Tag Archives: BBC Two

Can the Sewing Bee create its own buzz?

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Many have said that the Great British Sewing Bee is basically the Great British Bake Off, with dresses instead of cake. Yes, there are challenges where the contestants have to make something. Yes, both television shows focus on hobbies that you would associate with the WI. And yes, both shows have wacky presenters with a well-groomed male judge and an experienced female judge. But this is where the comparisons stop, just for the sake of judging this show on its own merit.

The contestants on the Great British Sewing Bee | Photo: BBC

All the contestants have their own reason for sewing and making their clothes. Some started sewing at an early age; another one makes his own Steampunk Victorian costumes. Altogether a nice variety of people showcasing all sorts of ways to be crafty.

The judges are May Martin, a sewing teacher from the WI, and Savile Row’s Patrick Grant.  A single scowl across the room can determine who has slipped a stitch yet they give their advice in a helpful way.

The beginning of the competition was a chance for the judges to see how well the contestants knew the basics of sewing. The contestants had to make an A-line skirt, alter a neck line and create their own dresses. Written down that does look like the dullest show ever, or perhaps a reminder of the textiles syllabus you always ignored. However, all eight contestants treated the challenges differently and by the end of the day there were 24 unique items of clothing.

Watching programmes like this — whether it be DIY or cookery shows — you get the sense that you could do that too. Look they’re only sewing two pieces of material together, what’s all the fuss? The show tries to push this sense that you should shun ‘off the peg’ clothing too. The contestants and the judges all talk about how satisfying it is to wear something that is one-off and that you made with your own hands. In addition the show gives the audience their own challenge, this week a laundry bag, so we can join in too. And this is where the show disappointed me.

Sewing is hard. If you will excuse a quick mention of Bake Off, if it inspires you to make a cake and you manage to make it look disgusting then it doesn’t really matter. The chances are the cake will still taste nice, so it isn’t too bad.

If you make a dress then it could be disastrous and make you look like some kind of sack lady. At points the show mentions that if you are a beginner then follow a pattern and you will be fine. Another word of advice is to just tinker with a sewing machine to get the hang of sewing. These aren’t things that will just be hanging around the house. On top of that the design for the laundry bag isn’t even on the Great British Sewing Bee website. Meaning all you have to work with is a speedy demonstration that was on the show.

The contestants are all lovely though. Predominantly they are Mums so when something goes wrong they manage to cope in the way that only Mums can — they laugh it off. Even when a contestant gets eliminated no one presumed that they were safe. So it’s reassuring that nice people are still allowed on television.

Overall, the show is somehow spellbinding. But if you actually want to learn how to sew then this programme has missed out the basics.

The Great British Sewing Bee is on BBC Two on Tuesdays at 8pm. You can catch up with episode one on BBC iPlayer.

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Call the Midwife, Homeland and Rob Brydon all set to return

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Can’t see anything you like on the television at the moment? Then have no fear as TV Talk looks at the shows that have been recommissioned and ones that we are looking forward to seeing.

The Rob Brydon Show

Rob Brydon’s take on a chat show will be back over the summer on BBC Two, as another six episodes have been commissioned. The programme is a mix of celebrity chat, comedy and music, and Brydon says that some great guests are already lined up.

It is not the only comedy show returning, as Sarah Millican’s Television Show has also been given another series.

Homeland

The hit US show may have only just finished but Channel 4 have already confirmed that they will be showing the second series. The continuity announcer said that Channel 4 have signed the rights as the credits were rolling on the final episode.

The Golden Globe award winning show starred Britain’s very own Damian Lewis, who impressed Emma with his realistic American accent.

While waiting for the show to come back to UK televisions, you can pre-order the DVD from Amazon.

Doctor Who

The BBC still has not confirmed a date for the return of Doctor Who this year, but Digital Spy says the new series will be premiered at the 2012 Edinburgh Television Festival in late August. The same happened with the last series of Doctor Who, which was then aired on television soon after.

It has already been revealed that Amy and Rory will be leaving part way through series seven, and a new companion played by Jenna-Louise Coleman will be introduced in the Christmas special.

Call The Midwife

Talking about Christmas (yes, I know it is only May) The BBC has announced that Call the Midwife will return earlier than expected with a Christmas special. The series has also seen recognition for actress and comedian Miranda Hart, who has been nominated for a Bafta in the supporting actress category.

The Christmas special will see Miranda Hart return alongside Jenny Agutter and Pam Ferris, but full plot details are not yet known. In the meantime you can buy the first series on DVD from Amazon.

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There can never be too many cooks

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No matter what time of year it is seems that there is never a shortage of cookery programmes so here are a selection of the best baking shows on the box now and some you might have missed.

The Little Paris Kitchen: Cooking with Rachel Khoo

Rachel Khoo ditched England in favour of wandering around the Parisian streets is incredibly passionate about French food. She opens up her poky flat to become an intimate restaurant for two whilst in the kitchen she is cooking up her version of French food. Despite that her recipes are actually simple to follow, but look great. For example she walks through her idea of a croque madame muffin which sounds complicated but all it involved was some white bread, eggs, cheese and ham.

The only thing that brings down this show is she never stops talking about how great Paris is whilst looking at the Eiffel Tower, making you feel a bit inadequate.

Watch the show on Mondays, BBC2 8.30 or find it on iPlayer here.

Hairy Bikers’ Bakeation

Two things to know about the Hairy Bikers; they like bikes and they like baking. This show allows them to ride across huge stretches of Europe and make the best breads, cakes and sweets known in the continent.

