Memorable TV

Caroline Catz found the perfect way to unwind after a day’s filming on Doc Martin by joining the Port Isaac rowing team. “I went out with the Port Isaac rowing team in the gig in the evenings after work which was great. We rowed out from the harbour right out to sea. “I had to be right at the back so I didn’t smash my oar with someone else. I am an absolute learner and I was petrified by these giant pieces of oak- the oars. “When someone pushes the boat off you have to hold your oar up in the air before you put it in the sea. But I was so scared I was going to bash someone over the head with my oar. They are so heavy, it feels like you are holding a tree. “It is really hard work, tough on your arms and wrists. It is fantastic exercise, but it is also very relaxing. The first time I went I was so petrified I was just looking at the oar all the time, trying to keep it in rhythm, so not looking around. “I had always wondered what Port Isaac looked like from the sea, and to travel along t...

HISTORY OF BAFTA Notable Occurances Notable hosts- Stephen Fry, 6 years (2001-06) Jonathan Ross, 2 years (1999, 2007) • The classic 1962 film Lawrence Of Arabia was voted the best Bafta winner from the last 60 years by members of the academy • The first awards, designed by Henry Moore, were statues in the form of a large, bronze, seated lady valued at UK £550 each at the time, but of great value today • In 1955 a small work, a trophy mask, was commissioned by Andrew Miller-Jones of the [then] Guild of Television Producers, which later merged with the British Film Academy to become BAFTA • First Presenter- Edith Evans, 7 years (1954-51) In 1992 a controversial selection was made in the Best Drama Serial category, when Prime Suspect beat G.B.H. to win the award. Following the ceremony, four of the seven voting members of the jury signed a public statement declaring that they had voted for G.B.H. to win. Irene Shubik, who as chairman did not cast a vote, refused to publicly comment o...

What are you looking forward to about the evening of BAFTA celebration? “It’s going to be a fabulous night of entertainment, which I can’t wait to be around and of course I get to work with the absolutely lovely Michael Parkinson. “The event itself is going to be spectacular but myself and Michael will just be these (hopefully entertaining) links between wonderful acts and variety pieces. I’m so excited to be working with Michael; I adore him and his show.” Who are your favourite BAFTA winners? “I don’t think people should measure themselves by award ceremonies, it’s absolutely lovely to get an award but we have so much great talent out there not everyone can win which is such a shame. It’s an honour to win an award but you shouldn’t be upset if you don’t. “Sometimes I watch ceremonies and if they have 6 strong contenders you just wish everyone could win an award as all the performances are top notch. Don’t get me wrong it’s such a huge honour to win but you shouldn’t be bitterly d...

Just posted over at our parent site Memorable TV we have seven great new giveaways for your delectation and delight. The Adventures of Aquaman Monty Python's Life of Brian The Immaculate Edition Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl Voyagers The Complete Series Nicole Kidman in Fur Who the $%^& is JAckson Pollack Jimmy Carr Comedian Don't miss them!!

Hard to believe that this show is now in it's third season, it's like a throwback to the dark days of the mid 1980's, if it wasn't a spin off from the venerable Only Fools and Horses then it is doubtful this would have even got as far as episode three. The series returns 2 November but here we look ahead to episode 2 broadcasting 9 November on BBC1 @ 8.30pm. For once, Boycie and Tyler are united in their desperation to avoid a visit to Marlene's mum, Dora, as John Sullivan's hit comedy continues. "I'd rather superglue my face to the table," complains Boycie, who knows that Dora can't stand him. Poor Tyler is also sick of his grandma treating him like a two-year-old. But Marlene is insistent, as it's three years since she's seen her mum. So, while Boycie and Tyler reluctantly join her in the car for the drive to Bournemouth, they leave behind a moping Bryan and a worried Elgin, Jed and Mrs Cakeworthy. It's the anniversary of his fou...

The start of another excellent two part story on BBC1 Monday 5 November @ 5.00pm, Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane. In this fourth tale (broadcast as usual over the course of two episodes) Sarah Jane mysteriously disappears – just as a huge meteor threatens to crash straight into Earth. When Maria wakes up one morning it's as though Sarah Jane – and Luke – never existed. Living across the road in Sarah Jane's house is a woman called Andrea. And, with the attic empty and Mr Smith nowhere to be seen, every other trace of Sarah Jane has vanished – and Maria is the only one able to remember her. With the mysterious, hooded figure of the Trickster haunting Bannerman Road and the alien Graske meddling in time, Maria sets out to discover whatever happened to Sarah Jane. But as her journey takes her back to 1964, will she be able to find Sarah Jane in time to stop the meteor from destroying the world? Sarah Jane Smith is played by Elisabeth Sladen, Maria Jackson by Yasmin Paige, Luke Sm...

