<![CDATA[INFORMING BRITAIN by @AndyGibsonTV

<![CDATA[INFORMING BRITAIN by @AndyGibsonTV - TV Reviews]]>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 23:41:27 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[THE BRUVS TOOK THIS REVIEW'S TITLE]]>Wed, 10 May 2017 13:08:10 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/the-bruvs-took-this-reviews-title

"The Bruvs" are taking the Internet by storm.

The two leads are similar to The Mitchell Brothers in EastEnders but unlike Phil & Grant, Den & Doug Bruv (yes, that's their surname) are not as logical in their methods.

The recipe to create a Doug or Den would be; Mix Phil & Grant Mitchell with Mr. Bean then add a hint of Homer Simpson or Peter Griffin and you should get A Bruv out of it.

The animated comedy series, co-created by Ian Brown & Eion Clarke, which debut on YouTube.com in 2015 has been discovered by UKTV and the creators have recently signed with one of their channels, Dave.

It is so good in the way it's written. Each conversation the brothers have are to-the-point. If you watch the video when Den is at the dentist they put the common joke into action. We've all said to someone going to the dentist jokingly "if you give me a bat, I'll knock the tooth out for you" or words of that manner, well The Bruvs actually go through with it. The best part is, it's animated - it's pen to paper drawings - it's computerised - so no-one gets hurt. The only people getting proverbially hurt are the ones not watching The Bruvs on YouTube or Dave.

The animations are simply drawn as well, there's no annoying overly produced 3D effects which does my rare eye condition a world of favours as I can't see in 3D.

Earlier this week, I had a brew with The Bruvs co-creator, Ian Brown, and here's what Ian had to say.

Andy:
What is The Bruvs for people who may not be aware of your work?

Ian:
The Bruvs is an animation comedy series that started online at TheBruvs.com and on our YouTube channel and social media sites - @TheBruvsTV - and has now come to the UKTV channel Dave late nights - and also to their VoD / catch-up service UKTVplay. The short cartoons feature TheBruvs family - a dodgy East London clan trying to go straight in their new home in Essex. Trouble is, they keep failing big time. Each episode usually ends in some sort of violence - generally between the main characters Doug and Den : because they like to keep it in the family!

Andy:
What or who inspired you to create The Bruvs?

Ian:
Having worked in TV, films, DVD and commercials for more than 20 years as a writer and producer, I always wanted to work in animation. I am a great fan of the US juggernauts like The Simpsons, American Dad, South Park and Family Guy. While working on a This Is Your Life tribute to Simon Cowell, I was lucky enough to write a special piece for Homer Simpson to deliver a comedy message to Simon. That inspired me even more. TheBruvs came out of various encounters. But when I teamed with award-winning animation director, Eoin Clarke, to create the look of the brothers, Eoin got them straight away and they were born. Eoin and I have great ambitions for TheBruvs but sadly not much in the way of resources. We would love to develop all the characters and watch them grow - and the episodes grow too.

Andy:
You've recently been signed by Dave, part of UKTV, does this mean the videos on YouTube are a thing of the past?

Ian:
Absolutely not - all our films remain on our YouTube channel and at our website TheBruvs.com and all new films will be exclusive to our channel and the website. Dave have taken 11 of our 15 episodes so far. The other 4 remain exclusive to our sites.

Andy:
What can we expect from the televised series?

Ian:
The same antics but tarted up for TV. We had to create opening titles which meant recording a theme song from our music gurus Stig Winslet and Pete Harbour. For someone like me, who has been told he is tone deaf and cannot sing a note all his life, this was another dream come true. Mind you, it is amazing what technology can do these days. We also had to polish up the episodes a bit for TV. But it is all the same fun and mayhem.

Andy:
How long does each episode take to produce?

Ian:
Frustratingly for us a long time. As I said, we have very limited resources. One of the main issues with all animation is that it is very expensive to produce and very time consuming. Because currently Eoin animates each episode solo - and both of us have to take other work to pay the bills - a 3 minute episode can take 2 or more months to finish from first idea, writing, recording voices with our sound wizard Paul Richmond, music, storyboard to finished item. The time it all takes means I am just as excited to see each new episode as our followers.

