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chaswal
Reviews
The Entire Universe (2016)
Could this be the most pathetic attempt at a programme ever?
Badly written, produced and directed, with poorly choreographed, apparently amateur, dancers, and featuring a lot of people who should have known better; it's surprising the BBC had the nerve to broadcast the mess, even on Boxing Day evening when they may have hoped any viewers would be too smashed, exhausted, or both to notice.
Remembering his great Python days, one is tempted to believe that Eric Idle's concept was emasculated by an inadequate production team. But lacking in just about everything as they apparently were, it's hard to see how they can be blamed for the terrible lines – credited as written by Idle, and inadequately delivered by performers who clearly needed directing. At times it felt as if one was watching a first rehearsal. It only needed the sets to fall down to complete the effect.
While Brian Cox seems increasingly willing to show up for the opening of an envelope, and perhaps many of the others involved were grateful for the work, to include appearances and impersonations of the likes of Hawking and Morecambe & Wise in such an amateurish debacle must come close to sacrilege. Shame on you BBC for allowing this shambles to be broadcast.
It's Not Rocket Science (2016)
Definitely Not Rocket Science
This is basically a children's TV programme, seemingly made and presented for the amusement of the adolescent mind. Nothing wrong with that. Anything that can get children interest in science, even banal science - if that's the only way to get their attention - has my vote. The problem is that as its being shown at 8 o'clock at night, one can't help suspecting that it wasn't meant to be that way! Perhaps those controlling ITV have access to market research indicating that their audience is even dimmer than we thought. Or they could just be making a big boo boo. What the programme does do is make one realise how good the BBC is, or once upon a time was, at making popular science programmes.