Celebrity Big Brother, Friday 9pm, Channel 5

Posted by Jane Murphy

This series of Celebrity Big Brother has been notable for some bizarre eviction results following the public phone vote. I mean, how can we be living in a country where Playboy Playmates Karissa and Kristina Shannon ("We're hot and fit and smart") are more popular than Sonia off EastEnders? It makes no sense.

Still, tonight's final provided the perfect opportunity for viewers to ring in and redress the balance. So the public have spoken. The votes have been counted and verified. And I can now reveal that the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2012 is... (gargantuan pause while everyone wanders off to read War and Peace)... Denise Welch!

Yep, the fun-loving, boob-flashing, small-screen regular is officially the people's champion. But it was a close-run thing between her and X Factor bad boy Frankie Cocozza. (I wonder what odds you could have got on that result three weeks ago.)

Denise left the house to mainly cheers from the over-excitable crowd, and all-too-predictably responded by pulling down her top and giving everyone a quick flash of her bra. Again.

So what has she learnt from her experience? "I've realised I can't please all of the people all of the time," the shocked winner told presenter Brian Dowling. "And I need to confront issues before they escalate." Jolly good.

Meanwhile, Frankie initially tried to play it cool, but then admitted he was feeling quite emotional at the public's vote of confidence.

And is it any wonder? Little more than two months ago, this over-sexed teenager was written off as a washed-up failure after his excessive "partying" saw him thrown off The X Factor. (Well, who ever heard of a partying rock star?) But now look at him! He's the nation's second favourite celebrity! That's got to be one of the biggest reality TV bouncebacks since Darius Danesh.

Just in case you were wondering, Karissa and Kristina came fifth, and were roundly booed when they left the house. When Brian suggested they'd come across as arrogant, they insisted it didn't bother them. "We want to inspire other young women to be just like us," said Karissa. Or it could have been Kristina. Still, as their fellow housemate Michael Madsen once said: does it matter which is which?

Talking of Michael, he came fourth. "Can you ask security to keep Denise away from me?" he asked Brian. Sadly, there was no stage invasion from Denise's husband Tim Healy at this point.

Nice guy Gareth Thomas came third, and delivered an emotional speech about what a lovely person Nicola McLean is - which was probably music to Nic's ears, seeing as she still got the biggest boo of the night when she took her seat with the other ex-housemates.

Celebrity Big Brother is always a very welcome addition to the January schedules - mainly because it's good to have an hour of mindless escapism before bedtime on those long winter evenings. But now it's all over for another year. Hmmm... I wonder who'll win it next time. My money's on the final three being Harry Redknapp, Pat off EastEnders and Joey Essex. So if you'll excuse me, I'm off down the bookies...

Did the right person win tonight? Tell us what you think.

Pictures: PA

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We'll Take Manhattan, Thursday 9pm, BBC Four

Posted by Jane Murphy

If you can remember the '60s, you weren't really there - or so the saying goes. But either way, the BBC has kindly presented us with a fresh chance to indulge our fantasies about the super-swinging decade in the form of We'll Take Manhattan - a stylish one-off drama that focuses on the early relationship between photographer David Bailey and iconic model Jean Shrimpton.

Welsh actor Aneurin Barnard turns in a suitably charismatic performance as chirpy Cockney charmer Bailey - churning out cheeky winks and cocky one-liners in a Michael Caine accent from the off. (A sample line? "What 'appened to that bird with the big Eartha Kitts?") Doctor Who's Karen Gillan stars as plummy, Buckinghamshire girl Jean, whose pretty face and long, long legs soon caught Bailey's eye.

Aside from the pair's initial meeting and subsequent fast-track journey from colleagues to lovers, the drama focused on the iconic 1962 Vogue fashion shoot in New York, which many credit with having kick-started the "Swinging '60s" proper. (To be fair, The Beatles do get name-checked in the script, too.)

