EUROVISION SONG CONTEST, BBC1, 8pm
WHO is competing for Britain this year, and who cares?
Even if you had an interest in the British act could you bring yourself to do a bit of Googling to find out who it is? Probably not, because it’s sure to be someone young, smooth and utterly without character – life is too short to dwell on such people.
Besides, Eurovision, despite its schmaltzy reputation, has produced some gutsy and controversial acts in recent years. What of the bearded drag queen, Conchita Wurst, or the scary hard rockers from Finland, Lordi, who have albums called “Acrockalypse” and “Babez for Breakfast”? If the contest loves them, how can there be an appetite for the bland acts Britain usually contributes?
Eurovision wants the fantastic – preferably with beards! After all, there must be some reason why millions of us tune in each year, sitting in front of the TV armed with fizzy wine and Doritos.
Britain’s 2016 act is two nice little boys called Joe and Jake, so Britain will have a poor result again, and it’ll give the huffy Brexit crowd yet more reason to resent Europe.
THIS WEEK’S WORLD, BBC2, 5.20pm
EMILY Maitlis presents this new current affairs show where she’ll take one crucial topic from the week’s news and offer investigation and analysis.
It’s quite brave of the BBC to schedule this new show on an early Saturday evening. Most people are still battling their way home from the shops at this hour, while others might be preparing for the evening ahead. How many are content to sit down with a cup of tea and appreciate a serious current affairs show?
Tonight, Maitlis looks at the issue of economic growth. Around the world we see the rich getting richer, but this massive wealth doesn’t quite seem to trickle down to ordinary families. Are we right to expect this to happen, or just naive? Is it a natural result of economic growth? And while the denial of wealth might mean the middle classes can’t buy a second car or home, what does it mean for those who are genuinely poor?
LOUIS THEROUX: A DIFFERENT BRAIN, BBC2, 9pm
A broken bone or cracked rib will hurt but at least they’ll heal. Brain injuries are different: not only will they provoke pain and distress but they might also erase your character – and there is no doctor in this world who can recover a lost personality.
In this documentary, Louis visits homes and rehabilitation centres across Britain to meet people recovering from brain injuries.
There’s Earl who was in a car accident and charged with dangerous driving, but his own brain injury meant he was deemed unfit for trial. Now he concerns himself with bottles of mouthwash and insists on constantly cleaning his teeth, but only in patterns of three or five; two or four bouts of tooth brushing would be unthinkable. He has also become violent and unpredictable.
Another man lost one quarter of his brain in an accident, and the part which controls inhibition was damaged. Now he is “too” friendly and loves playing practical jokes with knives and bricks and can’t understand why others are distressed by his alarming behaviour.
LET’S DO IT: A TRIBUTE TO VICTORIA WOOD, STV, 7.30pm
The secret to Victoria Wood’s popularity was that her humour allowed her to be “inoffensive and yet quite naughty.” There may be comedians who were sharper or funnier, but they couldn’t claim the huge affection Victoria Wood had. She was loved by so many because she’d never resort to shocks, sex or scandal to grab attention, finding the right tone by being a tiny bit “naughty” but never cruel.
Julie Walters, Barry Cryer, Celia Imrie, Alison Steadman, Michael Ball and others offer funny anecdotes and warm memories of her and if you begin to feel it’s perhaps getting too sweet and sad, clips of Victoria Wood elbow their way in, being a little bit “naughty” to correct the balance. You can’t be melancholy when she pops up on screen to discuss ageing women visiting the doctor, some with pelvic floors dangling and another holding her cervix in a margarine tub.
We also learn of Wood’s Lancashire childhood and how she saw Joyce Grenfell’s act as a girl, and became fascinated with the image of a lone woman on a stage who could make everyone laugh.
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