6月23日
If it is as the old Jesuit motto says ('give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man'), I am seriously beginning to wonder what kind of nightmares plagued Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton in their formative years.
Alongside Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson, they were responsible for The League Of Gentlemen, the cult BBC comedy fave that specialised in the blackest of humours. Set in the enclosed world of Royston Vasey (the real name of crude northern comic Roy Chubby Brown), the audience was presented with a series of weird, eccentric and downright demented characters who looked like they'd been interbreeding since Queen Victoria was on the throne. For all its nightmarish imagery though, The League of Gentlemen was comic genius. Albeit, an acquired taste.
Trying to move on from something that iconic was never going to be easy. So Reece and Steve haven't moved on; they've merely moved location. Welcome to Psychoville and a set of characters (mostly played by the two men) that includes: an ebay-obsessed scary blind man, a twisted midwife (Dawn French, superbly cast) who treats a baby doll like a real baby, a telekinetic dwarf who's in love with his panto Snow White, an incestuous mother and son with a fondness for serial killers (shades of Tubbs and Edward) and, my favourite so far, Mr Jelly - the bitter one-handed clown and children's entertainer (shades of Papa Lazarou).
The first Psychoville gag was also the opening episode's funniest: dark lighting, flickering candlelight and a gloved hand scratching away at yellowed paper with a quill. The black-bordered letters are put inside envelopes and then fastened with a wax seal, bearing the stamp of a raven. All of a sudden you hear: "Cashier number three please". There's light and we're in a present day post office. The figure in black skulks away and a lady in the queue observes: "'E's left his candle." Brilliant.
The correspondence, saying 'I know what you did', is sent to each of the protagonists who are somehow linked. We'll just have to wait and see what the nefarious deed turns out to be.
Psychoville swings all-too-easily between black comedy, sick comedy and comedy of the grotesque. Admittedly the humour here isn't as consistent as it was in The League of Gentlemen; there were quite a few laugh-free moments. Then again, maybe I just was too grossed-out to laugh in places. Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have taken the phrase 'profoundly disturbing' and made it their own. If you're freaked out by a mother scratching her eczema-riddled son's back just before she fiddles with his trousers in an inappropriate way or dwarf porn, this isn't for you. It will test your mind and your funny bone - but it will also test your stomach.
Today I am mostly lovin' - The return of The Wire to BBC2. We are now into season 3 of this excellent series and if you want to catch-up, tune into digital channel FX for season 2.
Today I am mostly hatin' - I love House. For me, Hugh Laurie can do no wrong; he is beyond superlative in this show. But I am getting increasingly annoyed at the amount of screen time devoted to Olivia Wilde. I don't care how hot she looks, the actress (who plays 13) has the charisma of a paper bag. She couldn't act her way out of one either.
MSN Editor Coops
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6月8日
Guys, apologies. I've been so busy with all the reality TV stuff that I've neglected this blog for a week or two. Anyway, I'll plough on before X Factor starts! My Sunday calm was completely and utterly devastated after checking my e-mails. My sister, who works at the Beeb, broke the news that Margaret Mountford, one of Sir Alan Sugar's Apprentice sidekicks, is leaving the show. The 56-year-old wants to concentrate on her academic studies of ancient Egyptian manuscripts. How completely and utterly Margaret is that?!
Ms Mountford reminds me of a primary school teacher whom I absolutely adored and respected; matronly, clever, will brook no nonsense, intuitive... I wonder if they still make 'em like that these days? Sir Alan's eyes and ears, alongside the equally wonderful Nick Hewer, she reported back to her boss on how Apprentice contestants did in their tasks. Speaking about the series, she said: "I have really enjoyed making The Apprentice and it was a very hard decision to say goodbye. But I am working on a Ph.D in Papyrology and I would like to concentrate on finishing this before I need a Zimmer frame to get on the platform to receive it. It has been an amazing experience, and certainly not one that I will ever forget."
Margaret first met Sir Alan in the 1980s when she was hired to advise him on legal issues with his firm Amstrad. Born and brought up in Holywood, Northern Ireland, she says her background aided her career progression, because "coming from Northern Ireland gives you a lot of basic level-headedness and stands you in very good stead." She was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, before becoming a solicitor in private practice. Margaret was a partner at Herbert Smith, a top-tier legal firm; it was at this time she met Sir Alan Sugar while she was doing legal work for Amstrad's flotation on the Stock Exchange.
After retiring in 1999, Margaret took up her current role on the Amstrad board as a non-executive Director. Although never officially employed by Sir Alan, they have worked together on projects for over 20 years.
When The Apprentice first aired on BBC2 way back in 2005, few could've foreseen what a ratings juggernaut it would become. Last night's final, for example, peaked at over 10 million viewers. At first, Margaret and Nick were bit players, but as their caustic witticisms increasingly made the cut, their cult status grew and so did their TV presence. I shall miss Margaret's idiosyncrasies; her eye-rolling heavenwards, complete with an air of disdain, that fearsome, withering stare, her cutting tone of disapproval and the way she projected sheer disbelief that human beings could be so stupid.
Today I even found myself wondering who would win a stare-off between the formidable Margaret Mountford and the Iron Lady herself at her peak, Margaret Thatcher... I can't decide. But I tell ya what, not many men would win that one.
The MSN Apprentice Awards 2009
I'm handing out the MSN Awards for The Apprentice 2009. A selection of the 'winners' follows but you can see the full results here in our gallery.
The 'Gordon Brown Air Of Doom' Award goes to… Anita Shah.
From the moment the camera picked her out, complete with that hangdog expression, you just knew she'd be in the firing line.
The 'Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood Worst Presentation' Award goes to… Empire's Olympic theme.
In week two, it was all Greek to us as the lads opted for an Olympic theme for the catering task. Foods originating from participating countries included peanut butter sandwiches (representing the USA) which was served to top City of London professionals by hairy men in tacky togas. "I look like I've just escaped from a mental hospital!" joked Majid Nagra. Quite.
The 'I Was Narcissus In A Former Life' Award goes to… Ben Clarke.
How does he love himself? Let him count the ways. Is anyone really surprised at Noorul Choudhury's claim that Ben wants to pose naked for Heat magazine with just a rugby ball covering his bits?
Today I am mostly lovin' - House and Hugh Laurie. Thank you Sky1 for picking up the show after Five dropped it. Two episodes a week too!
Today I am mostly hatin' - On a related theme, for the life of me I just can't understand why this excellent show, featuring a much-loved British actor, isn't a bigger UK hit. By the way Wossy, that was a really so-so interview with Hugh broadcast last Friday. Did the best bits end up on the cutting room floor?
MSN Editor Coops
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