... Let's talk about chat shows now BY LISA ROHUMAA Talk shows, chat fest, late-night topical discussions--suddenly they all come under the umbrella of light entertainment these days--but don't be conned. The natural assumption that the guests on these shows are the 'stars' and might have something vaguely revelatory, funny, or entertaining to say has become a rather quaint notion. From Mrs ...

... Big Yin's bombast fails to save flat show I must confess that over the years I have warmed more to Billy Connolly the actor than to 'Big Yin' the comedian and showbiz personality. His fine portrayal of JoJo, a fictional leader of Glasgow's criminal fraternity, in Down Among the Big Boys was particularly good. Therefore it was with high hopes that I tuned in to Screen One's Deacon Brodle ...

... Risky affair relies on the finny cringe factor We have had a shocking Lockerbie-type air crash, murder, sieges and maimings in Emmerdale, incest and body-under-the-patio dramas in Brookside and love triangles and post office shootings in Coronation Street. In television terms, the handful of complaints to broadcasters that usually follows rarely numbers more than 40, but the boost in ...

... Euro fantasy strikes it rich BY HARRY VENNING With the World Cup just a Gallic shrug away, the BBC gleefully leapt aboard the football bandwagon with Stage columnist Arthur Smith's My Summer with Dos (BBC1, Monday. May 25, 9pm), a romantic comedy set during Euro '96. At which point I have to ask am I the only person not obsessed with the damn game? The ultimate lads' fantasy. My Summer with ...

... BY HARRY VENNING Gone are the days when Roger Moore as The Saint would, over the course of a series and sometimes twice in one episode, travel to all four comers of the globe without ever setting foot outside Elstree studios. The modem television audience demands ticity. Which is good news for the cast and crew of Heat of the Sun (ITV, Wednesday, January 28, 8pm) for it means a jolly to ...

... Powerful insider job on crime and punishment BY JAMES TOWLER Lynda LaPlante's meticulous research into crime and law enforcement has served the viewer well, not least because of her ability to develop the fruits of her fact-finding into gripping drama, most notably in Prime Suspect. Trial and Retribution (ITV, Sunday and Monday, October 19 and 20, 9pm) had all the ingredients of a Prime ...

... What do points make? Prizes for TV humour BY HARRY VENNING Here is a game everyone can play in the comfort of their own homes. It is called 'The Miserable Git' game and can be played on your own or in a group. How to play: Choose a televi sion comedy programme not an ITV sitcom, as that would be too easy and sit through the whole thing stone faced. Award one point for every smile and two ...

... Children's staple gets a badge of honour BY HARRY VENNING Channel surfing late one night I came across a very old episode of The Sweeney. Regan, the old charmer, is in bed with yet another bird. The phone rings and Regan is informed of some dodgy geezers on his manor who need nicking. Regan is out of there before you can say Ford Cortina, leaving the poor crumpet alone with her post-coital ...

... The terror of the talent show makes a welcome return By LISA ROHUMAA For a long time, I have missed the gory spectacle of a full-on talent show in which the acts are pitched against each other like sequinned gladiators. From Opportunity Knocks and the clapometer through to New Faces and the dreaded hyper-critical Tony Hatch, TV was just made for this type of ritualistic showbiz humiliation. ...

... One night at this hotel makes the heart sink BY HARRY VENNING I find that the hardest part of being a TV critic--apart from remembering to set the is video--being constructive. There are not that many interesting ways of extolling a good programme's virtues and my heart sinks whenever a new BBC literary classic adaptation is wheeled out as they are all so monotonously brilliant. Indeed, I ...

... A leap of faith far too great to make Was Sara Thornton justified in sticking a knife in her violent husband's abdomen as he lay defenceless in a drunken stupor? Was the BBC's drama department right to make a sensationalised drama/documentary, Killing Me Softly (BBC1, Sunday July 7. 9pm) about mis real ana sordid case? I have got consider able doubts on both counts. The big problem with the ...

... Late night shows make up for abysmal television Germany may have the best footballers in Europe, but Patrick Martyn discovers its standard of television is no match for Britain The Germans are particularly fond of police series, giving them the rather quaint name of Krimis. A glance at the summer schedules shows that Krimis rule. On June 27, a noted Krimi series celebrated its 25th birth day. ...