Airing this Saturday on BBC One is the fifth episode (can't believe we are upto episode five already) of the great fun that is this new take on an old favourite. In it a horrified Robin realises that his plan to capture the Sheriff's spy, Henry of Lewes (played by David Bamber), has failed because he has a traitor in his gang. Fearing for Marian's safety in the castle, Robin sets about rooting out the turncoat. His only clue is supplied by Marian: the spy's meeting place is located at the Trip To Jerusalem Inn, where the traitor outlaw sells his secrets to Gisborne. With two missions to complete Robin is relieved when Henry of Lewes arrives at the castle unconscious, his vital information about the King's landing sites remaining a mystery. Robin infiltrates the castle to silence Henry, but help arrives in the shape of harridan wise-woman Matilda, tasked by the Sheriff to nurse Henry to health. Asking Robin to look after her heavily pregnant daughter, Matilda promise...

This children's animated fantasy from the great Filmation company is just released on DVD by Warner Home Entertainment. Over on the main site we have three copies to win After being born to a woman from Atlantis and a lighthouse keeper Aquaman controls all the creatures of the sea. Aquaman's adventures formed part of the Superman-Aquaman hour. Aquaman was known as "King of the Seven Seas" and initial segments of this show were seen within Superman during 1967 before this starring show emerged. Aquaman could live underwater and used brainwaves to communicate with the creatures of the sea, he even had his own Seahorse called Storm. Aquaman was married to Mera and had a son called Aqualad aka Tadpole.

Seasons two and three / reg 4 / out now Based on the character created by Leslie Thomas this new release from Time Life stars Peter Davison as Detective Constable Dangerous Davies, a middle aged copper who only gets the cases nobody else wants. Season one had mostly been based on Thomas's original novels but season two and three are fresh stories. This is a surprisingly good series that whilst obviously having to make changes to the Davies character to bring it up to date still manages to stay true to the flavour of Thomas’s original material, combining as it does, proper who-dunnit material and humorous moments.Especially worthy of note is the relationship between Davison’s Dangerous and Sean Hughes’s Mod who is Dangerous’s best friend, in the books Mod is a chubby middle aged Welshman whilst here he becomes a rake thin Irishman, obviously this doesn’t detract in any way from the series as most viewers won’t necessarily be aware of the source material. Guest stars include the lik...

Time Life / region 4 / out now This fun and unusually premised detective series is being released on DVD by Time Life. Mixing gardening tips (the series was filmed at some of the most beautiful gardens to be found in Surrey and Hampshire) and murder investigations the show stars Felicity Kendal as plant biologist Rosemary Boxer and Pam Ferris as ex policewoman Laura Thyme. The two have teamed up to start their own garden design business but manage to find murder and mystery at every turn. The series is great fun, easy on the eye and easy on the brain too, it doesn’t take itself too seriously (the criminals are never that difficult to spot). Also Kendal and Ferris work well together and the characters they play are certainly more interested in the gardens they are working on than sleuthing but find that murder just follows them around.Besides looking good there are also some quality guest stars appearing too including the likes of Abigail Cruttenden, Eamon Boland, Michael Cochrane and B...

Time Life / reg 4 / no extras Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Robert Daws When ITV first announced that it was making a big budget series based on P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves books and it would be starring so called alternative comics Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie fans were apprehensive to say the least but of course no one need have worried as the series turned out to be one sublime joy from start to finish. Time Life are now releasing the series on DVD, series one now available. It's the 1920's, the roaring twenties in fact, a time when the wealthy set spent their time generally living it up and giving Paris Hilton a run for her money. Bertie Wooster (a role Laurie was made to play, which he does to perfection) is not overly blessed in the braincell department and seems to lurch from one crisis to another, more often than not inspired by Aunt Agatha's plans to get him married off, of course he can always rely on his butler Jeeves (an equally superb performance from Stephen Fry) t...

