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The Tournament (2021)
This Tournament I don't want to be a part of, thank you very much
I just got done putting myself through binge-watching all 25 episodes of The Tournament and I have to say that this is quite literally, by far, the blandest gameshow ever to be produced by the BBC.
It is so glaringly obvious from the getgo that the reason why this show was made is because the BBC these days are so desperate to want us to buy their TV licence due to constant brutal tax-cutting by our corrupt Tory government and thus they delude/gaslight themselves into believing that the only way they're going to remotely achieve this is through continuing to give us such bland, uninspired televisual waffle as this.
This has one of the blandest, most uncreative and uninspired gameshow theme tunes I have ever heard in my life (it is literally the exact same few musical notes being played over and over and over again), the egos of some of these contestants just seem to get worse and worse with each episode to the point where you just want to roll your eyes up at the screen and be sick, the format is not even that exciting or engaging in any way, shape or form and I just constantly always struggle to get over the resemblance of the host Alex Scott to Meghan Markle even despite her being really pretty to look at, plus you somehow get the sense that she doesn't really feel comfortable being here (especially when they make her wear all this heavy makeup and all these expensive, ridiculous-looking and tacky suits).
In conclusion, all I have to say is do not try to bother wasting your BBC licence fee money on dross like The Tournament and instead use that money to watch a gameshow that's much more worthwhile and deserving of your time like Tenable, Tipping Point, The Chase or even Mastermind.
My overall rating for The Tournament: 1/10.
Unbeatable (2021)
It's not just about finding the right answer, it's about finding the best answer that counts
I've finally finished binge-watching Series 2 of Unbeatable after a near 2-month break and I have to say it's such a shame that this show only lasted 2 series and, in other words, became yet another unfortunate casualty of the BBC's consistently erratic and clueless decision-making because, of all the gameshows I've watched so far (and particularly of course from the BBC themselves), I would probably go as far as to say that this is one of the better shows.
The format is harmless and decent yet basic for what it is and the theme tune sounds kind of alright.
I do wish, though, that they could've made the font size of both the questions and the answers that pop up on the larger screens much more clearer because there were times where I just found them damn near impossible and confusing to read.
But in terms of what this show gets absolutely right, Jason Manford as the host is what saves this show from potentially being yet another failed gameshow experiment from the BBC especially with his charm, charisma, likability and humour and actually makes me excited to see how he does portraying the new headmaster of Waterloo Road later this year. Honestly, in my book, he is like the Mancunian human version of Winnie-the-Pooh, this warm, huggable teddy bear of a man that you just cannot help but want to love to pieces every time he appears on screen.
In conclusion, while Unbeatable does, at times, play it safe at times and doesn't exactly do anything all that creative and out-of-the box (like the majority of other gameshows I've watched), it is still one of the better gameshows in my book (right up there with the likes of The Boss and Lightning) and an especially huge reason as to why I enjoy it so much is 100% Jason Manford hosting.
My overall rating for Unbeatable: 7.5/10.
John Williams: Live in Vienna (2020)
John Williams is just the absolute GOAT when it comes to film composers, isn't he?
Just watched John Williams' inaugural televised live concert with the Vienna Philharmonic and I am very happy to report that John Williams (as always) knocks it out of the park once again and continues to prove to us especially in terms of Hollywood film composers why he is literally the absolute GOAT!
While I'm not really the biggest fan personally of the unique way Anne Sophie-Mutter tackles Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter (just something about that violin solo that doesn't quite exactly work or mesh as well with the live orchestra in my personal opinion) and even though she only got to do a few select violin pieces (my three favourites of those being "Donnybrook Fair" from Far and Away, "The Duel" from The Adventures of Tintin and the "Remembrances" theme from Schindler's List), I still have to hugely respect how naturally gifted and ridiculously talented she undoubtedly is as a violinist. Even for what she was given to do during the performance, she was an absolute trooper and it's clear that Mutter and Williams greatly enjoyed each other's company.
To basically almost reiterate what I said about the Berlin Philharmonic in the previous review, you can tell that there was insane passion, creativity, talent and artistic excellence involved within each of the Vienna Philharmonic players and that they had a stomping great time being guided by one of their classical music idols.
