The best on the box: Edinburgh Festival, semen, adverts, rock n roll and movies

August 26, 2017

ATV Today Editor Shaun Linden picks the best from the box for the coming week, August 26th to September 1st, in ATV Saturday.

BBC Highlights

BBC Two this evening is all about the Edinburgh festival starting with Nina Conti’s Edinburgh Festival 2017 (7.30pm) British Comedy Award winner Nina Conti presents highlights of this year’s festival. Nina, the beeb note, has been coming to the festival since she was a child, and as a performer made her name at the annual event in 2001. Her debut there saw her voice the performers now infamous puppet, Monkey. But when the festival was founded, 70 years ago, stand up comedy didn’t exist in the way it does today.

Nina meets fellow comics who are using narrative to push the boundaries of comedy. She talks to Edinburgh’s own enfant terrible Irvine Welsh, as he brings a brand new show inspired by the real-life gangsters of the 1960s film Performance, to his home town.

She meets Mercury Prize-winning troubadour Benjamin Clementine for an exclusive interview and performance taken from his eagerly awaited second album and visits two art installations examining the legacy of poet Robert Burns and his response to slavery: Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon’s ‘Black Burns’ and Graham Fagen’s ‘The Slave’s Lament’. This culminates in a special performance at the National Portrait Gallery, featuring poet and Makar Jackie Kay, singer-songwriter Ghetto Priest, and members of the Scottish Ensemble. The programme also features Selina Thompson’s fringe hit Salt.

And later in the evening Jack Whitehall hosts Festival Tales: Edinburgh At 70. (9pm). This one-hour documentary celebrates seven decades of the greatest arts festival in the world. From the idealism of its glorious beginnings in 1947, when the Edinburgh Festival was conceived as a ‘c, part of a healing process in the aftermath of the Second World War, to the birth of the Fringe the same year and the creative anarchy that it unleashed.

Jack Whitehall recalls miraculous encounters between artists, musicians, writers and performers that Edinburgh has witnessed over the decades, and reflects on what the Edinburgh Festival has done for culture, both nationally and internationally. Featuring interviews with Sir Ian McKellen, Shappi Khorsandi, Stephen Fry, Claire Bloom, Michael Palin, Alan Cumming, Alexei Sayle, and many more

Tomorrow BBC One brings us another royal focused programme as we head towards the 31st of August and the demise of Princess Diana. In Diana, 7 Days (7.30pm Aug 27th) the beeb has interviewed many people who were genuinely in the eye of this most unexpected storm, some speaking for the first time since the tragedy two decades ago. On 31 August 1997 the sudden and tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, stunned her family and catapulted the British public into one of the most extraordinary weeks in modern history: one in which profound shock, grief and bewilderment manifested itself in an unprecedented reaction from the nation.

Featuring interviews with Diana’s sons, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry; her siblings, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer; former members of the Royal Household Lt Col Malcolm Ross, Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, and Anne Beckwith-Smith, Diana’s lady-in-waiting; and former Prime Minister Tony Blair and two government officials intimately involved that week, Alistair Campbell and Anji Hunter, this film will tell the story of the seven days that followed the Princess’ death and the remarkable life that preceded it.

What was it about Diana that explained such an outpouring of grief? What did that week reveal about the British public’s relationship with the monarchy, then and now? And how – if at all – has Britain changed in the aftermath?

Also on Monday a week of Countryfile Summer Diaries (9.15am all week) begins. The show returns for its second summer with the team travelling the UK to bring viewers the best seasonal stories that matter to you.

To kick off the series, John will enjoy the splendour of Queen Victoria and Albert’s seaside palace on the Isle of Wight, Osborne house. Meanwhile, Keeley meets the team searching for natural solutions to the pesky invasive plant species which are a headache to homeowners and cost the UK economy £1.7 billion.

Joe Crowley investigates what dry summer weather means for wildlife, rivers and water supplies. Greg McKenzie gets stuck into one of the more unusual events put on by the heritage sites to keep people visiting all summer long. The show will be giving viewers some Countryfile top picks if they fancy getting out for a coastal walk this season. And Paul discovers how to create the perfect garden hide-away.

