Last Night's TV: THE BORGIAS

Last night I finally settled down to watch Sky Atlantic€™s The Borgias. After a fiasco with the old Sky Plus box I somehow managed to not record episodes 1 and 2, record episode 3 and last night the series moved on to episode 4. So, I began at the beginning and found episode 1 on the tinterweb before the series began to slip away from me. The Borgias follows the dynasty of the same name that ruled Rome and the church through the Renaissance period. Their family was mired with accusations of corruption, murder and bribery €“ all of which are main staples of the show. The Sky website does it€™s usual best to talk up the show, but recent experience has taught me that their website tells out right lies. Although I did have a peak at some of the show info and the Borgias family facts my biggest discovery and most interesting revelation was that it has been created, written and directed by Neil Jordan, the Oscar winning writer/director of The Crying Game. I expected big things and wasn€™t disappointed. The Borgias is as opulent, decadent and blood stained as The Vatican itself and looks to be one of the more promising shows on TV. Jeremy Irons plays Cardinal Roderigo Borgias who soon buys and bribes his way to being Pope Alexander VI and sets about running the church his way. Aided by his son and Consigliore Cesare (Francois Arnaud) the Borgias family attempt to hold onto their new found power despite half of the Cardinals in The Vatican plotting against them. Murder, corruption, bribery, treachery, backstabbing and greed are all clear from the off. The first episode does start with about 15 minutes of explorative dialogue that is a little heavy and drags on, but it can be forgiven because quickly the story begins to gather pace. Jeremy Irons revels in his role as the corrupt Pope and Sean Harris looks to have added another quality feather in his already impressive cap as assassin Micheletto. The Borgias is loud, extravagant and obviously expensive like many of the recent offerings from Hollywood driven drama like Boardwalk Empire. It is too early to comment on how good a series it is from episode 1, but I hold high hopes for the other 18 episodes as the show is driven by such a great writer hailing from this side of the Atlantic. British writers are too often accused of not being bold enough and their stories being too dull, too kitchen sink or too stuck in realism. The Borgias is none of the above and is most definitely an ambitious project. It€™s a damn shame Mr. Jordan had to travel to the other side of the pond to make this vision a reality and it is also an indication of British TV lacking the might of the US. But, that€™s another story. I pray that The Borgias continues with the same pace and ambition as it has started and does not disappoint. And if you haven€™t seen the first 3 episodes before last night€™s fourth offering I pray you find the time to start at the beginning as I have. The Good Lord gave us the tinterweb so go forth and discover episodes 1, 2 and 3 on the Sky website my children. Amen.

John Bishop€™s Britain €“ Series 2 Episode 5 - Friends

John Bishop€™s oddly unique Saturday night show continued last night with the fourth instalment about friends. I think Mr Bishop is a very funny guy and pretty sharp, but his stand up DVD was a bit of let down. This show is similar €“ it has some very genuinely funny stories on the week€™s chosen subject, but it also has some moments that aren€™t funny in the slightest. This week€™s show had some of the odd collection of the general public and celebs discussing their thoughts on friends, friendship and smoking cigarettes behind the bike sheds. There was even the martial arts expert discussing how he wanted to bash Megan Fox€™s back doors in. There were some moments of comedy, but in all honesty most of the folks who tell their own stories in video clips are idiotic and boring. John€™s own thoughts were funnier, but not by much and this week was a bit of a let down. This tends to be what you get with this show though €“ one week you€™re laughing out loud and the next you sit quietly watching and perhaps let a bit of a half smile out every so often. The best part of the show is always when Bish builds up to tell a story and there is an accompanying sketch as a visual aid. The guy playing him is a young, good looking and tanned bloke with the ability to over act and add some classic comedy to the story. This week Mr Bishop told the story of when he went to Robbie Williams€™ Brits after show party and let his mate down on a darts game. I wont spoil it, but fair play I chuckled a bit. Just a bit though. The show is sprinkled with some gems of comedy gold amongst some tedious moments and at times it feels like mining for diamonds with a wooden spoon, but when the comedy comes it is good. This week wasn€™t best, but I will be tuning in next week in case there just happens to be a gem of a story to tickle the old ribs.