So, here are two things I have learnt over the last week. First, TV presenter Richard Madeley does not like it when people start sentences with the word “So”. It was a featured item on Jeremy Vine’s show on BBC Radio 2 last week. As you may know, the show runs from 12 noon until 2pm Monday… Continue reading So, Jeremy Clarkson has never heard of “Tenable”
We continue to subscribe to Netflix, nearly two years after I agreed to my daughter’s request that we sign up for the “free” 30 day trial. I learnt recently that I could reduce my monthly fee down a bit. We are still paying extra so that we can run it on up to four devices.… Continue reading Word of the week: Dazzle
“I want to be a tomato.” Does this phrase mean anything to you? If not, how about saying it with the voice of a child, sounding really miserable, about to burst into tears? If it rings any bells, then you probably remember an advert for Prudential financial services from the late 1980s. I have been… Continue reading “I want to be a tomato”
Back in 2017, in this piece, I wrote about “Countdown”, the game show that was the first programme broadcast when Channel 4 launched in 1982. It continues to be aired most weekdays at 2.10pm, with repeats at 6am. The show has been in the news recently because it has a new host, Anne Robinson. She took over from Nick Hewer in the episode broadcast… Continue reading “Countdown” July 2021
This piece is about the 4-letter word that begins with “C” and rhymes with “hunt”. In the thousand or so pieces published so far on this Blog I have referred to this word a few times but never spelt it out, and will not do so here. Over the last ten days I have watched… Continue reading Word of the week: The C Word
Last Friday, Channel 4 devoted the hours after 9pm to the sitcom “Friday Night Dinner”, to mark the show’s 10th anniversary. We have been big fans of the show for the last couple of years and were looking forward to it. There was a documentary featuring interviews with the cast, crew members (including the writer, Robert Popper) and celebrity fans. One of the show’s stars,… Continue reading Word of the week: mischievous
Breakfast TV here in the UK currently offers us three main options: “BBC Breakfast” on BBC1, “Good Morning Britain” on ITV and comedy shows on Channel 4. “Milkshake” on Channel 5 is aimed at young children, and 10 years ago, when our children were 4 and 6, we often tuned in for episodes of “Peppa… Continue reading Word of the week: “Cheers”
How is your knowledge of Irish geography? If you have never visited the island of Ireland it may be rather hazy. This earlier piece, prompted by the All-Ireland Hurling Final between Limerick and Waterford, reflects on how I got to know my way around the place, on childhood holidays and then as an adult. I have spent time in 23 of the… Continue reading More about Irish counties (“It’s a long way to Tipperary…”)
Back in September, in this piece, I wrote about how much I was enjoying US sitcom “Modern Family”, a show that had passed us by as a family throughout its 11 seasons. Its final episodes were broadcast in May 2020, and we were catching up, through Netflix initially, and then (for series 8-11) on DVD.… Continue reading Word of the week: pilot
The Monday night quiz marathon is back. As reported here in March, BBC2 has modified its schedule over the last year and now broadcasts 90 minutes of serious quizzing from 7.30pm on a Monday. This comprises three shows that are due to build up to Grand Finals next spring. “University Challenge”, which now has a… Continue reading Word of the week: Angstrom
The Compartments 