This year, I have been left impressed by the quality of television programmes in the UK. Each channel has ensured to increase their ratings by either improving the shows they have currently, or creating original and captivating broadcasts. Take ITV for example, David Hasselhoff entertained us in last year's Britain's Got Talent but his replacement David Walliams, in addition to the return of Simon Cowell has brought their faithful viewers back into watching the programme. I am hoping to see more of Walliams next year as he is not only funny, he has genuine talent. He writes children's books and swam through the River Thames for charity - and I am sure he'll do more in the near future to "wow" us. Nonetheless, ITV and Cowell have this initiative every year to attract over 10 million every Saturday night since Pop Idol came to our screens a decade ago. But now the BBC have finally thought of something spectacular and at the same time dominate all the headlines and overtake Britain's Got Talent in the rating's war.
The Voice UK (Saturday's and Sunday's, 7pm on BBC1)
It is not unusual this show is a hit. In the United States, The Voice, a show that only the contestant's voice is judged and not the appearance, has been a success and are into its second season there with judges featuring Christina Aguilera, Maroon Five's Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and country star Blake Shelton. The second season is to conclude in the next three weeks and because it's a hit, NBC are commissioning a third season to compete with X-Factor USA by the end of this year. The Voice was first employed in the Netherlands with "The Voice of Holland" in 2010 and it has since become a global phenomenon.
How does the show work? A selection of contestants, both amateur and former professionals (carefully selected by an unknown The Voice UK committee) sing in front of a studio audience with the four judges sitting their backs to them. If they feel the contestant has potential to a, win the competition and b, develop their voice to their full use, the judges push their button which turn their chairs around indicating their interests. The aim for the judges is to get ten contestants to be "in their team", and it gets tougher for those vying for success in the music industry when they audition towards the end especially if the judges have already got their ten. Afterwards, each contestant from the judges' teams has to go head-to-head in order for participants to progress. This is the stage (when writing this) The Voice in the UK are going to be this weekend. The process is unfamiliar to me but that adds to the unpredictability to the programme.
The success in America and the Netherlands gave BBC the confidence in proving to Simon Cowell et al that The Voice would be huge in Britain - and the broadcasters have not done things by half. They invited Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Danny O'Donaghue from The Script and Will.i.am who is one of the leading vocalists of Black Eyed Peas to be the judges. They are known by millions by not just the public in Britain but on the other side of the Atlantic too. One must say, I am a fan of all four as they are all incredibly talented and each judge have their own speciality and sing in very different fortes. Sir Tom for example, specialises in ballads, Mr. O'Donaghue does more folk and alternative "man-with-guitar" music and so on.
Anyhow, I was lured into watching it and from the start, I was gripped. Every contestant, who went through and those who didn't make the cut, were absolutely sensational. If it was up to me, I'd push my button for about 80 percent of them. You can see why I am not considered a music expert but it does indicate the incredible amount of talent there is in the country. It is hard to decide which judge has the best set of contestants. I would be more certain this weekend where the judges' teams are reduced from ten to five. It is going to be hard and I would not want to be in their situation to pick their top five.
It is not just the process I like about the show - it's the lack of pre-judging. Of course, some have tear-jerked stories but the judges aren't to know that until the end of the song when they're picked, or not. With the X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, the contestants, whose intentions are perhaps equally serious and keeping the attitude of "hello mum, I'm on the telly". I have watched a considerable amount of Britain's Got Talent this year but the judges (not all of them) use a certain amount of discrimination and prejudice I do not abide to. For example, the operatic singers on the first episode, featuring Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli who, especially Jonathan has been branded "2012's Susan Boyle". It started when Simon Cowell was caught by ITV cameras saying "could this get any worse" - simply because of the 17-year-old's weight. To me, it's unnecessary and I can see why Ofcom receive dozens of complaints about the show. Yes, it's popular, yes, it's light weekend entertainment but it shows bullying The Voice doesn't.
The Syndicate (Tuesday night, 9pm on BBC1)
I'm going to move on from talent contests and I am keeping to my "dominating the headlines" theme to this blog post. Although The Syndicate hasn't reached "global domination", it has been highly regarded as one of the best British dramas of 2012 so far. It is about five supermarket employees in Leeds who are part of a syndicate and win a share of £18 million. It is a dream situation to most but for the five, it is a bit more complex than that. All five episodes of this one-off series goes through how each character have managed before, during and after their lottery win.
The director of this show is Kay Mellor. She was first known in the 1980s by writing various episodes of soap operas Coronation Street and Brookside. Later, she created ITV drama Fat Friends which introduced a remarkable partnership between comedians James Corden and Ruth Jones who both co-wrote BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey featuring Joanna Page (also in The Syndicate) and Mathew Horne in addition to Alison Steadman, who was in Fat Friends as well. Mellor's talents have been recognised by royalty as she was awarded an OBE in 2009. Other than Corrie and Brookside, I have not been familiar with her work but The Syndicate has a star studded cast and has attracted more than 5 million people consistently in the last four weeks. The series finale next week is to conclude this forthcoming Tuesday.