Waterloo Road continues with its third season, episode five sees a day of heartbreak at Waterloo Road with Donte is on the warpath after finding Chlo and Brett in bed together. Unable to find Brett, Donte takes out his frustrations in the school car park. News of Chlo and Brett travels fast and Chlo is desperate to tell Mika about her and Brett before someone else does – but she's too late. Donte confronts Chlo and Mika and he reveals the awful truth. Chlo feels sick – what has she done? Mika and Donte hate her and her friends won't talk to her. Donte pays Brett a visit and beats him up. Chlo finds Brett nursing his wounds and pleads with him not to report Donte to the police. Feeling isolated, Chlo returns home and packs her bags – life just can't get any worse. Meanwhile, Jack takes Davina out for lunch. He's determined to "do the right thing" and confess about his one-night stand with Steph, but loses his nerve. He can't tell Davina the truth; she me...

Written and directed by BAFTA award-winning Peter Kosminsky, Britz is a gripping two-part thriller about a young brother and sister, both British-born and Muslim, who are pulled in radically different directions by their conflicting personal experiences in post 9/11 Britain. Part one follows the story of Sohail (Riz Ahmed - The Road to Guantanamo ). A young Muslim Brit, Sohail is ambitious and university educated. His desire to assimilate into every aspect of contemporary British culture sees him driven into the open arms of MI5 where his first assignment is to help track down a terrorist cell linked to the July 7th London bombers. The enquiry leads him back to his own community in Bradford where no one, not even his closest friends, is above suspicion. Unsure if he is being used to entrap his own, Sohail is forced to question where his loyalties really lie, with the Pakistani Muslim community or with the country of his birth, England. Part two follows the story of Nasima (Manjinder Vi...

Daniel was not only drawn to the powerful story at the heart of My Boy Jack, but also the chance to play a character who represents such a tragic and human part of World War I history, a period he has always been fascinated by. “The story was the first thing that attracted me to this project. It’s tragic and beautifully written. I think the strength of the story is the key thing that draws anybody to a drama. You can have a good character to play, but it doesn’t amount to anything if it’s a weak story. “On this occasion I was lucky enough to get that combination - an amazing character to play in just a phenomenal story. I’ve also had a relatively long-running fascination with World War 1. I think this comes from growing up surrounded by films and books inspired by that time – I consumed everything including the last series of Blackadder. “All war is, to a certain extent, beyond anyone’s imagination, but particularly what it must have felt like to be ‘in the trenches’. These were prob...

Alex (Stephen Mangan) has a lot to be thankful for. His health, for example. Growing up in Twickenham rather than, say, Baghdad. And the tiny sofa in his poky office, he's pretty thankful for that as he's been calling it home ever since he left his wife and children. Stuck in the middle of a painful divorce, Alex is clinging on to his job at successful talent agency TMA, run by his sex-obsessed, cocksure and roguish boss, Stephen (Anthony Head). He's penniless, homeless and last week he burst into tears in Sainsbury's because for a second he imagined he saw his kids by the meat counter. Helen (Sharon Horgan) is coping really well with the after-effects of her own personal trauma. It's almost a year since her boyfriend dropped dead, just months before their wedding. But time has passed, she has a nice flat and, unlike Alex, she's successful at her job in the talent agency. She's getting her act together. She's just wishing she hadn't celebrated the an...

Fish 'n' Chips. Where would the British seaside be without this iconic meal? Fish is one of the UK's favourite foods and the benefits of eating it regularly are widely reported. From sardines to smoked salmon to scampi, fish takes pride of place on Britain's menus and still rates as one of the UK's favourite dishes. Yet with diminishing fish stocks, there's a crisis at sea. So what's a fish lover to do? Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall begins an investigative culinary journey around the British Isles to tackle this in River Cottage: Gone Fishing . Hoping to discover alternative, delicious and sustainable seafood that fishmongers should be selling and we should be eating, Hugh's fish fact-finding foray begins in the Channel Islands. Aside from the fish that he tempts fans with, he too nearly becomes dinner to one hungry shark. Armed with rod, line and an adventurous palate, and with plenty of help from local fish fanciers, Hugh discovers a vast array of under...

