In the good old days of Graham Kerr, Keith Floyd and Rick Stein, when a fine wine selection was a pre-requisite to concocting a tasty meal, we had time to try out the recipes that took our fancy with at least a week until the next programme.

These guys were the pioneers for the likes of the Jamie Oliver’s of this world who came along offering some friendly patter while introducing simplicity to the menu.

Simplicity isn’t something that Heston Blumenthal brings to the TV, particularly on Channel 4’s Heston’s Feasts 2. Having only recently caught up with the series I was amazed at the lengths this ‘little chef’ goes to to recreate the tastes of the seventies, his own childhood era.

Obviously blissfully unaware of the celebrity chefs on TV at that time, Heston admits that he did not grow up eating lobster and caviar, in fact as a child he loved the ‘taste’ of powdered snacks like Cup a Soup and Pot Noodles.

And so he sets out to re invent those snacks for a more discerning palate, admitting that he is more excited about the ritual of making the noodles than the actual flavour.

Blumenthal manages to concoct noodles using seaweed and gelatine and makes this into noodles by putting it through a Play Doh toy machine from the 70’s era. The mixture is put into the toy and squeezed out in thin strips that make up the noodles.

Finished off with his own chicken and mushroom mix, the product is served up to his celebrity guests. I have to say I have enjoyed this series mainly for the inventiveness of the celebrity chef, who has not only re invented Pot Noodles but also re-creations of seventies and eighties iconic treats such as the Zoom ice lolly and of course Soda Stream drinks.

After expert analysis, opinion and tips the pair are asked to swap their regime for three weeks when the results will be judged by a beauty expert.

Skin & Bare It – Part 2

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Channel 4

How The Other Half Live is an intriguing series on Channel 4, made by the same team that produced The Secret Millionaire.

The documentary series follows the lives of two families, as a wealthy family agrees to assist a family that is living below the poverty line.

There are almost four million children living below the poverty line in the UK. The effects of growing up in poverty can last a lifetime: average life expectancy in the UK is 79; for someone growing up in poverty it is ten years less.

The first episode of the second series explored the friendship that formed between two eight year old girls when the families were brought together for the programme.

Rebecca Abingdon lives with her dad David, mum Angie and brother George in the chocolate box Cotswold countryside. David is the MD of a marketing business, and a multi-millionaire.

But just a few miles away Iris lives on the borderline of poverty. Her mother Cal spent 11 years travelling in a new age community before falling pregnant and making what should have been a life changing decision to study law.

Despite gaining a first class hons, a masters with distinction and completing her bar exams, Cal is unable to find a pupillage that will enable her to qualify as a barrister.

She is laden with debt and despite holding down a couple of jobs the family are on the breadline and Cal has debts of £20,000.

The Abingdon’s help out with cash spend on kids clothes and the like, but Iris insists that her mother should pay off some of her debt.

Meanwhile David attempts pulling a favour from some of his own contacts in the law business and is disgusted to learn that there is one pupilage offered for every 350 or so law graduates.

In the meantime David is reminded of his own humble upbringing and decides to take his own children to visit the house where he grew up and they cannot believe the size of his family home, which is a normal house.

Whilst there is a bond between the two families, I couldn’t help wondering what would happen in the future as there seemed to be little hope for Cal fulfilling her dream.

One thing that did come through was that rich or poor both families had plenty of love, something that is missing a lot of the time in this day and age.

Brookside

A group of Brookside fans are campaigning to get ‘classic’ episodes of the soap released on DVD. Given the current trend to monetise popular TV shows it is some surprise that Channel 4 and the Brookside producers are not keen to jump on the bandwagon.

Here is an article from the campaigners that gives some background into their ambition:

“Liverpool. For many people it’s the home of The Beatles & Gerry & The Pacemakers, however for those of us born after 1970 it’s the home of Brookside Close.

Brookside was a TV show born in 1982, on the same night as our 4th Television channel, the imaginatively titled Channel 4. However, this wasn’t just any old Soap Opera, it was unique in the way it was filmed and the subjects it covered.

The way it was conceived, written and filmed was different because it was entirely on location. That location was entirely an actual street in Liverpool. This has never been done before or since.

The subjects it covered were unique to the time it evolved in. Watching it, for those of us who grew up in that era, still teaches us things we did not know, but can relate to. The industrial disputes and unemployment which affected the whole country in the 1980’s is writ large for those of us who only observed these things from the sidelines.

As it grew older, Brookside tried to respond to the changing media market. It may have ultimately  failed in that race, but for the 4000 people who want the show preserved on the new media of DVD, and the  more than 100 people who want to see the Close preserved (including many who actually worked on the Show) it is something that will never ever be forgotten.

This may sound ridiculous, but Shakespeare’s house has lasted more than 400 years. These houses (Brookside Close), which I honestly believe are unique, can only last if they are allowed to stand for that long.

Long live Brookside Close.”

The Brookside fan group are currently trying to contact more Ex Cast, having  already got Dean Sullivan (Jimmy Corkhill), George Christopher (‘Little’ Jimmy Corkhill), Bryan Murray (Trevor Jordach) & more signing the Campaign’s online petition.

