Do we live in a golden age of television?

[Ben]

We powered through it in about a week. Gary Oldman is absolutely tremendous, obviously.

Started Kin last night as we're down to the bare bones on the watchlist (only Lupin remains, but the wife wasn't in a "concentratey" mood).

[Kikó]

I think slow horses gets progressively worse but obviously still enjoyable.

[Lofty]

Masters of the Air is as epic as expected :drool:

[phonics]

Phonics, son of Phonics is back. Second rewatch of Last Kingdom. What a stupid show, I love it.

[hfswjyr]

Masters of the Air is as epic as expected :drool:

It's no Band of Brothers (nothing ever comes close but I can't help the comparison), but it is still exceptionally well made. Looking forward to watching the remaining episodes as they come out.

[Baz]

Are there still only two out?

[hfswjyr]

Episode 3 out yesterday. It was brilliant.

[niko_cee]

The top of the pops archive is so good that the BBC really ought to have a channel entirely dedicated to it 24/7.

[Bernanke]

Episode 3 out yesterday. It was brilliant.

I'm not sold on the two leads. And I think 3 felt kind of rushed despite the hour runtime.

It's still good mind.

[Bernanke]

Masters of the Air is as epic as expected :drool:

Fourth episode is the first really great one to me.

[Waffdon]

Ted :cool:

[Jimmy Floyd]

Giving Masters of the Air a go (1 ep down). Hadn't previously appreciated how absolutely insufferable it must have been having all these yank servicemen in the country. Nearly makes you yearn for the Reich's sweet embrace.

[Manc]

In a desperate attempt to fill my time I've decided to rewatch (never finished) TWD. S1 already has me regretting my choice. Does the pace pick up in S2?

[Don]

That Jimmy post has me feeling like the dead-behind-the-eyes coupled-up guy on the department store escalator meme holding an electrical kitchen gadget whilst longingly looking at the single guy on the opposite escalator holding a PS5.

Unfortunately, I can't locate the meme but just replace the air fryer with One Day. About 6 episodes in and yet to have one worthwhile line of dialogue or character of any redeeming value. Fucking tragic waste of time. Stylish on the eye, two up-and-coming leads and looks to hit every possible life event in sub-30 minute episodes in a desperate attempt to strike a bond with the modern thicko viewer.

[Ben]

Deep into series 2 of Kin now (on iPlayer). It's pretty gripping despite being fairly basic in terms of storylines. Some great acting too, I don't watch DC/Marvel/whatever so this is my introduction to Charlie Cox.

[Waffdon]

Michael Kinsella :cool:


I reckon that girl from the pharmacy will be his long lost sister if they make a season 3

[Kikó]

Last season of Discovery on the way Giggles


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=js3-j-iLwDs

I haven't watched it from maybe Season 3. Got lost in the storyline to pick it back up.

[Giggles]

It's so bad. I did get around to catching up on it eventually but wouldn't be an 'as soon as I get home' weekly watch like SNW.

I wonder how much emotional whispering there will be in the big finale.

[Baz]

Anyone watching the Mr and Mrs Smith series with Donald Glover on Prime?

[Ian]

I've seen the first few episodes and quite liked it so far.

[Giggles]

Deep into series 2 of Kin now (on iPlayer). It's pretty gripping despite being fairly basic in terms of storylines. Some great acting too, I don't watch DC/Marvel/whatever so this is my introduction to Charlie Cox.

Didn't know anyone else picked that up. I didn't see a big pile of it but what I did see I preferred to Love Hate, which is a fairly similar show RTE did as well.

[Ben]

Didn't know anyone else picked that up. I didn't see a big pile of it but what I did see I preferred to Love Hate, which is a fairly similar show RTE did as well.

Like I said it was my first exposure to Charlie Cox so I was quite surprised to learn he’s not Irish. Seemed a good accent to me, which is very rare.

[Mike]

The “on this season of Mafs Australia” bit before episode one started already has me hooked!!!

[igor_balis]

Did anyone else get into Tim Heidecker and Greg Turkingtons on cinema at the cinema? It's a truly remarkable thing, although I mostly admire it more than enjoy watching it. Except for the oscar specials.

[Clunge]

Question for all of you that has been bugging me for years.

Can anyone remember the name of a British 90s, maybe early-2000s, gameshow that – I think – featured three players, one red, one blue and one green. The set up was, I think, on the floor and there were sort of coloured nodes joined by coloured lines. I can't for the life of me remember the premise of it, what the objectives were, whether there were questions, or anything. I just remember the visual aesthetic – definitely three core colours with laser-precise lines and nodes doing something or other.

Vague af, but any solutions would really scratch an itch. Would have been BBC or ITV, probs ITV I suspect. And def a daytime one.

[Jimmy Floyd]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLg6AHYpLmE

?

Doesn't completely match the description and maybe a bit early.

[Lofty]

Shogun is good so far, never read the book or saw the original series.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Over the last few weeks I've watched Schitt's Creek, absolutely brilliant.

David is a quality character.

[Clunge]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLg6AHYpLmE

?

Doesn't completely match the description and maybe a bit early.
Hmm, I suspect that's it, but it doesn't quite fit the image in my head. It has been like 25 years though so...

[Baz]

I’ve only ever seen Pointless at my parents house (I hardly watch TV at home) but someone on Reddit has removed all the fluffy stuff and trimmed a 45 minute episode down to 11 minutes (https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/s/VJNJYYX2QG) and I’m not sure how to feel about it. What a waste of time.

My mum and dad also watch The Chase a lot and that feels much faster, the odd bit of banter from Bradley Walsh but nothing too grating. I imagine you’d only shave a few minutes off that if you did the same. Maybe? Kind of annoying how much of my life has probably been purposely wasted to fill airtime by producers and presenters. Twats. I want it all back.

https://y.yarn.co/44b5f653-91b2-4ce0-8304-d363a3899928_text.gif

[Jimmy Floyd]

I listened to a few eps of that podcast Richard Osman does with Marina Hyde (think of it as research) and in one of them I swear he was going on full guns about how viewers don't want the fluff around the edges of programmes and want to go straight into the content. I thought hang on, Richard, your quiz show, which is a really good format incidentally, is literally just fluff for hours.