In a nutshell? Bailey went against the wishes of the magazine's old-school fashion editor Lady Clare Rendlesham (Helen McCrory) and ended up producing a series of startling, original photographs that changed fashion photography forever. But the power struggle between the rebel snapper and the hideously snobbish Lady Clare - who, among other things, couldn't see the appeal in Jean - meant there was plenty of conflict along the way.

Of course, we know from the start that things will eventually go Bailey and Jean's way, so this isn't exactly edge-of-your-seat stuff. But in the meantime, we can just sit back and enjoy the drama, the sexual tension, the Manhattan skyline, the super-cool jazz soundtrack and - of course - the clothes.

As you'd expect, writer/director John McKay seems to have glossed over an awful lot - and probably applied a sizeable smattering of artistic license - in order to come up with a suitably streamlined, stylish drama. Bailey's wife (he was married at the time) is barely mentioned, for example. And were there really only four people - including Bailey, Jean, Lady Clare and just one harrassed assistant - working on the shoot?

I suppose it would be interesting to ask the real David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton whether this version of events bears any similarity to what actually happened. But then again, they really were there at the time - so they probably can't remember.

What did you think of We'll Take Manhattan? Tell us here.

Picture: BBC

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Jodie Marsh: Bullied - My Secret Past, Wednesday 10pm, Channel 5

Posted by Tom Murphy

Jodie Marsh may not be everyone's bodybuilding, heavily tattooed, attention-seeking cup of tea, but she does deserve some credit for her anti-bullying work. Tonight's documentary may have had a bit of self-publicity about it, but it was also a moving reminder of how young lives continue to be blighted.

Jodie first began to be bullied after an accident while playing hockey at school left her with a crooked nose. Eventually it became so bad that her parents withdrew her from the school after one particularly nasty physical attack, derailing her ambition of becoming a vet.

And as she stood outside her secondary school (which refused to take part in the programme and issued the most mealy-mouthed of 'apologies' for Jodie's experiences), her continued anger at “the s***ty school that failed me in every way” was evident.

Farewell Becky, Tuesday 7.30pm, ITV1

Posted by Tom Murphy

So, after six years, various fires and tempestuous relationships and a sideboard full of awards, Becky MacDonald, played by Katherine Kelly, has dropped her last bombshell and jetted off for pastures new. Tonight's enjoyable tribute looked back on the latest female hurricane to blow through the Street.

When Becky first rolled into Weatherfield, it seemed unlikely that the thieving, lying, smoking-like-a-chimney little minx would somehow become one of the best-loved characters in the show's history.

However, as some of her most unforgettable moments were recalled by fellow cast members including Simon Gregson (her former hubby Steve MacDonald) and Kate Ford (her arch-enemy Tracy Barlow), we followed her progress to something approaching her own notion of respectability.

SuperScrimpers: Waste Not Want Not, Monday 8pm, Channel 4

Posted by Tom Murphy

Back in the good old days, if you needed some money-saving advice you just had to head over to the Orange Money channel, where charming and stylish experts would give you all the info you needed. I wonder where they are now...

Anyway, the economic squeeze doesn't look like it's going away any time soon, so now you have to rely on TV shows like SuperScrimpers, which has returned to Channel 4 for a second series.

And proving that they practice what they preach, the producers managed to save a few bob by filling the first 10 minutes of the show with recycled clips to tell us exactly what was going to be on the episode.

The stars of the series are the SuperScrimper army: cash-conscious individuals who are keen to share their tips for saving money around the house. For instance – need to unblock a sink? Don't waste money on the stuff from the supermarket; just cut a tennis ball in half to fashion a rudimentary plunger!

Birdsong, Sunday 9pm, BBC One

Posted by Tom Murphy

This adaptation of Sebastian Faulks's acclaimed novel of love and war, scripted by BAFTA-winner Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, The Hour), is the BBC's first big drama event of the year. And, judging by tonight's gripping first part, your licence fee is still in safe hands.

