'Radio Times' TV Review of 2015

That venerable publishing colossus,
Christmas perennial, and loyal Doctor 
Who supporter, the Radio Times, has
revealed the results of their annual,
multi-channel survey. Their top forty
shows of the year (headed by BBC2's
historical drama Wolf Hall) have again
been selected by the magazine's critics,
and Peter Capaldi's second season has
been placed at a very respectable number seven (up from nine last year). RT writer Patrick Mulkern comments:

DOCTOR WHO BBC1 

"This autumn, the TARDIS landed in
its latest ever timeslot, which seemed 
suited to a darker tone of storytelling 
but was quickly denounced as the
reason for a ratings plunge of around one million. No decline in 
quality was visible [though, in fact] there was an upswing, with provocative themes, bold experiments, intelligent writing and
performances. Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi remoulded 
the Doctor into a "raddled old rocker" more lovable than last 
year and painfully aware that his glory days with Clara were 
ending. Jenna Coleman shone but her job was done, while 
Capaldi proved [with] his solo jaunt, Heaven Sent (an
instant classic) [that] he's a one-man constellation".

Britain defined by 'Doctor Who' (and some other stuff!)

The Radio Times recently published an article by Dominic Sandbrook that
celebrates Britain's television heritage. The historian mourns the loss of the
nation's status as the greatest superpower in history, but rallies with the
claim that Britainnia now commands a new Empire, that of Imagination.

Sandbrook explains that in the last 70 years, no other medium, "not fiction,
pop music, video games, even film" has rivalled "the sheer power on the box".
Britain is a major TV exporter, and since 2011, we have sold six times more
programming than Germany, a larger economic power. "Our cultural success is based partly on our penetration of the [all important] American market, where [hits] like The Avengers and Downton Abbey have come to define not just Britain's global brand but Britishness itself".

The author then lists his own most influential television shows, were Doctor 
Who is only beaten to the top spot by that other iconic veteran of British TV,
Coronation Street. Of the former, Sandbrook writes: "When I was growing up,
most people regarded Doctor Who with contempt. I never imagined that one
day [it] would become a colossal international brand. That's testament to the brilliance of the basic idea, as well as the skill with which it's been updated. The Doctor has become one of the great fictional embodiments of Britishness, rivalled only by Sherlock Holmes and James Bond. The show itself - sentimental, spine-chilling, silly, earnest, clever, populist - could surely only have been made in Britain". The complete top ten is:

• The X Factor (ITV, 2004-present)
• Cathy Come Home (BBC, 1966)
• Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC, 1969-74)
• That Was The Week That Was (BBC, 1962/3)
• The Avengers (ITV, 1961-69)
• Dixon of Dock Green (BBC, 1955-76)
• Brideshead Revisited (ITV, 1981)
• Dad's Army (BBC, 1968-77)
• Doctor Who (BBC, 1963-present)
• Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-present)

Tartan Noir = Scottish Gore!

Wikipedia describes ‘Tartan Noir’ as a form of crime fiction particular to Scotland and Scottish writers. It has its roots in Scottish literature (notably Robert Louis Stevenson), and the term was coined by American novelist James Ellroy in the 1990’s.

The genre is typified by its “hard-boiled” and dark-humoured style. The first landmark TN title was Laidlaw by William McIlvanney (1977), which in turn inspired the “king of Tartan Noir” Ian Rankin.

Other noted genre authors include Lin Anderson, Tony Black, Gordon Ferris, Alex Gray, Allan Guthrie, Quintin Jardine, Val McDermid, Stuart MacBride, Peter May, Denise Mina, James Oswald, Craig Robertson, and Craig Russell.

Date With History: 1914

May 29th, 2.00 am: The Canadian Pacific steamship RMS Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad in heavy fog on the St. Lawrence River near Quebec, and sank in just 14 minutes.

Of the 1,477 passengers and crew on board, only 465 survived.