Wednesday (Aug 30th) BBC Four airs Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Who Built America (9pm). Frank Lloyd Wright is America’s greatest-ever architect. However, few people know about the radical ideas that shaped his life and world-famous buildings.

Now, leading Welsh architect Jonathan Adams sets off across America to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces for himself. Along the way, he uncovers the tempestuous life story of the man behind them and the significance of his unconventional family background.

In a career that spanned seven decades, Frank Lloyd Wright built more than 500 buildings and changed the face of modern architecture: Fallingwater, the house over the waterfall, has been called the greatest house of the 20th century; the spiralling Guggenheim Museum in New York reinvented the art museum; the concrete Unity Temple was the first truly modern building in the world. But the underlying philosophy that links all Wright’s buildings is as important as anything he built.

One hundred and fifty years after his birth, Jonathan Adams argues that Frank Lloyd Wright is now a vitally important figure who can teach us how to build for a better world. Wright believed in what he called organic architecture; buildings that grace the landscape, express an idea of how to live and respond to individual needs. This bespoke approach – a philosophy, not a style – puts him at the heart of modern architectural thinking.

And keeping it classy BBC Three on Thursday (Aug 31st) brings us this lovely title Desperately Seeking Semen. (Released at 10am). The show itself has a serious content not just a cum fest. For some couples unable to conceive naturally, IVF or sperm banks are not an option – but the internet offers them an alternative. This extraordinary film offers a window on a little known world in which couples search online profiles and Facebook groups to find their perfect sperm donor, and the men fathering scores of children up and down the country explain why they donate.

The film follows the couples as they collect their sperm and try to get pregnant, sometimes in unusual places. This film captures a series of memorable stories of couples trying to achieve their dream.

BBC Two tonight sees Jack Whitehall talk 70 years of the Edinburgh Festival. 9pm.

ITV Highlights

This week its the return of drama Victoria on Sunday night. (9.05pm, Aug 27th). The period drama starring Jenna Coleman is back for a second series, as Victoria resumes her royal duties after giving birth Sunday. The new mother sets about reclaiming her rightful place with characteristic impulsiveness, bringing in-formidable new mistress of the robes Duchess of Bucchleuch (Diana Rigg) and demanding that former chief cook Francatelli (Ferdinand Kingsley) return to the palace kitchen. Albert (Tom Hughes) decides to spare Victoria from some troubling news about British soldiers in Afghanistan, but she becomes increasingly suspicious. Her attempts to reassert her dominance also begin to falter when her Coburg in-laws descend for the christening.

Convinced that Albert and prime minister Robert Peel (Nigel Lindsay) are keeping the truth from her, she seeks answers from the Duke of Wellington (Peter Bowles). As Albert vehemently defends his decision to shield Victoria from the truth, their sharp-eyed uncle Leopold (Alex Jennings) is swift to detect the rift growing between the couple. When the truth about Britain’s catastrophic military failure hits London, it is Victoria who instinctively knows how to lift the nation’s morale.

On Tuesday (Aug 29th) Manchester: 100 Days after the Attack (9pm) looks at how the city and those effected have coped since the atrocity. In May 2017 a suicide bomber attacked concert goesr who had been to see popstar Ariana Grande. His actions killed 22 people and seriously injuring 59. The concert arena was full of young people, and many of the victims were children or parents. Narrated by Christopher Eccleston, this film details the powerful and emotional stories of some of the people affected by the events of that night. It looks at how the victims of the event have coped over the last 100 days.

Since the attack, many of which have lost loved ones or have been left badly injured. The film also looks at how the incident affected others who were involved, including police officers, paramedics and medical staff. People featured in the film include dad Martin Hibbert who has been left paralysed but is determined not to live his life as a victim, and police officer Cath Daley, who is reunited with young girl Lily Harrison whose life she saved. A teenager who had been planning to walk her mother down the aisle at her wedding was killed in the bombing, so her badly injured best friend takes her place. This is a film about people and a city caught up in that terrible event who refuse to be defined by terrorism.

