Wednesday's TV tips
Imagine a cross between Cilla Black and Santa Claus and you probably wouldn’t picture Holly Willoughby. But that’s exactly the role she’s taking on as Surprise Surprise returns just in time for Christmas.
She’s recruited a few celebrity helpers to spread the joy, including pop supergroup McBusted, who will be surprising one of their biggest fans with an exclusive performance on top of London’s O2 arena.
Former JLS star Marvin Humes will be making a dream come true for an aid worker who came to the rescue of a Somerset village devastated by flooding, and another volunteer is about to be get a special delivery courtesy of singer Russell Watson.
An extraordinary fundraiser comes face to face with former Welsh international footballer John Hartson – but there’s an even bigger surprise in store as she reunited with her sister from Australia.
It’s enough to have you sobbing into your mince pies.
Tim Burton’s fairytale about an artificial man (Johnny Depp), befriended by Avon lady Dianne Weist and family.
He falls in love with Winona Rider (replete with blonde wig), falls foul of local thug Anthony Michael Hall and becomes a hit with the locals after cutting hair and hedges with equal dexterity.
A memorable, and very personal tale from one of Hollywood’s most gifted directors. Added bonuses are a cameo from none other than Vincent Price (Burton’s idol), Bo Welch’s production design and the haunting score by Danny Elfman. Best line has pining Ryder yearning for a hug off Depp: “Hold me,” she coos. “I can’t!” replies Depp. Cue lump in throat.
Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Vincent Price.
Fergal Devitt is an enigmatic Bray man who allows the cameras into his life showing us what it is like to be one of the biggest names in the bizarre and weird world of Japanese pro-wrestling. An exceptional story about a man following his boyhood dream.
Over the course of this hard-hitting film we meet Devitt’s legions of devoted fans and go backstage where wealthy businessmen throw wild parties for their favourite wrestlers.
Throughout the film there is speculation that Devitt will leave Japan, which he does, signing for the American WWE, a move that is set to propel him into international fame. This is a truly exceptional story about a man following his boyhood dream.
It’s the clash of the bake off judges as Anna Nolan hosts this Christmas special with a difference. This time there are no amateur bakers competing for the big prize. Instead Biddy White Lennon and Paul Kelly don the aprons and compete with each other in the bake off kitchen to show two very different approaches to baking for Christmas.
Which do you prefer – Biddy’s traditional Christmas pudding or Paul’s Christmas pudding lollipops?
Filmed at the festive location of Tinakilly House, Anna, Paula and Biddy are joined by a very special guest Lisa Cannon, who comes to the Christmas dinner and is presented with some of Biddy’s favourite traditional and Paul’s favourite modern Christmas bakes.
Lisa has the difficult task of deciding which of them is to be crowned Star Baker at the end of the meal.
Jonathan Ross fronts the 25th annual British Comedy Awards, and as you may have guessed, there’s a wealth of comedic talent up for the assorted plaudits.
Among them is Joe Wilkinson, who’s in the running with Matt Berry, Nick Helm and Harry Peacock for Best Comedy Breakthrough Artist.
Given the fact Will Ferrell was worshipped at last year’s bash, there’s no surprise to find last year’s Anchorman 2 in the running for Best Comedy Film.
Special gongs include The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award (WGGB); Outstanding Achievement in Comedy; Lifetime Achievement in Comedy (the Python team may be in the running given their O2 gigs), and The King/Queen of Comedy.
As this year saw the passing of showbiz greats Robin Williams and Rik Mayall, there’s bound to be a poignant moment as two of the best loved funnymen are remembered.
Whether it was seeing Jemma explaining to a group of tourists that Anne Boleyn lost her head because Henry VIII ’wanted to move on’, or Daniel’s somewhat random question in The Relationship Guru board game, there have undoubtedly been some memorable tasks during this series.
However, this week is arguably the one Apprentice fans have truly been waiting for – it’s the interview task.
This is when the final five finally go into detail about their business plans, and we get to work out who has actually identified a potential gap in the market and come up with a smart way to fill it, and who might as well have dreamed their wheeze up in the pub five minutes before the application deadline.
But we don’t just have to use our own judgement to work out who’s worthy of a place in the final and a shot at Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment, as his handpicked hit-squad are there to go through the CVs for us, including the fearsome Claude Littner.
In 2013, more than 1,500 people were killed or seriously injured on UK roads by drivers who failed to stop. This sobering documentary meets some of those whose lives have been changed by such incidents, as well as the task police collision investigators who face the difficult task of tracing the vehicles involved and securing a conviction.
Paul Tasker and his wife Mo remember how they were on the way back from the pub in Manchester with their friends Billy and Sylvia Bates when a vehicle mounted the kerb and smashed into all four of them, before driving off, and Paul and Tracey Glasgow talk movingly about the pain of losing their 17-year-old daughter Natalie, who was killed while walking home from a party in Essex.
And while some viewers may think that hit-and-runs usually happen when a driver is involved in an accident and then flees in a panic, the police reveal CCTV footage of a seemingly deliberate crash in Manchester that left three men badly injured.
Two soldiers stationed in Kazahkstan are assigned the task of transporting special warheads to a command centre in Egypt. When they are attacked by thieves, a top secret international special forces unit known as GI Joe is sent to save them.
It is everything you would expect from a big-budget action flick laden with special effects.
The film grossed more than 300 million worldwide and a sequel is already being planned.
Channing Tatum is excellent as Captain Duke Hauser, and there’s sterling support from Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston and Marlon Wayans.
Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Christopher Eccleston, Marlon Wayans, Dennis Quaid
Sylvester Stallone plays a former mountain rescue expert drawn into a battle of wits with a psychopathic criminal (John Lithgow) searching for a fortune lost in the Rockies.
If you can endure the breath-taking first five minutes, then this should be the perfect action movie for a dull Wednesday night.
Not a bad slice of escapism with spectacular stunts and set pieces – and well worth a look for Stallone giving one of his most mature performances when he’s not dodging bullets or swinging around on ropes screaming.
Dubbed Die Hard on a Mountain Top at the time, Renny Harlin’s thriller pulled Sylvester Stallone’s career out of the dumper.
Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Janine Turner, Michael Rooker
