Friday’s TV tips
The fourth round of this season’s FA Cup gets under with a fairytale tie for Cambridge United, as they welcome 11-time champions Manchester United to the Abbey Stadium.
The hosts were the lowest-ranked side left in the draw for this stage, and pulled out a plum fixture that will no doubt have delighted the chairman, with the accumulated gate receipts, TV revenue and prize money a welcome boost to the club’s finances.
United negotiated a similar test in round three, when their lengthy run of being drawn against Premier League opposition finally ended, and their 2-0 victory at Yeovil Town, who made life extremely tough for Louis van Gaal’s men, should prove a handy experience to draw upon.
While there are few similarities between the clubs, there is at least one link on the field, with former United midfielder Luke Chadwick now plying his trade for the U’s.
The Japanese dish ramen covers all manner of sins, from instant noodles to luxury culinary masterpieces. Fortunately, the recipe Jamie Oliver focuses on here is closer to the latter example than the former – he’s rustling up a decadent, authentic Japanese noodle broth with heaps of seasoned pork belly.
Shifting gears from comfort food to junk food, the duo discuss takeaway memories with pop singer Ellie Goulding, as she visits their pop-up cafe on Southend Pier.
These days, though, Ellie’s not one for wolfing down a fatty beefburger, as she demonstrates by giving away her tips for a vegan burger.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Doherty continues his DIY mission to build unusual items for food prep. Here he knocks up a home-made chicken rotisserie, before rejoining his pal to investigate a medieval tradition which was used to tackle the problem of farm waste.
But does this bygone practice hold the solution to modern farming dilemmas?
A good workman never blames his tools, according to the old adage – however sometimes there really is no substitute for the right tool for a job. Ask any chef, and he or she will tell you that a high quality knife is one of the most important items in the kitchen.
Fast Show star Arabella Weir’s advice in this episode is crucial for any budding cook, then – she’s getting the inside track on why a good kitchen knife should last a lifetime, and what simple tips one can employ to ensure that can happen.
Elsewhere, host Tom Kerridge is joined by fellow chef Richard Corrigan for a chat about traditional and often unsung British ingredients.
Richard favours offal, but Tom remains unconvinced that kidneys are worth the trouble.
Tom, meanwhile, champions hake by demonstrating how to cook the increasingly unpopular fish with a delicious button mushroom sauce.
It’s 1184AD, and blacksmith Balian is grieving the loss of his wife and child.
However, his grief is tempered by the arrival of his father, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin.
They travel to Jerusalem, but en route, the latter is mortally wounded. Eventually our hero arrives to assist leper king, Baldwin IV, and Marshall Tiberias. Meanwhile, Arab leader Saladin and his 200,000-strong army try to take back Jerusalem from the Christians.
Ridley Scott’s stunning historical epic boasts an impressive cast, with Orlando Bloom performing well as the young hero, Balian.
It develops at a slow but steady pace, building towards some stunning battle sequences which really take the breath away.
Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, Eva Green, Brendan Gleeson, Alexander Siddig, David Thewlis
Despite a somewhat vague title – after all, the ’sound’ of song rather depends upon the song itself – this new documentary series proved to be thoroughly fascinating and well worth a watch when it began last week.
This time around, composer and musician Neil Brand uncovers the surprising history of magnetic tape, and explains how it completely revolutionised recording technology.
Not only did the good old TDK-90 allow us members of the public to tape songs off the radio – making the charts a far more popular prospect – but it also led to the emergence of the music studio as a compositional tool, and enabled the rise of the producer as a real creative force.
Taking the likes of The Beatles and Elvis Presley as examples, Neil visits legendary studios such as Sun in Memphis and Abbey Road in London, to review the original recording techniques of some of the most memorable songs, from those employing Phil Spector’s ’Wall of Sound’ technique to the likes of Good Vibrations.
Before the guests for tonight’s edition of Graham Norton’s chat show were announced, it was almost easier to discuss who wouldn’t be on – Graham had only just alienated George Galloway a few weeks ago by calling the former MP one of his “least favourite people”, sparking something of a brief Twitter spat, before suddenly (and unrelatedly) beloved British thesp Derek Jacobi said in an interview “You know, I’d rather do almost anything than” appear on his show.
The Last Tango in Halifax and Vicious star was apparently lamenting the fact that, in his view, celebs on Graham’s show have to put on an act rather than be themselves.
Still, the Beeb must believe he still has more than a few guests lining up to grace his sofa, as they’ve only just extended his contract.
Maybe tonight’s line-up will prove the risque comedian can still bring in the big names.
An ambitious journalist who has just gained a spot on a prominent network has a one-night stand with an unmotivated slacker and the next morning discovers they have very little in common.
Unfortunately, she is forced to get in contact with him again several weeks down the line when she finds out she is pregnant. The unlikely couple decide to begin a relationship for the sake of their unborn child, but their efforts seem doomed to failure.
While the film was receiving criticism before it even arrived at cinemas, this is nonetheless a by-the-numbers romantic comedy at heart, and the outcome is never really in doubt.
Judd Apatow seems to be staking out a corner of the genre, and he makes good use of actors he has worked with in the past, most notably co-producer Seth Rogen, whose amiable presence almost steals the spotlight from co-star Katherine Heigl.
Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Harold Ramis, Jason Segel
Rebellious Emilia believes she is a descendent of Arthur Conan Doyle and dreams of becoming a successful novelist.
She moves to a new town and befriends Beth, the daughter of a local author before embarking on an ill-fated fling with the girl’s father.
This is a remarkably assured feature film debut from director Niall MacCormick, whose other work includes an episode of the Kenneth Branagh series Wallander, as well as the Emma Thompson vehicle The Song of Lunch.
Watch out for Jessica Brown Findlay in the lead role. She sprang to fame thanks to her portrayal as the doomed Lady Sybil in Downton Abbey, but plays a very different young woman here.
Jessica Brown Findlay, Felicity Jones, Sebastian Koch, Julia Ormond
