Early Late

Let’s hear it for Carrie Crowley for whatever re-incarnation the Late Late show comes back as. Why would we need a more grown up version of Ryan Tubridy – Tubs Rides Again – or a leaner Gerry Ryan – Gerry Does Smug Again. No! Time for a change. Carrie has what it needs. Looks, intelligence, ease with people not cue systems and a great sense of what the public want. My other outside shot in the dark would be Anna Nolan. Look at the fine job she did a week ago on Would You Believe about the Palestrina Boys’ Choir. I thought she was warm and curious and seemed so genuine talking to people. I always thought that choir was a posh kids playground for angelic voices etc. What a pleasant surprise to see inner city and ethnic kids having such fun making music. The section about the deaf mother bringing her kids to sing was beautiful. I also admired the choirs musical director who just loves music and singing and is going to start a girls choir as well.

Nationwide had a great feature on the Waterford organisation that supports and grant aids new business ideas. Operating from a cul-de-sac or lane in New Street. To the fore was Chief Executive Bill Rafter and his associates Jackie Gaule and the ebullient Ciaran Cullen. I loved the inset piece on Gallway chocolates and it was informative and visually a treat to see glorious truffles being made. This was an excellent feel-good about Waterford piece.

Waterford Institute of Technology lecturer, Garry Miley, helms the new series of Designs For Life and in an hour-long programme looks at just one project from green field, to design, to build. This has all the hope and optimism of a young family in Sligo coping with the beginnings of the credit crunch, failed promises, hesitation of dreams and much increased costs. This gave the programme a cold rub of reality and made for good television.

The 35th annual Broadcasting Press Guild Awards tossed up some posh choices, with very little populist or particularly popular, choices. The Margaret Thatcher – The Long Walk To Finchley – won a few and Kenneth Brannagh bagged Best Actor for the brooding Wallander. The Devil’s Whore, about the English Civil War, got Best Drama Series and The Apprentice won Best Factual Entertainment. I never heard of the Best Comedy – Outnumbered from BBC1. Sir David Frost was the Outstanding Achievement Award recipient.

BBC1 with, the new six-parter, All The Small Things, gives that Sunday feeling on a Tuesday. Written by Debbie Horsfield, it has a cracking cast of Sarah Lancashire, Neil Pearson, Richard Fleeshman and lots of family faces. Ostensibly it’s about a church choir and the family of the choir master and it seems like a tried and tested story, but no way. It’s fresh and family-fresh at that and has a heart of wonder to marvel at.

It’s hardly the silly season yet and we haven’t had even the kiss of summer or the blush of suntan, yet tv is full of filler programmes, one sillier than another. Last week, you had Did Darwin Kill God? Or Japan – A Story Of Love And Hate, about two people living in a box room and sleeping together in a single bed. They were described as the new poor… but an hour long programme… Yerra madness. There was Queen Of British Pop that didn’t feature Vera Lynn or Petula Clark. But the weirdest was The Sumo Tokoyama – The Art Of Hairdressing For Wrestlers. Don’t mess with me top-knot, grab me elsewhere, please…

It was in that context that The Truth About Eternal Youth had to compete. But this show had the oldest female competitor from Dancing On Ice – Coleen Nolan, as she considered facial surgery of the nip, tuck and cut here and where. Her honesty shone out as it does on Loose Women. Go Coleen Go!

The recessionary changes in Ireland will have a definite effect on the choice of programmes we will be able to see… RTE are predicting almost a €68 million reduction in advertising revenue. TV3 has changed ownership, has merged with Channel 6, which they have recycled into some of 3e and claims to be still losing money. TG4 is highly subsidised in a nice marketplace and Setanta has problems, some created by a big buy in for them to sport.

If you are still watching the UTV show, Moving Wallpaper, you will knopw that the fictional tv people are creating a zombie series, Renaissance. The show will conclude with the producer hacking into an ITV website to upload an un-aired pilot of that show. In real-time ITV will have on itv.com for just ninety minutes of so-called exclusive footage of Kelly Brook and Alan Dale, facing zombie attack on a plane. What a waste of web.