The Treats, Trials and Treasures of Today's Television

The Treats, Trials and Treasures of Today’s Television

By InChelsea Magazine's very own James Murphy

‘Previously on terrestrial television’..It was an era of frantically recording favourite shows. But we now live in a digital democracy. Hello mobile media. Download on demand. ‘Spoilers’ galore are available online. That said, you may have missed some recent television. So I’m offering an update here.

From soap and sci-fi to murder-mystery and reality shows, the best television simply tells good stories, through memorable characters, real or fictional. But all examples cited here have merit and should entertain, even as abject lessons in where television goes wrong.

Kicking off with soap opera, ‘Coronation Street’ (‘Corrie’) remains strong, retaining that ‘old women talking over fences’ gossipy fun that defined it from day one. Recent gems included Ken Barlow (William Roache) leaving his wife, Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) for the alluring Martha (Stephanie Beacham).

In a piece that could have been penned by Arthur Miller, Ken walked the cobbled street, surveying his life. He spoke to a series of characters, none of whom realised that Ken was bidding a bittersweet farewell. It was ironic, poignant and trenchant and would have been too subtle and sophisticated for any soap other than ‘Corrie’. Ken ultimately returned home. So the plotline maybe over, but its characters survive, from Ken and Deirdre to Blanche and Norris and the engaging villainy of soap’s favourite new baddie, Tony (Gray O’Brien).

‘Eastenders’ take note: your characters should define and drive the plots, not vice versa. Otherwise, you end up sacrificing potential assets before their time. The resurrected Dirty Den, psychopathic Andy Hunter and most recently, the vulnerable Danielle, all met premature ends.

The powers that be at ‘Eastenders’ do appease the viewers occasionally. They have just returned favourite villain of old, Nick Cotton (a very funny and very scary turn from John Altman). But even ‘Nasty Nick’ will no doubt meet a nasty end in due course. ‘Goodbye, Ma’.

I concede that all shows lose good characters and still survive. ‘ER’ lasted a good ten years after George Clooney stopped playing Dr. Doug Ross regularly. Nevertheless, it was Clooney that defined and launched the programme, injecting cinematic charm to what might otherwise have been just another medical melodrama.

Such a shame then, that Clooney toned down his powerful presence in a cameo for the final episode of ‘ER’. Gone was the roguish charm and urgent professionalism of the Dr. Doug Ross we knew and admired. Clooney performed on an anaesthetised auto-pilot mode. But it was not his fault entirely. He was let down by a humdrum script that lectured viewers on the merits of organ donation. Worthy cause, wrong arena in which to plug it.

We needed another kind of Doctor, of the sci-fi variety, to truly entertain us. And ‘Doctor Who’ did not disappoint, delivering a cracking Easter special called ‘Planet of the Dead’.


I could not fault the Doctor’s latest adventure. There were spectacular set pieces, beautiful shots of a sandy planet and stunning effects. But the greatest strength in ‘Planet of the Dead’ was the balance between character and plot, c/o a perfect writing team (Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts).

Davies’ genius was always in writing characters with infectious energy and emotional warmth. That’s what made ‘Doctor Who’ successful again. But Davies is even stronger when paired with Roberts. Roberts is a plot-smith, designing stories logically without losing a sense of adventurous fun. So we now have the perfect writing team for David Tennant’s last turns as the Doctor. Tennant deserves nothing less.

An exceptional actor, Tennant can change demeanour in a split second. His face can go from joy to fear, from benign to threatening. One other actor was capable of such brilliance on television: the late, great John Thaw.

John Thaw was most famous for playing Inspector Morse. Thaw gave that show a gruff machismo and charisma as well as soul, much missed in the inferior spin-off, ‘Lewis’.
‘Lewis’ does have mesmeric shots of Oxford and haunting music scores from Barrington Pheloung. And Kevin Whately clearly works at crafting Lewis’ character. But the plots are convoluted, allowing little if any breathing space to define and develop the eponymous hero.

There are nice moments between Whately ‘s Lewis and Theology grad sidekick (Sgt. Hathaway, played by Laurence Fox). But the show is still living in the shadow of Morse.

The scripts keep reminding us that Morse loved opera, beer and crosswords, making you miss his character more. Take Joanna Lumley’s recent cameo. I just kept thinking ‘Morse would have loved you’. Case closed.

Speaking of which..Joanna Lumley is living proof that television can be invaluable in mobilising public opinion. Her impassioned speeches on behalf of the Gurkhas treated us to entertaining ‘reality’ television, without trivialising or compromising the issues at hand.

But there is nothing real about the ‘reality’ shows themselves. They are stage managed, processed and packaged, with ready made archetypes (the baddie with a secret soft side, be it Simon Cowell or Alan Sugar) and plotlines (rags to riches? fish out of water? Susan Boyle fits the bill).

I take guilty pleasure in watching the less able ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ / ‘Apprentice’ hopefuls, who are a little over- eager to ‘give 150 per cent’ (who teaches maths to these poor souls?). But I cannot be blamed for watching. The families / friends of weaker candidates should dissuade them from exhibiting their vulnerabilities.

And besides, our reality shows have genuine social merits that cancel out the cheap thrills. Many cite the rise of the ‘reality’ genre as a sign of society’s decay. That is what Michael Parkinson had in mind when he wrote ‘that’ ill timed piece, condemning the circus surrounding the late Jade Goody. But I see ‘reality’ shows as a sign that society still has hope for regeneration.

I was particularly wowed by ‘Diversity’ on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. I hope that they win the contest. ‘Diversity’ is a dance troop with zest, having crafted their act on the streets. You may prefer another act. But you can vote for your favourite. It’s a democracy, you see. And that can only be a good thing.

Bless you for watching. Tune in again soon. And in the meantime..Good night and Good luck...

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