In 2002 Channel 4's Cutting Edge broadcast the first programme raising doubts about the conviction of Barry George for the murder of television presenter Jill Dando. He was convicted in July 2001 and lost an appeal a year later. Following the programme his family and supporters submitted an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to have the case re-examined. Five years later, with Barry George still protesting his innocence, the CCRC has referred the case back to the Court of Appeal. Their ground is that a much-remembered microscopic piece of forensic evidence - a gunshot particle allegedly in the pocket of his coat - cannot carry the evidential weight given it at George's trial. On the eve of a new appeal which could set him free, the team behind the first Cutting Edge returns to the case to tell the story behind the latest dramatic twist in one of Britain's greatest murder mysteries ever. Director: James Cohen / Channel 4 / Sunday 4 November @ 9.00pm

Sunday 4 November / Channel 4 @ 5.45pm Robert Llewellyn and Lisa Rogers are back after a summer break with the semi-final showdowns. After the mechanical mayhem of the early knockout rounds, only four teams remain in this year's competition, all of them dreaming of being crowned Scrapheap Challenge Champions. Large-scale construction projects are the inspiration for the first of this year's semi-finals. Devon surfers The Beach Bums and Norfolk fire-fighters The Extinguishers will need every ounce of strength and enthusiasm as they take on one of the biggest builds in Scrapheap history. They have just ten hours to build giant earth-moving machines capable of shifting hundreds of kilos of soil and gravel. It's a mammoth task, but which team will claim victory? Producer: Ian Thomas

This entertaining comedy drama series comes to close on ITV1 on Monday 5 November @ 9.00pm and it's the wedding day for Dr Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) and Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz). It’s business as usual for Dr Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes), even though it's his wedding day. He opens the surgery as normal to a stream of patients, including one of the bridesmaids. Louisa Glasson’s (Caroline Catz) best friend Isobel (Amanda Abbington), who is heavily pregnant, is hit in the eye with a party popper as Roger Fenn (Jeff Rawle), who is giving Louisa away, raises a toast to the bride to be. The doctor prescribes eye-drops, and a patch to cover the injury. An eye patch with a bridesmaid’s dress is not a good look. Martin manages to offend the local vicar (David Ryall) who is due to conduct the wedding ceremony by suggesting he has a drink problem. But when he goes to the church to try to placate the vicar, Martin catches him red handed with a bottle of whisky. The vicar ...

From Monday 5 November 2007, weekdays @ 5.00pm Chris Tarrant will be hosting his first daytime quiz show ,The Great Pretender. It's a test of general knowledge, but it’s also a battle of bluff and pretence. The Great Pretender is a test of general knowledge, but it’s also a battle of bluffing, double bluffing, masking your own intelligence, discerning others’, and keeping up the great pretence. In The Great Pretender one person will win the prize money before they’re even The Great Pretender is part quiz, part psychological face-off, a game of nerves where winning is only half the battle. Six ordinary members of the public compete in each show, they all look trustworthy, but looks can be deceptive. The question rounds start the show with correct answers gaining cash for the prize pot, but the contestants don’t know if they or the others have answered the question correctly, only the viewers will have the full picture. At the end of the question rounds, Chris reveals to the players...

Andrew Davies was inspired to create a new layer of narrative in his new adaptation of A Room With A View (ITV1 Sunday 4 November) after discovering EM Forster’s rethinking of his story. “Forster himself wrote a little postscript in 1958, 50 years after writing the book, imagining what might have happened to the characters. He imagined George Emerson visiting Florence after the Second World War, looking for the Bertolini boarding house. That got me thinking and, since it's so much Lucy's story, I imagined Lucy revisiting Florence after the First World War, to recapture her happiest memories. So the whole thing becomes Lucy's memory of that crucial point in her life and it also gives us the opportunity to add a new ending, after the ending in the book.” Another inspiration that came to Andrew during the writing process was the casting of the Emersons. He explains: “I'm so pleased with myself for thinking of Tim and Rafe Spall as Mr Emerson and his son George. The idea...

Good old Parky is apparently hanging up his interviewing hat after this series (Saturdays @ 10.45pm) and this week he is joined by Emmy award-winning actor, Ray Winstone, who will be talking about the release of his latest film ‘Beowulf’, while legendary comedy sketch duo, Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders, will be reflecting on their 20 years together. Completing the line up, and best known for his role as Harry Potter, is film, television and stage actor Daniel Radcliffe, who will be talking about his latest role in ITV1’s drama ‘My Boy Jack’. Providing this week's music is American soul singer, Jamie Davis. During his last series Parkinson spoke to luminaries including Gene Wilder, Joan Rivers, Orlando Bloom, Robin Williams, Patrick Stewart, James Nesbitt, David Attenborough, Piers Morgan and George Michael. Parkinson has also proved to be the show of choice for many of the world’s best music talents. The previous series saw exclusive performances from some of the biggest name...