Speaking of the pieces that were used in this production (from Hedwig's Theme to Star Wars (in particular the main title theme and the Imperial March) to Indiana Jones to Jaws, even to newer pieces such as The Rebellion is Reborn from The Last Jedi, Luke & Leia from Return of the Jedi, War Horse and The Witches of Eastwick), it is no real surprise that they sound just as iconic and awesome as they've ever been but of the bunch, there are two big standouts for me: The first one being the opening piece Flight to Neverland from Hook which, even 33 years later since that film came out, still never fails to make your heart soar and make you feel like you're in Neverland itself and the other one being my personal favourite of the entire performance by far, namely the Adventures on Earth suite (essentially the whole ending to ET) which, even once you listen to it and even if you're someone who has or otherwise hasn't watched ET and yet you know how that film ends, has never, ever lost its special power to make you well up like a baby, melt your heart and bring many a tear to your eye (as it did me during and after it finished).
In conclusion, John Williams Live at Vienna rather unsurprisingly is yet another top-notch, amazing, incredible, magical production that honours and celebrates the vast wealth of great film music the man himself has provided us with for the last seven decades and long may he continue to provide us with great film scores.
My overall rating for John Williams Live at Vienna: 9.5/10.
John Williams: The Berlin Concert (2022)
Without John Williams, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe
"Without John Williams, bikes don't really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes. There is no Force, dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe. You breathe belief in to every film we have made" - Steven Spielberg
Just watched for the first time the televised version (as well as listened to the CD version straight after) of John Williams Live at Berlin (which, funnily enough, I initially found almost by happy accident towards the tail-end of last year whilst browsing through the festive television schedules) and I have to say freaking wow! To say that this is the John Williams concert I never would've thought in a million years I always wanted to see and for it to turn out to be just simply nothing short of amazing and magical in every way you can possibly imagine and instantly gives you the fantastic feeling of being transported back to when you were a kid all over again and leaves you with the biggest, proudest smile on your face when it ends is a massive understatement and just even further cements John Williams as one of, if not, my absolute favourite film composer of all time.
It also feels like you're actually watching the man essentially thank the fans for taking his music completely into their hearts for all these years and rewarding them with such a musical experience that they will never, ever forget.
My only minor gripe is actually less to do with the concert itself and more to do with the televised version being so heavily edited by the BBC, who basically made the rather questionable decision to condense the full 2-hour concert into just an hour and 22 minutes (meaning roughly 40 minutes of extra footage was taken out of the final cut) clearly due to both its showing on BBC4 at the time as well as apparent time constraints. I mean, of course, it's enough of a shame that the main Jaws theme isn't even included in the full set anyway but it still makes it rather disappointing that we don't actually get to visually see the orchestra playing the Superman theme (one of my personal favourites) or Princess Leia's theme or heck even the Flying Theme from ET (another one of my personal favourites). But ultimately, what we DO get in the televised version (e.g. A few other personal favourites of mine being the Raiders March from Indiana Jones, the Throne Room/Finale suite, Yoda's Theme and the Imperial March from Star Wars, the Jurassic Park theme and even Hedwig's Theme as well as Harry's Wondrous World from Harry Potter) is just as magical that even one lesser decision by the higher-ups at the BBC does not at all detract or take away from how much I thoroughly enjoyed and loved this concert from the very bottom of my heart.
The Berlin Philharmonic itself is certainly one of the greatest European symphony orchestras in the world working today, right up there with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic and even the London Symphony Orchestra (just to name a select few) and this performance very much proves that point. You can clearly tell not just how much passion and talent went into putting this orchestra together but also how much of an especially cracking good time they had essentially being guided by one of their idols.
But of course the MVP and the true standout star of this entire production by far is John Towner Williams himself. I mean, coming from someone who has been a huge John Williams fan since early childhood, I could literally gush about the man nonstop but honestly, what else really is there for me to say about John Williams that hasn't already been said? He is literally right up there with some of the greatest Hollywood film composers of all time including Max Steiner, Miklos Rozsa, Leonard Bernstein, Ennio Morricone, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith and Bernard Herrmann. He is a living legend. He is a film score god, a genius, the modern-day Beethoven, Bach, Leopold Stokowski or Mozart. He is basically the Yoda or Albus Dumbledore of film composers working today, an absolute master wizard of his craft who could literally do no wrong in my eyes. He is the proverbial genie out of the Hollywood lamp who, with just one wave of that baton, has the power to audibly transport you to places you've never been to before through his music. Speaking of which, his scores in particular (such as Jaws, Jurassic Park, Superman, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter (at least the first 3), ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, etc.) have very rightly gone down as some of the most legendary and iconic in film history. Seriously, if you don't find it inspirational enough that this man still continues to be at the top of his game at 92 years old and yet shows no sign of slowing down for the foreseeable future, then I don't know what is!