When you listen to him talk across various subjects what you realise is that he has today's manifestation of the evil genius mind, i.e. doesn't give a single fuck about the artistic merit of anything, just in whether or not it will 'do numbers'. He then reverse-engineers his brain to decide that anything that has 'done numbers' must therefore be good and have artistic merit. It's amazing really.

[wullie]

I don't know if it was only meant to be on for a few weeks or was dropped swiftly but Stephen Fry hosted another UK go at Jeopardy recently. Incredibly dry but I enjoyed that as it felt like what quiz shows used to be with incredibly awkward contestants who have no place being on TV other than answering trivia, rather than bubbly or camera-friendly thickos you get as a rule on Tipping Point and nearly everything else.

[Lofty]

I loved Jeopardy and hope it comes back, I'll definitely be applying. The available prize fund for that time slot of tv quiz show was great, even though compared to the US it was miserly - I think some teacher managed 5 day champion with 30k and someone worked it out he'd have had 120k on the US equivalent. I'd definitely apply if they do a second series.

Osman seems to have repeated the trick with his novels, I've only heard people slate them yet he keeps churning out best sellers.

The fluff thing is amusing, saw it on The Wheel the other week and the thicko girl missed the memo and interrupted the 'expert' with the right answer. Adam Kay alluded it to it on the latest episode where he turned to McIntyre and essentially said 'do you want me to go through them all or just say the correct answer?' But it everyone did that it would be a 15 minute show.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The goat of course:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7w4Jfa8uvE

Look at how hard the questions are as well. People used to know stuff.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Osman seems to have repeated the trick with his novels, I've only heard people slate them yet he keeps churning out best sellers.


I tried his first one a few years ago, absolute guff. I think I lasted 2 chapters.

[Disco]

The goat of course:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7w4Jfa8uvE

Look at how hard the questions are as well. People used to know stuff.

What a format, you barely hear their name and it's into the questions in about a minute.

[Shindig]

100% was good for that until that one bloke won it for a year straight or whatever.

[Baz]

I’m rewatching Friday Night Dinner. Some of it is extremely funny.

[Bernanke]

Shogun is mint.

[Lofty]

It really is, Cosmo Jarvis giving me Toby Stephens from Black Sails vibes.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Enjoyed the first 7 eps of Masters of the Air, but 8 was, quite suddenly, one of the worst episodes of TV I've ever seen. The pacing, the going from one place to another, the rushing, all completely pathetic. Clearly what happened is that somebody decided they needed black faces in the show at literally any cost, so they decided to torpedo the narrative arc completely and do a rubbish, rushed insertion of a completely separate story that deserves far better, while in the process skipping through Normandy of all things. Our (well, their) culture is diseased.

[Kikó]

Shogun is mint.


It really is, Cosmo Jarvis giving me Toby Stephens from Black Sails vibes.

Yes! It's one of the best starts I've seen in a series in ages.

[hfswjyr]

Enjoyed the first 7 eps of Masters of the Air, but 8 was, quite suddenly, one of the worst episodes of TV I've ever seen. The pacing, the going from one place to another, the rushing, all completely pathetic. Clearly what happened is that somebody decided they needed black faces in the show at literally any cost, so they decided to torpedo the narrative arc completely and do a rubbish, rushed insertion of a completely separate story that deserves far better, while in the process skipping through Normandy of all things. Our (well, their) culture is diseased.

Agree, and that seems to be most of the sentiment online also.
Let's hope they save it with the season finale episode 9.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I should have said black faces and a woman, because unless it's going to come off in the last episode somehow, the SOE person's storyline is both fictitious and completely pointless.

[phonics]

I've been watching that Gentlemen which is based off the Guy Ritchie flick. It's good fun. Proper actors doing proper acting in something that's not really that serious.

[Bernanke]

I've been watching that Gentlemen which is based off the Guy Ritchie flick. It's good fun. Proper actors doing proper acting in something that's not really that serious.

I had fun watching the first episode yesterday yeah, there's plenty of acting talent in it.

[mo]

The Dick Turpin thing isn't bad. There's a small amount of Fielding wackery, keeping it watchable, and there's a good cast of central/one-off/recurring (? maybe, who knows, only been three episodes) characters.

[Don]

6 new episodes of How to with John Wilson on iPlayer. Just caught two on BBC2 now, peak TV.

[Yevrah]

Tapping out of The Gentlemen four episodes in. Loved the film but the series is crap.

[Mike]

The Dick Turpin thing isn't bad. There's a small amount of Fielding wackery, keeping it watchable, and there's a good cast of central/one-off/recurring (? maybe, who knows, only been three episodes) characters.

Just watched the first two and enjoyed it a lot. Cheers for the heads up on it, had no idea it was a thing

[-james-]

Clarkson's Millionaire is just great telly.

[niko_cee]

All the contestants were shit today though. Maybe not the last one, that was bastard question about opening lines. Only two novels really merit inclusion in the pantheon of known for their first lines famedom, A Tale of Two Cities and The Catcher in the Rye.

[-james-]

I dunno, I knew it before the options came up. I would have thought either the contestant, their phone a friend or Jez would know the answer when one like that comes up. If she'd spent more than half a second thinking about the question at 1k she'd have got through the Knebworth question as well.

[niko_cee]

Ahab is the only name from Moby Dick that anyone who hasn't read it would know. Not an 8 grand question. The Lady Chatterley's one was similarly tough, although the lady saying she'd never read it or seen the film and then nailing the answer was a bit suss. :sherlock:

She was too young for Knebworth to make sense and the audience are generally retarded unless it's a soap question.

Props to Jeremy for knowing about the world economic forum. The absolute hallmark of someone who has been skiing in Europe and has been reduced to watching CNN.

[-james-]

I haven't read Moby Dick. :shrug:

I thought Belgrade being in Yugoslavia being worth 4 grand was extremely soft but then I'd have been completely lost on the Lady Chatterley one. Real shame she didn't go for Bellatrix after she'd sussed it, probably one of those that's hard to sell to yourself in the studio.

