Magazine


The week ahead: not a turkey on telly

Conrad Astley
16/12/2005

TV dramas seem to be obsessed with the royals at the moment.

The Queen's Sister made headlines with its portrayal of Princess Margaret as an arrogant dipsomaniac, while Whatever Love Means - the tale of Charles' bizarre love triangle - is a big gun being pulled out after Christmas.

So it was perhaps inevitable that one of the warmest stories to come out of the 1,000-year-old soap opera would make its way onto the screen.

Wallis and Edward (Sunday, ITV) features Nip/Tuck's Joely Richardson as the American divorcee who, according to schoolchildren in the 30s, "pinched" the English king - forcing the abdication of Edward VIII.

While some saw her as an innocent woman who fell in love with the wrong man, she was more frequently presented as a scheming social climber who almost toppled the monarchy.

Many might argue that's nothing to be ashamed of, but this drama opts for the cuddlier treatment.

With all the public fears over avian flu, you'd think now wouldn't be a bad time to be a turkey.

But a well-timed documentary wants to do even more work to ensure nut cutlets are served up on tables across the country this December 25.

Even the title to What's Really In Your Christmas Dinner? (Monday, Channel 4) sounds like an alarmist headline, and appropriately enough, the programme is presented by The Sun's Jane Moore.

There's nothing like an inside look into modern factory farming methods to spread a bit of Christmas cheer.

Maybe what you don't know won't hurt you.

On a more festive note, The Catherine Tate Christmas Show (Tuesday, BBC2) is a good old-fashioned one-off, like The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise used to do.

There's even the possibility of a musical interlude, as Chas and Dave are putting in an appearance, along with Charlotte Church.

Hopefully this celebrity endorsement won't mean her intelligent brand of comedy is going to follow Matt Lucas and David Walliams' descent towards the lowest common denominator.


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