Here is a link to the petition to preserve Brookside on DVD.

For further information on this campaign visit the Brookside fans website.

Here is the update provided for the series, so you will know what to expect:

It’s all about ‘feeling your emotions’ this week in Glee, as Mr Schu sets the club another challenge;  he wants them to bond more with each other and Glee wouldn’t be Glee if it wasn’t all done through the medium of song. The kids get paired up randomly with the most unlikely partners to sing their hearts out to with some rather shocking results. Someone develops an obsessive crush for Schu himself and a certain set of parents are not happy when they hear some unexpected news, but in the end through all the tears and heartache, the true meaning of friendship prevails as things get tough for two particular young lovers.

Well what about the music? Here is the playlist for episode ten, so you can loosen up your vocal chords in readiness:

Song: Endless Love
Performed By: Rachel and Mr Schu
Original By: Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

Song: I’ll Stand By You
Performed By: Finn
Original By: The Pretenders

Song: Don’t Stand So Close to Me/Young Girl
Performed By: Mr Schu
Original By: Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police and Young Girl by Gary Puckett and The Union Gap

Song: Crush
Performed By: Rachel
Original By: Jennifer Paige

Song: (You’re) Having My Baby
Performed By: Finn
Original By: Paul Anka

Song: Lean on Me
Performed By: Artie and Mercedes
Original By: Bill Withers

And here is Endless Love as performed on Glee by Rachel and Mr Schu.

Glee: The Cast

Glee has without doubt become a TV phenomenon since bursting onto our screens and has already notched up a number one album in the UK with Glee: The Music Volume 1.

The US series has provided E4 with a massive hit, reaching 1.3 million viewers, while winning a Golden Globe Award and now a Gold album in the UK.

The soundtrack to the series has created a complete revolution in music sales, with the featured tracks in each episode being made available to purchase online straight after airing.

The singles from Glee: The Music, Volume 1, led by the anthemic Don’t Stop Believin, have exploded into the UK charts selling a combined total over 550,000 in two months!

Glee: The Music, Volume 2 is the latest collection of the cast’s fantastic, fresh and unique versions of classic songs taken from all areas of popular music.  It includes the Glee cast’s versions of hits by The Pretenders, Lily Allen, The Rolling Stones, Cyndi Lauper, Kelly Clarkson and Van Halen.

The full track listing for the album Glee: The Music Volume 2 is as follows:

1       “Proud Mary”.
2       “Endless Love”.
3       “I’ll Stand By You”.
4       “Don’t Stand So Close To Me / Young Girl”
5       “Crush”.
6       “(You’re) Having My Baby”.
7       “Lean On Me”.
8       “Don’t Make Me Over”.
9       “Imagine”.
10    “True Colours”.
11    “Jump”.
12    “Smile” (Lily Allen cover )”.
13    “Smile” (Charlie Chaplin cover )”
14    “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”.
15    “Don’t Rain On My Parade”.
16    “You Can’t Always get What You Want”.
17    “My Life Would Suck Without You”.

Glee: The Music Volume 2 is released on March 15th and is available as a CD or digital download via Epic Records.

You can watch Glee on E4 Monday and Thursday nights and on Channel 4 every Sunday in the UK.

Tony Banks: The Secret Millionaire

Care homes millionaire and ex-Para, Tony Banks is returning to Liverpool for the filming of the next Secret Millionaire for Channel 4, which will be shown in on UK TV in March.

In the last series, the Secret Millionaire producers were forced to pull him out of the rundown Anfield estate when violence flared and he was targeted by yobs.

The care home entrepreneur was the first Secret Millionaire they’ve been forced to move for safety reasons.Tony had a terrifying ordeal as youths set fire to cars and houses and threw bricks at the building he was staying in.

Tony described the area as being ’like Beirut’. After spending a week undercover, the Falklands veteran donated £126,000 to the area on his visit, to numerous deserving charities and individuals in one of Liverpool’s poorest areas.

“A lot of good people live amongst the chaos,“ said Banks.

He hopes to see the positive effect that the money has had when he returns.

Channel 4

According to reports, the popular Channel 4 game show ‘Deal Or No Deal’ hosted by Noel Edmonds could be moving to a rival broadcaster.

It is believed that not only the BBC but the Sky channel have shown an interest in the programme after it was revealed that estimated £100,000 budget per show, could be slashed under a new contract due at the end of 2010.

Although the popular host of the show is said to be aware of the current rumours he has assured viewers that he will be on the programme for at least the next 18-months.

One of the main changes to the format of the show is reported to be a cut in the prize money available as viewers of an estimated 1.8 million a day sit on the edge of their seats to see if the top prize of £250,000 will be claimed.

the inbetweeners

It must be approaching Christmas as the soundtrack from the brilliant tv comedy series The Inbetweeners is due to be released next week on November 2nd.