Big lol at the Doctor and his mate earlier on as well.

[niko_cee]

I think football knowledge gives you a disproportionate advantage with European geography questions like that. My wife thought it was between Yugoslavia and the USSR. :face:

Bellatrix was a Harry Potter guess, surely, but she talked herself out of it. Also, Rigel 7 [/kodos and kang]. Don't call it 'wriggle'. Quite a lot of bad pronunciation. The junior doctor winced when Jeremy tried to say echinacea.

[Boydy]

All the contestants were shit today though. Maybe not the last one, that was bastard question about opening lines. Only two novels really merit inclusion in the pantheon of known for their first lines famedom, A Tale of Two Cities and The Catcher in the Rye.

It's one of the most famous opening lines ever? I haven't read the book and I knew it.

I couldn't tell you what Catcher in the Rye's is and I've actually read (and hated) it.

[Baz]

There's a clip going round at the moment of the US version where it's the $500k question and it's basic Pokémon knowledge. You don't know what you don't know, as the wankers say.

[Bernanke]

There's a clip going round at the moment of the US version where it's the $500k question and it's basic Pokémon knowledge. You don't know what you don't know, as the wankers say.

That one is less about the Pokemon knowledge and more about the LOTR knowledge, but your point still stands.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nq6PHwjQtA&ab_channel=GarryMooreFan

[Spikey M]

That one is less about the Pokemon knowledge and more about the LOTR knowledge, but your point still stands.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nq6PHwjQtA&ab_channel=GarryMooreFan

It's definitely about Pokemon knowledge. You could not know who Frodo is and still know he's not a Pokemon. Likewise, you could know Frodo is a Hobbit, but then maybe there's a Hobbity Pokemon.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't think my mum would get that one right, or she'd have to have a 1 in 4 guess. Anyone born after 1985 should get it easily though.

[hfswjyr]

She doesn't know who Frodo is?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Old people are strange like that. She could tell you every character in Tolstoy, but she was unable when pushed to identify the French flag, despite having been there about 50 times in her life and speaking the language well.

[wullie]

There was an Irish guy on Millionaire who breezed his way to £250k cool as you like last week, he was great. The only question he struggled with before cashing out was a late one 'who is the only author to have more than one published novel?', as soon as Harper Lee came up I got it, seemed easy as it was in the news fairly recently but he used up his lifelines on it. Felt a little cocky until he then got a question about Greek terms for dinosaurs or something without even breaking a sweat.

[Spikey M]

I did exactly the same as he hid. I had no idea on the book, but I got the dinosaur one instantly. Having a 6 year old son was a bit of a cheat code there, mind.

In the same week I also got every question right on the 1% club. What a rush.

[Waffdon]

Did you phone a friend too?

[John Arne]

I have no idea who Frodo is. I'm guessing Lord of the Rings, by process of elimination.

[niko_cee]

I did exactly the same as he hid. I had no idea on the book, but I got the dinosaur one instantly. Having a 6 year old son was a bit of a cheat code there, mind.


:D

This.

Although anything with paleo in it was a bit of a giveaway with the ancient life Greek info.

The worst doing over anyone's had on that show recently was some poor non-English guy who just got bombarded with questions about idiomatic phrases. Think he got through two before a third one took him down.

[Ian]

Clarkson's Millionaire is just great telly.

It's such a good format that all you need is a host with a bit of a sense of humour so Clarkson was a good choice.

The tweaks to the rules are a rare example of good changes too. The Clarkson lifeline is so hit and miss unless you know for a fact that he knows about something that it's just a bit of a laugh and having them set their own second safety net adds an extra bit of jeopardy too.

[Ben]

The wife has just asked me about Succession, so the rewatch starts tonight!

[Manc]

I have no idea who Frodo is.

Surely not.

[Boydy]

Fucking hell, that loss on Millionaire.

[randomlegend]

Fucking hell, that loss on Millionaire.

Is it not a repeat? If it's not then what the fuck because I was able to tell my wife exactly what was going to happen from the moment the question came up because I was sure I'd seen it before.

Edit: it is.

[Boydy]

I didn't realise. I hadn't seen it before.

[Bernanke]

X-Men '97 is pure nostalgia bait, but that damn theme song has me hooked so I don't care.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa9o_1p-F2U

[Dark Soldier]

Been rinsing Constellation last night and today. Its both very enjoyable and utter trash, like all these things it doesn't really know what it is but it's filled with enough the fuck is that to make it fly by.

It's also yet another example that child actors need binning off. Just CGI the cunts.

[Baz]

X-Men '97 is pure nostalgia bait, but that damn theme song has me hooked so I don't care.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa9o_1p-F2U

I was like is it though and then 12 seconds in I was fully invested. :drool:

[Shindig]

It's also yet another example that child actors need binning off. Just CGI the cunts.

Elliot Page could corner the market on those roles easily. Michael Cera as well, as long as he had a shave before the shoot.

[Luke Emia]

24.

Just banging through the first series now. It’s not aged brilliantly and half the time seems to just be Kim and Terri finding numerous ways to get themselves abducted.

But, you can see why 20 years ago it was seen as so cutting edge.

[Mike]

X-Men '97 is pure nostalgia bait, but that damn theme song has me hooked so I don't care.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa9o_1p-F2U

I got very excited when I saw Beast in the credits or The Marvels and struggled to put into words why when my wife asked. I’ve just shown her this with a “that’s why”

It’s also in my head all evening now.

[Lofty]

The first two X-Men episodes were good and made me want to revisit the original series and the films, although I do think the close ups on the eyes unintentionally show off the simplicity of the animation compared to the original.

Glad Invincible is back and going hard as fuck still, not been as replused by animation since Akira.

[hfswjyr]

24.

Just banging through the first series now. It’s not aged brilliantly and half the time seems to just be Kim and Terri finding numerous ways to get themselves abducted.

But, you can see why 20 years ago it was seen as so cutting edge.

Oh boy. I hope you enjoy it for what it is, but 24 was really peak weekly episodic television. The cliffhangers they would finish on each week kept you hooked.
You just can't replicate that in this day and age.

