Not much this week, basically:
- Only Connect – it’s the final! The Antiquarians take on The Analysts. What is going to happen? (8:30pm, Monday, BBC4)
- The Million Pound Drop – Live! Davina’s back for another week of drop drama. (10pm Monday to Thursday, 9pm Friday, C4)
Fantasy X Factor scoring will be later than usual tonight (sorry).
Million Pound Drop Live is going to be my highlight TV viewing event of December. 🙂
Countdown’s Series 65 quarter-finals begin on Thursday, leading up to Jeff’s final Final a week on Friday (16th).
And, unlike the previous two series, all eight seeds were able to make the QFs. 😉
#1 seed Mark Deeks should have no trouble against #8 seed David Butcher on Thursday – especially when David, despite seven wins, has a highest score of only 87, just one more than Mark’s lowest score…
And as well as achieving five centuries during his octochamp run (with a highest score of 126), Mark was near-perfect at the numbers – scoring 228 points out of a possible 240. 😯 8)
Similarly, #2 seed Graeme Cole should easily beat #7 seed Nikki Roberts on Friday. Nikki, like David, chalked up seven wins (including two centuries), but rather crumbled in her eighth game – and her conundrum record makes for shocking reading (0/8).
Graeme, meanwhile, acheieved three centuries (highest 125) and three nine-letter words on his way to octochampdom, and was also brilliant on the numbers (215 points there).
And here are some random observations:
This is the twentieth series since the show expanded to 45 minutes ten years ago – and of the previous nineteen, only one (Des O’Connor’s first) had a Grand Final not featuring either of the top two seeds, while only one other (Des Lynam’s last) had a GF not featuring the #1 seed.
And if this latest GF is to be between Mark and Graeme, as is widely expected, then it’ll be the third in succession to feature both of the top two seeds.
I agree with Des, the top two seeds should get through the quarter-finals without getting out of third gear. Had Nikki Roberts been sixth seed, she could have been trouble in waiting. But ’twas not.
The remainder of the draw is octochamps: third seed Paul Keane (744 pts) faces Dave Taylor (691), and Carl Williams (708) plays Jayne Wisniewski (705). That last quarter-final could go to the wire, and the putative semi-final between Paul and Graeme looks promising.
Without spoiling the result, an awesome first quarter final on a number of levels. Jeff and Rachel on fine form, lots of laughs all the way through. Still gutted he’s going. 🙁
Let’s hope the rest of the finals follow suit!
Semi-OT:
Saw Black Mirror too…thought-provoking, if a bit far-fectched for various reasons. Not as good as Dead Set was I thought.
Next weeks should be more interesting for people around here, since it’s based on an X-Factor type storyline..
I did particularly like the ‘After the X Factor final’ at the end of the promo for it.
I’ll agree with you there that it wasn’t as good as Dead Set, the premise let it down although the actual storytelling was excellent I thought.
George Lamb for The Bank Job, then.
Fairly obviously aiming at a young audience then. Makes sense for Channel 4, ad revenue-wise.
I don’t know his work well enough to comment on whether he’ll be any good or not.
Well, if I say that I won’t be watching the show now, what does that suggest? 😡 😉
That he’s absolutely not your cup of tea. 🙂
And I’m not the only one who feels that way. 😉
I don’t know his work
The one person who has not come across BBLB’s Useless Bloke? Mr. Howell for the win!
Vernon’s Play Your Cards Right films 16th December.
Busy old week for Vern. Directly out of Play Your Cards Right, to this disaster in waiting ‘Home For Christmas’ for Channel 4.
I notice SRO Audiences are doing the tickets for it. Instructions – Get to Uxbridge Tube station and you’ll be taken in a minibus to the house ’10 mins away’.
Pinewood Studios, anyone? (that’s how long the 58 takes!)
Either that or is it being recorded at the same place as ‘Millionaire Manor’ the less than runaway Lottery show hit hosted by Judith Charmers son back in 2006? That was somewhere just outside the Oystercard Zone6 area wasn’t it?
Yep – Pinewood was my first guess (and nice of them to lay on the transport if it is as it’s a pain in the backside to get to), however if Millionaire Manor is true then that’s a brilliant deduction.