Blog Archives

First Frost by James Henry – Book Review

Posted on January 16, 2011
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When R.D. Wingfield was invited to write “Frost at Christmas” in 1972 by MacMillan – and then not have it published until the early 1980’s in Canada – little did we know then that Frost would become a television phenomenon spanning 18 wonderful years. Wingfield died of prostate cancer in 2007 and his final novel A Killing Frost published the following year.

With that in mind, James Henry (pseudonym for James Gurbutt and Henry Sutton) has authored a prequel to the Frost series and the first title (of two) is aptly called “First Frost”. Written on behalf of the R.D. Wingfield Estate it breathes new life into the colourful character and one of the great television detectives of the modern era.

Denton, 1981 – Shakin Stevens has already had two number one records with “This Ole House” and “Green Door”, Diana and Charles marry at St Paul’s Cathedral and the United States launch the first space shuttle – Detective Sergeant Frost meanwhile is struggling with his marriage and an Abba tune he can’t seem to escape!

Julie, a twelve year old girl, out shopping for a school uniform with her mother, disappears from the changing rooms while her mother (Mrs Hudson) browses the new lingerie section. In the background a stranger is watching, waiting for a chance to pounce – it takes her mother twenty minutes before she realises her daughter is missing.

Meanwhile back at Denton Division HQ (Eagle Lane)DI Allen is on a walking holiday and DI Bert Williams, just two weeks from retirement, is nowhere to be found. William Edward “Jack” Frost is the highest ranking officer at the station and Superintendent Mullet, just six months into his command, has no option but to begrudgingly hand the investigation to …

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DCI Banks: Aftermath on ITV – Episode 2 summary

Posted on October 4, 2010
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DCI Banks: Aftermath based on the best-selling novel by Peter Robinson.

Please be aware that this summary contains spoilers from the second episode which aired on the 4th October, 2010 on ITV. Please stop reading if you haven’t watched the episode. Episode 1 Summary and thoughts.

So Marcus Payne has died and following an autopsy the medical examiner has declared his death as unlawful – he was killed and had no defensive marks on his hands or arms – leading to an internal disciplinary for WPC Janet Taylor. Janet admits to savagely beating Payne while he was handcuffed and changes her statement admitting guilt.

Banks soon discovers, thanks to an eye witness, that Marcus Payne had an accomplice when Leanne, the only remaining missing girl was abducted. He then sets about hunting his accomplice down with the help of his fellow officers.

Fingerprints lead to Jackie Wray (Barry Sloane) and he is hauled in for questioning and following a heated exchange Banks leaves the interrogation room. Peter Robinson, creator of DCI Banks on Amazon.

Annie Cabbot and Banks come to the realisation that Lucy Payne is the accomplice but when Banks visits Lucy in hospital he finds a confident woman who has “lawyered up”. She lays the blame on her neighbour Maggie claiming she was having an affair with her husband.

Despite promising to keep Payne’s murder in house, Annie Cabbot is sent to arrest WPC Janet Taylor following a positive toxicology report for vodka the night she was on duty.

Lucy Payne we discover was kept in a cage for the first ten years of her life, beaten, abused and systematically raped by her family. Banks forces a confession out of her; she breaks down under the pressure and is arrested for her part in …

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The X Factor – Final 12 – what?!!!!

Posted on October 3, 2010
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The X Factor aired this evening; the final 32 became the final 12 courtesy of heart-breaking decisions from Dannii, Louis, Simon and Cheryl.

On the whole I think they got it just about right. Louis really didn’t have a great deal to choose from and more or less got it right – and I’m no fan of the little Irish leprechaun!

Dannii sitting at home in Australia made a wild card decision choosing Italian born Nicolo – why on earth did you pick him Dannii? Unbelievable decision and for once I didn’t agree with her top 3. Who’s going to vote for him? He is an unlikeable diva!

I’ll gloss over Simon’s top 3 as I really don’t have much of an opinion over the groups. I’m sure they’ll do ok and the young McFly wannabees (minus the instruments) will go far.

Over the last season or two I have really come to admire Cheryl Cole but I can’t help thinking she has made a huge, yes a HUGE mistake putting Katie Waissel through at the expense of Gamu Nhengu. Who is going to vote for the diva? She’s not exactly likeable! A drama queen hell-bent on making it to the top no matter how she gets there.