Plus, you can tell with the biggest smile on his face as well as his subtle use of body language, the odd twinkle in his eye, every slight nod of the head, every wave of his baton and every subtle hand gesture he makes that he was clearly enjoying every single second of this performance.
I also love the fact that in-between his introductions of some (but not all) the pieces, Williams basically gives us a little intellectual window into his personality and allows us to see the true kindness, the humility, the intelligence, the generosity, the worldly wisdom and above all the graciousness with which he commands an entire room and allows the orchestra to shine in his presence.
If ever you needed a quote that so perfectly sums up and encapsulates how deeply adored, respected and revered by both the Hollywood film industry and film fans in general John Williams truly is not just in terms of his massive contribution and influence within Hollywood and how he's basically changed the game when it comes to how the modern film score is supposed to sound, not just in terms of how much of an influence he has had on other great film composers working today such as Alexandre Desplat, Jonny Greenwood, James Newton Howard, Danny Elfman, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri and Hans Zimmer (and I honestly would not be surprised if Murray Gold also took some direct inspiration from John Williams for the amazing scores he continues to do for Doctor Who) but also in terms of his magical ability to define your childhood by transporting you to the most fantastical of worlds as well as tug at your heartstrings and make you feel a wide range of human emotions through his music, the above quote from Steven Spielberg firmly hits the nail on the head and of course it is going to feel a much darker world when John Williams is eventually no longer with us but at the same token, his legacy is going to continue to enrich and inspire countless generations of film composers as well as classical composers in general to come long after he passes on.
In conclusion, if you're a major John Williams or film score fanatic in general and/or want to see the man himself in action conducting some of his most iconic film scores with a live symphony orchestra around him, I definitely highly recommend that you check out John Williams Live at Berlin as soon as you possibly can and/or buy the CD as well as the DVD.
My overall rating for John Williams Live at Berlin: 10/10.
Catchpoint (2019)
Catchpoint...just completely fails to catch my interest
I struggle and fail to understand why the BBC basically justified the existence of this thing by allowing it to continue on air for close to 4 years because fundamentally, this show is just a big batch of nothing-burger: There is just literally nothing new or creative or fun or exciting or engaging or even remotely entertaining about this show to begin with. It is just a televisual black hole of pure nothing.
When you have such a format as this that is as absurdly bland as it sounds (probably even worse actually than that of Impossible), where you just have to answer a series of questions (the large majority of which go in way over your head rather quickly anyway) whilst at the same time you faff about trying to catch some random-sized balls from midair and yet it simultaneously commits the cardinal gameshow sin of immediately losing your audience's interest and/or boring them half to sleep, that's when you know there's a huge problem and that something clearly got lost in translation here. Honestly, the only perfect analogy I can use to describe this format is that it is like you're being served a cheeseburger without the cheese or a pepperoni pizza without the pepperonis or an ice cream without any of the sauces or even a chocolate cake without the icing.
Now don't get me wrong, I have genuine huge respect for Paddy McGuinness especially when it comes to his personal life and I don't think he is entirely a bad presenter per se (e.g. I am of the opinion that Take Me Out was his best presenting job by far and Take Me Out was in itself a legitimately great show when it aired; still a tragic shame though that ITV cancelled it after 11 seasons) but I'm sadly not gonna lie, he is just not the right choice to present a show like this and it further cements not only the fact that the BBC are completely wasting his presenting talent in recent years with an extremely unfortunate line of generic dreck such as this, I Can See Your Voice (which I legit have little to zero interest in checking out anyway), latter-day Top Gear and even latter-day A Question of Sport that lead to nowhere, consistently tank in the ratings and then immediately get taken off air after two or more seasons but also further confirms that Paddy (very much like Gary Lineker) is probably better off without the BBC and thus at this point he might as well return to ITV and potentially do a revival season of Take Me Out.
