Tuesday’s TV tips
(2008) Adapted by Alan Sharp from Baron Dunsany’s 1936 novella My Talks With Dean Spanley, this quixotic shaggy dog story, set in Edwardian England, will warm the cockles of your heart on the most bitterly cold, winter’s day.
Henslowe Fisk (Jeremy Northam) takes his cantankerous father Horatio (Peter O’Toole) to a lecture on the transmigration of souls.
Sitting in the audience, the two men spy Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), who later reveals a connection to Horatio’s beloved dog, Wag. This surreal comedic drama explores the relationships between father and son, and master and dog.
Such familiar faces as Bryan Brown, Art Malik, Dudley Sutton, Judy Parfitt and Ramon Tikaram also appear.
Design expert Kieran Long and architect Piers Taylor follow the progress of Sholto and his partner Marcus, who are juggling personal issues with an attempt to their dream.
When Marcus had to have a double organ transplant, the couple decided to leave their cramped house in the South of England and bought a rural patch of land in Scotland, 40 miles east of Inverness.
They hoped to be able to build their own residence, but finding a kit home which suited their needs proves to be a struggle, so Piers and Kieran attempt to get the most out of their budget.
Charlie Elmore suffered a brain injury in a snowboarding accident four years ago. Now she retraces the steps of her recovery, and meets other young people adjusting to life after similar problems.
They include 19-year old car-crash survivor Callum, and fashion buyer Hannah, who collapsed while shopping and hit her head on the pavement.
With their help, Charlie embarks on a journey to improve understanding of this ’invisible’ disability.
It’s a moving and revealing programme that may help change opinions on those who have suffered a head trauma.
Cameras follow the treatment of youngsters including Charlie, a nine-year-old with cystic fibrosis. In recent months his condition has deteriorated, so the medical experts, his family – and Charlie himself – will need to make a decision quickly.
Meanwhile, Jess, 14, was told she should be listed for a lung transplant two years ago, but decided to take a risk and delay the operation. Has she left it too late?
There are also profiles of 11-year-old Chloe and two-year-old Louie, who are both waiting for lung transplants.
Be careful what you wish for – that could be the motto for this series, which is back for its fifth run this week.
Each edition features people who have attempted to change their appearance. They’ve managed too – but not in the manner they had originally hoped.
These are the tales of cosmetic surgery gone horribly wrong, and some of the footage that appears here isn’t for the faint-hearted, so be warned.
Among those included in the first programme is former IT consultant Vishal, who wanted to have his nostrils narrowed in an attempt to make his nose smaller – instead, he now has virtually no nose at all and must breathe through a tube.
And then there’s property manager Heidi, who wanted excess skin removed after losing weight, but ended up with hideous scars.
As the workplace saga continues, a mysterious tension between Jenny and Nathanial comes to a head as the rest of the team prepare to visit London for the big presentation.
However, it’s not a smooth journey, with Danny absent without leave, and Martine and Jeffries at each other’s throats, Anthony and Katherine struggling to keep their relationship professional.
Then there is the matter of a broken-down train which only adds to the colleagues’ problems. Comedy, starring Zawe Ashton and Sophie Rundle.
(2006) John Carney’s intimate, modern day romance is a gem – small yet perfectly formed, with heartbreaking performances and arguably one of the best film soundtracks in recent times, which gave birth to an award-winning stage musical of the same name.
Strumming his guitar on the streets of Dublin, a busker (Glen Hansard from Irish band The Frames) enjoys a chance encounter with a Czech cleaner (Marketa Irglova), who loves to play the piano. Their fragile friendship blossoms into something far deeper as Carney sketches the lead protagonists in precise, meticulous strokes.
Strong performances from the two leads, whose voices soar on songs such as the swoonsome, Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly”, compel us to fall in love with these two people as they exchange glances full of unspoken yearning across a busy recording studio.
