Still Open All Hours ~ A light-hearted nostalgic one-off, and a reminder of a by-gone gem

A little while ago, as part of my exploration into truly classic comedy, I hailed Open All Hours as one of the greatest television shows this country has ever seen in terms of the sitcom. My only niggling worry was that there were plans to bring it back this Christmas; I was worried it might not live up, and that all the love and wonder for the original series would come crashing down. Although I did say, or I rather hoped that whatever happened nothing would dent the original show too much. Well, Still Open All Hours graced our screens on Boxing Day, and by and large, I was pleasantly pleased and amused for half an hour.


I'm not the only one it seems. Still Open All Hours topped the Boxing Day viewing figures, not too far away from 10 million, and most hailed it as an affectionate look back at a true gem. However others make out that the show was way behind it's time, and that David Jason looked lost and feeble trying to fill the void left by Ronnie Barker's Arkwright. And that is me paraphrasing politely.
As for me, I did rather like it, and I was pleasantly surprised by how funny it still was. I confess some of this talk of "lost causes" and "old relics" did seep into my subconscious. However they, and I couldn't be more wrong. For me the laughs still came at just the right places, and even though in some cases they were just where you expected them to be, it did not make the wordplay, the occasional cheeky innuendo, and the sheer comedy value any less real. And as for these people who claim Sir David Jason has lost it somewhat; how dare they! I did glance over "established" critic's views of Still Open All Hours, and some made out that the wonderful David Jason was well past it, that he hadn't had a hit in years (that one is a quote from a certain Telegraph critic, kid you not - the charlatan! ) almost hinting that he doesn't deserve to be there. How utterly outrageous. Apologies for lowering the tone, but they are talking absolute bollocks. Anyone who talks like that is most likely the sort of person who is only ever obsessed with the next big thing, the sort of person who is constantly hounding Twitter and Snapchat and God knows what else for what other idle twits are talking about for the next five minutes, and people who think that the only thing worth while on TV is the sort of inane drivel that can be summed up in a pathetic T-shirt catchphrase. Sorry to rant, but with David Jason that is simply not the case.
I might not mind if they were having a go at someone who used to be celebrated but is now clearly trying too hard and failing, but that is plainly not happening here. Alright, Still Open All Hours isn't to everybody's taste (what ever is?) and yes of course, David Jason is older now than when he  first donned Granville's pinny. Who cares? The laughs still came in abundance, the charm was still surely there, David Jason, along with all the other cast members, still delivered, and the viewers still tuned in, in their millions.

OK, critiquing the critics over, let's get back to the programme. For me as a fan and a comedy lover generally, this 30 minute return to Arkwright's was a joy to watch. From the moment we got the exterior shot of that hallowed Doncaster corner shop, and that melodic and mournful brass band started to play, it was if we'd never left. But of course, changes had occurred, chief among which was the sad absence of Ronnie Barker's Arkwright. Yet at no point did those left behind ever try to replace him, I don't think they ever wanted to try, but his presence was surely felt, not just from his picture hanging on the wall. Some old gags from the show were re-hashed and used again, but they were moments that truly were classic; they still made us giggle. From the dog-shopper, to a man being taken for a walk by his dog (this time played by a certain Chuckle brother!) they were recognised and celebrated. We had a lot of old faces resurfacing, led by the magnificent Jason as Granville, but also featuring Lynda Baron as the renowned Gladys Emmanuel (who it transpired never did walk down the aisle with Arkwright - bless!) and other warmly welcomed faces like the lovable Mavis and Mrs "Black Widow" Featherstone.

We also had a lot of new to mix in with the old. Chiefly there was Granville's son Leroy, the new young blood on the block, and new errand boy-come IT manager. For me there was also a brilliant, and incredibly amusing star performance from Johnny Vegas, who played the incomparably named "Wet" Eric.
All this and more made Still Open All Hours a wonderfully pleasant and charming take on a classic sitcom that more than proved its metal today. Yes, we can never replace nor forget the legendary Ronnie Barker as Arkwright, but at least he can happily know that his beloved shop can still generate the interest, and deliver all the laughs in abandon. Thank you (Still) Open All Hours. Now...G-Granville! Fetch yer cloth!

The Time of the Doctor ~ Matt Smith's superb swansong as the Eleventh Doctor

As you may have gathered by now, I am quite the Doctor Who fan. I enjoyed many of the treats during the run up to the 50th anniversary a couple of months ago, and I loved The Day of the Doctor itself. Now, at Christmas time, comes the traditional festive special of Doctor Who. But this was a special with a difference - it was the last hurrah for Matt Smith and his time as the Doctor. Like any Doctor Who event nowadays, the build up was massive, so much was promised, and this time there was not much wrong at all so far as I could see. The Time of the Doctor for me was, absolutely and positively ram jam packed full of gems.

