TV: The First Eden, Kath and Kim, Mythbusters, Canada

TV programmes I have recently watched:

My TV antenna is broken so I don’t get the TV. Instead I can borrow out old TV programmes on DVD from my local library. Thanks to the library the programmes I have recently been watching (in lieu of the dreadful Big Brother) are:

The First Eden This is a documentary series on the natural history of the Mediterranean Sea and surrounding countries, and the impact that Man had had on that history. It is narrated by the wonderful David Attenborough, who always manages to convey an impression of scholarly expertise, passion and a quaint, old fashioned English courtesy. There is something cosy and endearing about Attenborough’s delivery which never falters – even when he is regaling us with a description of a shark killing a seal. I could listen to him for ever.

Kath and Kim – Series 4 Kath and Kim are now comedy legends down here in Australia. This hugely popular TV show follows the lives of middle aged foxy lady Kath Day-Knight, her second husband Kel Knight (“purveyor of fine meats” – i.e. a butcher by trade), Kath’s gobsmackingly self centred grown up (in years only) daughter Kim, her husband Brett, and Kim’s second best friend Sharon. The series lampoons the suburban middle class – superficial, materialistic, happily ignorant, complacent and smug with a world view that begins and ends at their own backyard fence. Visually this show looks great and gets a lot of comedic value from Kath and Kim’s terrible perms, fake tans, and the way they wear clothes that are too tight and too young. But this show doesn’t just rely on cheap laughs gained from sight gags, funny accents or outrageous antics. I think the writing is genuinely clever. Kath and Kim and their cohorts murder the English language with unwitting displays of ignorance, and malapropisms abound. There is some smart play on words in the script, which is written by Jane Turner and Gina Riley who play Kath and Kim respectively. The acting is great too – beautiful comic timing and delivery, and the character types are instantly recognizable by any Australian.

Mythbusters – Ninja Special For the uninitiated the Mythbusters are a team of special effects experts who test out various urban myths to see if there is any truth in them. In this show they test out such myths as whether or not it would have been possible for Ninjas to construct footwear that would allow them to run on water (like they do in the movies) or catch a swinging sword in their bare hands. If I were a high school science teacher I would love Mythbusters and make my class watch it. The science behind the urban myths and the experiments the Mythbusters set up to test them is well explained, and the processes and gadgets that the Mythbusters invent as part of the tests are fascinating and fun. There are lots of explosions as well.

Canada – Pilot Guides A likeable British host travels through Canada. I found this travel guide interesting because, although I have never been there, I get the impression that Canada is very beautiful. It is a vast country with a great diversity of landscapes and an interesting mix of cultures. The sections on Arctic Canada were particularly interesting – the traveler saw the Aurora Borealis, looked at some seals, and went on a Dog Sled trek.

Young Ones classic British comedy series featuring the antics of Vivian, Rick, Neil, Mike and the Balowski family. I remember watching this show as a teenager – I had never seen anything like it and I thought it was hilarious.

Inspector Rex Austrian cop show. Inspector Rex is a German Shepherd who solves mysteries. Not only that, but he is shown in this TV series finding lost children, persuading a lady not to commit suicide, going undercover (as a stuffed animal in a museum and a pet in a household full of terrorists), arresting thugs, playing bad cop to his human partner’s good cop, and coaching a small child past a series of dangerous obstacles. I am not normally a fan of big dumb brutes but the melting brown eyes, athletic body, and endearing gambols made me wish he could come and lick my feet and sleep on the end of my bed – and that’s just Rex’s human sidekick Moser I’m talking about – the dog’s cute too.

Also:
We Know Where You Live
Feast Greece
1421 – The Year China Discovered the World
7 Periods with Mr Gormsby
Black Books
Billy Connolly in Dublin
Dr Who (Series 3 Volume 5).
Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong
Mansfield Park
Pilot Guides – Argentina
Midsommer Murders
Merlin’s Apprentice
Pride and Prejudice
Pilot Guides – Tahiti & Samoa
Bush Mechanics
Hogan’s Heroes
Arjuna (Japanese anime)
Samurai Champloo (Japanese anime)
Great Teacher Onizuki (Japanese anime)