Andy:
Do you have any advice for people who are considering starting in animation?

Ian:
Get stuck in. It is a tough world to get into - like all TV and media now. There is a glut of people out there. However, start posting your stuff online to act as a showreel and the sooner you can start showing material to potential employers the better. The great thing now is that the demand for animation is growing - as platforms grow. People want it on their personal websites, for business facebook pages and so on. So, it might not quite be a major Disney movie but there are chances out there to make a living. But the competition is massive. And not many people truly understand what is involved, in time and man hours. So explaining your methods can be tricky to justify charges. But IF it is the thing you want to do, stick at it, keep at it and be thick-skinned to take potential rejection. It is tough, but doing a job you love is worth so much.

Andy:
In the first series, we see Dad in a convalescent home after a freak parachuting accident. In the flashback Dad was parachuting while he was in a wheelchair - what is wrong with Dad's mobility, can you shed some light on that?

Ian:
Just old age really. We are not mocking disability in any way. There is just a madness in the concept of TheBruvs - his sons - thinking they can treat him to a parachute jump, cut corners on how it is done to save cash and shove him out of a plane while still in his wheelchair.

Andy:
Doug & Den's plans never go accordingly, will they ever succeed in what they set out to achieve?

Ian:
Unlikely. Part of the joy of doing these films is often thinking up the ending first, to see how they can get angry with each other in a new way. It is hard to know what they are trying to achieve actually. They say they are trying to go straight and behave... but it is proving very difficult for TheBruvs.

Thanks for that, Ian.

Click anywhere in this sentence for The Bruvs' YouTube channel.

]]><![CDATA[JUST A REVIEW]]>Thu, 09 Mar 2017 15:27:58 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/just-a-review

Just A Couple is a new online comedy series created and directed by Sebastian Thiel.

It depicts a young modern day couple going through highs and lows of an adult relationship.

From living arrangements to jealousy - you name it, it's in there.

Brilliantly written to be both serious and funny at the same time.

Starring Frieda Thiel as Shavon Scantlebury and Michael Salami as Mark Johnson.

Shavon is the strong independent type who does not put up with nonsense. Whereas Mark is prone to putting his foot in it and tries to get out of situations he's got himself into.

Mark wants to do the right thing by people. The trouble with Mark is, he doesn't know exactly what the right thing is. There is no denying his heart is always in the right place.

Shavon's parents warned her about people like Mark and that she should go for someone with prospects. Liking a challenge, she hooks up with Mark in hopes to mould him into the man her parent's would like.

Each of the six episodes are portrayed amazingly. Watching, you would think you are witnessing real life.

The first episode highlights Frieda & Michael's talents as actors.
At just over 10 minutes for the episode they are the only two performers who appear in it.

There may be no foolproof manual on how to be in a successful relationship but if you watch Just A Couple it does give you some pointers.

Will Shavon & Mark survive the gauntlet which faces millennial couples? - Tune in for the next six weeks to find out.

From today, Thursday 9 March 2017, Just A Couple is available every Thursday afternoon on BBC Three's YouTube channel.

Just A Couple is produced by UpShot Entertainment in association with Big Talk Productions.

If you want to watch the first episode, this is it here:

Images copyright: BBC / Big Talk Productions
JustACouple.com

]]><![CDATA[BRING BACK THE CORONER]]>Sun, 05 Mar 2017 20:59:45 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/bring-back-the-coroner

On Tuesday 2 March 2017, we learnt of the BBC's decision to not recommission another drama, Sally Abbott's The Coroner.

There has only been two series of the programme - 20 episodes in total which is not long enough. - Not by a long shot.

The programme contained compelling storytelling and provided work for performers in the drama industry.

The backdrop of Devon provided viewers of beautiful scenery - scenery people may not have been aware of in that part of Britain. I'll come back to this point a little bit later.

With all due respect to the male cast members of The Coroner, in television drama, there is hardly ever a strong female lead - well, Sally Abbott created not one but THREE lead female roles.

