T is for Television

I do like my TV. And I don't just mean the actual machine (although that is pretty cool - who'd've thought TVs could be Smart?). I like to think I choose my programmes carefully, but I do end up watching a load of rubbish too. Although digital recorders and Netflix have changed that a bit. Netflix has been great for watching whole programmes obsessively right from season 1, even if I hadn't watched them at the time they came out. I record quite a few shows to watch at my convenience too.

My top favourite shows of the moment:

1. The Mentalist - I loooove Patrick Jane and his memory palace. It can be quite a dark show but whenever Patrick smiles it is so infectious (Simon Baker just has one of those smiles). Agent Cho has some great one-liners too. The over-arcing storyline of serial killer Red John has kept me wondering exactly who to trust and who is on the dark side - fabulous stuff.

2. Person of Interest - I wasn't hooked by season 1, but season 2 has been brilliant. I've really warmed to John Reese and Harold Finch, and I feel pretty sorry for old Lionel too. Really captivating stories each week, with hints at the back story coming out too which leaves you speculating exactly went on before we met them. 

3. Sons of Anarchy - I'm a latecomer to this one and might still go back and watch every episode from the beginning as I only saw bits and pieces of the early ones. I've got pretty hooked on it now though. It's weird seeing Charlie Hunnam as a gangleader though - I remember him as a young gay teenager in Queer As Folk! He certainly is playing a very different role now. My favourite character is probably Chibs, but I feel pretty sorry for Nero - he's lost his club, his car, loads of money and his sister since he met the gang.

4. Snog, Marry, Avoid - yes, I realise this doesn't sit comfortably with the rest of the list so far, but I do love it for a laugh. Ellie Taylor, the new presenter, is very likeable and keeps it funny. The amount of fakery some people wear on themselves really is unbelievable.

5. The Ricky Gervais Show - these are repeating on E4 in the middle of the night. Even though they are cartoon based on the original podcasts which I've listened to soooo many times before, I still sit there in hysterics every time. Have I told you how much I love Karl Pilkington? He is hilarious. Worryingly, we often think the same things - I just keep them to myself!

6. The X Files - we are currently working our way through them on Netflix, and on season 4 at the moment. I think this is about where I gave up originally. I remember watching the pilot on TV in 1994 and thinking it was the coolest show ever. I had loads of the trading cards, and the glow in the dark 'X' clock. (And I made the masking tape 'X' on my window too). Eugene Tooms was the scariest villain, and the inbreeding family were the most disturbing.

7. Doctors - I'm still loving this daytime soap opera that I've blogged about before. It isn't particularly high quality drama and the storylines aren't very realistic, but the characters are great and there is plenty going on to enjoy. Zara is my feisty favourite character (go on, get back with Daniel), and I've a little crush on Kevin Tyler. The Harrison killer episodes were the best but it has really had some great storylines this past year too. Shame a few of my favourites have left the show though.

I'm off to catch up on some of these right now..................

D is for...Doctors

That's the BBC TV show, not actual healthcare practitioners (although I'm sure they all deserve a mention too). It is one of my guilty pleasures that I like to watch the daytime soap opera Doctors. I record it. Everyday. There, I said it.

For those of you who have never seen an epsiode, Doctors is set in a health centre in the fictional town of Letherbridge. I don't think this town is overly representative of the UK population, as there are only ever 1 or 2 patients in the waiting room at once, and you can get an appointment just by walking in on the off chance. The doctors themselves live fascinating lives and they frequently become personally involved in their patient's lives too - they even have time to drop everything in the middle of a working day to make house calls and generally save the day. 

I'm not selling it to you yet? How about I tell you that since I have been an obsessed avid viewer (less than a year), storylines have included; murder, attempted murder, being caught smoking tarragon, squatters, running a brothel (of sorts), domestic violence by a woman, and a man who thought his ventriloquist dummy was talking to him. I have to say, the funniest episode was about a chimney sweep with a phobia of soot! You see, it is brilliant!

I struggled to find a short clip on You Tube so this is the best I could find, just to give you a taster:

This will probably only make sense to other Doctors fans out there, but I have to mention that my favourite characters are Zara (I love the way she is sarcastic, sharp and bitchy) and Imogen (she likes art and photography). The best storyline was Harrison killing Lauren then trying to get away with it, and the most annoying was Akono staying with Mrs Tembe.