OK, basic stuff first. This is a Who Christmas episode, so more often than not it has to be fairly Christmassy. There have been a couple of exceptions to this in recent years. David Tennant's last seasonal special for example, which also in turn saw his regeneration into Smith, was I think definitely all about the action and the epic nature of the story, with Christmas time being a sort of fitting background in a way. Don't get me wrong, the results were quite brilliant. Smith's specials (four no less including this one - quite a good run then!) were all fairly festive in their own way, from his first Christmas Carol, one of his greatest episodes ever in my view, to this year's final bow. This year might have seen his most Christmas-filled episode of all in a way. We begin with the Doctor and Clara rushing in and out of a typical, or not so, Christmas dinner with gusto, comedy and innuendo abandon. We then see that the town where all the action is set to happen, over centuries, is called Christmas itself, and it is presented in an incredibly wholesome and charming way, despite it being the setting for some fairly climactic action. All that plus the fact that (without wishing to provide too many spoilers) the Doctor grows to be quite Santa-esque in some respects before his regeneration. He even mends toys.

So we have the Christmas elements well and truly. Check. But as I said, this is far more than another Christmas one-off. This is the epic goodbye to the Eleventh Doctor, not just to where he's at now, after many joyous years of watching him, but also to all the elements and characteristics, and some characters of his tale that we know and love. To send the Doctor on his way, we were given an awesome battle. It was said that it wouldn't be just one foe to see the Time Lord off; it took loads. And it was done brilliantly. We saw him battle Cybermen, the chilling Weeping Angels, Sontarans and the dreaded Silence. The Silence was a bit of a funny one for me, as they were created and developed within the frame of Smith's tenure as the Doctor, so much so that I, as well as other fans, were kind of expecting an epic final standoff against them all on their own. Instead, again trying to avoid spoilers, we got a quick, slick and inventive way to explain the meaning of "Silence will fall", and a bit of a turnaround in the end for these unique characters, which was unexpected but for me, quite welcomed. An all star line up of Doctor Who's greatest villains would not be complete of course, without the Daleks, and in the end, it came to a final showdown between them and the Doctor once more, and I wouldn't wish for any different. We also interestingly got a taste of things possibly to come, with the slight re-emergence of the mythical Time Lords and Gallifrey, as hinted at in the 50th special. Though not totally definitive or physical, their presence was well and truly felt, and I think the next Doctor won't have seen the last of them.

We were also lucky enough to see some great characters and performances in this episode. Guest staring was Orla Brady as the feisty, flirtatious and powerful Tasha Lem, and also a big shout out to Rob Jarvis of Hustle and Tessa Peake-Jones of Only Fools and Horses fame, who popped up as fleeting but charming characters. We also got to see some background to companion Clara at last, which was a joyous thing to see, and very festive too. Of course the lovely Jenna Coleman returned as the uncanny and incomparable Clara Oswald; I think this has been one of her best episodes to date. After a relatively short time, and a whirlwind of character plots and subplots, she is well and truly a companion now.

But of course, obviously yet rather wonderfully, the star of the show must be and truly is Matt Smith, as he puts everything he's got into his last adventure as the Doctor. Not only that, but this episode shows a lot of snippets and plot elements of the Eleventh's journey reappear and pretty much resolve themselves. From the aforementioned Silence, to the true significance of Trenzalore, to the eponymous crack in space and time, which dominated Matt Smith's first series. We even got a fleeting return of Karen Gillan as Amy Pond. But the man himself really came into his own, more so really at the end of his truly blistering career as the mad man with a blue box. We were reminded what a truly great Doctor he is. He still goes on quite a character journey in his last episode, but always with his trademark exuberance, charm, charisma and power. He even brought forth a lovely and incredibly touching new "companion" arc in his final episode with a character called "Handles". Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor truly was a great one, and for me, yes it was sad seeing him go, but it was more touching than heartbreaking. It did remind me of what a great run he has had, and how he came to recognize his full potential and more, and finally it had me smiling as I watched him bring all of it to a head in his last adventure. Thank you Matt Smith, you were a cracking Doctor. 

Geronimo!

   

Strictly Come Dancing 2013

This is the first year I have truly got into Strictly Come Dancing. Normally, unlike some of my family and friends and a lot of the nation, I don't follow all of these "reality" or "talent" programmes; like X-Factor, or Britain's Got Talent etc. With Strictly though, my mind was well and truly open and 2013's was the season I followed week-by-week. A lot of TV programmes try to cater for everyone, but I truly feel Strictly does. The concept is simple - take a broad selection of celebrities and try to teach them to dance, watching them strut their stuff (or not as the case may be!) every weekend. Yet everything surrounding this concept to make the show what it is is stupendous. Forgive me if you're a Strictly fan and have been for a while, or even if you're like me and were familiar with the format; a lot of what I say won't be new to you - but here are a few of the reasons why I was happy to follow this season of Strictly.

