COMEDY PLAYHOUSE: STATIC, BBC1, 10.35pm
YOU know a comedy is bad when you feel embarrassed for the actors. This one stars two well-known names — Alison Steadman and Phil Davis — and my heart bled for them.
Their son has resigned from a miserable job in London and calls his old mum to announce his freedom and that he’ll be moving back home. Mum’s delighted, but has to gently break the news that they’ve moved house. Instead of going back to his cosy old bedroom he’ll be squeezing into their static caravan in Margate.
How can he get a new job if he’s commuting from Margate, he whines? It’s nearer to France than London! And soon he won’t be able to work in France either thanks to his parents voting Brexit! (That was one of the jokes.) And when mum settles down to read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, the son mentions his prison sentence. “Spoiler alert!” she cries. (That was another joke.)
This is a pilot seeking commission and that, unfortunately, is not a joke.
MARC BOLAN: COSMIC DANCER, BBC4, 9pm
MY dad has Marc Bolan tattoos on his forearm and has a huge framed picture of him in the hall, so he has never been able to come to terms with my love of the Pet Shop Boys. He thought he had raised me right. Where did it all go so wrong?
He’s already phoned me about nine times to tell me this show is on, in the vain hope I’ll switch my allegiance from camp disco to glam rock.
Marc Bolan fans, even those without tattoos, will adore this documentary which is narrated in the singer’s own words.
He died at 29 when his car hit a tree, but he has never been forgotten, and his image remains glittery and glorious. This film combines old home movies with Bolan’s intimate thoughts from his diaries and interviews. It also features interviews with Tony Visconti and Gloria Jones.
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