All articles by Stephen Price – Page 64
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RatingsITV scores a winner with Cup
A friend of mine owns a poster from the 1930s for a ferry company, advertising trips from Hull to Norway.
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RatingsJack's back with a bang
Jack’s back, covered as he is in scars inflicted by eight series of fist-fights, shootouts, drugs and the odd momentary death.
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RatingsBGT sees off Eurovision
In Blackadder III, Prince George declared himself as thick as a whale omelette, but even he’d have known a hit when one clouted him.
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RatingsBBC2 pots a TV winner
So that’s that then: another year’s wait until a waistcoated world champion contender vigorously chalks his cue while pondering the balls on the baize.
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RatingsBBC1 hits the right note
In times of ubiquitous bad temperedness, Saturday’s annual reality holiday felt especially welcome.
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RatingsBBC1 is happy in the valley
It’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for valleys, lying as they do beneath the la-di-da hills with all their sun and fresh air.
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RatingsITV schedulers miss a trick
The pitch, way back when, would have been interesting: rambling stories punctuated by displays of vaguely incompetent magic tricks.
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RatingsHunters close in on rivals
With the exception of discovering one’s ex marching up the beach (which, under normal circumstances, you’d probably run away from), everything else this week has been about the pursuit: of power and thrones; of quirky treasures; and of sporting glory.
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RatingsGeorgians boost BBC4
Who would have thought those bewigged Georgians would have such an impact?
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RatingsMr Drew’s on par with Essex
It probably wasn’t the plan. “So BBC2 and BBC4, if you could commission stuff together, that would be great.” “Yep, of course boss,” each would have chimed.
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RatingsMornings brighter for ITV
In 1982, the Amalgamated Society of Boilermakers, Shipwrights, Blacksmiths and Structural Workers merged with the General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trade Union to form the GMBATU.
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RatingsBeach beats Valleys for MTV
In cupboard lore, it’s well known that you have to salvage the stuff others have stored before you can flog it. Appropriately enough, Quest has found those very salvagers to decent effect.
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RatingsChipper start for C4’s Fargo
Some movie scenes stick with you, like David Niven and Robert Wagner dressed as gorillas driving a sports car and being chased by Peter Seller’s Clouseau, the opening to Saving Private Ryan, or when Mr Vader owns up to being Luke’s dad.
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RatingsBBC2’s seed fails to grow
Given the furore over BBC1’s ‘Mumblegate’, it’s perhaps ironic that BBC2 should this week show a subtitled drama and the next night play a silent film.
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RatingsMushroom doc is magic
This week, in its studious fashion, BBC4 tapped into the magic world of fungi. Elsewhere, ITV2 spawned a new panel show, while E4 banged on with its geeks.
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RatingsSteady losses at BBC’s Jamaica Inn
Some scraps of dialogue have been found from Daphne du Maurier’s original draft of Jamaica Inn.
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RatingsITV hits high note with BGT
There’s no stopping the singing, dancing and juggling (or all three) talent show.
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RatingsSlim pickings for Mad Men
It’s about slightly awkward headwear, faraway places, high politics, a whiff of debauchery, existential despair and massive swords swishing metaphorically, and sometimes literally, about the place.
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RatingsParking problem for ITV
Having made it through the neverending rain with the increasingly panicky impression that January might not actually have ended, the spring bewilders us with a sudden phalanx of bank holidays showering themselves upon our pasty, sun-starved faces and the chance to watch a Bond movie or six.
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RatingsBees create a buzz for BBC4
Winnie the Pooh, not one of literature’s great thinkers, was nonetheless prepared to gamble everything if honey was involved, as illustrated by the whole bees/tree/balloon fiasco of legend.