I just hope that with the “big twist” next week when 4 discarded hopefuls are given a second chance, the public will vote Gamu in.

That said, I was happy with Cheryl’s other two choices and think Cher Lloyd will prove to be a quirky addition to the show. Her tonsillitis was unfortunate but she was always going to make the final 12 – you could see that following her initial performance.

Disappointed with Gamu’s omission but the show must go on.

The Final 12

Boyband FYD, newly-formed 1 Direction…

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Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning

Posted on September 11, 2010
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It’s been a very long week this week and I decided to take a well-earned night off from rowing in my gym and took time out to relax, read a book (Deadlock by Sean Black) and watch the very last big brother on Channel 4. Over the last few years, after being an avid Big Brother viewer I’ve been watching less and less – frustrated by an ever increasing amount of producer manipulation and the silly antics from Davina McCall.

With that in mind and the fact I’d given myself the night off I thought I had to watch at least some of the finale as it had at one time or another given me a few hours of entertainment over the years, especially Big Brother 5. I enjoyed it to a certain degree. It hadn’t changed, still contrived and predictable but in fairness the British public got it right – Brian Dowling was and is the ultimate housemate.

I woke up early this morning and I was out of the door by 7:05 am and on my way to the shops to collect a few essentials I couldn’t be bothered getting last night in the torrential rain and low level fog hanging over the mountain.

Now I’ve never been one to get sucked in to subliminal or clever marketing ploys, I am my own man. I know what I want and don’t need multi-million dollar commercials to tell me what that is. However, over the last few weeks a new Tropicana commercial has been airing, you know the one, set in the great city of San Francisco.

“Good Morning San Francisco, it’s 7am and it’s a beautiful morning”

If the Video fails to load then please visit the direct link to the Tropicana Video …

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Cheryl Cole happy and Gamu Jazz’s the X Factor

Posted on August 22, 2010
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It was good to see Cheryl Cole back on our screens last night following her serious fight against Malaria last month. I’ve always been indifferent to Cheryl’s multiple appearances on tv and in the papers but I have to admit, over the last year or so, I’ve warmed up to the Geordie girl and would probably miss her style on X Factor if she had been forced to quit.

The X Factor Final 12 – Spoiler Here

Louis Walsh on the other hand – I wouldn’t miss at all! I’d love to see him replaced, he’s nothing more than a Leprechaun – or is that disparaging to Leprechaun’s?!!

In today’s paper “The People” it runs an exclusive report on Cheryl’s new found happiness following her split from husband Ashley, the 27-year-old insists that she has never been happier.

Cheryl’s first Official book is launched next month titled “Through My Eyes“.

She told The People: “I’ve got so much to look forward to in the next few months. I’ve never felt happier.”

Cheryl has now fully recovered from the disease that left her hospitalised. Friends said that the singer now feels ready to move on from the pain of her marriage break-up.

A source said: “Cheryl’s saying I feel like I’ve turned my life around.

“She says she’s looking at doors opening for her in her life over the next few months. She is excited about starting this whole new chapter in her life.

“It’s great to see her looking and feeling good again after all that she’s been through.

“She is talking excitedly about starting work on The X Factor again and the release of a pop single.”

They added: “But she seems particularly relieved about the way her divorce is progressing. There is no time frame here. …

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Sherlock (BBC) on DVD and Bluray

Posted on August 8, 2010
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With a release date of August 30th, the Sherlock DVD or Sherlock HD (Bluray) is a must purchase for any Sherlock fan. Did you miss an episode? If so this is your chance to catch up on the best drama to hit the BBC for a number of years.

Update: Both DVD and Bluray are now available to buy

A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the new Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

John Watson: doctor, soldier, war hero, lost soul. Fresh from fighting the war in Afghanistan, a chance encounter brings him into the world of Sherlock Holmes: loner, detective, genius. A woman in pink lies murdered in an abandoned house.

