62. Browsing the Box

FIVE DAYS (BBC1)
We enjoyed this thriller by Gwyneth Hughes as much as we
thought we would and our expectations were quite high.
Jack Shepherd's Wycliffe and Michael Kitchen's Foyle apart,
DSI Iain Barclay (Hugh Bonneville) was more restrained than
has been any boss of a television police department since
the monstrous DS Charlie Barlow, played by Stratford Johns,
shouted his way into our living rooms back in the dim and
distant days of Z Cars.
Currently we are suffering the manic DS Peter Boyd
(Trevor Eve) in Waking the Dead (BBC1) and the
bellowing DCS Michael Walker (David Hayman) in
Trial and Retribution (ITV1).
DSI (whatever that may stand for) Barclay was a change
for the better.
Met too many of the likes of Boyd and Walker in my army
days.
They were pricks, too.

YOU DON'T KNOW YOU'RE BORN.

Despite an obvious rip-off from the earlier (BBC) genealogy
series, Who Do You Think You Are? (Moira Stuart, Ian Hislop
etc.) this short ITV1 series turned out to be a steal with a
neat twist.
It invited celebrity participants to find out about their
ancestors and, as they did so, to try their hands at some of
the jobs done by them.
This week it was the charismatic Ken Stott.
He found a Scottish past in baking and tailoring and, on his
Italian side, one in both fish selling and the priesthood.
His attempts as baker, tailor and fisherman were good
natured and (as could be expected) immensely watchable.
At times, despite his best efforts, his depth of feeling was
palpable.
Everywhere he went he was clearly liked and respected.
No surprise there.
My Leader likes him: my daughters like him: even our
bloody cat likes him.
And he still manages to keep his private life private.
I'd like him if only for that.