Sunday night telly. An age old bastion of programming that always let you know, in no uncertain terms, that it was back to work or school or whatever the next day. As a youngster, it was the likes of Howard’s Way, That’s Life, Clive James and Spitting Image that drummed into my head, “you are back to school tomorrow. The weekend is over.”
Growing up in our family, Sunday dinner was exactly that, it happened in the evening. In the dining room, with a tablecloth and the black and white portable. My auntie used to come for dinner every Sunday – always brought a trifle (worse for wear after the car journey) and was always late.
Usually we’d be sat eating in front of The Two Ronnies (I remember the long running saga of The Phantom Raspberry Blower had my mam pushing away her mashed potato and gravy for weeks) or Catchphrase.
And now Catchphrase is back. I can see ITV’s thinking behind it – it’s high time we had an easy-to-watch, family friendly game show where the contestants aren’t trying to screw each other over like Goldenballs or where you need a degree in astrophysics to understand it, like that unnecessarily complicated Nick Knowles vehicle on Saturday nights (is it still on?).
What I can’t see is ITV’s thinking behind Off Their Rockers. I’d love to have been a fly on the wall at that commissioning meeting.
“Half an hour to fill. How about a hidden camera show where old folks act in such a way that everyone thinks they’re complete twats?”
“Yeah, that’ll do.”
ROFL as the show starts with “if you’re offended, go and get a life. We fought in the war you know.”
Guffaw as the nun on the scooter toots an air horn at some giggling empty-heads. (Or don’t, because it’s in the trailer and you’ve seen it a million times so far.)
Attempt to stop your sides from splitting as an old fella picks things out of the worst fake beard since Queen Elizabeth in Blackadder II.
The hoots and yuks continue – or not in my case.
I just don’t get it. It doesn’t scream Sunday night viewing (but will undoubtedly get a second series). In fact what it does scream is, “what the actual…?” Am I missing something?
