STARS IN HER EYES
Matthew Pinsent appears on Parkinson tonight. I do hope he was watching when Kelly Holmes was a guest. Dear Kelly was simply starstruck. “I can’t believe it,” she said, as she gazed in the direction of Tom Cruise, while not, of course, looking directly at him in case she fainted. Even when Tom clapped like a seal in the circus, Kelly remained infatuated. So, Matthew, stay statesmanlike and superior and don’t fawn over Parky or his guests. On the other hand, is Pinsent likely to be bowled over by being in the same room as Lenny Henry and Frank Skinner? I don’t think so. (Parkinson, 10.10pm tonight, ITV1)
OSCAR’S NIGHT
Oscar De La Hoya takes on Bernard Hopkins tonight for the undisputed world middleweight title. In Dark Trade, a wonderful book packed with stories about the fragility of boxers, Oscar stood out. He won an Olympic gold medal in Barcelona to honour the memory of his mother. His father had taken him to the gym at six years old, Oscar would rather be a golfer but does his duty in the ring. “He was glamorous and cordial, beautiful and talented,” Donald McRae, the author, wrote. Even so, I am not sure that I am prepared to fork out the £11.95 necessary to see his bout live. (Live boxing, midnight tonight, Sky Box Office)
MASTER AND COMMANDER
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Nothing wrong with showing classic moments from sport, sometimes the spine tingles more the second, third or 40th time around. But it jars to see that Sky Sports are rerunning Tim Henman’s victory at the Paris Masters last year. This is because tennis has a special place in the world of repeat television. That place is during Wimbledon fortnight when it rains and we put up with it because it is something of a tradition — but that’s it. The unspoken contract between viewer and producer is that there will be no more repeats for another year. And Sky, always trying to break new ground, have broken the deal. (Sky Sports Classics, 1.15am tomorrow, Sky Sports 2)
BIG TOP BONANZA
Male golfers are not the most athletic looking of folk. Why, quite a few very famous ones have breasts that wobble as they strut on to the green, and some wear clothes that a clown would reject even in an emergency. But somehow they retain dignity by the solitude of their craft and their obvious inner turmoil. So turning golf into a team game, just leaves the clothes and the breasts . . . (Live Golf: The Ryder Cup, noon today and 4pm tomorrow, Sky Sports 1)
WHEELS OF FORTUNE
Cast your mind back to the Olympic Games and how, in spite of yourself, you found events as ludicrous as synchronised diving, compelling viewing.
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In other words, give the Paralympics a chance. As a recent BBC documentary about Great Britain’s wheelchair basketball team revealed, there is no less commitment, dedication, skill and passion among the disabled athletes but perhaps there is much more for the viewer to feel humble about. (Great Britain v Italy, men’s wheelchair basketball, 2.45pm today, BBC One)
AND ANOTHER THING
Richard Keys appeared to relish the fact he could talk us through the incident that led to the abandonment of AS Roma’s Champions League match on Wednesday. Over and over, we were shown Anders Frisk, the referee who had sent off Philippe Mexes, the Roma defender, being struck by an object thrown from the crowd. It led to the best exchange yet between Glenn Hoddle and Ray Wilkins, Sky Sports’ pundits, and Keys. Key s wondered if Mexes’s behaviour was typically Italian. As Wilkins prepared to sit on the fence, Hoddle said: “But he’s French.”