In conclusion, if you're in the mood for a gameshow that is fun, engaging, exciting and most importantly entertaining, prepare yourself to be immensely disappointed because this show frankly lacks any of that and my advice instead is just stick to watching either Tenable, Tipping Point or even The Chase.
My overall rating for Catchpoint: 0.5/10.
The Boss (2017)
If you dare to defy, please challenge right now
I do not (and quite honestly will not) understand why The Boss is rated so low here on IMDb and it's such a shame that this show only lasted two series within the one year because in my opinion, the BBC were potentially onto a true winner here. As you can probably clearly tell, I really enjoyed this show.
I thought the format idea of the contestant winning the first round and being given the opportunity to become "the boss" by going up to the top half of the studio representing the boss's office leaving the other four contestants in the bottom half representing the workforce was actually quite an interesting, refreshing and original idea for a quiz show. Plus, I loved the different puzzles each contestant who came up to challenge the boss had to solve in order to stay on the show and/or avoid being "clocked off", as Susan Calman would put it.
Speaking of Susan Calman (and coming from someone who's not really all that personally familiar with her style of comedy), she actually makes for such a brilliant host. The only perfect way I can describe what she does hosting this show is that she is like the Scottish Anne Robinson but minus the nastiness from The Weakest Link.
Overall, I had a really good and entertaining time watching The Boss and I really, truly wish it could've gone on for a few more series but, as they say, c'est la vie.
8.5/10.
Alan Carr's Picture Slam (2023)
Surprisingly enjoyable and fun
I've just binge-watched all eight episodes so far of Alan Carr's Picture Slam and coming from someone who, at first, didn't really think this was going to be my cup of tea at all (especially judging from the first trailer), I'm actually quite surprised by how much I really enjoyed it and would actually be looking forward to a second and third series being commissioned (that is, if the BBC have enough of the common sense in them to even do so).
I really like that the format was very easy and fun for me to personally follow (unlike that of Impossible), some of the wrong answers that were given were legitimately quite hilarious and the show does such a great job of exercising your brain whilst you're under pressure.
Plus, Alan Carr makes for a genuinely entertaining host here, bringing his trademark camp sense of humour and enthusiasm to the proceedings (and this is actually coming from someone who's not usually one of the hugest Alan Carr fans).
Overall, Alan Carr's Picture Slam is a rather surprisingly enjoyable and fun show that deserves to go on for at least two more series in my opinion.
8/10.
Impossible (2017)
Impossible... just perfectly sums up this heavily flawed and tedious format in a nutshell
I just finished watching the celebrity version of this load of drivel (because I just couldn't really care less to make myself suffer through the regular series) and, as you can probably tell by the way I'm starting this review, as much as I was willing to try and give this piece of dull twaddle a chance, I just couldn't ever get into it not just because the BBC had to basically set someone as above average at best (in terms of talent) as Rick Edwards up into their version of Ben Shephard but also mainly because they overcomplicated this format to such an insanely ridiculous extent that it just becomes almost unwatchable.
In conclusion, Impossible honestly could not have been a more apt descriptor of how heavily flawed, uninspired, incredibly frustrating to watch and ultimately boring this format truly is and it actually makes you question why the BBC allowed it to go on for 4 series, what gave them the idea to commission it in the first place and whether or not they've just given up in terms of creative, original and inspired gameshow ideas.
My overall rating for Impossible: 1/10.
Sitting on a Fortune (2021)
An okay show
Well, there isn't really all that much I can truly say about Sitting on a Fortune other than this was basically Gary Lineker's attempt at a rival quiz show to what his footballer mate Ian Wright was doing around this time with Moneyball (kind of similar, in a way, to the ratings rivalry between two certain quiz shows hosted by Alexander Armstrong, Richard Osman and Bradley Walsh) and that clearly ITV were rather unsurprisingly capitalising/cashing in on this rivalry just for the sake of making money.
The format is okay and not at all a bad idea on paper, plus Lineker makes for a rather passable host at best.
The only great thing to come out of this show that I can personally think of is just this one brilliant moment in the first episode of Series 2 involving one of the contestants knowing firsthand everything there is to know about the Carry On films (and in particular Kenneth Williams), that just legitimately cracked me up.
