I recorded Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s biopic of Winston Churchill, Into the Storm on BBC1, and managed to watch it recently.
Whilst Brendan Gleeson was faultless as Churchill, it was a pity that the drama didn’t offer anything new about Churchill. The continuity editing did also appear lacking making it feel like a sketch show. That is me being a bit picky, but I have to say, I did enjoy it and it was a wonderful drama.
Collision, ITV’s five-part police drama aired this week with the final episode airing tonight at 9pm GMT.
I was looking forward to the show, but have to say I found it disappointing as Collision struggles with its own identity. Although beautifully edited, produced and directed, it is a show intent on filling five hours by whatever means. What should be a police drama of what happens at the scene of a collision disintegrates into a soap-styled show. Every character hides dark secrets, be it love affairs, business or illegal immigrants.
It should be good, but alas as the production company was given five one-hour slots it was intent on filling them. In the end, the programme didn’t know what it wanted to be.
I should explain my reasons for calling TV3’s Tonight with Vincent Browne with Tonight with Vincent Price in my recent article RTÉ struggling in light entertainment.
My reason for it is the lifeless Vincent Browne hosts from his crypt hoping to get suck life from his guests. A silly post, I know, but a post nonetheless.
The Irish Independent (‘Let’s hope TV3’s ratings success forces RTÉ to step up its game’ – 12th November 2009) reports that RTÉ2’s light entertainment shows have been suffering in the ratings war as The Republic of Telly had an audience of 113,000 and Karl Spain Wants to Rock with 67,000 viewers last week.
The same week, 333,000 viewers on RTÉ1 watched Pat Kenny being lambasted by a member of the audience on Frontline, now a Youtube hit. TV3 enjoyed success with The Apprentice and The Apprentice – Your Fired netting a 493,000 and 297,000 audience respectively. Interestingly in the latter programme the fired contestant, Ruth, failed to show up.
I agree with John Boland, when he states that some of the home entertainment shows ‘have been wretched’. It seems a half-hearted attempt by the national broadcaster spending the licence payer’s money on shows that don’t attract ‘the younger audience they so desperately crave’. RTÉ2 is out of touch with its chosen demographic. If a show on an American network received a rating of 67,000 viewers it would be quickly dumped.
That said TV3 seem intent on tried formulas taken in from abroad as Deal or No Deal hosted by the magician Keith Barry starts tonight, although it has upped its home-produced shows such as Tonight with Vincent Price and Midweek. Hopefully, TV3’s new two-part crime drama series The Guards will help TV3 improve its success when it comes to air in February 2010.
British Feature Fiction Film ‘BILLY & LILLY GO TO NEW YORK’ will have its World Première at the WATERFORD FILM FESTIVAL. The film is made by critically acclaimed maverick director Bill Maloney (LUNATIC) The film is shot in a realistic documentary style but it is a spoof. Bill playing himself (a cockney –speaking Irishman) goes to New York to represent his nominated feature film at a NY Film Festival but he decides to bypass the festival glitz in favour of shooting a documentary about the homeless people of NY. Their efforts lead to a tragic close.
http://billyandlillygotonewyork.wordpress.com/selected-for-waterford-film-festival/
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