Now the Euro football circus is over we might get a chance to see something on terrestrial channels other than the terrible tedium of picking over every cough and sneeze of every game.
Those of us who view football as a dismal bore have been setting sail on the seas of paid-for and on-demand to find anything, that doesn’t involve grown men kicking a ball.
Which is how I found myself in the middle of the War of the Worlds.
The poor survivors are still wondering what’s going on when robot Dobermans pop up, firing bullets before spiking you in the head.
No, not the horror show the Beeb inflicted on us in 2019. The “true period” rendition of HG Wells’ novel – that was a heavy-handed and dull woke diatribe about the horror of Victorian imperialism.
The latest WOTW is from Disney+ and about the only thing it has in common with Wells’ work is the name.
Same premise – alien invasion and human extermination. Instead of marauding Tripods, we get a few big meteor thingies, and an EMP/neuron overload McGuffin that wipes out most of humanity.
The poor survivors are still wondering what’s going on when robot Dobermans pop up, firing bullets before spiking you in the head.
The plot is full of more holes than the alien attack dogs’ victims. If these invaders can traverse the stars and kill 95% of humanity in an instant, why are they finishing the job by faffing about with a handful of clanking hunting packs that appear and disappear without any rhyme or reason?
And the two star names designed to lure the audience in – Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern – have phoned in their performances. They are the worst thing in it.
But you can overlook that because the story of several groups of survivors – in Britain and France – who are clearly connected somehow is an intriguing mystery to keep you following. There is a promise of more to this than meets the eye.
It has to be said, the cliffhanger ending of season one had me wanting more… not that I had long to wait since season two has just got underway. And not a football in sight.
Marvels of multiverse make a great romp
I’m a latecomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having caught most of it in lockdown.
But I love what Disney+ (I’m getting my subscription’s worth) have done with it.
WandaVision was a genius sitcom gone dark, while Loki is a tongue-in-cheek romp with the God of Mischief himself. The idea of placing Loki (the always sublime Tom Hiddleston) at the nexus of a multiverse being contained by a mysterious agency is brilliant.
It allows for big concepts, arch-comedy, plenty of action and a plethora of callbacks to the MCU. All that plus the will-they-won’t-they budding romance between Loki and, eh, Loki. You need to watch it to see what I mean.
University Challenge captain in great voice
Once, watching University Challenge was about seeing how many, if any, questions you could get right.
Now it’s about taking to social media to comment on what contestants look like – or in the case of King’s College London captain Atyab Rashid, sound like.
His smooth tones had Twitter all of a flutter – “swooning” even – as the new series aired on Monday.
He can take comfort knowing if his philosophy studies don’t work out, he has a career in voiceovers to fall back on.
The Repair Shop needs revamp
It’s a question I really hate to ask, but has The Repair Shop lost its lustre?
It used to be this was comfort telly. There was something heartwarming about the stories behind the objects brought in. There was real pleasure in seeing skilled craftsmen bringing things back to life.
And let’s not forget the big pay-off… the tears and raw emotion at people seeing beloved objects as they should be.
But now it’s all just a little bit, well, dull. Telly by numbers and almost as threadbare as some of the stuff being repaired.
Perhaps this was the nostalgic telly we needed to get us through lockdown. It needs as much of a polish to restore its shine as the things coming through the door.
Scott’s movie of the week
The School Of Rock, ITV2, Sunday
Those who are about to rock, we salute you…
Which is another way of saying buckle up and let Jack Black take you on a rollercoaster ride through a family-friendly comedy that comes not just with laughs, but a face-melting soundtrack, too.
He plays Dewey Finn, an unemployed heavy metal guitarist who masquerades as a teacher at a private school to score rent money. Instead, he introduces the uptight kids to the joys of rock, changing their lives and his own.
When I say “plays” Dewey, I mean it’s Jack Black called Dewey. The man is a tour-de-force, his real-life passion for music shining in every scene.
His chemistry with the kids is wonderful. Watch them riff with each other over the closing credits to get a sense of the fun they had and affection involved.