In conclusion, Sitting on a Fortune is just okay.
My overall rating for Sitting on a Fortune: 5/10.
Gameshow Marathon (2005)
A fun and enjoyable series to celebrate 50 years of ITV
I honestly have to confess that before I recently checked out Ant and Dec/Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon, I was initially under the impression that Alan Carr was the first to develop this rare and rather interesting idea of reviving all of these classic gameshows of yesteryear (e.g. Bullseye, The Price is Right, Pick Your Cards Right, Family Fortunes, Blockbusters, The Golden Shot, etc.) and sort of reinventing them for the enjoyment of a modern audience with his Epic Gameshow series. However, it wasn't until when I started watching this series that I came to the surprise realisation that ITV first came up with this concept 15 years prior to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their network and my freaking goodness did it pay off.
Now, clearly coming from someone who was born in the '90s and thus wouldn't have been as familiar at the time with some of these gameshows when they first aired as I am now, it really personally intrigued me how each format worked, plus the celebrities they got to play throughout the shows (e.g. Bill Roache (aka Ken Barlow himself from Coronation Street), Eamonn Holmes, Ruby Wax and Carol Vorderman (of Countdown fame at the time)) and the hosts (particularly the modern-day Morecambe & Wise themselves, Ant & Dec) added so much of their natural fun, charisma, humour, friendly banter, showmanship and light-hearted entertainment chops to the proceedings.
In conclusion, Ant and Dec/Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon could not have been a more fun and enjoyable series to celebrate 50 years of ITV being on the air and I would most definitely recommend it to those who either are not very familiar with some of these classic gameshows and/or are curious about how each format works.
My overall rating for Ant & Dec/Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon: 8.5/10.
Good Morning Britain (2014)
This country's answer to Fox News minus the insanity
While I do especially commend Good Morning Britain for having the courage to invite corrupt politicians onto their show (and particularly chiefly those who currently serve in the true dumpster fire of a Tory government we have running this once great country into the ground) and hold said corrupt politicians to account for their despicable actions as well as their woeful and disastrous policies, I am not at all a huge fan of anything else that this programme stands for these days (not even during the Piers Morgan years).
While I may not have disagreed with a huge majority of Piers Morgan's views and opinions when he was on the show (particularly when it comes to his unfounded hatred for Meghan Markle and his inexplicably abominable support for Trump), I at least loved the moments where he wasn't afraid to lay into and completely demolish the corrupt officials in charge for doing such a horrible job running the very country they're supposedly elected to serve (particularly especially during the COVID-19 pandemic) and even some of the extreme right-wing lunatics like Tommy Robinson for their disgusting, xenophobic views that very rightly have no place in a civilised society or debate.
In conclusion, the only perfect way I can truly describe Good Morning Britain is that it is essentially this country's answer to Fox News or GB News minus the insanity and especially minus the conspiracy theories.
My overall rating for Good Morning Britain: 2/10.
Tenable (2016)
"Well, it saddens me to say you are ABSOLUTELY terrible at Tenable"
Well, what can I say? Tenable has to be one of my absolute personal favourite TV game shows at the moment. I really enjoy the format (even though some of the top 10s could admittedly be a bit tricky or fiendishly difficult at times) and you just cannot help but have a really fun time whilst you're watching it.
Whilst being a bit of an odd choice for a gameshow host at first glance, Warwick Davis makes for a fantastically fun and engaging host (even despite the occasional dad joke which often made me nervously go "Okay?" as well as the occasional vain reference at times to his work as the titular character in Willow, Professor Flitwick and Griphook the Goblin in Harry Potter and of course Wicket the Ewok from Star Wars), plus I just cannot help but love the way he says the catchphrase "Well, it saddens me to say you are terrible at Tenable" (speaking of which, I have developed a fun habit of adding and emphasising the word "absolutely" to make said catchphrase sound slightly better in my mind).
However, I wouldn't quite give the same amount of praise to temporary host Sally Lindsay (aka Shelley Unwin from Coronation Street and the voice of Piella Bakewell in Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death) . Not to say that she was a bad substitute host per se, it's just that she sorely lacks the special magic, charm and humour that Warwick brings to the show in flying colours.
In conclusion, Tenable is such a fun and enjoyable little gameshow and I would definitely recommend it to anyone in need of a televisual exercise of their little grey cells.