Claire Goose, Grace Hogg-Robinson & Beatie Edney all harness incredible talent to lead the programme as its protagonist which, as I mentioned, is a rarity. Most dramas - or programmes based on fiction for that matter - have a male lead; Midsomer Murders, Lewis and Death In Paradise come to mind. In the West-End all three could easily lead a theatre production.

I'm taking nothing away from Matt Bardock, he is an incredible actor in his own right. He has shown his diversity as a performer and then some - just listen to that accent for a start. He can have you roaring with laughter one minute and terrified the next. Brilliant performer.

All performing artists in the series are versatile in their field of work which makes it extremely difficult to comprehend the British Broadcasting Corporation's decision to not make a third series of The Coroner.

Being an actor in 2017 is extremely hard, there is fewer productions being made each and every year due to "reality TV" amongst other elements. The Coroner was an ideal programme for up and coming actors to not only show what they can do, but to learn the subtle tricks of the trade.

Actors cannot go into any old job, for example they can't be employed by a supermarket and be expected to learn television drama - they need outlets to shine on and The Coroner was perfect for that purpose.

Time and time again we see television dramas bite the dust and for what? We never get a categorical reason. We are still waiting for the BBC to give us a new drama to replace Waterloo Road which stopped being broadcast almost 2 years ago to the day.

If The Coroner was horrendously produced I could fathom it being proverbially binned by the BBC - it wasn't - The Coroner was very entertaining afternoon viewing on BBC One.

We've grown to love the characters, Jane, Beth and Davey. Claire Goose, Grace Hogg-Robinson & Matt Bardock garnered an ideal balance of fantastic dynamics. - Although Davey was not Beth's biological father, Jane & Davey were Beth's parents. They were a family. Beatie Edney & Ivan Kaye provided a great pair of characters (Judith Kennedy & Mick Sturrock respectively) for the three main cast to bounce off of. They were the ying to their yang.

As viewers we became part of their family.

Devon itself was being visited by more people, keen to see where The Coroner was made - this brought revenue into Britain. - Money coming in to the United Kingdom can't be a bad thing, surely?

Sally Abbott not only created a wonderful drama, she created a fictional universe which can go on forever and for that fictional universe to come to an almighty halt is a crying shame.

I'm running a poll which ends in three days on social networking site, Twitter.com. Over 300 votes have been balloted and the current result stands at 84% of people want to see a third series of The Coroner. Come on, BBC, what does that tell you?

Sally Abbott's The Coroner has so much more to give and many more stories to be told.

]]><![CDATA[DANCE DANCE DANCE UK]]>Sun, 08 Jan 2017 19:40:43 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/dance-dance-dance-ukITV/STV/UTV Ireland broadcast a brand new show for Sunday Night's - Dance Dance Dance.

What a fireball this show is. Very fun to watch and with original celebrity contestants (and people from The Only Way Is Essex) unlike other celebrity participation programmes where we always get the same people appearing time and time again.

Lucy-Jo Hudson, Fiona Wade & Jonny Labey all were fantastic in the first show of this inagural series.

There's no real need for two presenters. Who is this Will Best anyway? Did the show's producers hang around outside Dance Dance Dance's studios and pick someone at random? Very awkward and looked extremely out of place.

Alesha Dixon & Ashley Banjo are amazing. Very likeable people who will get the ratings for the programme no problem.

I'm surprised they put ballroom style dancing in the show as it would be better to leave that to Strictly Come Dancing so there can be a definitive difference between the two shows.

Dance Dance Dance is a great addition to Sunday Night's and a much needed one as it's an ITV Produced programme which doesn't involve Simon Cowell.

]]><![CDATA[#BringBackBalham - A REVIEW OF GP's BEHIND CLOSED DOORS]]>Sun, 23 Oct 2016 19:31:05 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/bringbackbalham-a-review-of-gps-behind-closed-doors

KnickerbockerGlory, the television production company - not the well known desert - returned to Channel 5 with series 4 of GP's Behind Closed Doors almost 5 weeks ago and the fourth series has been very disappointing.

In the series previous, we were introduced to likable, dare I say lovable, people at a medical centre in the Balham region of London in the third series of GP's Behind Closed Doors.

