The first recording today starts with the end of Rocket Boy and Toro.
There’s a trail for a new series of TMI.
Then it’s another episode of ChuckleVision – Strictly Chuckle.
The boys have fitted a new floor for a dance school, now Barry has to polish it, but he gets the directions wrong. “Drop in a bucket of water?” What it actually says is one drop in a bucket of water and now the floor is too slippery.
The school’s best dancers try it and are injured when they fall over, along with Dame Alice the proprietor.
This is a running theme of the episode, as next, Paul manages to knock them all over with a floor sander.
There’s a dance competition which the school needs to win to stay in business, so Paul and Barry step up.
Barry is an athletic mover.
Paul gets injured, so Barry has to dance with a new partner.
They win the trophy.
But there’s one more collision at the end.
Media Centre Description: Children’s entertainment with the Chuckle Brothers. Paul and Barry enter a dance championship to save Dame Alice’s dance school. Unfortunately Barry has to be the female partner.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 29th September 2008 14:33
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 29th September 2008 14:35
The next recording is the next episode, ChuckleVision – Sherwood Chuckle in which the boys meet Robin Hood.
And Maid Marion.
And the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Marion pretends Paul is Robin Hood.
Naturally, there’s an archery competition.
A lucky shot splits an arrow.
Media Centre Description: Children’s entertainment with the Chuckle Brothers. Paul is mistaken for Robin Hood so the brothers have to rescue Maid Marian from the ruthless Sheriff of Nottingham.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 29th September 2008 14:50
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 29th September 2008 14:50
The next recording starts with the end of Get 100, now presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli.
There’s a trail for Dani’s House.
Then, it’s a new series of The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Last Sontaran – Part 1.
There’s something strange going on at Tycho radio telescope.
A man who definitely isn’t Lee Mack has brought his daughter in to work this evening.
She’s taking the opportunity to use the dish to download songs. And someone in the graphics department had a whale of a time coming up with band names, albums and song titles. There’s Giddy Nuisance with their unforgettable hit Nuisance to Society, The Motorboats with Hard Up, Easy Down, and Rain Green with their anthemic Don’t Forget Your Triumph. (I might be misreading that one. It could be ‘Telegraph’ but that makes even less sense.)
There’s lights in the sky around the telescope. Her dad goes running to follow them, she follows him, then screams at something and the titles roll.
Clyde and Luke are using Mr Smith to do research for a school project about battle strategies in the Battle of Waterloo. “I wanted to do the Battle of Hoth, But Mrs Pittman reckons that Star Wars isn’t historically accurate, or something like that.”
Maria’s Dad has received some good news about his job, so why is Maria suddenly quite sad?
Sarah Jane has heard reports about the lights in the sky around the Tycho telescope (and its nearby village, Goblin’s Copse) so she decides to visit, and finds the place empty.
Lucy, the astronomer’s daughter, comes rushing in, very disturbed. “There’s something in the woods.” Then she collapses. When she recovers a bit she tells them “Last night, there were lights in the sky, circling the telescope. We went after them into the woods, but I lost him, and… Something in the woods! It chased me! I fell, hit my head. Dad! Maybe it’s got him!”
While Clyde and Luke go out to see if they can see her father anywhere, Maria tells Sarah Jane her news. Her father has been offered a promotion to a job in the company’s head office in Washington.
There’s something moving in the woods. It’s all a bit predatorish. I’m not sure a still does it justice. What could this cleverly hidden menace be?
Oh it’s a Sontaran!
They find a cloaked ship too.
Back at Tycho, Lucy’s father returns, and seems to be acting rather robotically. He says there’s nothing in the woods. “The lights were ball lightning. A rare, but fascinating meteorological phenomenon. Not an invasion of little green men.”
I’d love to know if this particular prop’s appearance is a reference to a similar one in Alien.
Sarah Jane and Maria find Clyde and Luke and they show her the cloaked ship. She uncloaks it, and recognises it as Sontaran. She wants to leave immediately.
They encounter the Sontaran, whose helmet does a Total Recall opening up. Clyde: “Urrgh! I am so off baked spuds.”
They run away after Maria points behind him, and shouts “Look! UNIT!” Classic.
Commander Kaagh’s plan is to hack into all the satellites orbiting the earth and make them crash into nuclear power stations and missile sites. He was the last survivor of the Sontaran fleet that tried to take over the Earth in the Doctor Who episode The Poison Sky. When Sarah Jane tells Kaagh the Doctor’s her friend, he says he should take her back to Sontar to be punished for his crimes.
The episode cliffhanger is Kaagh shooting Sarah Jane, which is a bit hardcore.
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Sarah Jane investigates alien lights and encounters an enemy from the past. Maria faces a big decision.
Recorded from BBC ONE on Monday 29th September 2008 16:33
BBC Genome: BBC ONE Monday 29th September 2008 16:35
After this there’s a trail for a Sarah Jane Adventures video game from the website.
Then the recording ends with the start of Newsround.
The next recording starts with the end of Tracy Beaker.
There’s a trail for Dani’s House. Holly Walsh is on broom cupboard duty.
Then it’s The Sarah Jane Adventures – The Last Sontaran – Part 2.
Sarah Jane isn’t dead. “She lives. She is my prize to take back to Sontar once Earth is destroyed. There, she will pay for the Doctor’s crimes.”
Clyde escapes with Maria and Luke.
They call Maria’s father and ask him to go and talk to Mr Smith, to find out about the Sontarans. Her mother folows him and they learn the way to kill a Sontaran is to bash the vent on the back of its neck.
