STRAWBERRIES AND LARD
Certain things clash horribly; a six-year-old boy wearing a bow-tie to school, turning up to a job interview with mascara running down your cheeks, David Beckham’s smart sunglasses juxtaposed with that not-so-chic tattoo on the back of his neck. And in telly terms, holding a Weakest Link Wimbledon Special just jars. The Weakest Link is dark and gloomy, Wimbledon is bright and breezy. Anne Robinson lobs up the questions and refuses to acknowledge decent responses. Sue Barker coos over every forehand drive and deft volley. Surely the BBC could have dreamt up a more suitable taster for the All England Championships than this. (Weakest Link Wimbledon Special, 5.55pm tomorrow, BBC One)
SOCKS OVER SHOES
And talking of Sue, one of those out-takes compilations from A Question of Sport is on air tonight. We are promised strong language and satire from, among others, Michael Owen. One reason Owen receives such a bashing in the media is that he is perceived as a too cautious and packaged personality. Hopefully he will swear his socks off. (A Question of Sport, 9.55pm today, BBC One)
Advertisement
FETA IN THE SNOW
When the draw was made for Euro 2004, you can be sure most television executives imagined that Spain v Portugal would represent a fun-filled occasion with local rivalries abounding. Greece v Russia? Well that would be meaningless, surely. But Greece can qualify for the quarter-finals, something the staff at British Eurosport predicted and therefore bid for, they tell me. And so that rare bird, a live and exclusive Euro 2004 match on British Eurosport, might be worth watching. (Live Euro 2004, 6.45pm tomorrow, British Eurosport)
LAGER IN BED
England rugby union fans, after witnessing another defeat for their team in Auckland in the second international against New Zealand, can always hang around optimistically until the evening and tune in to the coverage of the Churchill Cup in Canada, which, handily, is, this year, between England’s A string and the New Zealand Maori. (Live international rugby union, 8am, Sky Sports 1 today; International rugby, 12.55am, BBC One tomorrow)
BEAR ON A BOAT
Advertisement
It is starting to bother me that the resurrected Fantasy Football has Angus Loughran in the corner, just as it always did, but he delivers no stats. There are so many facts and figures that Statto could throw at David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, but instead he slumps at his desk occasionally reading out a viewer’s letter. It is like watching a caged bear being given the wrong food. Stats could set Statto free. (Fantasy Football: Euro 2004, ITV1, 10.20pm tomorrow)
AND ANOTHER THING
Have you seen the advert for this weekend’s grand prix, in which Jenson Button says, emotionally: “I want to win so much”, and sounds like a lovesick teenager? I had no idea Formula One was, as well as noisy and repetitive, so touchy-feely. (F1: USA Grand Prix Live, ITV1, 5pm tomorrow)