In series 3, we met medical staff full of life and personality.

Paa Siaw - Probably the most talked about person of the whole series due to his caring nature with people of all ages and a very unique hairstyle. He is a Health Care Assistant who was a real hit with the pensioners in particular.

Doctors; Sara Kayat, Eleanor Beecraft, William Laird, Shilts Shah, Heather Watson and Clémence Mitchell - to name a few - had amazing people skills and a very clever way of making their vulnerable patients feel completely at ease in their horrendously difficult circumstances. Those group of Doctors were not just your regular local General Practitioners, they were gentle souls who went out of their way each and every time to ensure the people they were helping were cared for in the best way possible.

On reception, we had Antonia Beeko & Anesha Lamaz, two of the most friendliest of women you could ever meet. - A pair of ladies who I'd prefer to be calling if I ever needed my local surgery.

We even got to know the patients as well, we became a part of their story as we were with them step-by-step.

Which leads me to series 4 of GP's Behind Closed Doors.

Farnham Road Surgery is very lacklustre of just about everything. - The medical staff shown come across not a friendly bunch whatsoever. Their style in dealing with patients isn't comfortable to watch whatsoever as it's very hard viewing.

We need Balham Park Surgery back indefinitely. All of the staff are amazing to watch and they take their time over people. - Plus, we need to keep up with the patients as well.

We know this place, we love this place, it's long overdue we went back to it.

No other series of GP's Behind Closed Doors has had such likeable people than in series 3 at Balham Park Surgery.

KnickerbockerGlory, I implore you and Channel 5 to renegotiate a contract with Balham Park Surgery and give us back the people we love to watch.

If you agree, tweet KnickerbockerGlory with the hashtags, #BringBackBalham & #GPsBehindClosedDoors.

Click here to directly tweet KnickerbockerGlory.

]]><![CDATA[THE KID THAT CRIED WHEN HIS RABBIT DIED: THE LIFE OF DAVID PLATT]]>Mon, 17 Oct 2016 12:50:19 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/the-kid-that-cried-when-his-pet-rabbit-died-the-life-of-david-platt

The Teen Tormentor Years

David Daniel Platt, born on Christmas Day 1990, is the son of Martin and Gail Platt. Drama was never far from David’s life even from a young age, when he was the centre of a botched kidnap plot orchestrated by his father’s friend, Carmel Finnan, who later attempted to frame Gail for pushing her down the stairs. The young boy’s disobedient streak first began to surface when, in 2001, David’s parents divorced after Martin had an affair with Rebecca Hopkins. Distraught, David began to misbehave and after becoming the target of a school bully, his wayward behaviour became violent despite Gail's hopeless pleas. If only the Platts knew then that this was just the beginning of Dangerous David Platt.

As the Platt family looked like they were moving on to happier times who could forget Gail’s third husband, Richard Hillman. In March 2003, Richard was revealed to be a serial killer and set about killing himself, Gail, David, Sarah and Bethany by driving them into the local canal in a spectacular scene. Luckily, David and the rest of the family were rescued as Richard met his demise in a watery grave.

However the memories of his evil stepfather made an imprint on a young David leaving him suspicious of Gail’s next relationship with Phil Nail. With his penchant for scheming spiralling, David plotted a sinister hate campaign against his mum’s new partner, framing him for poisonous pen letters spookily signed from Richard. Phil finally reached breaking point with the teen tormentor but in the end he was dumped by an angry Gail and David remained triumphant.

After successfully tearing apart his mother’s relationship, romance was in the air for David himself when he developed feelings for fellow hairdresser, Maria Sutherland. But the course of love failed to run smoothly as Maria was enjoying an illicit affair with the Street’s badboy Charlie Stubbs who then threatened David into silence. Not one to be obedient, David attempted to blackmail Charlie but he was bundled into a bathtub with Charlie determined to drown him. In the nick of time, Maria saved David’s life - another brush with death.