The fifth victim of a seemingly motiveless killer. Inspector Lestrade is the best Scotland Yard has got. But he knows he’s nothing compared to a young man called Sherlock. Sherlock can tell a software designer by his tie, an airline pilot by his thumb. He has a unique analytical brain unlike anyone else in the world, who earns his living and staves off boredom by solving crimes. The weirder and more baffling the better…Sherlock on Bluray

The two men couldn’t be more different, but Sherlock’s inspired leaps of intellect coupled with John’s pragmatism soon forge an unbreakable alliance. Across three, 90 minute, thrilling, scary, action-packed and highly entertaining television movies, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.

The world’s favourite detective has come out of the fog. With sparkling scripts and unforgettable performances from the two leads, …

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Peter Robinson’s “Bad Boy” book Review

Posted on August 7, 2010
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I’ve been a fan of gritty TV police dramas for as long as I can remember; Frost, Morse and Rebus to name but three. I have to admit, ashamedly I may add, that until this book landed I had never heard of DCI Banks – after all this is the 20th book in the Banks series!. “Bad Boy” has put paid to all that with this the latest enthralling novel from renowned Yorkshire author Peter Robinson.

The latest news in is that ITV have commissioned a two part pilot series for Peter Robinson’s creation airing in September or October – dates to be confirmed. The ITV pilot will be based on his 2001 book called Aftermath.

Peter Robinson has come a long way since Banks’s inception in 1987 with his debut novel “Gallows View”. From the strength of his latest offering, “Bad Boy”, it’s easy to see why. I have no doubt the DCI Banks franchise will transfer to television effortlessly and with Stephen Tompkinson in the lead role, Left Bank Pictures will be assured of an extended run.

Back to “Bad Boy” – the book begins with DCI Alan Banks on holiday in America retracing the steps of the fictional Sam Spade in San Francisco. Meanwhile on the other side of the pond the team react to an illegal and armed hand gun. Juliet Doyle is a mother in crisis. A long-time friend and an old neighbour of Banks, she has the unenviable dilemma of reporting her daughter to the police. Disappointed to learn that Banks is on holiday, she places her trust in the unknown.

Banks’s daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate’s boyfriend is good-looking, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He’s …

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Sherlock – The Great Game Episode 3

Posted on August 3, 2010
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Sunday sees the third (The Great Game) and final episode in the current Sherlock series, brought to you by the BBC. The Sherlock DVD which features all three episodes is out later this month.

Episode 3 Summary Here

Very little information regarding the final episode is currently available but I’ll be bringing you another episodic review following its transmission on Sunday night (BBC One and BBC HD) at 21:00. The one and only repeat planned this week is on the HD channel at 0035 in the early hours of Monday morning so don’t forget to set SKY+!

A strange clue in an empty room, a blood-soaked car, a priceless Old Master, a deranged bomber. With the clock ticking, the curtain rises on a battle of wits between Sherlock, John and the shadowy stranger who seems to know all the answers…

Will Sherlock prevail? You’ll have to tune in to find out!

Episode Reviews Available:-

A Study in Pink          Review

The Blind Banker        Review

Full Cast Listing for “The Great Game”

Benedict Cumberbatch … Sherlock Holmes

Martin Freeman…       Doctor John Watson

Rupert Graves …         DI Lestrade

Una Stubbs     …         Mrs Hudson

Loo Brealey    …         Molly Hooper (as Louise Brealey)

Zoe Telford     …         Sarah

Vinette Robinson…     Sgt Sally Donovan

Jeany Spark     …         Homeless Girl

Doug Allen     …         Joe

Haydn Gwynne…       Miss Wenceslas

John Sessions  …         Kenny Prince

David Ryall     …         Lord Huxley

Deborah Moore…        Crying Woman

Lynn Farleigh  …         Professor Cairns

Lauren Crace   …         Lucy

Rita Davies     …         Blind Lady

San Shella       …         Alan West

Caroline Trowbridge…Mrs Monkford

Di Botcher      …         Connie Prince

Matthew Needham… Bezza

Alison Lintott …         Julie

Kemal Sylvester…       Tube Guard

Stefano Braschi…        Raoul

John Lebar      …         Golem…

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Sherlock’s “The Blind Banker” Episode 2 review

Posted on August 2, 2010
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It’s all about the Orient! From the very beginning, you could tell “The Blind Banker” was going to be another slick episode of Sherlock Holmes from the Oriental tea making to Watson’s troubles with the self-shopping aisle hurling abuse at the machine when faced with an annoying automated voice. The Sherlock DVD is going to be unmissable.