The Inbetweeners is the soundtrack to the BAFTA nominated British sitcom about a group of sixth formers struggling through their teenage years. The series follows four friends Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) who are neither popular nor ‘geeky’- they are The Inbetweeners.

Featuring songs from long standing bands The Cure (Inbetween Days) and The Jam (That’s Entertainment), through to relative newcomers the Maccabees (Latchmere and About Your Dress) and the Rumble Strips (Girls and Boys in Love), The Inbetweeners is definitely as much about the music as it is about the laughs.

But as well as an outstanding musical soundtrack the album also includes some of the funny moments from the series that has set new boundaries for teenage/young adult orientated comedy on UK tv.

Full tracklisting:

Disc 1

1. Briefcase (Dialogue)
2. Morning Runner – Gone Up In Flames
3. The Libertines – Don’t Look Back Into The Sun
4. The Wombats – Moving To New York
5. Miss Timbs (Dialogue)
6. Justin Timberlake Feat. Timbaland – Sexyback
7. Jamie T – Sheila
8. Bumder (Dialogue)
9. Kate Nash – Foundations
10. The Duke Spirit – Love Is An Unfamiliar Name
11. Thom Stone – She Knows
12. Mumm-Ra – She’s Got You High
13. Caravan Club (Dialogue)
14. Jack Penate – Second, Minute Or Hour
15. The Cure – Inbetween Days
16. Belle & Sebastian – I’m A Cuckoo
17. Friend (Dialogue)
18. Tellison – Gallery
19. Field Music – She Can Do What She Wants
20. New Cassettes – You Won’t Stop
21. Business (Dialogue)
22. Freaks – The Creeps (Get On The Dancefloor)
23. Transformer – Cinema Car
24. Royworld – Elasticity
25. Theaudience – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
26. Underage Drinkers (Dialogue)

Disc 2

1. Morning Benders (Dialogue)
2. Biffy Clyro – A Whole Child Ago
3. Neil’s Lego Collection (Dialogue)
4. Gorillaz – Kids With Guns (Hot Chip Remix)
5. Dizzee Rascal Feat. Calvin Harris & Chrome – Dance Wiv Me
6. Fish Punch (Dialogue)
7. The Maccabees – Latchmere
8. White Lies – To Lose My Life
9. The Rumble Strips -Girls And Boys In Love
10. Feisty One You Are (Dialogue)
11. Hot Chip – Over And Over
12. Sam Isaac – Fire Fire
13. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. – War Of The Worlds
14. The Young Knives – Fit 4 U
15. Simon At The Disco (Dialogue)
16. The Maccabees – About Your Dress
17. Ed Harcourt – Born In The ’70s
18. Drive By (Dialogue)
19. Passion Pit – Cuddle Fuddle
20. Lloyd Cole – Wild Orphan
21. Jay Gets Dumped (Dialogue)
22. The Jam – That’s Entertainment

true blood soundtrack

‘True Blood – Music from the HBO Original Series‘ will be released on October 26th through Atlantic Records, featuring tracks from the first series of True Blood including the sultry theme tune Bad Things performed by Jace Everett.

The show which is in its second series in the US has only recently premiered in the UK, Channel 4 launched the first series on October 7th, and according the the Guardian is ‘destined to become ten times bigger than everything else on TV.’

Mixing romance, suspense, mystery, and humor, True Blood takes place in the not-too-distant future, when vampires have come out of the coffin, thanks to the invention of mass-produced synthetic blood that means they no longer need humans to get their fix.

Set in a backwoods Louisiana town, the show follows the romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse ,played by Anna Paquin, who won an Oscar at the age of eleven for her role in The Piano and winner of a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Sookie, who can read minds, and 173-year-old vampire Bill Compton, played by British actor Stephen Moyer.

True Blood – Music from the HBO Original Series features songs performed by a wide-range of Louisiana natives, reflecting the series’ steamy backwoods setting of the American bible-belt where the liberal minded are thin on the ground.

The artists span Louisiana’s distinctive musical heritage, from three-time Grammy award winner Lucinda Williams, Slim Harpo, and Lee Dorsey to Allen Toussaint and the legendary Dr. John.  This eclectic soundtrack of country, rock and blues also includes Bleed 2 Feed, an exclusive new song written expressly for the series by Lafayette-based swamp rocker CC Adcock.

Full tracklisting for the album:

1.      Jace Everett – “Bad Things”

2.      CC Adcock – “Bleed 2 Feed”

3.      Lucinda Williams – “Lake Charles”

4.      Lee Dorsey – “Give It Up”

5.      Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers – “Swampblood”

6.      Cobra Verde – “Play With Fire”

7.      The Watson Twins – “Just Like Heaven”

8.      The Flying Burrito Brothers – “Christine’s Tune (A.K.A. Devil In Disguise)”

9.      Ryan Adams – “Two”

10.  Slim Harpo – “Strange Love”

11.  Allen Toussaint – “From A Whisper To A Wind”

12.  Dr. John – “I Don’t Wanna Know”

13.  John Doe Featuring Kathleen Edwards – “The Golden State”

14.  Little Big Town – “Bones”