[Yevrah]

It really was game changing. I remember watching Season 3 from start to finish with my brother over the course of about 18 hours and it remains one of the televisual highlights. Season 1 was peak mind - the first 12 hours of that remain top tv.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There's definitely an art to the weekly cliffhanger from that era which has been lost - and I say lost, because Lost was another great exponent of it. Every episode had to give the viewer something to bother coming back for the following week.

Nowadays, far too many of these shows have absolute fluff episodes with no value which only exist to drag the content out into more episodes and more hours of TV / hours spent on the streaming platform of choice, as that's how they keep the viewer thinking they need to keep paying for it.

[mo]

Been watching Loudermilk on Netflix (haven't watched anything decent on there for ages) thinking it was new, turns out its from 2017. Still, a good watch and Ron Livingstone does the 'tough love' grump thing well.

[Manc]

David Morrissey the glue holding S3 of TWD together. Presumably it's all downhill from here?

[Lofty]

The main problem with weekly cliffhangers now is the content farms that are social media outlets reveal/spoil/generally milk them to death.

[Alex]

David Morrissey the glue holding S3 of TWD together. Presumably it's all downhill from here?

It's been a long time because I watched them as they aired but actually I remember season's four through about six being my favourite of The Walking Dead. Rick just reaches peak "big lad" status at a certain point around then and it's a lot of fun to watch. He descends back into being a fanny at some point after that and it lost a lot of its appeal for me then. :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I can't remember seasons now, it just became a steaming pile of turd that I actively hated for a while that it tainted the good bits of the show for me.

[Alex]

Boydy (Or anyone else, I just remember talking about the book a little bit with you)

The Netflix adaptation of 3 Body Problem is out today. Have you watched any of it?

I've seen the first episode and it's alright to be fair. Obviously the characters and setting has changed quite considerably. But it was decent.

The flashback bits with young Ye Wenjie are the best bits by far from what I've seen. I still think they should have kept the whole thing set in China to be honest. I don't think it really needed "westernising". Although I know a Chinese television version of it does exist also, to I suppose that mitigates that to some extent.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Everything needs westernising. I've never 'ad sesame prawn toast and my 'ouse doesn't 'ave paper walls, TV's not relatable unless it's all about ME.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I liked the look of the trailer when I was scrolling Netflix last night and then I saw it was made by the GOT twats which has put me off a little.

Is the book series finished? Or will they be cobbling together some bullshit ending to ruin it all?

[Boydy]

Boydy (Or anyone else, I just remember talking about the book a little bit with you)

The Netflix adaptation of 3 Body Problem is out today. Have you watched any of it?

I've seen the first episode and it's alright to be fair. Obviously the characters and setting has changed quite considerably. But it was decent.

The flashback bits with young Ye Wenjie are the best bits by far from what I've seen. I still think they should have kept the whole thing set in China to be honest. I don't think it really needed "westernising". Although I know a Chinese television version of it does exist also, to I suppose that mitigates that to some extent.

Not seen any of it yet, no. Quite excited for it though. It seems to be getting decent reviews.

[Boydy]

I liked the look of the trailer when I was scrolling Netflix last night and then I saw it was made by the GOT twats which has put me off a little.

Is the book series finished? Or will they be cobbling together some bullshit ending to ruin it all?
The books are all finished. There's only three of them.

[Boydy]

Is the whole trilogy being done in one series or are they doing a series per book, do you know Alex?

[Ian]

Boydy (Or anyone else, I just remember talking about the book a little bit with you)

The Netflix adaptation of 3 Body Problem is out today. Have you watched any of it?

I've seen the first episode and it's alright to be fair. Obviously the characters and setting has changed quite considerably. But it was decent.

The flashback bits with young Ye Wenjie are the best bits by far from what I've seen. I still think they should have kept the whole thing set in China to be honest. I don't think it really needed "westernising". Although I know a Chinese television version of it does exist also, to I suppose that mitigates that to some extent.

Were you a big fan of the books?

I read the first one recently and it left me very, very cold. The central mystery just didn't hook me enough for the fact that most of the characters just went about announcing their character traits and blerping exposition. First book since Blood Meridien I considered just sacking off altogether. And I'm an absolute sucker for a series normally but have no interest in reading the follow ups to Three Body Problem so I can't decide whether to try the show or not.

[phonics]

I did laugh at seeing the GOT twats running the show and hearing 'So imagine the books but they rewrite all the main characters you liked and changed what happens'.

Absolute hacks.

[Alex]

Is the whole trilogy being done in one series or are they doing a series per book, do you know Alex?

I think the plan is that there will be more than one series of it, but also I read something saying the first season draws on elements of all three books. Do things happen in the different books that basically happen concurrently in the timeline though? I can't remember. I've not actually read the final one yet.

The main thing I want from season one is that mental bit from the first book where they use the super-strong, invisible nano fibre to cut that boat in half and kill everyone on it, give me a successful visual adaptation of that and I'll be happy.

[Alex]

Were you a big fan of the books?

I read the first one recently and it left me very, very cold. The central mystery just didn't hook me enough for the fact that most of the characters just went about announcing their character traits and blerping exposition. First book since Blood Meridien I considered just sacking off altogether. And I'm an absolute sucker for a series normally but have no interest in reading the follow ups to Three Body Problem so I can't decide whether to try the show or not.

I liked the first a book a lot, yeah. I know what you mean in that the writing wasn't always the most engaging (I think some of it is maybe lost in translation - this is a bigger problem with the second one I found) but the central plot and the idea of the whole thing was just fascinating to me, to the point where I couldn't put it down.

I did enjoy the second one to some extent too too but I found it a lot more clunky and difficult to get into the flow of. So book-wise you're definitely right giving the rest of them a wide berth if the first one didn't click with you.

The first episode definitely shows some promise though. I would say give it a go. I do worry that it might start to get a bit daft when they introduce "the game" on screen. There was like a "coming up this season" segment at the end of the first episode that had glimpses of it and it definitely looked like it had the potential to look a bit silly.

[Ian]

I'll maybe give it a go at some point. Having finished Mr and Mrs Smith (who was it asked about that in here? Baz ? Whoever it was I really liked it overall) I've now gone onto Shogun so Three Body Problem will have to wait until at least after that.

