Wendy's Week of TV Part 14

Sunday: Who Do you think you are? (David Tennant)

I found out more about the history of Northern Ireland in this program than I have in the whole of my life to this point. It always amazes me how little people sometimes know about their family history.

Tuesday: Two in the Top End

The environmental message is hammered home relentlessly here. More delightful are the chats between Tim Flannery and John Doyle. It is a little disconcerting to realise that John Doyle actually sounds like Rampaging Roy Slaven in his ordinary life. Great interview with him on Sunday Arts also where he told a gleeful tale about the PM's double booking for his own literary awards. The man is a gem (Doyle I mean).

Tuesday: Hamish Macbeth

This was a rather odd episode. I also found it very strange that while I know I have watched this series a number of times I had no memory of this one. The village is putting on a production of West Side Story. Tony and Maria are being played by real star crossed lovers from different sides of the tracks. Interspersed with some singing and dancing is a visit to 60s guru Zoot (who I'm pleased to say does make later appearances) and a fundamentalist bank manager. For me the best thing was hearing The Rory Campbell trio (Rory on fiddle, Esme on piano and TV John on piano accordion) play the score of West Side Story during the village hall rehearsal scenes. It was actually very beautiful, yet bizarre.

Wednesday: Spicks and Specks

Amanda Keller is one of my least favourite television panel guests. You can see her trying extremely hard to deliver her "lines" I always think. And as my very astute mother remarked early on in this episode, "I'm not watching people being funny, I'm watching people being crude". There is a difference people - although it could always just be a matter of taste. Frankie J Holden was in on the act as well. Yes, they certainly didn't cover themselves with muso-comic glory this evening. Luckily there's always next week.

Friday: The Collectors

This is gentle television and a pleasant enough way to while away half an hour. But if you miss it from week to week you don't really care. The guy who collected electric fans was wonderfully knowledgeable about his admitted obsession. Who knew there were so many different kinds of fans? Many of them were just so beautiful...quite unlike the rusty, lint covered things we end up with today.

Looking back it's been an ABC/SBS kind of week of television viewing. Should I have been watching more commercial stuff?