Tomorrow (Aug 27th, 7pm) Comedian Hugh Dennis presents a two-hour celebration of the finest commercials ever made, from classic vintage adverts to modern British ones, as well as those from abroad and online. Hugh is joined by a plethora of celebrity guests who will introduce their favourite adverts from different categories. Introducing his top food adverts is fellow comedian Bill Bailey and Angus Deayton looks at car commercials. Exploring theworld of health and beauty adverts is actor Fay Ripley, football pundit and presenter Chris Kamara delves into ome classic cigarette and alcohol adverts and comedian Joe Lycett tackles the best in toy adverts. Finally, comedian Chris Ramsey gets stuck into sweets and chocolates.

The show, Possibly… the best adverts in the World, features iconic promos and showcases a range of never before seen commercials to entertain viewers. At the end of the show, it is up to the studio audience to decide which ad is possibly the best in the world.

It’s all about the adverts for Hugh Dennis on ITV, STV and UTV. (Sunday 7pm)

Best of the Rest…

Channel 4 tomorrow (Aug 27th 5.30pm) brings us The World’s Greatest Kids Films. This countdown delves into the fascinating stories behind some of the best-loved kids’ films, exploring not only the history of the genre but also the stars, directors, producers and writers who helped create them. With first-hand accounts, behind-the-scenes footage, break-out moments and a nostalgic selection of some of the most iconic and thrilling scenes in cinema – from timeless smash hits such as Mary Poppins to modern classics like Back to the Future, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Home Alone and Finding Nemo – the documentary provides an insider’s guide to how these motion picture classics went on to capture the hearts and imaginations of children and adults all over the world.

Steven and Anne Spielberg discuss the inspiration behind E.T. and the enduring popularity of Big. Christopher Lloyd confesses to the sinister and shocking dramatic inspiration behind Who Framed Roger Rabbit’s villainous half-man, half-cartoon Judge Doom and Uncle Fester’s disappearing neck in The Addams Family. And Jeff Cohen – better known as Chunk – theorises about why his ‘truffle-shuffle’ has become The Goonies’ most enduring and iconic moment. There’s also intimate insight from superstar directors including Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, The Polar Express), Ron Howard (Willow, Splash) and David Yates (the Harry Potter films) into how they capture ‘lightning in a bottle’. Told by a stellar line-up of directors, actors and producers, with a fistful of former childhood stars to boot, it’s bursting with untold secrets, surprise revelations and fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

From Monday (Aug 28th, 1.05pm) French Collection sees three Brits with a passion for collectibles head to the picturesque town of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon in southern France. They each get 800 euros to spend and advice from collectables expert Mark Frank. Their challenge: to find anything that’ll make a good profit back home. Once they’ve upcycled their purchases to add extra value, they head to Leamington Spa to sell and whoever makes the most, wins the prize pot. Ghassan transforms mirrors, Julia replaces bulbs with candles in two chandeliers and Karen learns the hard way when she buys something best avoided.

Channel 5 is Cruising with Jane McDonald once more as the broadcaster airs a second series of the high seas real life saga. In the first episode of this new run Jane takes her first Scandi-cruise in style. Aboard the Viking Sky she encounters luxury like she has never seen on a ship before. The first stop of her trip is Tallinn in Estonia a medieval town where Jane joins an excursion to look at some ancient architecture and learn about religion.

The second stop sees the former Loose Women regular head to St Petersburg, the jewel in the Russian crown and a first time visit for Jane. She heads to the Hermitage Museum to meet some of the residents – cats. Felines have been regulars at the building since 1745. In the episode Jane also visits Helsinki and Stockholm. (Friday, Sept 1st, 9pm)

Sky Arts also on Friday (9pm) airs the first in a new ten part documentary series Rock ‘n’ Roll. The show draws on vintage concert films, fly-on-the-wall tour chronicles and archive interviews to tell the definitive story of rock’n’roll. The first episode explores the subject of death. From the birth of the blues in the Mississippi Delta to the evolution of heavy metal in Birmingham, rock’n’roll has always walked a line between heaven and hell, and sin and redemption. But where does this fascination with the dark side originate?

With music and interviews from Jerry Lee Lewis, Black Sabbath, Eric Burdon, Rick Rubin, Joy Division, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, Chelsea Wolfe, Mayhem and Blixa Bargeld, this episode – Rock ‘n’ Roll: Death – uncovers rock’n’roll’s inseparable links with the macabre.