First episode of Shogun was really good and yer man Cosmo Jarvis has a cracking voice.

[Alex]

I liked Mr and Mrs Smith too. The actually plot/story wasn't always the best (I mean it's a fake married couple who are spies, what do you want I guess) but I feel like it was secondary to how good Glover and the leading lady were just interacting together. The chemistry and dialogue was great. They had some cracking guest stars too.

[phonics]

Mr & Mrs Smith was a weird watch because the entire time I was watching it I couldn't tell if I was enjoying it or it was complete shit.

[Ian]

Also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csSaSrJJPRs

Now you're talking. Might need to rewatch the first series.

[phonics]

I liked Mr and Mrs Smith too. The actually plot/story wasn't always the best (I mean it's a fake married couple who are spies, what do you want I guess) but I feel like it was secondary to how good Glover and the leading lady were just interacting together. The chemistry and dialogue was great. They had some cracking guest stars too.

I did enjoy them together but I did say to a friend that Bezos should have put his money to work and kept continually reshooting the show with new couples until they stumbled upon a pairing that actually got off in real life. I rewatched the original movie after finishing the show and every scene has an aura of 'these two just had an absolutely depraved shag in the makeup room 5 minutes before the cameras were rolling'

[hfswjyr]

The main problem with weekly cliffhangers now is the content farms that are social media outlets reveal/spoil/generally milk them to death.

The other problem of course being you eventually became aware of the cliff hangers, so you would watch 35 minutes knowing that there would be a plot twist in the last 5. The cliff hanger paradox.

[Raoul Duke]

New series of Invincible has been great so far

[Mike]

Watched the first two episodes of 3 Body Problem and really enjoyed them. The stuff with young Ye Wenjie could easily be its own show.

[Baz]

I was forced to watch that 1% quiz show at my in laws and realised my brain is built for it (unless it was a particular easy episode) so someone please @ me when they open applications so I can go and win it.

[Spikey M]

I rarely fail to get to the bit where they can take the £1000 and scarper, but I've only got the last question right once.

The first few, as with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire are always piss easy and it's a damning indictment of the national IQ that a third of our population are taken out by them.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I rarely fail to get to the bit where they can take the £1000 and scarper, but I've only got the last question right once.

The first few, as with Who Wants To Be A Millionaire are always piss easy and it's a damning indictment of the national IQ that a third of our population are taken out by them.

My Mum was telling me about this today:

He came unstuck on the £1,000 question: "Which of these is a thick omelette made with fried onion and potatoes, popular in Spain? A: Tortilla B: Churros C: Croquetas and D: Gazpacho."

He apparently asked the audience and then went for Croquetas.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The anti-intellectual streak that runs through our culture is quite bizarre when you think about it. Anyone who tried genuinely hard at school was at best considered a bit odd, and at worst, mercilessly bullied. Absolutely no general desire for standards. Most of us, including me, are falling back on pure natural gifts / the fruits of what we were forced to do in adult life, because there was no social incentive to lift a finger at school.

[-james-]

Not knowing what a poncey Spanish omelette is called does not remotely diminish a man's worth.

[randomlegend]

Calling tortilla "poncey" is pretty lol.

[-james-]

I bet you even do the gay "torteeya" thing too.

[Spikey M]

To most people a tortilla is a wrap. That's actually quite difficult by £1000 question standards. In fact, the only reason I knew the answer was because I had been confused by it previously.

[Giggles]

It wouldn't take much to know it's not the other 3 though.

[Spikey M]

It wouldn't take much to know it's not the other 3 though.

I imagine the audience went for Gazpacho, which isn't exactly everyday British fare. There's a reason Spain is full of British pub chains and it isn't our adventurous palate.

[randomlegend]

I bet you even do the gay "torteeya" thing too.

You're not pronouncing it "tor-till-uh" like some dribbling moron, right?

[Spikey M]

Even I say tor-tee-ah and I grew up in an Essex council flat.

[Giggles]

Spanish omelette. Or omelette if already in Spain.

[-james-]

You're not pronouncing it "tor-till-uh" like some dribbling moron, right?

This is England mate they're ells. :thbgrin:

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's fine to not know what a tortilla is but at least know SOMETHING and take pride in it.

[Lewis]

I can see how you would answer crocketters for that boring question. I doubt the average Spaniard could answer an equivalent question about our food, and trivial knowledge seems like a matter of perspective.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Since it isn't 1975, our shops are absolutely rammed full of foreign food and my old man has to look hard for his pilchards and luncheon meat.

Tell you what, though. How much fucking shit ham is there in our supermarkets? Blows my mind that people eat that stuff, yet there are rows and rows of it in every shop.

[niko_cee]

I can see how you would answer crocketters for that boring question. I doubt the average Spaniard could answer an equivalent question about our food, and trivial knowledge seems like a matter of perspective.

What's a Barm Cake?

Like I said before, some poor Eastern European sounding sod got three questions about raining cats and dogs or other such idomatic language and got downed by the third.

I suppose in fairness to the tortilla person that word has other meanings in English.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I imagine the audience went for Gazpacho, which isn't exactly everyday British fare. There's a reason Spain is full of British pub chains and it isn't our adventurous palate.

They went for croquetas.

[phonics]

I can see how you would answer crocketters for that boring question. I doubt the average Spaniard could answer an equivalent question about our food, and trivial knowledge seems like a matter of perspective.

"My ignorance is fine because I've made up a fake person in my head who's equally ignorant"

[Spikey M]

Taz has lived here his whole life and only know Sheperd's Pie tbf.

[Don]

That's not true, I tried some jellied eels the other month too, what a fucking disgrace they are. And there's the countless other dishes based around lazy useless council estate women sticking disgusting meat on a plate like frog in the hole, etc.

[Spikey M]

I'm only one Episode in, but "3 Body Problem" on Netflix is looking promising.

[-james-]

Watched the first two over the weekend. It's good so far but I've been in physics departments and the female lead is way too hot to be some sort of nanotechnology genius.

[-james-]

Also the scene in the bar where the two Very Smart Women coat off some bloke for trying to talk to them made me cringe deeply.