Firstly, and rather obviously, the contestants; we couldn't have the show without them. Of course, each year has a right mixed bunch, but as this is my first year watching I was struck by the variety, not just of dancing skill and ability, or lack of in some cases, but also of the sheer range of personality and character, that I feel might not have been as easy to see in the professional lives of all these actors, models, and sportsmen. Naturally I had my favorites and not so favorites. I have written a column about how much I loved Mark Benton (or "Howard" as I often referred to him as - see my column, it'll make sense) and his terrific display of performances. Comparatively to others he may have been lacking in dancing ability, but it was still resolutely there, and that plus his oodles pf personality ensured he did very well. A like-able surprise for me was semi-finalist Patrick Robinson, who not only progressed massively and gave some show-stopping dances, but also seemed to be a really demure, kind and caring guy, which can only be a plus. The ones I didn't really like, the voting public didn't seem to like either as they were the ones voted off the quickest. Golfing legend Tony Jacklin was the first celebrity to go. He clearly wasn't coping with the dancing, though I'm sure he did his best. But unlike say someone like Mark Benton, once it became apparent he wasn't that good, he did not even try to make an effort, either to improve or to look like he wanted to be there. Then there was Julien McDonald, the exceedingly camp, Welsh fashion designer. Yes we know he's camp as Christmas (actually he puts Christmas to shame there probably) and yes he was all smiles, but I feel he really took it to not so good extremes. All he could speak about when not dancing was the sequins on his costume, and I admire anyone who has a big optimistic smile, but his after a while made him look like a gawping idiot who couldn't quite comprehend what was going on.

All in all though, I applaud anyone who would put themselves in that position, and I think the crop of contestants this year was rather good, and featured plenty of gems. Tonight, after months of Saturday and Sunday showbiz, we witnessed the all female-final, which featured Abbey Clancy, Natalie Gumede, Sophie Ellis-Bexter, and Susanna Reid. All extremely talented, all beautiful ladies, all great personalities, all great dancers, and all very like-able in their own ways. I won't reveal who won for the sake of spoilers, but I will say it was a show-stopping final.

Now to other integral components - the judges. We have the aloof, very firm but fair Craig Revel Horwood. We also have the stunning dance sensation that is the iconic Darcy Bussell. Ballroom legend Len Goodman heads the judges. And last but certainly not least, we have the wildly passionate Bruno Tonioli. All are marvelous in their own intrinsic ways. Some of their comments and scores generate groans and boos from the audiences, and some lead to cheers and clattering applause. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Finally we come to the hosts of the show, who provide personalities that are just as essential to the show as anyone else's. Some shows just stick a bimbo or a  pretty face, or just a famous one on for the sake of it, not with Strictly. However, here we are marred slightly by the negative, but first the positives. I feel they come in the forms of the two female presenters. Firstly we have Tess Daly, the glamorous northern lass who clearly loves doing what she does of a weekend and does it with such ease and fluidity. Then we have the feisty and flirty Claudia Winkleman, who co-presents the Sunday results show with Tess. Unfortunately, the negatives I feel come from Strictly staple, and TV royalty, Sir Bruce Forsyth. Like many people in TV I suppose, you either love or hate Brucie. Personally I don't really mind him generally, and there have been times when he has made me smile on the show. Don't get me wrong I love the fact that he is such an iconic figure within the show, nevermind telly generally. Yet I feel there are few things worse than seeing a great that is moving past it. I am not going to bash Sir Bruce with venom like so many viewers, tabloids, and my mother do every week. But I will say that with each show this season there have been several cringe-worthy moments, where Brucie seems to think he can still blow an audience, and contestants away with his wit and repertoire, but instead falls terribly flat and mute, you can see the tumbleweeds, and is left looking like a confused and sad old man. I don't know who writes his "material" but I do think if he is going to continue on Strictly, which I do think he has a right to if he wishes, then the producers should make sure it is improved greatly, and/or there be less of it.

By and large, I am very greatful for my first real taste of Strictly Come Dancing. There have been thrills and chills, ups and downs, highs and lows, and they've all been played out for me and the millions who enjoy Strictly week after week, and I am sure we are all very greatful. There aren't many shows on prime time TV nowadays where you can say:- "yes, that is true, classic, unabashed family entertainment". Yet Strictly certainly is. It doesn't try to be radical, or edgy, or patronizing. Instead it provides masses of dancing wonder, variety of character, comedy and drama, and more than a little of that ballroom sparkle. Thank you Strictly 2013. Roll on next year's batch!  

RIP Peter O'Toole

No review or opinion here, just a fond farewell to one of the greatest, most respected, and most cherished actors to ever have lived

PETER O'TOOLE

1932-2013