Phil Newton casts an eye on the TV scene letting you what you've missed and gives also give you the heads up on what to look out for.
 

No. 7 - 1st AugustT 2008.

If you haven't caught up with the most recent series of Doctor Who (BBC One) yet then look away now for here there be spoilers. With the Daleks defeated once more, the Earth restored to its rightful place in the galaxy and poor Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) back home with her memory wiped, now’s a good time to reflect on the second half of this season. Despite some below-par episodes earlier in the series, my optimism for the later episodes turned out to be well-founded. Steven Moffatt's Silence In The Library extended his knack of making the commonplace seeming unnaturally creepy (in this case shadows) and introduced us to the enigmatic River Song (Alex Kingston - ER) who seemingly has a major role in the Doctor's future. With its unforgettable image of a skull in a space helmet, Moffatt's two-parter was one of the highlights of the season.

Following that was Midnight, a Donna-less episode all set in one location - a commercial space cruiser under threat from an unknown host. What I liked about this episode is that like Frank Darabont's excellent adaptation of The Mist, it showed that society is just three meals away from anarchy and often a greater threat can come from us humans. Attention shifted to Donna in Turn Left as Rose (Billie Piper) appeared to highlight her pivotal role as the Doctor's companion and we got to see what might have happened had the two of them not ended up together. Whilst it totally baffled my friend who was visiting from LA, this was one of those stand alone episodes that worked rather well - with little contribution from The Doctor himself - and allowed Tate to give a more wide-ranging performance. As I've said before, I was never a fan of Catherine Tate's casting, but this was definitely her best episode.

And so to the final two-parter culminating with Journey's End. With The Doctor injured and about to regenerate at the cliffhanger of The Stolen Earth, could the Beeb have pulled off one of the best kept secrets in the history of the show? I don't think I've ever read so much speculation as to what might happen in the week leading up to that final episode, and it's no surprise to discover that the programme was the most watched that week pulling in 10.57 million viewers. Sadly Russell T. Davies explained his way out of the regeneration in a matter of seconds, but that quibble aside, it was hugely entertaining finale. What's not to like? Numerous old faces coming together including Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and the Torchwood team, Daleks speaking German, and a poignant send off for ex-PM Harriet Jones - "You know nothing of any human and that will be your downfall."

Top marks though must go to Julian Bleach who fully embraced his role as the returning Davros. I've not been over-keen on the new look Cybermen and Sontarans, but heck, did Davros look more ruthless and chilling than ever before! And Bleach played it to perfection, mad yet still able to reason with The Doctor and, in a stunning finale, try and convince his nemesis that he's just as evil in the way that his companions gradually become killing machines. An honourable mention should also go to Bernard Cribbens, a joy to behold fighting Daleks again (check out Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. from 1966 if you've never seen it) and giving an incredibly heartfelt sign off as The Doctor walked to his TARDIS alone to begin the next chapter of his endless adventures. Who knows if David Tennant will stay on for another season but he's definitely back for the Christmas special in which The Doctor will do battle with the Cybermen once again.

Moving onto some new drama now and as a regular viewer of America's Next Top Model (Living) - and I know that I'm not the only one around here, mentioning no names - I was sorely disappointed to discover that the intriguingly monikered Britain's Missing Top Model (BBC Three) was in fact just another reality show and not a cross between the former show and Without A Trace like I'd hoped. Another disappointment was eco-thriller Burn Up (BBC 2) starring Rupert Penry-Jones (Spooks), Marc Warren (Wanted) and Neve Campbell (Scream). Set in the cut-throat world of oil business this was cover-ups and conspiracies all the way, but despite its impressive cast it never really caught fire. I didn't bother with the second episode.

Rather better was Criminal Justice (BBC One) which aired on the channel over five consecutive nights - a move which will be repeated with Torchwood next year as I understand it. It starred Ben Whishaw (Perfume - The Story Of A Murderer) as Ben, an innocent young man who’s arrested for murder after he awakens to find the dead body of the free-spirited girl who he picked up the night before. Incarcerated without bail the drama contrasted Ben's battle to survive the power struggles within the prison aided by an old con (Pete Postlethwaite) with his lawyers' desperate attempts to get him freed by any means necessary.