[Spikey M]

The scene where they introduce Samwell Tarley and immediately made it clear that his mate is gay, despite it being completely irrelevant to anything, had me cringing similarly. You just have to see past it these days.

Crowbaring minorities and identity politics into your story, even when it's irrelevant, is the only way to get past the Netflix exec's.

[Baz]

I watched one episode after seeing the hype on here. Certainly not for me.

[John Arne]

Also the scene in the bar where the two Very Smart Women coat off some bloke for trying to talk to them made me cringe deeply.

I basically stopped watching at this point. It just ended the immersion in the show and the whole scene just seemed pointless.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

1772918989410213962

Finnish Who Wants to be a Millionaire with the really tough questions.

[Ben]

I love the "hmmm" at the end. :D

[Don]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2024/race-across-the-world-eastern-asia

Eastern Asia and little in the way of useless crowbarred diversity quota couples judging from the picture. We're cooking :cool:

[-james-]

5 episodes in and I am enjoying 3 Body Problem, though I could see why someone might find it terrible. If you can turn off your inner critic then it's a fun watch with some interesting ideas.

[mo]

Finished Loudermilk, bit gutted it's ended there as I've read about the plans for a fourth season that I can see working. Might still happen.

Picked Invincible up again as well - fucked off with shows who do massive mid season breaks. I've forgotten what's happened with a lot of the characters.

[Raoul Duke]

Finished Loudermilk, bit gutted it's ended there as I've read about the plans for a fourth season that I can see working. Might still happen.

Picked Invincible up again as well - fucked off with shows who do massive mid season breaks. I've forgotten what's happened with a lot of the characters.

I think the Invincible one was because of the writer's strike

[hfswjyr]

For those who enjoyed season one of Tokyo Vice, season two is nearly complete, and it's even better. It's really just one long continuous story, which didn't need to be split into two "seasons", so it picks up exactly where it left off.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Watched the Netflix live action Avatar a few weeks ago (which I loved) and I've dipped my toe into the animated series having never seen it.

I've come across a spectacular cameo, one of the best ever, in an episode today:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6c1hyFGY3Y

Voiced by Mick Foley :cool:

[Lofty]

I think Serena Williams also did a cameo in that show.

[Manc]

Baz

[Ian]

So I'm nearly halfway through Shogun now. It's great stuff, and the end to episode 4. :drool:

Clearly something was going to happen but I didn't anticipate him using their newfound cannon accuracy to just fucking mince some dudes.

[Giggles]

Discovery is back, they're still whispering and emotional.

[Lofty]

Latest episode of X-Men 97 went hard as fuck.

[Lofty]

Fallout tv show is great.

[Yevrah]

So pleasing to hear. Is it all available now?

[Ian]

As of today I believe.

I'll be getting on that once I'm done with Shogun.

[Mike]

Can’t wait to get started

[Manc]

Is it worth bothering with if you haven't played the game?

[Ian]

I've read a couple of reviews from people who also have no knowledge/experience of the games and the reviews were very positive.

[Shindig]

It's not a big concept to grasp, really. World (well, possibly just America) gets nuked in the (strangely technically advanced) 50's. The world is knackered but there's no shortage of leather jackets.

[Yevrah]

It doesn’t get nuked in the 50s.

[Yevrah]

5 minutes in, what an opening.

[Shindig]

It doesn’t get nuked in the 50s.

See, that's really weird. Clear 1950's aesthetics but the bombs drop in 2077? Boo.

[Baz]

It doesn’t get nuked in the 50s.

https://i.makeagif.com/media/4-18-2017/ycnGJh.gif

[Baz]

I gave it about an hour, not for me.

Something quite wholesome about seeing Coop on my screen though.

[Bernanke]

The fifth X-Men episode took it from "wow this is surprisingly good for a nostalgia bait reboot" to "holy shit this might be better than the original run".

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Watched the first episode of Fallout, it's a big thumbs up from me.

Will knock out a few episodes tomorrow.

[Kikó]

It's incredibly bloody. The missus isn't enjoying it much but I think it's done a great job of capturing Fallout 3/4.

[Shindig]

I think that's the main divide. The classic fallout nerds are all up in arms but it wasn't never going to be that.

[Mike]

I loved it, it’s not amazing but very enjoyable, a solid 6.7/7 out of 10 for sure. Looking forward to season two.
I enjoyed all the little nods to the games without needing to have played them to enjoy it.

[Baz]

I highly recommend Bottom Exposed that was recently on GOLD to any fans of Bottom.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Finished up Fallout last night and started on Baby Reindeer.

Pretty wild to think it's based on a true story as it's pretty nutty how many shitty decisions the guy made. R

[Ben]

Is Mr Robot any good? I’d not heard of it before today but the reviews suggest it’s great.

[Spikey M]

Finished up Fallout last night and started on Baby Reindeer.

Pretty wild to think it's based on a true story as it's pretty nutty how many shitty decisions the guy made. R

Not just a "true story", but the guy is actual guy it happened to. He's playing himself.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I noticed that after the grim fourth episode, which was a real showcase of lunacy from him.

Edit: The fifth episode... I'm struggling for words.

[Raoul Duke]

Is Mr Robot any good? I’d not heard of it before today but the reviews suggest it’s great.

I quite liked it. It's a bit bonkers but different from the usual stuff

[Adramelch]

A bit bonkers might be an understatement. Great show, but at the same time it's so unique and weird that I would understand if it's not everybody's cup of tea.

[Magic]

Anyone watched Dark? Loving how complex and strange it is.

[Adramelch]

I really enjoyed it, but it's another one of those that will not be for everyone, especially with how easy it is to get lost.

[Manc]

It's brilliant.

[phonics]

I really enjoyed it, but it's another one of those that will not be for everyone, especially with how easy it is to get lost.

Did they try turning a light on :)

[Baz]

I noticed that after the grim fourth episode, which was a real showcase of lunacy from him.

Edit: The fifth episode... I'm struggling for words.

It’s so shit and ridiculous but I’m too far in (5 episodes done) to not finish it.

[Baz]

Finished it. Wish I hadn’t bothered.

