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Five US

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  • Posted at 3:30pm
  • 07 February 2008
  • by AlisonGraham-RT
  • 1 comment

Some while ago, I declared my addiction to Friends re-runs on E4 and E4 +1. If I was at home, I'd watch, 8-9pm every night. But there comes a time in an addict's life when she has to step back and ask herself: "Why am I doing this? Why am I spending empty hours watching episodes of a TV show that I already know off by heart?"

Of course, the answer is "because you can't be bothered to do anything else and besides, you quite like eating M&S lasagne from a tray on your lap in front of the telly. And what would you be doing instead? Writing a tone poem? Creating a great work of art? Who the hell do you think you are? Monet?" Yes, dear reader, I know my limits. However, I staged my own intervention, and have gone cold turkey, completely turning my back on Friends (it was a new year resolution that I'm proud to say I've actually stuck to).

But nature abhors a vacuum and thus I have found a new TV drug. Now, I can't get enough of Five US. If anything, this new love uses up more empty hours than Friends, because it's an entire buffet of gorgeous treats - CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: NY and House. I've even given Numb3rs a go, despite its stupid, stupid title. (It's rubbish, by the way, so don't trouble yourself.)

Five US is my idea of TV heaven - my favourite shows and my TV boyfriends all bundled together, often in the same evening! Gil Grissom and Gregory House, consecutively! It's almost as good as being rolled in sugar and dipped in Belgian chocolate. Just call me a truffle.

And talking of TV boyfriends, that obscure object of desire, Gene Hunt, returns in Ashes to Ashes (Thursday 7 February, 9:00pm, BBC1). Women - and a surprising number of gay men - find Gene strangely alluring, though none of us would wish to examine too closely our reasons for wanting to throw ourselves at him like bluebottles to a Venus flytrap. The first episode drags a bit to start with as we establish DI Drake's (Keeley Hawes) arrival in 1981, but when Gene (Philip Glenister) appears, the screen catches light.

How different from the TV of my childhood, where The Brothers, a torrid tale of sex and money at a Midlands haulage company (gripping, no?), was considered pulse-quickeningly exciting. At one point, it dominated Sunday-night viewing and thus BBC4 pays homage in The Cult of Sunday (Sunday 10 February, 8:00pm, BBC4).

Oh, and a new series of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps starts on BBC3, also on Sunday. For the love of God, why?

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times.

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  • Posted on 08 February 2008
  • at 12:24pm
  • by SpursFan

Dear Alison,

You're addicted to low-life TV channels like Five US, but don't like Two Pints?

This is serious. Have you thought of rehab?

xxx

SF

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