A fascinating, if bleak, look at the criminal justice system in the UK the drama successfully illustrated that sometimes it's not about proving you're innocence that counts - it's disproving the prosecution's evidence that you're guilty. The scenes where Ben was encouraged -against his will - to say that he killed in self-defence were quite disturbing and all the courtroom sparring was gripping to see as each side tried to gain an advantage. A thought provoking piece of work with a great central performance from Whishaw and notable support from Con O'Neill (next to be seen as Joe Meek in Nick Moran's upcoming Telstar movie) as his shady - but ultimately well meaning - lawyer.

I was going to recommend Summer Heights High (BBC Three) as the best comedy series of the moment but then Bonekickers (BBC One) came along. It can't be a coincidence that the first and last letters of the title spell out 'Bonkers' because that's exactly what this show is. Part Time Team, part Waking The Dead, it's a drama series about a team of archaeologists based at Wessex University who miraculously keep uncovering historical artifacts which typically expose some ancient cover up that challenges all that we've been taught in school. "It's all a bit Scooby Doo!" commented my flatmate as we stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the opening episode involving the Knights Templar and the newly discovered cross of Christ.

It might help if each story was stretched over two episodes allowing the drama time to breath, rather than everything being crammed into one hour with so many contrivances - the breakneck speed at which these mysteries are solved frankly beggars belief. In reality I doubt it would make little difference; when all is said and done the stories are badly written with laughable dialogue and a blatant disregard for logic. Watch the girl from the hospice help the new intern ripping things up from the dig site! Watch the dastardly villain swing on a rope past the heroine and somehow miss cutting her with his four foot sword! Watch the team repeatedly break into Bath's baths without anyone stopping them! The cast don't help either with only Hugh Bonneville's "Google with a beer-gut" character being vaguely likeable, although there's a very fine line between old-school banter and sexual harassment and I'm not sure he's on the right side of it!

Roundly jeered by anyone who's seen it and rightly adopting its, "Seemingly unassailable position as the worst TV drama of the Summer" (The Daily Telegraph), it's hard to believe that Bonekickers is the brainchild of Mathew Graham and Ashley Pharoah who earlier gave us Life On Mars. Surely this wasn't intended to be taken seriously? Whilst the cast play it straight down the line the audience is doubled up with laughter, and that's the only reason why I'm still watching. Next week's episode promises alien artifacts and a CGI serpent. I can't wait!

In addition to the welcome return of The Culture Show (BBC 2) with Mark Kermode, there have been a couple of excellent documentaries shown recently which have turned the spotlight on two legendary film directors. First up was Imagine (BBC Four) in which Alan Yentob interviewed Werner Herzog and looked back over his remarkable career. As well as reliving the infamous Kermode interview where he was shot by an air-rifle (!) it offered a revealing insight into Herzog's relationship with Klaus Kinski, the perfect appetizer for the two films which followed - Aguirre, Wrath Of God and the epic Fitzcarraldo on which the pair collaborated.

Meanwhile True Stories - Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (More4) provided a fascinating insight into Kubrick's obsessive working methods. Presented by Jon Ronson who had unprecedented access to Kubrick's legacy of 1,000 boxes, the journalist uncovered some remarkable items in his five year trawl through the vaults. Who would have thought that Kubrick kept all of his fan mail and filed them by type (positive, negative or crank - for the crazier correspondence) and by city? Then there were the hundred upon hundreds of photographs taken of potential locations for Eyes Wide Shut. What amused me most was his quest to find the perfect "hooker doorway" in central London... which Kubrick eventually ended up creating on set at Pinewood Studios after all that effort. The boxes themselves also revealed a lot about their owner having been designed to the director's own specific measurements to ensure that the lids were a perfect fit, the supplier's notes remarking Kubrick to be a particularly "fussy customer". Happily the boxes are now stored at UCL at Elephant & Castle allowing film students access to this incredible treasure trove from a unique director.

Finally, just a quick thank you to the forumites who recommended Dexter (FX) to me - I'm now well and truly hooked and will be writing about the show in my next column.

So until next time,

Keep watching.

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