Monday’s TV tips
Newspaper columnist Ike loses his job after he writes a libellous article about Maggie, a woman with a history of ditching her fiances at the altar.
Determined to get his career back on track, the journalist heads to Maggie’s small town, where she’s preparing for another wedding, convinced he can write a story about her jilting groom number four.
However, he doesn’t count on falling for her charms himself...
This rom-com reunites Richard Gere and Julia Roberts with Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall, but lightning doesn’t exactly strike twice.
Although Gere and Roberts still have great chemistry, it lacks the irresistible charm of their first movie together and feels a bit overlong.
But as fluffy rom-coms go, it’s still entertaining, and it’s always good to see Joan Cusack and Hector Elizondo (another Pretty Woman veteran) cropping up in supporting roles.
Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, Hector Elizondo, Rita Wilson, Paul Dooley, Christopher Meloni
Michael McIntrye is the host fo this years Royal Variety Performance, and the line-up is the starriest since Bob Geldof got out his address book ahead of re-recording the Band Aid single.
Aside from Sheeran; Goulding; Lovato; Bette Midler; Simply Red; Alfie Boe; Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s Inala and Britain’s Got Talent winners Collabro, there’s comedy from Whitehall; Trevor Noah; Russell Kane; Sarah Millican and Rod Woodward.
Plus, the casts of Miss Saigon and hit cabaret La Soiree are also taking to the stage to entertain the crowd.
McIntrye is thrilled to be fronting the show again: “When The Queen FaceTimed me and asked me to host the Royal Variety Performance again I was utterly thrilled, especially when she told me it was to be in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, whose presence I have never been in before.
“I plan on wearing the dress Catherine wore at the St Andrew’s University fashion show to guarantee I hold Prince William’s attention throughout.”
The divine Bette Midler is also thrilled to be taking part: “It’s quite an honour to take the stage before such a distinguished audience, and it’s a privilege to be included in a long list of talented artists who have been a part of The Royal Variety Performance for over a century.”
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas on the TV schedules – and that usually means chefs showing us there’s more to festive food than sprouts and turkey sandwiches.
Jamie Oliver is one of the first out of the blocks with this seasonal special, and it’s a reminder that this is a time of year when even the biggest advocates of healthy eating tend to get a little bit indulgent.
So, Jamie will be showing us how to wow our friends and family, and ensure that our Christmas spreads are the talk of the neighbourhood.
In his Essex kitchen, he whips up dishes suitable for small gatherings to big parties, including roast goose with all the trimmings, beef Wellington, and a chocolate and marmalade panettone bread and butter tart.
Just in case that still doesn’t sound decadent enough, apparently visitors to chez Oliver will also be treated to a cheeky Christmas cocktail or two.
Surely, one of the inherent problems in making a show called ’Wild Weather’ is that you turn up to film it, and are greeted by only blue skies and mild temperatures.
Luckily, Richard Hammond has found a way around this potential obstacle – he’s making his own weather.
This week, he’s looking at water and the crucial role it plays in climatic conditions, beginning with clouds. Armed with a cattle trough, humidifiers and some bits and bobs from a garden centre, Richard and atmospheric scientist Dr Jim McQuaid attempt to make their own clouds – but will they float like the real thing?
Then it’s on to Boulder, Colorado, to meet scientist Charles Knight, who explains why there’s more to hail than meets the eye, and to conduct a unique experiment into just how much damage it can do.
But perhaps most dangerously of all, Richard will also be starting his own avalanche – although rest assured, it’s all being done in WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF in Davos.
London police sergeant Nicholas Angel’s arrest record is a country mile above those of his colleagues, and that’s why they ship him out to the back of beyond.
Angel ends up in the sleepy village of Sandford, where he’s paired with hapless PC Danny, who thinks his new partner’s moves all come from Hollywood films.
But things aren’t quiet for long as Angel sniffs out wrongdoing in the rural idyll – and moves in to get his man.
Like a British version of Airplane!, Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg’s comedy gets better the more you watch it – which is just as well, as it’s on TV a lot. There are at least two great gags per minute, and some hilarious performances from Nick Frost, Timothy Dalton and Olivia Colman.
Some great chase scenes and a terrific David Arnold score too.
Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Billie Whitelaw, Timothy Dalton
A soon-to-be-decommissioned US battleship is hijacked by terrorists, out to steal its arsenal of nuclear weapons.
It seems the only man standing in their way is the ship’s cook, who just happens to be a former Navy Seal – although he does get a little help from a stripper, who had been hired to jump out of the captain’s birthday cake until the party went seriously awry.
Even if the words ’starring Steven Seagal’ normally have you reaching for the remote, this thriller is well worth a watch.
It’s Seagal’s best film by quite some distance, thanks to a sharp script, assured direction from Andrew Davis and a terrific supporting cast that includes Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey.
It’s essentially Die Hard on a Battleship – and none the worse for it.
Starring: Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Erika Eleniak, Gary Busey, Patrick O’Neal, Damian Chapa, Troy Evans, David McKnight, Colm Meaney
Through the Roof is a timely, observational documentary that aims to balance the experience of both landlords and tenants during Dublin’s busy 2014 autumn rental season.
It’s a snapshot of the city’s private rental sector amid a critical housing and homelessness crisis.
Characters and stories from both sides find pressures, conflicts and challenges in the everyday of renting or letting: from desperate tenants searching for a home or facing possible eviction, to landlords under severe financial pressures.
We already know Viva, Holli, Amber and Saz are hugely entertaining, but could the rest of the nation be about to experience their star quality?
It’s looking likely, as Greenshoots Academy is short-listed to feature in a television documentary series.
Unfortunately, headteacher Mr Jefferies is having traumatic personal problems, and while some reality shows would doubtless be delighted with that, it probably won’t make for an inspirational Educating Essex/Yorshire/the East End-style viewing. Luckily, Holli has a plan to get him back on track.
She’s not the only one playing agony aunt this week, as Viva takes it upon herself to mend the rift between Amber and her sister Topaz.
However, while her heart may be in the right place, once she actually spends some time with Topaz, Viva starts to wonder if maybe her friend was right to fall out with her.
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