TV Week: Wogan's Perfect Recall, Don't Miss a Trick and The Wrong Door
By Dan Owen
WOGAN'S PERFECT RECALL (CHANNEL 4, MON-FRI 5PM) Surely the title should be Wogan's Total Recall? Maybe they don't want us thinking Terry Wogan's taking over from Arnie in a violent Mars-based sci-fi action flick? Just imagine. No, the genial Irishman's "doing a Noel" and hosting a gameshow that requires its viewers are lobotomized.
Here, contestants answer simple questions and the easy answers must be remembered -- because they're also the answers to equally brainless questions later.
You can't really play along at home, because the answers are displayed on-screen – so it all becomes a multiple-choice test school kids would feel patronized by. £100,000 is up for grabs, but because contestants have to correctly guess how much they'll win, they play safe and estimate low. Mr. Wogan bumbles through; having long-forgotten how to interact with people who aren't celebs, bad singers or Radio 2 acolytes. The petition to bring back Crystal Maze starts here.
DON'T MISS A TRICK (BBC1, MON 5.05PM) The Real Hustle trio take a break from scams to offer up light-hearted magic. Presented by Kate Thornton, this Bank Holiday special was an hour of tricks performed on location, with handsome Alex Conran, dour Paul Wilson, sexy Jessica Clement and nutty Pete Firman amusing and confusing the public. Ignoring the Magician's Code, most tricks were explained afterwards -- which, while sometimes enlightening and interesting, destroyed whatever thrill had been achieved. I'm not sure Real Hustle's "show and tell" format should be translated to magic in this way. Unlike money-making cons, it's not really in the public's best interest to have magic explained, is it?
THE WRONG DOOR (BBC THREE, THU 10.30PM) Do BBC Three commission a new sketch show every month? The latest effort from the channel that brought us Tittybangbang is The Wrong Door; set in a parallel universe where giant robots knock down buildings looking for their keys, fairies embarrass hotel drunkards, the government create "The World's Most Annoying Creature", superheroes have X Factor-style "tryouts" and magazines come with free inflatable men.
It's all sounds great fun, and the effects ensured it was attention-grabbing and mostly enjoyable. That said, replacing "theatre of the mind" with photo-real CGI isn't always an improvement. If rubber-limbed Lee Evans acted out a scene where a tiny-armed T-Rex called Philip met its human girlfriend's parents and vomited on his lovers' granny, it would be funnier than actually seeing a CGI dinosaur do the same.
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Dan Owen is a self confessed TV "obsessive" and passionate film buff. Check out his blog at danowen.blogspot.com








