My TV Fortnight

It's a truth universally acknowledged that award ceremonies make for hit and miss television. Sometimes, they’re a fucking car crash. Samantha Fox ‘hosting’ the BRITS immediately springs to mind.

In a hilarious open letter to the MTV Awards in 1996, long before it became ever so fashionable to write them, Nick Cave asked his nomination and ‘muse’ to be withdrawn from “this bloody cart of severed heads and glittering prizes”.

David Bowie blanked his invite to attend the 2014 BRITS Awards in person, which were broadcast live on UTV, but he did bother sending Kate Moss togged out in one of his Ziggy Stardust-era costumes to collect his Best British Male gong on his behalf. Himself presumably stayed put in New York, or Mars, or wherever the hell it is he calls home these days.

Like most televised awards ceremonies, the BRITS were predictably dull, with the glorious exception of Moss’ rather surreal appearance, and Alex Turner’s divisive acceptance speech that put forth that hoary old claim that rock 'n’ roll will never die. Good God, it just goes to show that we need The KLF more than ever to liven up these snoozefests.

Still, it provided a moderately entertaining diversion to flick over from watching Bayern Munich rip the arse off Arsenal with military-like precision in the Champion’s League on RTÉ 2.

For whatever reason, I had rather stupidly dismissed Tim Minchin as a quirky clown in dreadlocks, but his South Bank Show Special on Sky Arts was a genuine revelation.

The Anglo-Australian comic beautifully explained to Melvyn Bragg how his anger and frustration with organised religion drove him to write ‘The Pope Song’. It's a fascinating and incredibly nuanced interrogation of faith, not to mention hilarious. The programme became even more fascinating when Minchin visited his old church in Melbourne.

The pastor was incredibly proud of Minchin’s achievements and fame, while Tim adopted an intelligent and inclusive attitude to anyone in his community and family who still believed.

The second series of Moone Boy on Sky One kicked off with a surprisingly excellent cameo from Bressie. The Mullingar mullock proved he certainly can act, as well as look very pretty, even in a tracksuit. Amy Huberman also combined looking great with a fine performance, while Chris O’Dowd rather predictably fell head over heels in love with her.

Moone Boy is perfect Monday night viewing; not too taxing, nice and light
and radiating an infectious feelgood factor. However, the Emmy-winning series certainly isn’t the groundbreaking masterpiece of television it has been cracked out to be, even though it’s great to have it around to brighten up the first school night of the week.

It was almost worth the pain of another comically atrocious Manchester United performance in the Champions League to witness John Giles growling that “Robin Van Persie is a prat”, while coming across as a curmudgeonly school teacher chiding the professional footballing yoof of today.

Sadly, Eamon Dunphy wasn’t in the studio with Bill and the boys to offer his take on the increasingly farcical fi asco developing on and off the pitch in Old Trafford, but Richie Sadlier yet again proved that he is one of the most insightful, intelligent and measured football TV pundits currently working in the business.

My hands down personal TV highlight of the week was another opportunity to luxuriate in one of the best music documentaries of recent years, Scott Walker – 30th Century Man on Sky Arts.

Incidentally, former Hot Press scribe and one of the most prolific feature writers in the country, Tanya Sweeney (no relation!), is one of the Scott movie’s musical directors. It’s an incredible piece of fi lmmaking that documents the creation of Walker’s challenging 2006 album The Drift.

Non-Walker afi cionados will still enjoy the footage of Damon Albarn, Johnny Marr,Jarvis Cocker and other talking heads actually shutting up for a bit and enjoying the gorgeous sound of Walker classics like ‘Montague Terrace In Blue’ pouring out of their home stereo systems.

If you missed it, the entire documentary is up on YouTube for your viewing pleasure, so you’ve no excuses not to check out this riveting profile of one of the most unique and enigmatic artists to ever walk the face of the earth.