Critics have said the show started slowly but later on, exceeds all expectation and I quite agree with this statement. To me, the pilot episode was good but the following episodes have been spectacular, shocking and best of all - unpredictable. Lorraine Bruce, who plays Denise (her focus on the second episode), deserves special recognition. She has not been that well-known in comparison to Page, who is also the face of Superdrug as well as being 'Stacey' in Gavin and Stacey, Timothy Spall, widely regarded in the British film industry and Matthew Lewis, i.e. Neville Longbottom is seeing life after the Harry Potter films in a positive light. However, Ms. Bruce has done a better job than all of them - her character seems to be the most complex too although Page's character is also highly secretive. I don't want to spoil readers with the plot of the programme but it is worth watching when it gets released on DVD at some point, or I suggest you to watch it now on the iPlayer. Honestly, The Syndicate does not disappoint.
Twenty Twelve (Friday night, 10pm on BBC2)
The London 2012 Olympic Games (when writing this) is 99 days from now. How would Hugh Bonneville be reacting now to the latest twists-and-turns in organising the greatest sporting event? Why Hugh Bonneville you may ask? The Downton Abbey star is the protagonist to the superb sitcom, Twenty Twelve - a mockumentary about the development to the Games. Some of the episodes such as Algeria's threat to boycott the Olympics because the mosque in the Stratford-based Olympic Park was not facing Mecca has never happened but it's a great use of imagination and creativity by the writer and director, John Morton.
Twenty Twelve is outrageous in every way, that's why it is so successful and that is one of the reasons why I love it. The character Siobhan is one of my favourites because her odious voice and low level of intelligence are perfectly portrayed by Jessica Hynes and "Let's face the music and dance" theme music by Nat King Cole suits the whole production. Are the likes of Lord Coe offended by LOCOG being represented in this fashion? On the contrary, he plays some part of the comedy. Perhaps it is his way to put light onto the Olympics so people can look forward to it.
This mockumentary has gotten me even more excited about the Olympics and trust me, the hierarchy are more prepared and organised than how they are seen in Twenty Twelve. The second series concludes Friday night on BBC Two. The first series was showcased last year with very little publicity on BBC Four. The surprising popularity had been given a promotion to the second BBC channel and it deserves it. I was first introduced to it when they showed a very short sketch of it in Sports Relief last month and have been hooked since. We need more comedies like this - and no canned laughter in the background helps.
This programme has got me thinking about the future of sport coverage on the BBC. The Olympics will presumably be a major part of the BBC calendar every four years for decades to come however, recently, they have announced losing out on crucial Formula1 and golf coverage in addition to Grand National action. This particular horse racing championship from next year will be showcased on Channel 4 giving them an increasing amount of advertising revenue and profits. The move will definitely benefit Channel 4 but when the race took place last weekend, there have been questions on the race's future after pre-race favourite Synchronised was forced to be put down after sustaining an unrecoverable fracture in the leg. The horse was one of two which died in the race while another two died in the same race last year. It is a dangerous race, one can admit but there have to be solutions.
Reducing the number of horses in a race is definitely valid. Having over 40 horses jump at the same time in the first hurdle is life risking not just for the animal, but for the jockey too. Try having 30 horses in one race would be much suitable. It may be disadvantageous for betting companies as they like to keep people's money but on the other hand, if more horses died in this race next year, then animal right campaigners would step up their protests to ban the race. If they succeed, Channel 4 would suffer as well as BBC. The BBC this year did a good job trying its best to focus on the winner, Neptune Collonges but it was hard not to sympathise the horses who do not deserve to be in the situation of racing for their lives, in the literal sense. Regardless, let's take the time and praise the power of original British broadcasting and that there is more to television than Simon Cowell.
The Voice UK (Saturday's and Sunday's, 7pm on BBC1)
How does the show work? A selection of contestants, both amateur and former professionals (carefully selected by an unknown The Voice UK committee) sing in front of a studio audience with the four judges sitting their backs to them. If they feel the contestant has potential to a, win the competition and b, develop their voice to their full use, the judges push their button which turn their chairs around indicating their interests. The aim for the judges is to get ten contestants to be "in their team", and it gets tougher for those vying for success in the music industry when they audition towards the end especially if the judges have already got their ten. Afterwards, each contestant from the judges' teams has to go head-to-head in order for participants to progress. This is the stage (when writing this) The Voice in the UK are going to be this weekend. The process is unfamiliar to me but that adds to the unpredictability to the programme.
The success in America and the Netherlands gave BBC the confidence in proving to Simon Cowell et al that The Voice would be huge in Britain - and the broadcasters have not done things by half. They invited Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J, Danny O'Donaghue from The Script and Will.i.am who is one of the leading vocalists of Black Eyed Peas to be the judges. They are known by millions by not just the public in Britain but on the other side of the Atlantic too. One must say, I am a fan of all four as they are all incredibly talented and each judge have their own speciality and sing in very different fortes. Sir Tom for example, specialises in ballads, Mr. O'Donaghue does more folk and alternative "man-with-guitar" music and so on.