This one off special, hosted by Myleene Klass, showcases some great female singing talent and brings viewers a sassy, sexy and spectacular television event. Airing on ITV1 on Saturday 3 Nov @ 9.10pm the show features Celine Dion (still there are some good acts on too!), Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Girls Aloud, Leona Lewis, Jameila, Natasha Bedingfield and Chaka Khan. In the show, the divas will celebrate all things ‘woman’ by performing some of their classic tracks that we all know and love. In association with four of the UK’s top Breast Cancer charities, Saturday Night Divas marks the conclusion of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a specially invited audience of fundraisers and campaigners coming together for this unique celebration. The studio sets will look to the originality and sexiness of Moulin Rouge to ensure the production value of the show brings a completely fresh look to Saturday night TV. Viewers can expect a jaw dropping performance from Girls Aloud in their sexiest o...

Good to see there is still life in this old chestnut, even if it is having to rely on the vapid world of celebrity for its kicks these days. The show is on ITV1 Saturdays @ 8.25pm. Still hosted by Vernon Kay, who does a surprisingly good job of it actually, this series sees celebrities and their families competing for the top prize of £30,000, but only if they get more than 200 points and all of the top answers. This series also adds a ‘through the keyhole’ element where the viewer gets to see around the celebs’ houses and guess whose home it is. Episode two (which airs 3 November) is the battle of the TV presenters – Dancing On Ice’s Holly Willougby versus This Morning’s Eamonn Holmes. Holly, who is playing for the James Baldwin Trust, teams up with her Mother, Father, husband Dan and her sister Kelly. Eamonn thinks that an all male team will take him to victory and picks his four brothers from Belfast to play. Eamonn is playing for The Bubble Foundation charity.

A promising twist on the standard crime drama is what new two part BBC drama Blood Rush, now in production, promises to bring us. Starring Louise Lombard, Lyndsey Marshal and Danny Dyer and created by Waking the Dead's Barbara Machin Blood Rush follows a crime teams attempt to track down a killer. What makes this different though is the way the drama shifts and unfolds through multiple perspectives and forwards and backwards in time. Lombard plays Kay Rousseau who is in charge of the crime team and dealing with some strong personal issues in her home life. Lyndsey Marshal plays the forensic scientist assigned to the case and Dyer is Rousseau's loyal second in command. The case becomes personal when the killer becomes obsessed with one of the team. Blood Rush is filming now in Bristol.

Richard Coyle is very quietly setting about becoming one of the best known actors on UK TV these days, here he talks about the character he plays on ITV1 The Whistleblowers. When we meet Ben he is unhappy in many ways with his life and the way things have turned out. He’s unfulfilled. He’s volatile and excitable and always has been: that’s his nature. But I think his personality has clashed with his job as a personal injury lawyer. Being a lawyer requires a cool and collected head. Ben kicks against that, and when he sees Mohammed Agiza it drives him to do the first truly spontaneous thing he has ever done. Ben’s a man who needs to flower, and I think he does that throughout the series. The whistleblowing agency is a way for him to start to live. It’s like he suddenly finds a conscience. He finds something inside himself, a curiosity and a sense of belonging – and that’s what drives him. I was attracted to the fact that it was a Tony Marchant script and I love his work. And I hadn’t r...

Coming Up, the anthology series for emerging talent is now in it's seventh year would you blieve, a new batch of 8 half hour dramas airs this November on Channel 4. This year’s films range from quirky love stories and dark comedies to emotional dramas and modern ghost stories. Highlights include The Spastic King written by Jack Thorne, directed by Peter Mackie Burns; Man in a Box written by Alecky Blythe, directed by Yann Demange and Imprints written by Kate Hardie, directed by Amanda Boyle. Cast includes Peter Capaldi, Jason Watkins, Neil Dudgeon and Heather Craney. Coming Up is the only talent scheme in the UK for emerging writers and directors with a guaranteed network TV broadcast. The careers of Coming Up alumni show how much can be achieved: Andrea Arnold (Bed Bugs, Coming Up 2003) went on to win a BAFTA for Red Road and the Best Short Film Oscar for Wasp, and Paul Andrew Williams (Naked, Coming Up 2003] went on to write and direct the award-winning film London to Brighton.