“Item not scanned, item not scanned, please scan item again”, Watson slightly embarrassed at his lack of shopping experience replies “can you please keep your voice down?” and to top it off when he finally manages to scan his last item of shopping  the machine has another go….

”Card not authorised please use an alternative payment method, card not authorised please use an alternative payment method” to which he quips “alright I get it” and storms out without his shopping! All the while Sherlock is back at Baker Street fending off a masked swordsman hell bent on killing the detective!

Ratings for episode 2 follow this review.

If you missed tonight’s episode then catch it while you can on the BBC iPlayer in HD.

On his return to the flat he informs Sherlock he failed to get the shopping telling him he had a row with a chip and pin machine! Haven’t we all Watson, haven’t we all!

The real story begins when Sherlock and Watson visit a high end bank in the heart of London. One of their offices has been broken into overnight and the intruder has left a calling card of yellow graffiti. Nothing appears to have been stolen. Sherlock investigates in a way only he can. Following on from “A study in Pink” Benedict Cumberbatch gives a stellar performance with his amazingly quick dialogue. How this …

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BBC’s Sherlock, episode 2 “The Blind Banker”

Posted on July 28, 2010
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Following a highly successful opening with “A Study in Pink” Sherlock Holmes returns to the BBC this Sunday with the second of three episodes, this one called “The Blind Banker”.

FULL EPISODE REVIEW HERE

The second episode is written by Stephen Thompson and produced by Sue Vertue; Steven Moffat’s wife. Once again Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the enigmatic Sherlock Holmes with The Office star Martin Freeman. If you missed the first episode you can still catch it on the BBC iPlayer but hurry,  it won’t be there forever!

A mysterious cipher is being scrawled on the walls around London. The first person to see the cipher is dead within hours of reading it. Sherlock plunges into a world of codes and symbols, consulting with London’s best graffiti artists. He soon learns that the city is in the grip a gang of international smugglers, a secret society called the Black Lotus.

So what are we expecting this time around? More slick dialogue, great acting and a decent storyline? If the first episode is anything to go by then the answer to all of the above is a “hell yeah”! Sherlock has received wide acclaim and is fast becoming one of the biggest hits the BBC has had on its hands for quite some time.

As estimated 7.5 million viewers watched A study in pink which closely followed Conan Doyle’s A study in scarlet and to be frank I’m expecting an increase in viewers this time round now that word is out.

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BBC’s Sherlock a huge ratings winner

Posted on July 27, 2010
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A claim by tabloid newspaper “The Sun” has given the latest indication on the popularity of the new Sherlock series to hit UK scenes. BBC one’s (and HD) modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes pulled in a reported 7.5 million viewers on Sunday for the first episode “A Study in Pink”.

Sherlock represents a huge ratings improvement for a Sunday night and the BBC are unlikely to lose a winning formula with the viewers who are still keen, after his invention by Doyle, to soak up anything Sherlockian!

Taking the following quote with a pinch of salt, we are talking “The Sun” here

“To say the top brass are made up by the Holmes ratings is an understatement,” a source told The Sun.

They really want to do more so the question is not really if, but how and when can we do them.”

Robert Downey Jr begins shooting Sherlock Holmes “2″ this October.

Episode 2, “The Blind Banker” airs this Sunday at the earlier time of 2030 (BBC One) and 2130 (BBC HD) witha HD repeat at 0100 Monday.

Credits

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch)
Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)
Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs)
Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey)
Sarah (Zoe Telford)
DI Dimmock (Paul Chequer)
Soo Lin Yao (Gemma Chan)
Director (Euros Lyn)
Producer (Sue Vertue)
Executive Producer (Steven Moffat)
Executive Producer (Mark Gatiss)
Writer (Stephen Thompson)
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Sherlock’s back and means business “A Study in Pink” review

Posted on July 25, 2010
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Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.

