What TV show did you last watch?

(16-05-2020 21:34 )Doddle Wrote:  The Real Marigold Hotel, series 4, episode 2
More yoga, more cookery, more trains, cars and cricket. Quite a jolly production, filmed in April last year seemingly.

TRMH, 4.3
4 men try to buy a birthday cake for a woman without being sure how to spell her name, or what age she will be; Paul Chuckle goes driving; Henry Blofeld reminisces about cricket; and Zandra Rhodes bows out.

The Dambusters Great Escape
Channel 4 2014



A "clickbait" title as it's not about the Dambusters raid but about the 1944 operation which sank the German battleship Tirpitz, carried out by RAF units including 617 "Dambusters" squadron.

Churchill had ordered several attempts to destroy the Tirpitz over the previous two years because, from its base in Northern Norway, it was a threat to the arctic convoys supplying the Soviet Union. Also by late 1944 there was pressure on him to transfer naval assets to the Pacific theatre but this could not be risked while the Tirpitz was still a threat. Midget submarines had failed and dive bombers had only caused minor damage but Barnes Wallis, who had designed the bouncing bombs for the dambusting mission had also designed a 12,000 pound earthquake bomb called Tallboy which could destroy heavily armoured targets.

The Lancasters used would be sitting ducks for German fighters as most of the defensive armaments had to be stripped out so they had the range to rach the target. The Germans had been alerted by a previous Tallboy mission which had to be abandoned because of cloud cover so they knew that the aircraft would be flying over neutral Swden to attack from the East and so they improved their defences by moving fighter aircraft close by and modified the radar station.

The mission was a success with two direct hits and several near misses and the ship sank with the loss of 971 German sailors. None of the bombers were lost and the big mystery was why the German fighters had not engaged with the bombers. The presenter is Patrick Bishop and his theory, which he provides some circumstantial evidence for, is that the radar commander was working against his own side and delayed reporting the raid to try and ensure its success. Not everyone is convinced but if it's true then it's an amazing story.

Titans Ep 3 “Ghosts” Season 2

(22-05-2020 07:41 )Doddle Wrote:  Museums in Quarantine, pt 2 of 4
Simon Schama talks about the young Rembrandt exhibition at the Ashmolean (though in audio only)

MiQ, pt 3 of 4
James Fox gives a general talk (again in audio only, poor cameraperson) about Tate Britain, in case you missed his recent series on imagery, or indeed any BBC4 series ever.

Smallville Ep 23 “Exodus” Season 2 Finale.

(23-05-2020 07:39 )Doddle Wrote:  Museums in Quarantine, pt 3 of 4
James Fox gives a general talk (again in audio only, poor cameraperson) about Tate Britain, in case you missed his recent series on imagery, or indeed any BBC4 series ever.

MiQ, pt 4 of 4
Dr Janina Ramirez rounds off the series with another audio only talk, this time at the British Museum. Can she get through 5 minutes without talking filth? Is the Pope Hindu?

Star Trek Voyager Ep 1 “The 37’s” Season 2.

Legacies S1 Ep 12. It's a pretty good show, not as cheesy as The Vampire Diaries, so more like The Originals. It's based around a school for supernatural kids, with the main character being the daughter of (the fantastic) Klaus.

Seal Team S3 Ep19. Always good, it's not just battlefield action, you see how their job impacts them at home and with their families. You also see how politics often gets in the way...as it does in real life.

Brian Moore meets... Kevin Keegan
ITV4 have been repeating these interview shows. This one, from 1979, sees Keegan adjusting to life in Hamburg, but planning to retire in 1982 and become a politician. Unless he does go to play in Saudi Arabia for £1m a season. Fascinating, not always for the right reasons.

Batwoman Ep 18 “If You Believe In Me, I’ll Believe In You” Season 1.