There’s really really not much on this week – Wipeout‘s both Winter and Total if you’re into that sort of thing (Thursday on ABC and Saturday at 6pm on BBC1 respectively), and a new eight-part run of The Million Pound Drop – LIVE!!! begins Friday at 10pm and also Saturday for the next four weeks, just don’t forget that we’re legally obliged to call it The BRILLIANT Pound Drop now, because it’s just so brilliant.
To make up for a non-exciting week on screen, it’s a more exciting week off screen – I’m hoping to have not one, not three, but TWO recording reports for you this week, one of which is one of the two exciting pilots for Hold On To Your Seat!, the other of which is Pointless which I am very excited about. So look out for those.
Meanwhile next Sunday night is the second edition of the world’s most exciting series of poker, the Bother Series of Poker. Last week I thrashed all oncomers, and I hope to do so again next week – it was nice to see so many new faces, so don’t feel intimidated and join in the fun. Last year’s winner Andrew Smith videoed it and put together a highlights package of sorts and here it is:
Details for Game two are up on The BSOP Page.
Is Greg Scott still doing Seat? Hope so; I like him and it would be nice to see him get a show.
Don’t know, although my gut feeling says not.
I raved a bit about it when it first debuted, but I’m already starting to become tired with Winter Wipeout. It feels like the only new obstacle every week (after three episodes, at least) is the first element of the qualifier. Although the Ski Lift is a brilliant idea, it’s starting to get old. It’s like they’re not even making the effort to change up the obstacles anymore. I’ve hit the point where I don’t even bother watching the Seven-Letter Word anymore, and I just skip to the last three minutes of the show to see who wins.
I think the “the obstacles don’t matter, it’s just people falling over!” line they appear to be taking is a shame and likely to hurt it in the long run. But what do I know?
TW took that halfway through series 1 and that didn’t stop them :/
I’m not actually sure that’s true at all, TW still celebrates people who do well because it doesn’t stop most people from falling over.
I’m actually intrigued to see what TW does with the new course. I suspect the remote control stuff will be out.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still some spectacular spills, but it feels like you have to wade through more of the same before you get to them, as compared to a new obstacle that makes you think, “Ooh, let’s see what this thing is capable of.” It’s like “that new car smell” versus a “new car smell” scented air freshener.
call me a cynic but should we place bets on how much money the Million Pound Drop gives away in the next four weeks? I reckon £150k in twenty shows
There are only eight episodes (just Fridays and Saturdays) but that sounds about right, especially as I expect it fairly likely to have one pair of celebs on a weekly basis.
Poker highlights actually work quite well, especially to see Brig catch lots of flukey cards. But you’re probably better off using SnagIt (which can be, uh, acquired easily) to take a digital image of the screen itself rather than videoing it off the screen, a lovely 1980s homage though that is.
I don’t think I got lucky at all. Except for the final hand.
Actually having watched it back I can see what you mean. Althoigh I usuakly had loads of chips at the fime.
I guess I’m the only one excited by this week’s Uni Chal then: Sheffield v Magdalen Oxford. 😉
I also find it a shame, though, that two of the strongest teams in this series – if not the two strongest – should meet at the Preliminary QF stage, with the winners needing a further three victories if they want to be champions.
Anyway, both teams stormed through their first-round matches, then found the going much tougher in the second:
* Sheffield tonked Newcastle 315-70 on 30 August.
* But UCL gave them quite a ride on 29 November, in possibly one of the best matches of the entire Paxman Era. (If you missed it, then in all fairness, you missed out! ;)) The steelers led by 45 points early on, then the Londoners twice went 40 ahead, then Sheffield raced 95 clear with only a few minutes to play. Then, amazingly, UCL got four quick starters and all the bonuses to lead by five, and it pretty much came down to the last starter, which Sheffield got to secure something of a gladiatorial victory, 250-230.
* Their aggregate of 565 is the highest of the eight quarter-finalists; Tristram Cole has 16 starters to his name.
+ Magdalen won the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Quiz 2010 with some masterclass performances, and turned in another on 13 September, their 340 points (to Durham’s 120) including a staggering 38/48 bonuses.
+ Downing Cambridge turned out to be no pushover on 6 December, though. This match wasn’t quite as spectacular as the one the week before, but nonetheless Magdalen battled to victory, 190-125. Their bonus conversion rate on this occasion was a mere 19/32.
+ Will Cudmore is the best buzzer thus far, 12 starters, though the team’s resident Aussie, James McComish, and resident Yank, Kyle Haddad-Fonda, have also made significant contributions, eight and seven respectively.
If both teams have come away from their second-round battles stronger and better, then this could be another absolute thriller. I certainly expect that there will only be a few points in it at the end. Surely it’s a bit too much, though, to expect the losers to score well over 200?!