Anyhow, I was lured into watching it and from the start, I was gripped. Every contestant, who went through and those who didn't make the cut, were absolutely sensational. If it was up to me, I'd push my button for about 80 percent of them. You can see why I am not considered a music expert but it does indicate the incredible amount of talent there is in the country. It is hard to decide which judge has the best set of contestants. I would be more certain this weekend where the judges' teams are reduced from ten to five. It is going to be hard and I would not want to be in their situation to pick their top five.
It is not just the process I like about the show - it's the lack of pre-judging. Of course, some have tear-jerked stories but the judges aren't to know that until the end of the song when they're picked, or not. With the X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent, the contestants, whose intentions are perhaps equally serious and keeping the attitude of "hello mum, I'm on the telly". I have watched a considerable amount of Britain's Got Talent this year but the judges (not all of them) use a certain amount of discrimination and prejudice I do not abide to. For example, the operatic singers on the first episode, featuring Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli who, especially Jonathan has been branded "2012's Susan Boyle". It started when Simon Cowell was caught by ITV cameras saying "could this get any worse" - simply because of the 17-year-old's weight. To me, it's unnecessary and I can see why Ofcom receive dozens of complaints about the show. Yes, it's popular, yes, it's light weekend entertainment but it shows bullying The Voice doesn't.
The Syndicate (Tuesday night, 9pm on BBC1)
The director of this show is Kay Mellor. She was first known in the 1980s by writing various episodes of soap operas Coronation Street and Brookside. Later, she created ITV drama Fat Friends which introduced a remarkable partnership between comedians James Corden and Ruth Jones who both co-wrote BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey featuring Joanna Page (also in The Syndicate) and Mathew Horne in addition to Alison Steadman, who was in Fat Friends as well. Mellor's talents have been recognised by royalty as she was awarded an OBE in 2009. Other than Corrie and Brookside, I have not been familiar with her work but The Syndicate has a star studded cast and has attracted more than 5 million people consistently in the last four weeks. The series finale next week is to conclude this forthcoming Tuesday.
Critics have said the show started slowly but later on, exceeds all expectation and I quite agree with this statement. To me, the pilot episode was good but the following episodes have been spectacular, shocking and best of all - unpredictable. Lorraine Bruce, who plays Denise (her focus on the second episode), deserves special recognition. She has not been that well-known in comparison to Page, who is also the face of Superdrug as well as being 'Stacey' in Gavin and Stacey, Timothy Spall, widely regarded in the British film industry and Matthew Lewis, i.e. Neville Longbottom is seeing life after the Harry Potter films in a positive light. However, Ms. Bruce has done a better job than all of them - her character seems to be the most complex too although Page's character is also highly secretive. I don't want to spoil readers with the plot of the programme but it is worth watching when it gets released on DVD at some point, or I suggest you to watch it now on the iPlayer. Honestly, The Syndicate does not disappoint.
Twenty Twelve (Friday night, 10pm on BBC2)
Twenty Twelve is outrageous in every way, that's why it is so successful and that is one of the reasons why I love it. The character Siobhan is one of my favourites because her odious voice and low level of intelligence are perfectly portrayed by Jessica Hynes and "Let's face the music and dance" theme music by Nat King Cole suits the whole production. Are the likes of Lord Coe offended by LOCOG being represented in this fashion? On the contrary, he plays some part of the comedy. Perhaps it is his way to put light onto the Olympics so people can look forward to it.
This mockumentary has gotten me even more excited about the Olympics and trust me, the hierarchy are more prepared and organised than how they are seen in Twenty Twelve. The second series concludes Friday night on BBC Two. The first series was showcased last year with very little publicity on BBC Four. The surprising popularity had been given a promotion to the second BBC channel and it deserves it. I was first introduced to it when they showed a very short sketch of it in Sports Relief last month and have been hooked since. We need more comedies like this - and no canned laughter in the background helps.
This programme has got me thinking about the future of sport coverage on the BBC. The Olympics will presumably be a major part of the BBC calendar every four years for decades to come however, recently, they have announced losing out on crucial Formula1 and golf coverage in addition to Grand National action. This particular horse racing championship from next year will be showcased on Channel 4 giving them an increasing amount of advertising revenue and profits. The move will definitely benefit Channel 4 but when the race took place last weekend, there have been questions on the race's future after pre-race favourite Synchronised was forced to be put down after sustaining an unrecoverable fracture in the leg. The horse was one of two which died in the race while another two died in the same race last year. It is a dangerous race, one can admit but there have to be solutions.
Reducing the number of horses in a race is definitely valid. Having over 40 horses jump at the same time in the first hurdle is life risking not just for the animal, but for the jockey too. Try having 30 horses in one race would be much suitable. It may be disadvantageous for betting companies as they like to keep people's money but on the other hand, if more horses died in this race next year, then animal right campaigners would step up their protests to ban the race. If they succeed, Channel 4 would suffer as well as BBC. The BBC this year did a good job trying its best to focus on the winner, Neptune Collonges but it was hard not to sympathise the horses who do not deserve to be in the situation of racing for their lives, in the literal sense. Regardless, let's take the time and praise the power of original British broadcasting and that there is more to television than Simon Cowell.
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