Sherlock Holmes is back on tv, slicker, quicker and better than ever – well he doesn’t match Basil Rathbone but Benedict Cumberbatch certainly held up the Holmes tradition in brilliance.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the series but what a brilliant 90 minutes of BBC drama. Slick, full of one liners and amazing delivery the cast fronted by Cumberbatch didn’t disappoint. The BBC have a hit on their hands and I can definitely see another series emanating from this tri factor.

As I mentioned yesterday, the first episode is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A study in Scarlet” (if by the way you get chance to read the book, I would advise it, only one of four full length novels it is, like Holmes a masterpiece!

Watson has returned from Afghanistan and is looking for new digs. A friend of Holmes introduces the pair and the detective immediately figures out Watson’s past from a 30 second introduction – the rest as they say is history. The pair meet the following day at 221B Baker Street and we, the viewers, are introduced to “Housekeeper” Mrs Hudson played by Una Stubbs.

Tonight’s episode, A study in Pink, sees Holmes and Watson chasing a serial killer hell bent on playing a dangerous game of kamikaze suicide which has DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves) in a quandary, unsure of which direction the suicides are taking him.

Holmes has a problem with Anderson (the on-site forensic guy) – in fact I’d go as far to say that Anderson annoys the hell out of Holmes and as we see on more than one occasion the “amateur” detective has no time for the policeman! While raiding 221B Baker Street on a trumped up drugs raid …

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Perfection – Guy Sebastian

Posted on July 25, 2010
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Way back in 2003 when I was in Melbourne having fun and playing tennis I, like milions of Australians, watched Guy Sebastian win the very first Australian Idol. I didn’t want to get caught up in the hype, I should have been watching neighbours, but I did. Despite his woolly afro hair (I wasn’t a fan!) at the time, I remember buying his first album “Just As I am” and was immediately hooked.

“She’s beautiful, flawlessly divine”

Guy has released five studio albums, the last in 2009 called “Like it like that” which happens to be the first single to be released from the album. The track hit number one in Australia going 3 times platinum in the process. His second single which featured American Idol star Jordin Sparks only reached number seven. Despite his appearance on Hey Hey It’s Saturday his third single unfortunately reached 51 in the Australian charts failing to go Platinum.

When he showed up for the Adelaide auditions in 2003 he sang Stevie Wonder’s Ribbon in the Sky. The formalities over and despite joking about his hair, the judges were mesmerised from the moment he started singing the song. Little did we know then that he would turn into the great singer he is today. He has always had talent, that much is obvious, but to make it in the business it helps to have an adoring public willing to buy your music. Without that you have nothing. Fortunately for Guy he had a following keen to soak up almost everything he offered.

There are two stand out tracks on the album for me, “Magic” and “Perfection” (lyrics below) and it’s the latter that really struck a chord with me. Despite its cheesy lyrics the song is heartfelt and until its …

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A study in Pink – Sherlock on the BBC

Posted on July 24, 2010
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The waiting is nearly over, the long awaited Sherlock mini-series will  hit our screens tomorrow on BBC One and BBC HD at 21:00. (Repeated 0030 on Monday on BBC HD) – A study in Pink Review – Did you like it ? Let me know

With the pilot scrapped and turned into a mini-series, fans of the illustrious detective are in for a treat on Sunday when Sherlock and Watson meet and strike up a partnership. Check out the trailer.

A war hero (Watson), invalided home from Afghanistan, meets a strange but charismatic genius who is looking for a flatmate; it is London, 2010, and Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes are meeting for the first time. A string of impossible suicides has Scotland Yard baffled – and only one man can help.

The first episode in the series is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887. Holmes and Watson meet when When Dr John Watson takes rooms in Baker Street with the amateur detective, he has no idea that he is about to enter a shadowy world of criminality and violence.

‘A Study in Scarlet‘ is a book in two halves. The first works out who the murderer is (and told by Watson in the first person), the second takes us to foreign shores and looks at how the case ended up where it did and the aftermath. Both halves have a different feel and it will be interesting to see how Moffat has managed to re-tell this story.

Did you know that Conan Doyle wrote the novel at the age of 27 in less than three weeks?

Cast and Crew for Sherlock 2010

Sherlock Holmes ……… Benedict Cumberbatch
Dr John Watson ………..Martin Freeman
DI Lestrade ………………Rupert Graves

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