Coming to Channel 4 in November is Don't Blame The Builders and we all know getting the builders in – like your wedding day or having a baby – can be one of the most stressful experiences of your life. Each year, more than 100,000 building jobs in the UK go horribly wrong. As a nation we’re always quick to blame the builders, but is it always their fault? Don’t Blame the Builders explores how domestic building problems arise when builders from hell meet their match in homeowners from hell. In each episode, building expert Jeff Howell, mediates between a builder and a client at war. His aim – to bring the two sides together and get the job back on track. What do you do when your builder stops taking your calls, has walked off with your £45,000 renovation project, or left your dream home uninhabitable? With the owners at breaking point, it’s down to Jeff to help overcome their problems and get the job finished.

Channel 4 / coming soon Inspired by Lord Clark’s landmark TV series, Civilisation, this new four-part series follows artist and critic Matthew Collings as he makes a personal selection of the greatest artistic moments and monuments of history – from the ancient Greeks to modern times – to examine how they have shaped our world. Collings embarks on an epic journey, to stunning locations across Europe, Egypt, China and the United States, to explore the changing and often complicated ways in which cultures of the past have shaped our civilisation. In doing so, he offers a unique perspective on today’s social and political issues. Programme One looks at the classical past and the influence that religion has played in all aspects of art. Programme Two explores the changing ways that artists have expressed human emotions through their canvases and creations. The penultimate film examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on ideas about art, nature and society; while the series conclu...

In honour of Countdown's 25th anniversary we bring you a collection of slightly interesting facts about the daytime quiz show. With the words 'as the countdown to the launch of a new channel ends, a new Countdown begins', Richard Whiteley was the first person to appear on Channel 4 as it went to air on 2 November, 1982. The late Richard Whiteley presented Countdown for 23 years, from its launch in 1982 until 2005. Carol Vorderman was the first woman to be seen on Channel 4, as she also made her debut on 2nd November 1982 as Countdown's resident statistician. Since 1982, the Countdown clock music has played over 27,000 times Countdown was voted Channel 4's Best Show of All Time by viewers in a 2003 poll published in the Radio Times. Countdown was honoured in July 2004 with a House of Commons reception in recognition of the series' contribution to promoting literacy and numeracy. James Squires was only eight years old when he became a Countdown winner and Bertha B...

Channel 4's major new drama documentary about the relieving of one of the most notorious concentration of world war II is truly compelling and heartbreaking. Award-winning historical-drama director Justin Hardy doesn’t believe in the re-hashing of literary classics as a basis for television drama. He is a firm believer in the notion that truth really is stranger than fiction and that in all our collective pasts are stories that are rich enough to make us laugh and make us cry. “I’ve always believed that history throws up fantastic stories and that they can be brought shockingly to life for television by paying close attention to original primary sources,” says Justin. In this case, the original sources are the diaries, news footage, records and personal testimony of the key personnel behind the relief of Belsen. “The Belsen story has been told hundreds of times but has never really focused on the unsung heroes behind the relief effort,” explains Justin. “These were ordinary people,...

Over on the parent site Memorable TV We have a whole heap of new giveaways from the Ultimate X-Filesbox set to Avatar, from classic movies to an acting masterclass from Australia's finest. We also have plenty of new DVD Reviews to look at.

Channel 4 are celebrating their 25 anniversary this November and have a whole range of themed programmes airing, one of the highlights is sure to be THE BIG FAT ANNIVERSARY QUIZ showing on Friday 2 November @ 10.00pm, Host Jimmy Carr and celebrity team-mates Frank Skinner, Jack Dee, Alan Carr, David Mitchell, Carol Vorderman and Richard Ayoade get on board for a special edition of Channel 4's legendary annual star-studded entertainment fest, The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz . As the celebrities battle it out to see who remembers most about the last 25 years of Channel 4, they'll be visited by a string of secret and seriously A-list guests to help them along, including Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Ross, Quentin Tarantino and Vic Reeves. Which team will be crowned the champions, winning not only the trophy but the chance to prove themselves worthy in the return of one of the most fondly remembered climaxes to a Channel 4 show? So sit back with your friends and family, play along at home...