My overall rating for Tenable: 8/10.
The Void (2021)
Reasonably entertaining but otherwise, stick to Ninja Warrior UK or Total Wipeout
The only perfect way I can describe The Void is like Total Wipeout if you gave it a similar indoor budget to Ninja Warrior UK but sucked out all the fun, all the entertainment factor and all the charm and even replaced the big red balls with a series of ridiculously challenging obstacle courses that hardly anyone would be able to attempt in their life.
Fleur East and Ashley Banjo try ridiculously too hard to replicate the same chemistry as Ant and Dec or Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara.
Plus, the egos of some (but not all) of the contestants taking part are just so fingernails-scratching-on-a-chalkboard levels of obnoxious and irritating that it's actually quite hilarious.
Overall, The Void is reasonably entertaining but otherwise, just stick to watching Total Wipeout or Ninja Warrior UK, you will have a much, much better time with those.
6/10.
The Finish Line (2023)
Interesting idea and concept but ultimately too derivative of other, superior quiz shows of its ilk to make itself stand out
The format is quite interesting to say the least and I particularly like the presentation of each of the three rounds before each race even though I am of the frank opinion that they are literally quite repetitive; and thus I get the feeling that the BBC kind of missed a trick here when it comes to shaking up the format a bit more throughout the game (sort of similar to the physical challenge representing the 4th round during Series 1 of Lightning).
While Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene are legit trying their best to do as decent a hosting job as they possibly could (and as much as Sarah Greene admittedly makes for an especially lovely bit of eye candy), it ultimately doesn't quite work as well as it had the potential to, largely due to the fact that the BBC are prepping them up to be the next Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman especially in terms of dynamic and chemistry.
In conclusion, while I do concede that The Finish Line has an interesting idea and concept behind it and as much as I can admit that Roman Kemp and Sarah Greene are absolutely trying their best with the uninspired material they've been given, the show ultimately feels too derivative of other, much superior quiz shows of its ilk to make itself stand out.
My overall rating for The Finish Line: 6/10.
Lightning (2021)
Really enjoyed this show; such a shame that lightning literally had to strike after two series
It is really such a shame that lightning literally had to strike upon this show after only two series (yet another of multiple examples of the BBC shooting a random idea for a quiz show at a wall to see what sticks only then to pull the plug on said concept after just one or two series) and I honestly really wish it could've gone on for at least a couple more series because I truly enjoyed this one.
I really liked the exciting format as well as the pace, the energy and the timing, plus one of the best theme tunes to a quiz show I've ever heard.
The questions that were asked throughout were straightforward and to-the-point (very much up my street) and Zoe Lyons brings such a lovely blend of humour and banter as the host that will make even Anne Robinson crack a smile.
In conclusion, Lightning is such an enjoyable and fun show that was taken off-air way too soon in my opinion.
My overall rating for Lightning: 8.5/10.
Living with Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special (2003)
Journalistic twaddle of the worst kind
Coming from someone who is a massive fan personally of Michael Jackson's music (if maybe not of the artist behind the music as a person even despite feeling bad and sympathetic for the childhood that was cruelly stolen from him by his abusive control freak of a father), I cannot help but feel incandescent beyond comprehension with what Martin Bashir and ITV did here.
What we basically have here is nothing more than a piece of shamelessly cynical, one-sided, propagandistic journalistic twaddle of the worst kind that scrapes the very bottom of the barrel to appeal to the lowest common denominator, makes the infamous BBC Panorama interview with Princess Diana from 1995 look like Shakespeare in comparison and is so obviously, blatantly designed to generate ratings by portraying a false narrative in order to completely slander, tarnish and destroy the reputation and legacy of one of, if not, THE most influential pop superstar of all time.
In conclusion, if you are as much a fan of Michael Jackson and/or his music as I am, stay away from watching this manipulative pile of dreck at all costs!
My overall rating for The Character Assassination of Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special: 0/10.
