It is not easy being a maverick cop when every schtick in the book, from gambling to writing poetry, has already been snapped up. Fair play, then, to Garda sergeant PJ Collins of Holding (STV, Monday), whose secret vice is comfort eating. When trouble arrives in PJ’s life it comes sandwiched between two slabs of white bread.
Why should there be trouble in this tiny Irish village with its candy coloured houses and wall-to-wall “characters”? Well, it would be a pretty dull comedy crime drama without a crime as its creator, Graham Norton, him off the chat show, knows. Holding also boasts her off Derry Girls, her off Father Ted, her off Casualty, and her off Peaky Blinders, with Kathy Burke, her off lots of things, as director.
So to the crime. Human remains have been found by builders (makes a nice change from dogs), which means PJ has to call in the big city detectives from Cork. PJ senses there are secrets to be unravelled and upsets coming: hence the mega sandwich.
Given the setting there was always a danger that Holding could have given in to whimsy. It may yet. I don’t think so, though. The affection for small town Ireland is accompanied by a beady eye to its failings, and a willingness to poke fun at comedy “Oirishness”, blarney included. The victim, for instance, is described as “so cute he could meet himself round the corner”, in response to which the young detective from Cork rightly inquires: “Eh?” Also moreish was the interview at the police station being interrupted by PJ bringing in a plate of sandwiches.
Give Holding a try. As Mrs Doyle would say, g’wan, g’wan, g’wan.
In Joanna Lumley’s Great Cities of the World (STV, Thursday) the great Dame wafted in to Paris. This was pitched as an insiders’ guide to the French capital, though I’m not sure how much of a secret the Moulin Rouge is.
No matter; with Lumley it’s all about the craic. Anyone who starts a sentence with, “When I used to come over to Paris in the 60s as a young model …” is worth hanging around with for an hour. She was on surer secret Paris ground when she called into a vintage clothes shop and picked up a long Chanel jacket. “This hides the granny bottom,” said Lumley, who is 75 according to the internet. Fake news surely.
Lumley also found time to have lunch with fashion maven Daphne Guinness, join a protest over pension rights (I always do that on holiday), watch an Aussi dancer execute a perfect jumping split, and interview a local about the art of the affair.
The latter involved a long, convoluted metaphor about a cake shop, how it was nice to have an eclair most of the time but occasionally it was good to try some apple pie, etc. Lumley was unconvinced. “I went to the pastry shop before I got married,” she purred. Fortnum & Mason or Greggs, I wonder?
Quiz shows are the new podcasts: every celebrity has one. Joining the quizmaster ranks this week were Dara O Briain with One and Six Zeros (Channel 4, Sunday), and Ross Kemp with Bridge of Lies (BBC1, daily). The former EastEnders hard man has the more accessible of the two formats, his game being a blend of hopscotch and true/false questions.
Kemp has faced some daunting tasks in his time, from meeting LA gangs to visiting war zones and being a guest on Loose Women. He’s personable enough, but making this quiz stand out from so many others could be his toughest gig yet.
I was going to hail the return of Kate and Koji (STV, Wednesday), the seaside sitcom that was a refreshing blend of old gags and modern sensibilities (Koji is an asylum seeker). Then I caught the first patchy episode. This one might need some time to warm up.
You can always rely on Craig Revel Horwood for a giggle, and so it proved in Fame in the Family (Channel 4, daily). The idea is that four civilians have dinner with a celebrity who might be related to them. Everyone, celeb included, has to identify the lucky person.
Craig had a mixed, likeable bunch. Did he share DNA with the contestant who liked to use tomato soup in spag bog (Craig had heard of someone on his side doing that)? Was it the one with the kinked nose? (“Although Craig’s had a new one,” someone pointed out). Maybe the little fingers were a clincher?
Won’t spoil the surprise, because I just know you’ll be sprinting to catch up on All4. Enough to say that CRW was pleased with the result. “Oh, my blood, my life, my soul!” he cried. Sometimes I fear our Craig is too reserved for this business.
Before you go, Coronation Street’s romantic history summed up in a Weatherfield minute. Widow to Coronation Street’s Gary Windass: “You’re the nicest guy in the world. Either that or you’re a serial killer.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here