The story unfolded in two strands, starting off with the experiences of infantry officer Stephen Wraysford (Eddie Redmayne) among the horrors of the Somme during World War One. The reluctant Wraysford was ordered to assist a team of engineers tunnelling under the German trenches – leading to a shocking development near the end of the episode that really pulled the rug from under me.

Interwoven with the war scenes, we also flash back to 1910, when the younger Stephen was in France, helping to manage the textile factory of Rene Azaire (Laurent Laffite). Romantic feelings soon developed between Stephen and Azaire's neglected wife Isabelle (Clemence Poesy), and before long they embarked upon a passionate affair.

Room 101, Friday 8.30pm, BBC One

Posted by Will Parkhouse

As one 1984-inspired TV show slouches ever onwards over on Channel 5, here's another's more welcome return. Those who remember the original Room 101 in its Nick Hancock-hosted BBC Two incarnation may be terrified to hear that the show, in which TV folk nominate their pet hates for inclusion in the hellish chamber, first appeared on our screens a whopping 18 years ago.

Paul Merton took the reigns from Hancock for a further eight series, until his final guest, Have I Got News For You nemesis Ian Hislop, brought things to a close by successfully banishing Merton himself to Room 101.

And so it's back, hosted by safe pair of hands Frank Skinner, except now, it's a panel show, because everything is a panel show now. At one stage, guest Danny Baker nominated "panel shows with bottom-of-the-bill comedians… there are too many shows where halfway-witted people are pretending to find things funny". A nice piece of fourth wall demolition, but a suggestion that might have gone down a little better on Hancock or Merton's watch.

There were some good moments – Skinner (quite rightly) shooting Fern Britton with a toy ray gun for referring to Doctor Who as "dreary" was one – and some enjoyably articulate put-downs – Baker's pre-prepared statement laying into the concept of "cool" was pretty special, and Robert Webb quoting Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey' as a rejoinder to the bear-pit entertainment of The Jeremy Kyle Show was even better.

But it was hard not to feel that the revamp had sacrificed some of the Orwellian bite – it was all rather… primetime. Getting to spend a whole 30 minutes with a telly personality really getting their teeth into something they despised was (usually) a pleasure, and could be rather revealing, since the nature of the challenge made things both personal and passionate. In 2012, you get a third of that value: sitting on the other side of the room from Skinner, the trio take their turns and the time passes pleasantly enough – but it's really not much different from anything else.

Picture: BBC

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Mad Dogs, Thursday 9pm, Sky1

Posted by Jane Murphy

Remember what happened at the end of the last series of Mad Dogs? I have to admit I was a bit hazy on the details, having watched about 10,000 hours of TV in the intervening 11 months. But that whole issue was swiftly dealt with as series two began with a quick, concise reminder of all the main action, spliced between the opening credits.

And so the story picked up where it had left off - with Baxter (John Simm), Rick (Marc Warren) and Woody (Max Beesley) preparing to drive off to the airport and leave Quinn (Philip Glenister) to cope with the rather messy business of the dead corrupt police officer floating in the pool.

But the fleeing trio were stopped in their tracks by the arrival of dodgy detective Dominic. Having run him over and watched him die, they nipped back to the villa, collected Quinn, and the adventure continued...

All the time I'm watching Mad Dogs, I'm thinking the characters can't possibly get away with this. You can't leave a trail of destruction, dead bodies and DNA without arousing a few suspicions, can you? (Not that I've ever tried, you understand.)

And, of course, they don't get away with it - but because everyone else they encounter seems to be from a mysterious criminal underworld, they're resigned to thinking on their feet and doing what they can to get through each day with their lives intact.

What's more, because Baxter, Rick, Woody and Quinn were initially just a bunch of ordinary 40-something blokes thrown into an extraordinary situation, it's very easy to care about them and think as they do - even if most of us wouldn't necessarily choose the same course of action in similar circumstances.