The Tina McIntyre Years

David then tried his shot at romance for a second time when he began a relationship with Tina McIntyre in 2008. After finding out that Gail paid for Tina to have an abortion, demonic David pushes his mother down the stairs and when Tina ends their short-lived romance, it sparks a vicious rampage where he smashed up the Street, attacked Ken Barlow and hit a policewoman. He was sentenced to four months in a Young Offenders Institution.

Blinded by love for Tina, David sparked a rumbling feud with the Windass family after they refused to pay for work Tina’s father Joe McIntyre carried out. Devious David returned with a vengeance and, driven by jealousy of Gary Windass’s friendship with Tina, David framed Gary for theft. Gary’s confession to the police led to David being arrested once more.
But David’s conflict with the law didn’t deter his jealous crush on Tina and when she began a relationship with Jason Grimshaw, David agreed to supply her father with drugs as long as
he attempted to break up the pair. Joe’s shock suicide lead to Gail being arrested for his murder and David had to prove his mother’s innocence.

Tina’s next love interest was David’s best friend Graeme leaving the heartbroken Platt feeling betrayed. When David suffered a blackout while driving and knocked Graeme over, he was arrested for attempted murder as no one believed his version of events. Although his track record wasn’t the best, just before the court case began, David suffered another blackout and the Street began to realise he was telling the truth… well, this time.

The Kylie Turner Years

After a sunshine break abroad, David returned to Weatherfield engaged to Kylie Turner, half-sister of Becky McDonald. After gaining custody of Kylie’s son Max from Becky and Steve McDonald, it looked as though David was finally heading for wedded bliss. But heartache struck when he discovered that his wife had slept with his brother Nick. Choosing not to confront the duo, he caused a car accident, leaving Nick in a coma and with permanent brain damage. Kylie and David reconciled but after discovering Kylie’s amphetamine addiction, he threw her out and she left Weatherfield.

Kylie arrived back on the Street but so did a familiar face from her past who threatened to destruct the family life that David and Kylie had worked so hard for; Max's father Callum wanted access to Max. The custody battle that followed turned into a violent feud which escalated when Callum used Sarah and Bethany in a sinister game of manipulation. When they attempted to frame Callum for a crime he lashed out at Sarah and so Kylie, in an act of protection, killed him. The murder was covered up until rescue workers found Callum's body and David was initially the main suspect. The family managed to frame another of Callum's enemies who happens to be dead and, after all the catastrophe they had endured on the cobbles, David and Kylie agreed to relocate their family to Barbados. At the final moment, their plans are ruined when Clayton Hibbs stabs Kylie and she takes her last breath in David’s arms.

Before David's turbulent week in Coronation Street begins, take a look at Jack P. Shepherd's historic career in Weatherfield over the years in the gallery below.

]]><![CDATA[A STRICTLY CONTROVERSIAL ELIMINATION]]>Sun, 02 Oct 2016 18:14:55 GMThttps://www.informingbritain.com/tv-reviews/a-strictly-controversial-elimination

Credit: BBC / J. Brooks / M. Burlem

Credit: BBC / J. Brooks/ M. Burlem

It was meant to be Melvin Odoom & Janette Manrara and Anastacia Newkirk & Brendan Cole in the first dance off of the 2016 series however, due to Anastacia 's injury, she received a bye to next week for some reason leaving Melvin O very much doomed after receiving the fewest public votes last night.

These are the moments both couples learnt their fate.

Anastacia Newkirk & Brendan Cole

Janette Manrara & Melvin Odoom

Danny Mac & Otlile Mabuse: 63
Louise Redknapp & Kevin Clifton: 63
Daisy Lowe & Aljaž Skorjanec: 62
Laura Whitmore & Giovanni Pernice: 57
Will Young & Karen Clifton: 57
Claudia Fragapane & AJ Pritchard: 56
Tameka Empson & Gorka Marquez: 55

Ore Oduba & Joanne Clifton: 54
Greg Rutherford & Natalie Lowe: 53
Judge Rinder & Oksana Dmytrenko: 52
Lesley Joseph & Anton Du Beke: 49
Naga Munchetty & Pasha Kovalev: 46
Ed Balls & Katya Jones: 44

To clarify, Melvin Odoom & Janette Manrara are eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.

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