The Horizon physics/cosmology documentaries can be good. My main gripe is just that they are slightly dumbed down but I suppose they need to explain these things for the first time to the uninitiated (like Shambles, I gorge myself on the stuff). When you try to watch the American documentaries, you really do appreciate the good old BBC. It's impossible to watch some of the American documentaries with their over-production, constant re-caps, bizarre visual metaphors, and blockbuster film trailer narration..
Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle: Childhood
Found this recent series a bit patchy compared to normal but that last one is a belter. Was in pain laughing at that last night. Piss funny![]()
Chasing Dad: A Lifelong Addiction
Second episode of BBC3's current season of addiction docs. Grown-up son documents a year or so in the life of his father who has been on the gear for 30+ years. Thought it was rather well done myself. Not at all sensationalist - I suspect at least some here will recognise a lot in there. I know I did.
The previous one following a homeless fella addicted to Spice was good too and is still available on iPlayer.
We can be heroes is pretty funny. My favourite was the dolphin collecting roller.^ Biggest problem with the synth 'noids is that with two or more "generations" of 'em banned already they're seriously scraping the barrel in terms of being even remotely linked to any prior in vivo studies. At least the early one had basic human trials under their belts but as the chemical names descend ever deeper into alphabetti spaghetti strings they become riskier and riskier (not to mention ever farther from the original effects of cannabis itself). I hold 5F-AKB-(?) almost single-handedly responsible for the sudden and massive increase in psychotic effects I experienced from a number of other substances I had years of experience with with some, but nowhere near as severe, psychosis-related issues with previously.
We Can Be Heroes
Watched 'em all recently and thought it was pretty good. Who will be the ultimate Aussie? You decide!!!
Game Of Thrones! Good start to the new season.
I guess having worked in hospitals the show just holds a special appeal to me.I've tried a few times to watch 'House' but can't get into it - don't think I've watched a full episode tbh.
I hope the new job is going well (not new now but I have not been online for a while)
Just watched the new Louis Theroux on iPlayer. Drinking to Oblivion focusses on the King's College specialist alcohol and liver unit and several patients with serious alcohol dependency issues. As you'd expect with Louis Theorux it's his usual style o' thing and, as usual with Louis Theroux, worth a watch. It would be nice to see him working on some longer form docs that went a little deeper but he has his way of doing things and he always seems to manage capturing the heart of the matter even without delving too deep into individual cases. Good stuff. In a somewhat scary way in parts.
I'd say that was precisely how he makes such compelling viewing. He lets the subject do all the talking by providing minimal guidance. Kinda like how counsellors and therapists tend to keep schtum and let the client fill in the silence. Very effective way of getting people to open up. May seem simplistic but very tricky to achieve which is why you don't get many who manage such consistently good results on such a range of subject matter.
I often also get the impression - and he says as much when interviewed himself - that he likes to go in with minimal expectations and outlining. Come to the issue with as few preconceptions as possible and just let the subject speak for his or her self. I wouldn't say he is lost for words so much as thinking on his about what to say and how to respond to people - and, importantly, when not to - rather than having a set idea of where he wants to get to and guiding his audience and subjects to it as so many other documentaries do. The best documentarians tend to keep their own input to a bare minimum cos it's just far more compelling to stay out of it and let the stories unfold naturally and go where they go.