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This is the first in a series of crime fiction reviews. I'm a huge fan of the genre and my tastes range from the so-called 'cozy' sub-genre to the much harder-edged stuff. We're starting with an example of the latter.


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Leon Jackson, last year's winner of Simon Cowell's 'The X Factor', has been somewhat absent from our radio dials since he had his debut hit back in January on the back of his reality win. That is all about to change with the release of his new single, 'Don't Call This Love', on 13 October. It's not going to be to everyone's taste, but I reckon it ( Read more... )

The only time the full version of the 'dinnerladies' theme tune has ever been performed. Here's Victoria Wood during an episode of Parkinson from 2000.

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Modern technology can be a wonderful thing. I've yet to post about my chance watching of the sublime 'Gavin and Stacey' while flying with Air New Zealand to Los Angeles, but the 'on demand' functionality of my dad's cable subscription provided me with yet another unexpected gem of a comedy series ( Read more... )

For many years, all I could recollect of what I eventually discovered to be Albion Market were some fuzzy images in the mind's eye of the show's opening titles and the fact that the theme tune was somewhat unusual for a television programme. I still adore the theme: there's something about it that sends shivers up my spine.

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AM was supposed to ( Read more... )

Mens Sana In Thingummydoodah

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Victoria Wood is, unfortunately, perhaps least remembered for this set of six one-off half-hour-long playlets which were broadcast on BBC1 almost twenty years ago. The first one profiled here is perhaps one of the best of the series, though saying that does not imply that any of the others were anything less than very ( Read more... )

Life intervenes over the next few weeks, so the blog re-launch will probably be put on hold temporarily. In the pipeline, as promised, are posts on Victoria Wood's self-titled 1990 series of one-off plays. There are six in total and I'll aim to cover each episode separately. Another of TV''s unsung comedy heroes, Sam Kelly. will be profiled and ( Read more... )

I've been waxing lyrical about Danish popsters Alphabeat for quite a while now, but their latest UK release, '10,000 Nights', has prompted me to finally post about them. It's always difficult for any music act to follow a breakthrough first single successfully, but I think Alphabeat have pulled it off. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that '10, ( Read more... )