Well tonight’s supposed to be the big BBC Three launch night, with a simulcast on BBC2 to introduce this fantastic new channel for 25-34’s. At 33, I’m just within this demo, but then we’re talking about one of the four main BBC TV channels aimed at a singular ten year age range, so I needn’t feel so bad about being at the upper end of the bracket. Most people are going to be well outside it!
But I’m singularly unimpressed with what the channel has to offer. I suppose I should give it time, and a new Paul Calf show is welcome (albeit a one-off half hour), but I think that it should be serving a wider range of audience.
Meanwhile BBC Four was showing a play about Churchill first shown in 1979 – Churchill and the Generals. This is a two and three quarter hour offering featuring Timothy West as Churchill. He played the great man a few times – when Robert Hardy wasn’t already booked. Now of course it’s Albert Finney, following his award winning performance in The Gathering Storm (which followed on BBC Four). He could have a role that’ll see him long into old age!
After this exceptional piece of drama, I flicked over to ITV – not a phrase that comes naturally – to catch part one of The Second Coming (no link because ITV’s website is diabolical). This is Russell T. Davies’ look at how we might behave if the son of God returned to earth in present day Manchester. It has typically excellent performances from Christopher Ecclestone and Lesley Sharp. Anything that has a sinister Vatican is good in my eyes. I’m not too sure that Davies’ doctrine is quite up to speed, but it’s entertaining stuff, and I have absolutely no idea how it’ll all end up. It concludes tomorrow, so I’ll be tuning in.
And there was the added bonus of Harry Hill following on afterwards.