wont be forgotten about any time soon.