Something I love about the Hairy Bikers is they are always excited about food and eat proper portions. They themselves show what that does to a person but at the same time you can just serve yourself another huge portion of cake and enjoy that.

Along the way you also get to learn a bit about the places where they have stopped off, as well as discovering new recipes. Sometimes the programme takes a while to start baking as they describe the premise of the show and their journey again and again.

The show is every Tuesday, BBC2 at 8pm, or find it on iPlayer.

Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard

Lanlard credentials are that he was trained in France and used to run Albert and Michel Roux Snr’s patisserie, but now runs his own cake emporium in London called Cake Boy.

Each day he showcases a few sweet and simple recipes. Every day he gives three baking enthusiasts a different challenge varying from creating the ideal birthday cake for a child or make the perfect cupcakes and then he picks the best one. Their prize is to take part in a master class in his kitchen and get to showcase their baked goods in Lanlard’s cake emporium.

Eric hosts his bake offs every week day on Channel 4 at 12.05pm or watch it online at 4OD and find the recipes as well.

Sunday Brunch

When the BBC announced that Something for the Weekend wasn’t going to get another series, presenters Simon Rimmer and Tim Lovejoy decided to move to pastures new and work together on a programme about food and drink, at a similar time but on Channel 4. Radically different.

It doesn’t feel like it belongs on Channel 4 yet as it has replaced T4, the programming slot for young people, with a leisurely cookery show. However, as the pair of presenters are good friends it is an enjoyable watch as they spend their Sunday morning chatting to celebrities and creating a variety of sweet and savoury dishes.

Worth a watch so tune in on Sundays on Channel 4 at 10am or check it out on 4OD.

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Roger and Val have just gone on

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Dawn French and Alfred Molina are back on our screens as married couple Roger and Val, revealing the dysfunctional conversations everyone has once tucked up inside their homes.

The series Roger and Val Have Just Got In may get called a sitcom, but it is more like a drama. Firstly there is a plot, which is quite important to follow. Last series each episode built up to the revelation that Roger and Val had lost a child many years ago and still hadn’t come to terms with it yet. Now the couple have managed to get through that they have new problems to address. But the only way you can find out is if you tune in each week.

Secondly, it is very subtle. I think the beauty in the series is that it follows real life. You see Roger and Val come in from work, turn on the lights and the heating, make a cup of tea and draw the curtains. It is also done in real-time, so none of this pretending to be drinking tea from an empty cup, which is oddly reassuring.

On top of that the silly conversations they have each week show what people are like once they don’t have to pretend to be normal in the real world. For instance Val revealed that as part of her preparation for a job interview she wears a box with the faces of three women who inspire her. These include the tennis player Martina Navratilova, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and “Margaret that used to be off The Apprentice“. These are conversations that should never be shared with people you don’t trust, because they will never understand what you are on about.

Thirdly it has proper acting. Although it might be odd for Hollywood star Molina to be in such a simple, small show he works perfectly. He shows a range of emotions from frustration at the heating to extreme anger at his job. Whilst at the same time being an adorably supportive husband who is unable to keep a lie from his wife. The show is more French’s thing, but shows more depth than any of her previous characters.

There is no point in the show where they have to rely upon a knob joke to hide the fact that there is no character development going on. In fact last series, when the pair where dealing with the loss of their child many years ago I spent more time watching the show through tears rather than fits of laughter.

But don’t let this put you off. There are wonderful moments which you get to appreciate by going through the horrible, heart breaking moments. Much like life itself.

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No more WOMEN!

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Now that the brilliant French comedy WOMEN! has sadly come to an end on the BBC, it is time to review the excellence of this show.

You know how you sometimes find a programme that is so weird that it is amazing? Well about six weeks ago this happened when I was watching BBC Two. I had been watching Scottish comedy Burnistoun and then to continue the foreign comedy slot on BBC Two (incidentally it has been nice to have BBC Two as it should be and not just the place for retiring tired old daytime TV shows and cookery programmes) was French comedy sketch show WOMEN!.

Initially it was strange, there were two women who would be pretending that everything they ate was hot and spicy and the next minute they were doing an impression of a Julio Inglesias song, it mostly involves gurning. Plus to add to the confusion it was all in French and subtitled.

The first time I caught this show for the first ten minutes I did believe that I was the only one in the world who could see it, like I had fallen asleep and dreamt up a French farce. But it was definitely on the TV, plus there was a small group of other people online collectively thinking that BBC Two had gone weird one night.

The show is fast paced, has a bizarre mixture of sketches and is mostly focused on two women, Judith Siboni and Olivia Cote, with men taking a step back either to fill out scenes or play the straight guy in some scenes. It feels like Smack the Pony, which was on Channel 4 in the early 90s and 00s which had three main female comedians who created sketches that just made them laugh.

Although the show has only just made its way over to the UK it was originally on French TV in 2007 and called Vous les Femmes. When originally aired each individual sketch was treated like an episode but in the UK these sketches were put together to make the standard BBC 30 minutes for a show. This explains why the show can move so drastically from a woman accidentally drinking her husband ashes thinking it was tea leaves to actresses desperate for a role that they are auditioning for the part of a three-year-old child. But it still works when edited together especially as there are a lot of recurring characters.

The recurring characters and ideas also help with the language barrier. You think it would be awkward to fully appreciate comedy when having to read the subtitles but in fact the women do a lot of physical comedy too, pulling some appalling and brilliantly funny faces and although have sketches where they are looking absolutely stunning relish sketches when they also make fools of themselves.

Frankly I am excited that there is a backlog of episodes of WOMEN! still to be shown in the UK and hopefully this shows the Beeb what BBC Two is best at, showing unknown yet amazing comedy.

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