What really makes Mad Dogs a joy to watch, though, is the fact that the four actors play off one another so well. Even in the darkest moments, there's understated comedy and bathos. While trying to work out their next move in this life-or-death situation, for example, Rick suddenly took umbrage with Baxter for referring to him as an accountant. "How many times do I have to tell you?" he bellowed. "I'm a financial adviser!"

Mad Dogs was nominated for Best Drama Serial at last year's TV BAFTAs. And if the rest of series two is as entertaining and gripping as tonight's opening episode, there's a good chance it could be picking up similar plaudits - and maybe even a gong or two - in 2012.

What did you think of the Mad Dogs series two opener? Tell us here.

Picture: Sky

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Your shout: what’s your theory on Sherlock’s ‘death’?

Posted by Julie Richardson

 
It's the question on every TV addict’s lips - just how did Sherlock fake his own death?

Fans of the show saw the super sleuth jump to his 'death' in the series climax on Sunday night, and his seemingly lifeless body being shipped off to the murky depths of Bart’s hospital. However, months later, he reappears, very much alive and kicking. But how?

Internet message boards have been awash with theories: was the body a dummy, which was then switched with Holmes' body and a puddle of blood while Watson was knocked over by a passing cyclist? Did Molly Hooper, Sherlock's pathologist pal, have a hand in producing a false death certificate? Was Watson injected with a mind-altering drug that made him imagine he'd seen Sherlock jump? Or could Sherlock's brother Mycroft helped to create an ever so secret, secret service cover-up? The options are endless.

While the truth will no doubt come out when a third series of the show airs, courtesy of creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, fans have until then to keep dreaming up theories. So, why not share yours. How do you think Sherlock Holmes managed to fake his death so convincingly?

Picture: BBC

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15 Kids and Counting, Tuesday 9pm, Channel 4

Posted by Liberty Jones

Most people settle for two, a few daring couples notch up three or four. But when it comes to having children, there are a handful of families who just don’t know when to stop, as this illuminating documentary – the first in a three-part series – revealed.

First up were Noel and Sue Radford, who were expecting baby number 15. Sue, who gave birth for the first time at the tender age of 14, has been pregnant for most of her adult life. “I think she’s addicted to babies,” said her eldest daughter. “It’s like her own personal drug.”

Meanwhile, Sue’s husband Noel worked seven-day weeks in the family bakery to support his super-sized family – no easy task when an average dinner runs to 16 pork chops, 30 carrots, 3 cabbages and seven kilos of potatoes. Both given up for adoption at birth, Sue and Noel made no bones of the fact that their own childhood experiences lay behind their unusual drive to reproduce – even if it did mean a rather chaotic lifestyle.

“It’s mad living in this house,” one of the couple’s young sons remarked. “You never get peace – if you do, you’re lucky.” His little sister was in total agreement. “It’s non-stop crying,” she said with a grown-up roll of her eyes. Despite these gripes, the Radford children were all looking forward to the new arrival, although given Sue and Noel’s massive workload, I did found myself wondering where on earth they found the time – and the energy – to keep making babies.

Next up were “born-again Catholics” Mike and Tania Sullivan, who see children as a blessing from God and contraception a sin, even thought Tania’s health is suffering. Thanks to divine intervention, the couple had nine kids, aged four to 12, with twins on the way.

A few years ago, the couple decided to withdraw their entire brood from mainstream education and educate them at home, fearing the “negative influence” of school. However, watching Tania struggle to keep her mixed ability class under control as she tried to teach them about Hitler’s rise to power, I couldn’t help wondering if she’d made the right decision.

15 Kids and Counting was a real eye-opener, and both families proved fertile (sorry, couldn’t resist!) subject matter for a documentary. Next week’s episode – about two big families with a serious case of sibling rivalry – promises to be just as good.

Picture: Channel 4

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