Casualty: Whatever’s the matter with Jeffrey?

(Series 25, Ep.6) Warning: this review contains some nudity. And a bit of violence. And Bing Crosby.

Jeffrey, officially The Paramedic With The Nicest Teeth Ever, was supposed to help with Nick Jordan’s latest scheme – convincing the world in general and the Holby regional press in particular that Holby A&E is fabulous – by picking up an award for his heroic actions at the college siege, and by demonstrating CPR on local telly.

You’d think this would give Jeff ample opportunity and reason to demonstrate his lovely teeth by grinning in a proud and happy manner all day long, but not so. In fact Jeff was decidedly grumpy and tense throughout the episode – he even punched someone (who did deserve it). And while Dixie and Big Mac were left to do the CPR demo, Jeff was at home, curled up in the shower in a foetal postion having a good cry.

I’m guessing it’s post-traumatic stress because of what happened at the siege (which apparently we’ll discover more about next week). Despite the soothing presence of Charlie, Holby A&E really aren’t very good at dealing with upset staff – hence we had weeks of Polly being freaked out after Alistair’s suicide, and months of Adam behaving in all kinds of wacky ways after his baby died. They have an occasional staff counsellor (Toby’s boyfriend), but he seems neither use nor ornament.

Meanwhile, Adam and Maverick Nurse Kirsty are circling ever closer to each other, as they bonded over Simone (who was hurt in the siege and shot in the hospital and whose mother, Cindy Beale, is a bit of a pain).

And Lenny dumped his nasty journalist girlfriend, and looked after a patient with a brain tumour and a fondness for Bing Crosby.

Nick and Zoe watch: He had a little dig at her about her smoking, but otherwise no Nick & Zoe action to speak of. But as she sat at the bedside of a dying man, was she thinking about Nick? I’d like to think so.

Posted by PLA           (more Casualty posts here)

Harry Hill’s TV Burp: A Winning Formula?

A welcome return to the small screen for Harry Hill last night as the genius comedian pulls apart television shows with some seriously witty observations.

Harry works best when he pulls something out of a clip, makes a comment on it and moves on to the next subject matter. His material is seemingly endless, which begs the question of why he needs to go off the successful track and throw in unnecessary visual gags that would look too corny for Noel’s House Party.

The man dressed up as Heather from Eastenders and shouting ‘sausages’ all the time got old half way through the last series. In this episode, we saw him grabbing a sausage from a clock and a bin and ransacking a lorry of cream cakes…how much more times can Harry make the point that Heather from Eastenders is fat? We get it…

This is a witty show but it’s starting to be let down by some of the childish sketches that take up valuable laughter time. Saying that, when he gets it right, there’s nothing funnier on television. Editing clips of Cheryl Cole so she was constantly asking a contestant if she was ready was priceless and his foray into the series of Downton, complete with a hacky look from Dame Maggie Smith was very clever.

A mixed bag last night, but there’s plenty life in the series yet. If he can just get rid of man Heather he’ll be halfway there to regaining the title of ‘Funniest TV Show’ for TV Burp.

Posted By Our Man In The North

Lustbox: Dominic Cooper

Who’s a pretty boy then? Dominic Cooper is to be sure in Tamara Drewe, Stephen Frear’s recent film. Set in a remote Dorset village and based on a Posy Simmonds cartoon, Cooper, in kohl, black leather and banana yellow Porsche, plays Ben, bad boy drummer in indie band Swipe. After being interviewed by journalist Tamara (Gemma Arterton), he seduces her with a dextrous display of skilful drumming using cooking implements. Always a winner, until you get tinnitus. They embark on an affair watched by jealous teenage Swipe fan Jody, lurking in the disused bus stop (service discontinued) with her mate, snapping anyone in the village snogging with their mobile phones and hurling eggs at passing cars because they are so bored.

The story of Tamara Drewe, based loosely on Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd, is all played out very amusingly and includes excellent performances from Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam. But my favourite character by far is the badly behaved Ben, with his long-suffering boxer dog, floppy black hair and designer stubble. What impresses me about Dominic Cooper, other than the fact that he’s gorgeous and funny, is that he never seems to mind losing his dignity. His role as Dakin in The History Boys is probably my all-time favourite, but he was great in An Education too, and even managed to not look like a total knob as the bridegroom in the enjoyably preposterous Mamma Mia!

Posted by Inkface

Emmerdale: A Bumpy Ride

Emmerdale managed to prove once again that it is capable of giving ‘Enders and Corrie a run for their money with a brilliantly written and extremely dramatic hour long special last week.

Focusing on a night out comprising of Aaron, Jackson, Paddy and Marlon, the episode mixed humour and tragedy in equal measure. The main theme of the episode was the strained relationship between self loathing Aaron and his level headed on/off boyfriend Jackson. Making the gesture of inviting him out to a gay bar to prove he wasn’t ashamed, Aaron was on to a winner…until he bumped into his enemy Mickey and his violent streak resurfaced.

Meanwhile, Paddy and Marlon had tagged along for the night leading to some hilarious and cringe worthy moments including a stammering Paddy being propositioned by a bulky man and Marlon protesting to another that he wasn’t gay…only for the man to walk right past him and kiss someone else. All four actors played their roles well…they were believable as a group of friends and nothing was cliche, despite the many opportunities for sitcom like gags in a gay club environment.

Things turned dark towards the end of the night as Aaron spilled open his soul about how he isn’t used to being told he’s loved. It was a beautifully written monologue and Danny Miller proved himself top of the acting game once again in his delivery. I felt for him and Jackson in equal measure. As the pair parted, Aaron realised what he was letting go and phoned Jackson. But as he reached for his phone, he lost control of the car and crashed onto a railway line before a train collided into the car.

But while the special effects and editing were impressive this episode was never about the stunt, the stunt was just a small part of the story. Eastenders with their fire and Corrie with their tram crash could learn a thing or two from Emmerdale.

The story should always come first.

Posted By Our Man In The North