GOOD TV

[MickBrett]

We watched the first 2 episodes of The Gold last night and enjoyed it.
Drama series inspired by true events surrounding the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery, and the remarkable story that followed.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14063678/

[Stanley]

I've got that one on the list Mick.... Glad you're enjoying it.

[Tripps]

Started off strongly supporting Pru Leith's view, then had some second thoughts after seeing the Canadian version. Jury's out.

[Big Kev]

Onto episode 3 of The Gold, very watchable and a lot of it local to where I used to live.

[PanBiker]

WE binged the last few episodes of "Better" last night. We are also watching The Gold.

[Tripps]

I'm watching a blind autistic girl playing Chopin -

► Show Spoiler

and I've just burst into tears.

It's incredible.

The piano on Channel 4.

************

PS Here it is on Youtube. Lucy

[Stanley]

You're right David, incredible. I shall not complain about anything for at least one day....

[Big Kev]

Love him or hate him, Jeremy Clarkson's Amazon Prime show Clarkson's Farm is currently the platform's most watched programme. It's getting praise from farmers for highlighting the difficulties they have to face on a daily basis. Yes, a lot of the time his behaviour can be childish but, in the programme, he comes across as really 'making a go' of farming despite having the practical skills of a lame goat. Some of the situations are genuinely funny and the young lad Kaleb, who is effectively running the farm, is hilarious. I'm up to episode 4 of series 2 and, if you have Amazon Prime, recommend watching even if it's just to see how difficult farming is.

[Stanley]

I've been meaning to mention for a day or two that my old Humax Freesat Box seems to have handled the BBC swap to HD with no problem.

[PanBiker]

It always had the HD channels as well as the SD ones. They have only stopped the SD channels and shuffled the EPG places around to put HD on101 etc. Its not the Humax box that is the problem but the display that it is connect to where problems would arise if the TV can't handle HD.

[Stanley]

I have still had no problems Ian for whatever reason and that's all that concerns me.

[Big Kev]

The BBC programme, Inside Our Autistic Minds, presented by Chris Packham, is a fascinating insight. Being a grandparent, of a non verbal autistic 8 year old, the part of the programme featuring Murray Bruce (son of Radio 2's Ken Bruce) was really quite emotional. It's available on the iPlayer and I'd highly recommend watching.

[PanBiker]

I watched the first of a series, "Saving Lives in Leeds" based on the sharp end of cutting edge surgery at LGI and the other Leeds Teaching Hospitals. The first episode featured one of the neurosurgeons who had slated two women for surgery that day. One had a tumour which was affecting her speech and cognitive functions, the other had an embolism on the verge of bursting. The third case featured a bloke who had partial loss all four limbs when he was electrocuted on a building site, as he said 33,000 volts does funny things to you! He was in for a double hand transplant. All fantastically skilled procedures, the double hand transplant needed two teams with 8 surgeons in each. Half to remove the donor limbs and 8 to perform the reconstruction.

What was the most striking fact about all the potential drama? The availability of beds! None of the procedures could go ahead without the availability of suitable beds for after the surgeries.

The double transplant guy needed a high dependency bed, The woman with the tumour also short term HDU cover, then ongoing ward accomodation, the woman with the embolism a general ward bed. The neurosurgeon had to prioritise one case above the other so as not to block the operating theatres. He did the brain tumour first and when clear he found that he had a general ward bed available so could deal with his other patient.

Not everyone's cup of tea I suppose, graphic views of surgical procedures but having been there fascinating to watch for me.

[Stanley]

I spent half an hour with a farmer in Vietnam planting beans on a hillside in the mountains......Each to his own....

[Tripps]

Just been watching (again after Friday night) the verdict in the Richard Murdaugh murder trial.

Found guilty after a long trial of many weeks, in only three hours by the jury. Totally unexpected by any of the kibitzers.

Fascinating - I thought I might hear the Judge say "so say you one, so say you all? - but no. He went round each juror and individually asked them one by one "is that your verdict - is it still your verdict"?

Interestingly in the home of Political Correctness the Judge referred to the the head of the Jury as "Madame Forelady".
Nice -it was in South Carolina though. He has just told the jury they can speak to the media or anyone else at all if they wish, but equally remain anonymous, and free from harassment if that's their choice. Plenty to think about there.

I'm still trying to work out how two whole life sentences to be served consecutively works?

High drama - better than any confected so called 'drama'. Better even than Judge Judy.

[Wendyf]

Has he been sent to durance vile? (A little something I learnt about today! )

[Tripps]

Never heard of 'durance vile' . Thought it was a typo at first but no - sounds like he's got two. How did you come across it?

Could be challenging.

[Wendyf]

Someone asked the history society if we knew anything about 'Earby Dick' who is mentioned in this newspaper article from the 1870s.

[Tripps]

Lovely - I think it might even creep over the 'spooky' threshold. Two long prison sentences in one day. I wonder what sort of gambling took place at Baildon. My guess would be 'pitch and toss'.

I'll tell you what - the real court action from South Carolina was a lot more dramatic than tonight's TV 'drama' offering. Endeavour could at best be described as turgid.

I don't think that's quite the right word - but it sounds as if it should be.

[Stanley]

I always liked 'Durance Vile' which crops up occasionally in early 19th century writing as a colourful way of describing the worst kind of incarceration.
As for Richard Murdaugh..... you watch different TV than I do.
I tried watching Qualifying for the Bahrain GP on All4 catch up and apart the technical problems found the formula of the programme very tired and dare I say boring? I shan't bother watching every race like I used to......

[Wendyf]

I listened to the race on the radio rather than waiting till 9pm for highlights on TV.

[Stanley]

The whole concept of F1 has palled for me Wendy.....

[Tripps]

I watched Endeavour last week, and noticed that one of the actresses was called Abigail Thaw. Checked it out and - yes she was John Thaw's (Inspector Morse) daughter. That's nice I thought.

I discover today that her character is the editor of a local paper, and is called Dorothea Frasil, so she is D.Frasil - and since frasil is a type of ice (I'll take their word for it) she is there fore D Ice which means Thaw.

Achingly clever

The main character Sean Evans is getting more exposure these days. I heard an interview quite a while back, and his natural accent is Liverpool. He does well to overcome it. He also said he had never watched Morse.

[Sue]

Yes Abigail Thaw has been in all the series of Endeavour. I like the analysis of her name though

[Stanley]

That is clever! Beyond me David, must be that Cambridge air.....
PS. I had a look and see it is not meant for us ordinary mortals.....