Back to Malcolm in the Middle.

[Lofty]

Not bothered with Baby Reindeer yet, doing a complete watch of Dexter having never seen it before. Just starting Season 4.

Doakes :(

[SvN]

Not bothered with Baby Reindeer yet, doing a complete watch of Dexter having never seen it before. Just starting Season 4.

Doakes :(
Do yourself a favour and pretend that the finale of Season 4 is the end of the show.

[Ian]

The excellent Shogun done and onto Fallout. It's decent innit?

[Lofty]

Do yourself a favour and pretend that the finale of Season 4 is the end of the show.

I have heard it drops off hard. Was the recent series any better?

Fallout is great fun.

[Ben]

5 and, I think, 7 were good. But the ending of 4 is a really great way to sign off if you so wish.

The recent one was terrible.

[hfswjyr]

The excellent Shogun done and onto Fallout. It's decent innit?

We are on the same show watching schedule. 3 episodes of Shogun left for me.

[Waffdon]

5 and, I think, 7 were good. But the ending of 4 is a really great way to sign off if you so wish.

The recent one was terrible.

The last episode of it might be the worst ever. I should have realised when I seen on IMDb it’s rated 4/10 :D

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I haven't bothered with the recent Dexter, I was burned too much with the OG ending. Fuck it was bad.

[Raoul Duke]

Fallout is mega. Really enjoyed it

[Spikey M]

You know what's worse than this weather Waffdon ? Jurassic World: Dominion.

Impressive they managed to make a film that bad, with a cast that good.

[niko_cee]

Is it really any worse than any of the sequel spin-off films? They're all variously wank/funny so it seems surprising that they'd have managed to make a genuinely bad one unless they've cut the dinos or something.

[Ian]

Dominion is the one where the film is actually about locusts isn't it?

[Spikey M]

That manage to fly whilst being on fire. Yeah.

There have been some bad Jurassic Park/World films, but this is much worse than the others.

[phonics]

There have been some bad Jurassic Park/World films

All of them apart from the first one.

[Lofty]

Lost World is good, fight me.

[Spikey M]

The original was great, 2nd is OK, 3rd is poor. The first Jurassic World was decent, 2nd was poor and Dominion is absolute shite.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I haven't seen Dominion but Spikey has nailed the others.

[Manc]

Freeman delivering another masterclass in S2 of The Responder.

[Giggles]

The start of this Joe Lycett thing seems like they should have just called it TFI Friday.

[Yevrah]

Hammered through Clarkson's farm S3 last weekend, still a really good watch.

[niko_cee]

The start of this Joe Lycett thing seems like they should have just called it TFI Friday.

I like Lycett but that show is an absolute shambles, assuming we're talking late night Lycett here.

[Ben]

Hammered through Clarkson's farm S3 last weekend, still a really good watch.

Agreed. They've nailed the format. Could go on for years more and I'll still watch.

[Luke Emia]

Yeah really enjoyed it as well. Said to my missus it’s the best thing he’s done for years.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I didn't realise the second half was out until you lot started talking about it.

Started and finished the season today.

Absolutely class.

[Yevrah]

In a rare occurrence these days I didn’t realise any of it was out. Was just browsing last Saturday in the morning, saw it and thought that’ll do pig that’ll do.

8 hours later I was not disappointed.

[Lofty]

Jack Dee and Rosie Jones cast for the next series of Taskmaster, the lord giveth and the lord taketh away.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I can't think of a worse format for Rosie Jones than that.

[Magic]

Six Feet Under is awesome. Late 90s and early 00s HBO really was something else.

[randomlegend]

I can't think of a worse format for Rosie Jones than that.

Just a minute?

[Luke Emia]

I can't think of a worse format for Rosie Jones than that.

God I sound like such a Gammon here - But, the problem is not only is she distinctly unfunny she also can’t fucking speak properly.

Proper Channel 4 thing to do to stick her on there. I suppose one of the issues is that they are running out of people to put on there now.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm sure she's funnier than the average person but just be a writer. We all have limitations, you can't pretend you don't.

[Spikey M]

My wife put on Britain's Got Talent last night, and it's just a freak show these days.

An autistic "comedian" with Tourettes and a blind couple performing You'll Never Walk Alone being the highlights.


https://youtu.be/uyAFYrrPT0I?si=n0dz5FyJUte5uto_

If he wins, it'll be a genuine shame that Prince Philip isn't alive to be there for it.

[niko_cee]

I saw a bit of it the other day and there was a terrible comedy sketch about various British accents or something.

Better than a Rosie Jones improv mind.

[Giggles]

That'll be one of the only decent things on TV reduced to completely unwatchable. Pure C4 move though.

[Baz]

I’m rewatching Malcolm in the Middle and absolutely loving it… except the clip show episodes. Really takes the wind out of your sails, rewatching clips of episodes I’ve recently watched. Just sat through the second one, hopefully there are no more.

Still better than Rosie Jones though.

[Mike]

Rewatching Dexter, up to season four with John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer. He’s a fantastic as I remembered.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Just a minute?

She'd clean up at that as no one would be brave enough to accuse her of hesitation.

[Magic]

Rewatching Dexter, up to season four with John Lithgow as the Trinity Killer. He’s a fantastic as I remembered.

I had no idea he was Six Feet Under guy. Almost should be illegal to main in two amazing series.

[Shindig]

I'll always remember him as the dad from Harry and the Hendersons. Or the guy in the barbershop in The Day After that lays down the horrible truths about nuclear war.

He gets around.

[Adramelch]

Feels like Magic is talking about Michael C Hall, seeing as I don't think John Lithgow was in Six Feet Under.

[Magic]

Feels like Magic is talking about Michael C Hall, seeing as I don't think John Lithgow was in Six Feet Under.

Sorry yeah that's what I meant. John Lithgow is 3rdRFTS all the way.

[Lofty]

John Lithgow is fantastic as Winston Churchill in The Crown.

