Thursday, April 03, 2008

On the box, and In the Black Box

For all you culture vultures who read AiB ...

©BBC Picture shows: (l-r) CATHERINE TATE as Donna, DAVID TENNANT as The Doctor. TX: BBC ONE Saturday 5th April 2008 WARNING: Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Picturesí BBC Digital Picture Service. In particular, this image may only be published in print for editorial use during the publicity period (the weeks immediately leading up to and including the transmission week of the relevant programme or event and three review weeks following) for the purpose of publicising the programme, person or service pictured and provided the BBC and the copyright holder in the caption are credited. Any use of this image on the internet and other online communication services will require a separate prior agreement with BBC Pictures. For any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising and commercial prior written approval from the copyright holder will be required.

Doctor Who is back on Saturday night ... but earlier in the evening that you might expect. So tune into BBC One at 6.20pm - harrumph, that’s well before bath and story time - as Donna (the runaway bride) tries to find the Doctor again. Russell T Davies isn’t too happy about the time change either ... though the show should return to 7pm or thereabouts after a handful of episodes once I’d Do Anything finishes. Maybe the Doctor will be singing It’s a Fine Life, while Donna croons As Long As He Needs Me!

Any Whovians reading won’t want to miss the Verity Lambert tribute weekend on BBC Four starting on Saturday evening with The Naked Civil Servant, Doctor Who: The Daleks, Minder & Jonathon Creek, Shoulder to Shoulder: Annie Kenney, Adam Adamant Lives, as well as a 60 minute look retrospective on her career in TV drama.

Martin McGuinness enjoying the company of some Muppets - Northern Ireland's Sesame Tree

Sesame Tree starts on BBC Two at 2.15pm on Tuesday afternoon. Funny enough, it’s in the fifteen minutes before the behind-the-scenes peek at NI’s other more adult Muppet Show - Stormont Live looking at the work of our elected representatives up at Stormont. Seems like a good enough excuse to post that picture of Martin McGuinness again!

Update - April 2007 - it's made it onto our screens.

To add some balance, you’ve missed the first two programmes, but it’s not too late to catch the last The Troubles I’ve Seen on UTV on Monday at 8pm. Another retrospective. This time as Denis Tuohy talks to well known national journalists like Kate Adie, Sir Trevor McDonald and Peter Taylor about the time they spent covering Northern Ireland stories.

And if you’re averse to big stadium Christian events and giving Celebration of Hope a miss over at the Odyssey Arena (some have referred to it as “making Jesus king by force”), then the alternative religious act IKON is on in the Black Box arts venue on Sunday night. They pride themselves as being iconic, apocalyptic, heretical, emerging, failing.

IKON logo

In the heart of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, the bar opens at 8pm, with the organised activities kicking off closer to half eight. The night’s act is entitled “we have decided not to die” this month. Having popped along to IKON in February, I can say that they’re a friendly bunch. Must get around to finishing writing up the post about the experience.

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