Doctor Who at the Proms (2013)
A musical masterpiece of a show and experience that pays tribute to 50 years of Doctor Who in spectacular and epic fashion
This just has to be my absolute favourite Doctor Who Proms concert the BBC has ever done. I felt like I literally took a TARDIS and took myself straight back in time to when I first attended this event in person as part of a 21st birthday treat back in 2013 which was in itself an awesome experience. This literally has everything you would want in an anniversary concert to Doctor Who: Musical themes from both the classic and modern series (one particular personal highlight for me being The Long Song from The Rings of Akhaten), cast members old and new (such as Peter Davison, Carole Ann Ford, Jenna Coleman, Matt Smith, Neve McIntosh and Dan Starkey), all the monsters, all the emotion and most importantly literally everything that instantly reminds you why you fell in love with this amazing show in the first place.
In conclusion, Doctor Who at the Proms 2013 is a musical masterpiece of a show and experience that has still yet to be topped and such a spectacular and epic tribute to 50 years of intergalactic time-travel with our beloved Time Lord.
My overall rating for Doctor Who at the Proms 2013: 10/10.
Doctor Who at the Proms (2009)
A pitch-perfect and timeless tribute to my personal favourite Doctor Who era of all time
Easily one of my top 2 favourite Doctor Who Prom concerts of all time. To honestly say how much I absolutely loved this show is quite literally the understatement of the century. Freema Agyeman does such an incredible job presenting this show with the enthusiasm and the passion that further reminds us how much of an amazing and yet criminally underrated ambassador she (and Martha Jones's character as a whole) truly was for to the show. I also really particularly enjoyed the Music of the Spheres short with easily my all-time favourite Doctor, David Tennant himself, stealing the show as always (even if the short was admittedly a little cheesy). This concert also always felt nostalgic to me. Like the TARDIS itself, I feel like it just took me right back in time to when I first became a proper fan of the show at 16 years old around the time Series 4 aired. My only minor nitpick with this show in particular is that the guy they got to sing Song For Ten towards the end sounded a bit flat and like he was just singing the song out of tune whilst high on drugs but fortunately it doesn't take away from my overall thorough enjoyment of the entire show.
In conclusion, with Doctor Who at the Proms 2009, I just literally could not think of a more practically PITCH-PERFECT and TIMELESS tribute to easily my personal favourite Doctor Who era of all time and one which I still have very fond memories of growing up with to this day.
My overall rating for Doctor Who at the Proms 2009: 9/10.
BBC Proms: Prom 10: Doctor Who at the Proms (2010)
Flawed but decently entertaining and enjoyable
Murray Gold continues to prove that he is basically Doctor Who's answer to Hans Zimmer or even John Williams with his consistently phenomenal scores for the show since it came back in 2005 (and especially particularly in this case with Series 5) and Matt Smith's live performance as the Doctor is fantastic as always, but what really holds this event back from potential greatness for me personally is that, very much like the 2006 concert (which in itself was not only for Children in Need at the time but was also a musical celebration of the first 2 seasons of the modern series), this feels exclusively more like a celebration of Series 5 than of Doctor Who itself as a whole. Plus, you can tell that the BBC wanted to get this event over and done with in just a full hour, hence why some of the editing choices feel a little stodgy and clumsy.
In conclusion, despite its few flaws, Doctor Who at the Proms 2010 is decently entertaining and enjoyable as it is.
My overall rating for Doctor Who at the Proms 2010: 7/10.
Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration (2023)
Murray Gold is back!!!!!!!!
Just watched (and/or listened to) Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration for the first time as part of my little crusade to celebrate the 60th anniversary of what is, by far, my absolute favourite science-fiction television show of all time and I have to say that while the televised version does leave an awful lot to be desired and could very easily have benefitted from perhaps a dozen more interviews (e.g. With some of the actors who have played the Doctor or some of the various companions over the years) and also perhaps could have included a few more fan-favourite themes (e.g. Doomsday, Shepherd's Boy, the Daleks' theme from Series 1-4 and especially Clara Oswald's theme) and as much as it is of course awesome to hear most of the more familiar themes again (e.g. I am the Doctor, the Classic Medley, the Companions Suite, All the Strange, Strange Creatures and Vale Decem), the radio version is so much better and greatly improved my personal overall experience of this event.
Plus, it was awesome to hear the 2023 rendition of the main theme tune, as well as the new themes for the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, those three themes were the big highlights of the event for me, by far.
In conclusion, really looking forward now to seeing what this new era of Doctor Who has in store now that the two GOATs, Russell T. Davies and Murray Gold, are back in the game!
My overall rating for Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration: 8.5/10.