July 2008 Archives

DRAGONS' DEN (BBC2, MON 9PM) The show struggled last year, as most of the pitchers weren't very funny and didn't have good ideas or inventions to sell. All shows lose their freshness after awhile, too -- but this is series you can't write-off because the format is solid and success/failure depends entirely on who walks up those famous stairs...

All the Dragons are back: smooth James Caan, grouchy Duncan Bannatyne, smug Theo Paphitis, stern Deborah Meaden and blunt Peter Jones, although most are now obsessed with becoming celebs; appearing on Radio 1, The Wright Stuff and Top Gear recently. Jones has even tweaked the show's format to create US knock-off American Inventor! 

You just have to roll your eyes at the man who decided that it would be a significant achievement in the history of mankind to get a car through a gap a whole 1cm narrower than the previous record. Sure, he managed to do it on two wheels, but seriously, if you really want to get through a narrow gap on two wheels wouldn’t it be a lot easier just to get on a bike? 

DEXTER (FX, SUN 10PM) Glistening beaches, neon-soaked art-deco buildings, the twinkling ocean, palm trees shimmying in the breeze. Miami, Florida: the perfect location for summer fun. But also the stalking ground of serial-killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), who has returned to UK screens after a successful first season run on ITV1 recently. 

Now he's back on FX for seconds -- if you have the right cable/satellite subscription, that is. Is it a coincidence FX have made themselves available to lower-band customers in July, hoping to snare you with this popular acquisition? I think not...

DOCTOR WHO (BBC1, SAT 6.40PM) Russell. T Davies' tenure begins its final leg, as the regular series goes on extended hiatus -- with 4 specials to sustain us 'till Steven Moffat assumes control in 2010. These last few episodes featured the return of the Daleks, their wheelchair-bound creator Davros (excellent Julian Bleach), and every major character in the new-"Whoniverse", in a highly entertaining story riddled with TARDIS-sized plot-holes and a creeping sense of desperation. Davies has always leaned towards broad, brash and unsubtle mania...