Chrissie’ doesn’t quite believe it. Alan tries to explain it away. “A role-playing game?” “It’s an internet thing. Only some of it’s in the real world, you know, looking for clues, solving puzzles.” “Like a treasure hunt? Like when we were dating? Running round back lanes and plodding across fields looking for a golden rabbit?” “That’s right.” “I don’t believe you, Alan. I know when you’re lying. I’ve always known. Maria’s in danger, isn’t she? And it’s got something to do with Calamity Jane.” “Sarah Jane.” I like Chrissie switching into protective mode, and I especially like the thought that Alan was obsessed with Kit Williams’ Masquerade when he was younger.
Maria tells Luke she’s going to America.
Clyde distracts the Sontaran from Maria and Luke, and gets a hug as a reward.
Luke concocts a knock-out gas from chemicals in the Sontaran ship.
He has to crack a code to get into the computer system, and realises the Sontarans use base 6.
But Kaagh gets in and threatens to kill Maria if Sarah Jane doesn’t stop. Maria says “It’s me or it’s Earth!” Sarah Jane replies “One life is as sacred as an entire planet.”
Kaagh gloats. “Your planet defied Sontar. That can never be! We will have victory over all. Nothing will stop us!”
But he hasn’t reckoned with Chrissie arriving with her high heels. “Try my size fives, Humpty!”
The professor recovers from the mind control.
They send Kaagh off in his ship, warning him not to return.
Back home, Maria tells her father she’s happy to go to America. “Are you sure? I mean, think about everything you’d be leaving behind.” “Dad, you can’t ever leave the universe behind.”
Maria says goodbye. Sarah Jane apologises for seeming not to care. “I really am sorry for how I reacted when you told me about America.” “It doesn’t matter. We were sort of busy.” “No, I was wrong. You see, well, for the first time, I felt I’d found a family. And so soon, so suddenly, it felt like I was losing it. Losing the daughter I always wanted.”
“I learned a long time ago that if you’re missing somebody, just… look up at the night sky. Whoever it is, wherever they are, chances are they’re looking at the stars just like you. Sometimes, for all its size, the universe isn’t such a big place after all.”
Media Centre Description: Children’s drama series from the makers of Doctor Who, following the adventures of investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, a former companion to the Doctor. Sarah Jane has 40 minutes to stop Kaagh destroying Earth as Chrissie finds out the truth about aliens.
Recorded from CBBC Channel on Monday 29th September 2008 17:13
BBC Genome: CBBC Channel Monday 29th September 2008 17:15
After this there’s a trail for the Sarah Jane Adventures video game. Then the recording finishes with the start of a cartoon series, Pitt and Kantrop, another animated show that has almost exactly the same aesthetic as half a dozen other shows running around this time.
The next recording starts with the end of The Paul O’Grady Show.
Then it’s The Simpsons – Homer the Moe.
Moe gets disillusioned with the bartending life, so he returns to his old Alma Mater, Swigmore University.
He leaves Homer in charge of the bar. There’s some nice gags. “Man, when’s the last time Mo cleaned it?”
Moe meets his old professor and tells him he’s burned out on bartending. His professor tells him he needs to “beautify your home, and you’ll beautify your soul” before telling him he’s dying of cancer, and walking into a lake. This episode is a real laugh riot.
The new Moe’s is very swanky.
There’s a lot more space than in its old form. But Homer doesn’t like it, argues with Moe and gets thrown out.
Moe’s mentor returns as a ghost. “You’ve discarded your loyal regulars For a mob of soulless snobs”
Meanwhile, Homer has turned his garage into a bar because he’s unwelcome at Moe’s. Naturally, Marge is doing all the work.
He even gets REM to play.
Then Homer goes hunting. This episode is all over the place.
“How’d they get your bar back to normal so quickly, Mo?” “It’s a snap when you use certified contractors.” “Like the ones found in your local yellow pages?” “Exactly.” This exchange takes place over a still image of the outside of Moe’s bar. Is that an ironic comment on exposition with ADR or just they needed to add explanatory lines and didn’t want to pay for the animation? I think I wasn’t watching the show as much as when it was newer, but this episode really did feel like a lot of random scenes.
Media Centre Description: Moe turns the bar into a hang-out for Springfield’s beautiful people, forcing Homer to open a bar of his own in his garage. With the guest voices and music of REM.
Recorded from Channel 4 on Monday 29th September 2008 17:58
After this the recording ends with the start of Hollyoaks.
The final recording today is a bit of a disappointment. It’s supposed to be an old episode of The Late Show – Kennedy Zapruder about the film Abraham Zapruder shot of John F Kennedy’s assassination. But although this recording is supposed to be 47 minutes long, but it actually plays for about a minute. It’s 58MB in length, compared to a 30 min episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures being 1.1GB. The atmospheric interference that night must have been awful. So the most exciting thing about this recording was a glimpse of Only Connect at the end.
Media Centre Description: A Late Show special from 1993 on Dallas dressmaker Abraham Zapruder’s famous homemovie footage of JFK’s assassination, which had been bought, sold, stolen and subpoenaed in the 30 years since it and Kennedy were shot. Features interviews with friends, journalists and filmmakers including Stan Brakhage, Eric Conger, Errol Morris and Gerald Posner.
Recorded from BBC FOUR on Monday 29th September 2008 23:40
BBC Genome: BBC FOUR Monday 29th September 2008 23:40
Here’s the Simpsons ad breaks.
Adverts:
- Dodge Journey
- Debenhams
- WH Smith
- XBox 360
- Lloyds TSB
- B&Q
- Orange
- Delicious Night DKNY
- trail: Jamie’s Ministry of Food
- B&Q
- Morrisons
- Southeastern
- Act on CO2
- Walt Disney World
- Army
- Samba De Amigo
- trail: Freesports on 4: Freeze