[Waffdon]

I finally succumbed to IPTV (well, sort of, without the first sick) and my god I’ve been missing out. I won’t miss the dodgy streams

[John Arne]

I was thinking the other day... I'm thinking of setting up a dodgy scheme... whereby, people in the UK pay me £xx a month, and I set up Vietnam TV Premier League subscription packages that you can log into from the UK (all games, Eng comms).. but you would need a VPN to access. 1) sound viable? 2) Is it this much cheaper than a normal sports package in the UK? Do most people in the UK have VPN's?

[Baz]

You could package in a VPN with it. I use Surfshark and it allows UNLIMITED connections/devices so I share it with loads of people. It’s good cos you don’t have to give out the email and password, they can select ‘login with code’ and send me a code, that I type into the app on my phone and wa-lah they’re logged in.

Package could be the Vietnamese login details and access to your Surfshark subscription, for the tidy sum of £xx a year. Surfshark has Vietnam on there as an option.

If you do this, please use my referral? https://surfshark.club/friend/3vF6RtTP

If you wanna test it out, you can login to mine if you want?

[Magic]

My guy uses a proxy so regardless of VPN he's protected. However, I also use ExpressVPN on my FireStick to protect myself.

[John Arne]

You could package in a VPN with it. I use Surfshark and it allows UNLIMITED connections/devices so I share it with loads of people. It’s good cos you don’t have to give out the email and password, they can select ‘login with code’ and send me a code, that I type into the app on my phone and wa-lah they’re logged in.

Package could be the Vietnamese login details and access to your Surfshark subscription, for the tidy sum of £xx a year. Surfshark has Vietnam on there as an option.

If you do this, please use my referral? https://surfshark.club/friend/3vF6RtTP

If you wanna test it out, you can login to mine if you want?

Sounds good. Will set something up shortly. Appreciate the feedback.

[SvN]

I was thinking the other day... I'm thinking of setting up a dodgy scheme... whereby, people in the UK pay me £xx a month, and I set up Vietnam TV Premier League subscription packages that you can log into from the UK (all games, Eng comms).. but you would need a VPN to access. 1) sound viable? 2) Is it this much cheaper than a normal sports package in the UK? Do most people in the UK have VPN's?

Whether it's worthwhile entirely depends on what £XX is equal to. I pay £65 per year for my current subscription.

[Boydy]

How do you all go about actually paying for IPTV? I don't really want my details being in some dodgy seller's database.

[Baz]

By not being a paranoid weirdo.

[Magic]

How do you all go about actually paying for IPTV? I don't really want my details being in some dodgy seller's database.

I just did bank transfer. £70 a year for lucky charm.

[Lofty]

By not being a paranoid weirdo.
You say this but DreadPirateRoberts got nabbed by the FBI with a file on his laptop that may aswell have been called 'mycrimes.txt'

[Ben]

He was the operator though. That's who they go after, not the end user.

[Baz]

Been nice knowing you, Dark Soldier.

[Waffdon]

I just did bank transfer. £70 a year for lucky charm.

Yeah, PayPal for me. £50

[Dark Soldier]

Tenner a month for me but never gone down and ultra-reliable.

[Kikó]

How do you all go about actually paying for IPTV? I don't really want my details being in some dodgy seller's database.

PayPal usually and obviously they don't have good AML detection.

[Mike]

PayPal for me. I pay for mine, Baz’s, our Dads and Baz’s father in laws. They then send me the money. I’ve not got a crimes.txt file though.

[Ben]

Bank transfer for me. I've also bought drugs that way and I still got a couple of mortgages and no visits from the bill.

As long as the reference isn't "IPTV" or "cocaine" then nobody is batting an eyelid. The suppliers might get themselves in the shit through being careless but that's their problem.

[Kikó]

Even if it's cocaine, your bank probably isn't going to care about £50 in the grand scheme of things.*

*Not legal advice

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

So I'm nearly halfway through Shogun now. It's great stuff, and the end to episode 4. :drool:

Clearly something was going to happen but I didn't anticipate him using their newfound cannon accuracy to just fucking mince some dudes.

I've made a start on Shogun recently and it's brilliant.

Just over halfway through now and Yabushige is my favourite character. His facial expressions and little noises are incredible, they convey so much.

[Bernanke]

I've made a start on Shogun recently and it's brilliant.

Just over halfway through now and Yabushige is my favourite character. His facial expressions and little noises are incredible, they convey so much.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeBwYBR4Y0I

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The range of the man :drool:

[Baz]

Starting season 3 of Clarksons Farm but why is Prime showing me adverts? Gonna watch it illegally on Plex instead. :rolleyes:

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Starting season 3 of Clarksons Farm but why is Prime showing me adverts? Gonna watch it illegally on Plex instead. :rolleyes:

You need to pay an extra £3 a month for no ads, it's fucking nuts.

[Baz]

Ah, sod that. Plex it is.

FFS though, dead pigs episode. :(

[Baz]

Watching 99 about United’s treble. Surprising to see so many of the squad involved.

[Dark Soldier]

Just watched Behind Her Eyes on Netflix after reading about it having 'OMG THE MOST MESSED UP ENDING EVER'

Ahahahahahaha fucking hell christ almighty I've not laughed out loud at something in ages. Absolute fucking piss.

Please watch it if you haven't just for the sheer insane shite it is. Incredible this wank is greenlit

[Baz]

I’m rewatching Malcolm in the Middle and absolutely loving it… except the clip show episodes. Really takes the wind out of your sails, rewatching clips of episodes I’ve recently watched. Just sat through the second one, hopefully there are no more.

Still better than Rosie Jones though.Takes a strange change of direction in season 5. It’s still hilarious (helped by I don’t think I’ve seen these episodes before) but everyone’s characters, bar Dewey, is almost completely different.

[John Arne]

I've just started watching Band of Brothers... the interviews at the beginning of the episode... the guys look way too young to be actual vets. Like they'd have to be pushing 100 by now (even 5yrs ago when made), yet they all look around 70-80. #scam

[Ben]

Band of Brothers was made nearly 25 years ago?

[John Arne]

Band of Brothers was made nearly 25 years ago?

Oh shit. For some reason I had it as 2020. In which case, I take it back. It's not a scam. Everyone carry on, nothing to see here.

EDIT: also, fuck me time flies, and I am old :(