Season one continues with episode five of this pacey action drama series on ITV1 this Thursday 25 October @ 9.00pm. In Starters The story starts for Ben and Alisha when they are visited by Thorpe, an MP and ex-alcoholic who is chairing a select committee calling for a ban on all alcohol advertising and targeting big drinks companies like Griffin Distillers. He wants their help coaxing out a whistleblower. He has a name of a Griffin employee, James Connolly but wants them to check out if he will be a good witness for the committee. They decide to meet Connolly and disappointed when he turns out to be a conspiracy theorist who is more interested in telling them how the alcohol industry destroyed the rave scene than giving them any concrete evidence about Griffin’s bad marketing practises. He also tells them he has just been sacked. However he does give them another name of someone who had a problem with Griffin’s marketing, Helen Errol. Alisha and Kenny track Errol down and find that Err...

Former Coronation Street actress Denise Black dyed her hair bright red to star in tonight’s episode of Doc Martin. “I play Dawn Lamb, the mother of the doctor’s receptionist, Pauline. Dawn is brash and boho, so I dyed my hair red exclusively for the role,” Denise explains. But the dramatic colour change didn’t go quite as Denise had planned. “I volunteered to come on set a day early because after I had dyed my hair the colour was rather robust. The make up artists looked stunned. ”A Corrie fan who saw me when I was walking around Cornwall during filming screamed when she saw the colour of my hair.” In the fifth episode of the third season which airs tonight on ITV1 @ 9.00pm will the course of true love run smooth for the star crossed couple Dr Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) and school headmistress Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz) as they go on their first date? It is the perfect spot for romance: being serenaded with classical music at a concert in the stunning grounds of a country hou...

Neil Pearson has to be one of the UK’s best known and most popular actors whose varied C.V includes roles across a variety of genres from comedies such as Trevor’s World of Sport, and the classic Drop the Dead Donkey to heavyweight thrillers such as the Kindness of Strangers and The State Within. Now with Frankenstein, he turns his hand to horror. Speaking about his latest on screen role Pearson says: “Waldman runs the lab at which Victoria is conducting her research; a brilliant scientist, she is pushing at the limits of what is ethically acceptable and he is very much there to supervise and be supportive. However he is always mindful of the fact that he has a job to do and that’s where the difficulty lies for him. On the one hand he’s keen to see where the work of his most brilliant scientist will lead and on the other hand he has to look over his shoulder at his own employers and make sure that he keeps both sides happy. Waldman is very much caught between the proverbial rock and ha...

Not to be missed this Wednesday (24 October @ 9.00pm on ITV1) is this fantastic scifi tinged near future retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In 1816, the Year Without Summer, a volcanic eruption filled the sky with ash. The world became dark and cold. That year Mary Shelley conceived of a story of a scientist who created a monster… At an unspecified time in the near future, the earth’s climate has changed and as water mixes with the volcanic ash in the atmosphere, the rain runs red. While a storm rages overhead, Dr Victoria Frankenstein sits by the hospital bed of her dying son William, where doctors tell her to prepare for the worst. Brilliant and committed, Frankenstein is a scientist conducting highly controversial work in the field of stem cell research and medical biotechnology at The Windmill Research Building. Overseen by Professor Andrew Waldman (Neil Pearson) her latest research programme, the Universal Xenograft Project is pushing her and her assistant Ed Gore (Bene...

Naomie Harris and Anna Maxwell Martin are to star in Poppy Shakespeare, a darkly comic single drama for Channel 4. Based on the best-selling novel by Clare Allan, Poppy Shakespeare is a ninety minute dark comedy drama for Channel 4 from the producer of Film4’s Oscar winning film The Last King of Scotland, Charles Steel. Poppy Shakespeare is a candid look at life from the perspective of a patient on the psychiatric ward of a North London day hospital.

More news on the second season of this Who spin off, Freema Agyeman will appear midway through the season for three episodes as Martha Jones, teaming up once more with Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) to investigate some strange deaths in the heart of Cardiff. Time has moved on a little since Martha journeyed with the doctor and she is now a fully qualified doctor herself and is able to use her medical skills and skills learnt with the Doctor to the Torchwood hub. Pictured here as she steps into the Hub for the first time, a more grown up and worldly-wise Martha brings her medical knowledge and the expertise learnt during her travels with The Doctor to help Torchwood do battle against an alien threat. Martha will reappear in the TARDIS though duiring season four, although the extent of her role is not yet known. Besides Freema the Torchwood producers have lined up quite a raft of high quality guest stars for the second season including Richard Briers as a sinister milionaire call...