Tricky customers, quiz shows. As with art, viewers know what they like and they generally want more of the same. Any alterations take place at the producers’ risk, and heaven help them if they get it wrong.
Look what happened when Anne Robinson joined Countdown. Sheer carnage (I exaggerate but not much). Jeremy Paxman is already sorely missed from University Challenge, and that’s before his replacement, Amol Rajan, has asked his first starter for ten. There have been sneak peeks of a new, refreshed look for UC when the show returns later in the year. Amol, mate, I can already see the letters of complaint winging their way to the Radio Times and questions in parliament.
I can see no such backlash - famous last words - against Puzzling (Channel 5, Thursday, 8pm). First, because it’s a brand new, just out of the box quiz for Channel 5. Second, because the show is hosted by Lucy Worsley, TV historian, frequent visitor to the dressing up box, and all round good egg. Disliking Lucy is like taking agin Bertie Wooster, or the Andrex puppy. You can try, but it will reflect badly on you.
Her enthusiasm starts at 11 and stays there throughout the hour-long show. “I love puzzles! We all love puzzles!” she says, throwing her arms wide in welcome. So how does this one work?
Contestants compete in teams then individually in what is a blend of quiz and IQ test, with rounds on language, calculation, lateral thinking, visual intelligence and memory.
It’s not quite Uni Challenge standard, but it is no Catchphrase either (though the latter can be a little stinker at times). With no big cash prize - in fact there’s no mention of money at all, just the chance to be crowned “Ultimate Puzzler” - it’s just for fun.
After favourite quiz show, who is your go-to telly detective? I’ve always been a Columbo girl, with room in my heart for Cagney and Lacey. Many have come and gone since, but none has replaced the lieutenant, Mary Beth and Christine in my top three. Not even Prime Suspect’s Jane Tennison.
And then along came Poker Face (Sky Max, Friday, 9pm and 10.15pm), the finale of which airs next week. Its heroine, Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) is not an official crime fighter. She’s not even a private eye. She’s a gal with the very special gift of knowing when a person is lying. Think how often that would come in handy, even if you don’t play poker.
Charlie drifts across America making pals and solving crimes, all the while trying to stay a step ahead of some gentlemen who mean her wrong. Big-hearted, terrier-like, a lover of justice and someone who should never be underestimated, she reminds me of Columbo in some ways. But Lyonne, co-creator and star of the equally moreish thriller Russian Doll (Netflix) has a style all her own. Big of hair, even bigger of heart, Charlie makes it her mission in life to help those most in need.
There She Goes (BBC2, Wednesday, 9pm) is back for a one-off special. If already a fan you will know that means drop any other plans you might have had and be in front of the telly at the appointed hour.
David Tennant and Jessica Hynes play the parents of Rosie (Miley Locke). Rosie was born with a chromosomal disorder that has left her severely disabled. Life with Rosie, to use that awful but apt word that always comes with its own quote marks, is “challenging”.
The first two series (now on iPlayer) followed the family from Rosie’s birth into girlhood. In the new episode she is about to become a teenager, with everything that entails. How do you explain periods to a child with learning difficulties? A new set of - C word alert - “challenges” lie ahead when the family has only just about survived the last lot.
There She Goes is at turns brutally honest, savagely funny, and sometimes plain old shocking. It can do all this, and do it brilliantly, because it is written by Shaun Pye and Sarah Crawford, parents of a disabled child.
Tears before bedtime guaranteed, but there’s so much joy and love here too.
It has been the standout documentary of the year so far, and after four weeks Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland (BBC2, Monday, 9pm, all episodes on iPlayer) reaches its fifth and last instalment. Titled, “Who wants to live like that?”, the story moves towards ceasefires to the peace process and beyond.
The many heart-wrenching testimonies in this series from bereaved relatives have been a reminder of how miraculous it was to craft a peace agreement and have it approved by the vast majority of the population. No one could deny this is the end of the story, and that there is much still to do, but what an achievement, by politicians and people alike.
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