Red or Black? Ant & Dec Win Either Way

I'm not a Doctor Who fan.

So tonight I've been watching ITV and the newest Saturday evening entertainment extravaganza - Red or Black?

Just like Channel 4's recent success with The Million Pound Drop where the added suspense of knowing that anything can happen in front of your eyes, adds an excitement that is lacking in its pre-recorded equivalent.

Equality of Opportunity
I've been derided for being a fan of Deal or No Deal but I'll stand by that and it's for the same reason that I've enjoyed Red or Black this evening.

The format comes down to a simple matter of luck. Just like with Deal or No Deal, Red or Black requires no skill and no expertise. It is a format which is egalitarian and fair. Anyone can play and anyone, no matter what their age, class, sex, race etc, could conceivably go all the way to the live final for a single spin for a million pounds.

I enjoy skill-based quiz or entertainment based shows. As a quiz boff, the uber-competitive Eggheads is excellent but only the keenest pub quizzer could ever compete. Likewise, the increasingly popular Pointless, hosted by Alexander Amstrong puts a twist on answering questions but again, a certain amount of knowledge is necessary.

We're all different with our own quirks and individual fortés but progammes such as Deal or No Deal and Red or Black levels the playing field and puts all on an equal footing. Personally, whilst they're often ridiculed for their simplicity, I rather like that basic trait.

A Star Attraction - Ant & Dec
So for me, this evening's new gameshow which will be running all week, already has a crucial vital ingrediant working in its favour.

It also has another - its presenters.

Ant & Dec are a televisual phenomenon. Since their lives collided on the set of Byker Grove back in 1989, they have moved on to release singles as PJ & Duncan and have moved on to an extraordinary media career as a double act.

Their main hits include:

• SMTV Live (1999–2001)
• CD:UK (1999–2001)
• Pop Idol (2001–2003)
• Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (2002–2008)
• I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (2002–present)
• PokerFace (2006)
• Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon (2006)
• Britain's Got Talent (2007–present)
• Ant & Dec's Push The Button (2009–present)
• Red or Black? (2011–present)

They are apparently inseparable. Indeed such is their intertwined popularity, it is reported that they are each insured against the other's death, although the amount is unknown.

Their media persona is such that to assist with identification, all of their TV appearances and publicity photos have Ant on the left and Dec on the right.

Why so popular? They just have that cheeky charm that endears them to the viewing audience. It is also strikingly obvious that they are close friends. The rapport that they have with each other shines through and after 20+ years together it isn't surprising. Yet some relationships can sour with age but this one seems strong and when their success is as inextricably linked to each other as theirs is, that isn't surprising.

Such is their popularity with the British public, the success of a new show such as Red or Black is all but guaranteed by having the duo as the anchors.

Red or Black? Ant and Dec? They're all winners.

London's Burning

The scenes tonight on BBC News 24 are horrific. It's heart-breaking. The scenes from Hackney and tonight, Croydon, were bad enough but now I'm hearing of looting in Clapham. I was in Clapham staying with friends only last month and I've already texted them to ask them to stay safe.

My thoughts go out to everyone suffering at the hands of a mindless minority tonight and over recent days.

The BBC - Bringing Us Sunshine since 1922

I've always been a keen fan of the BBC as I mentioned previously in this blog here.

Like with any institution, it has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years but its most recent trailer, to me, manages to epitomise in 60 seconds, all that is great about the BBC.

It manages to combine the rich heritage of the BBC with the modern programming of today.

Beginning with the legendary '4291' clip from One Foot in the Grave, we then move forward into the Morecambe & Wise signature tune 'Bring Me Sunshine' with the imaginary twist of seeing our modern day BBC heroes mouthing those famous words sang by the immortal Eric and Ernie some 40 years earlier.



It's a great BBC trailer and most importantly, it made me smile and reminded me why I love the BBC so much.

It brought me sunshine so, job done!

An Azerbaijan Victory but Moldova the Moral Winners!

It was an amusing European Song Contest and thanks to my friends on Facebook who made it an on-line 'community' event!

I must admit that having been underwhelmed by the opening few entries, I suddently found my home with the absolute randomness that was the Moldovian effort!

It reminded me of Madness in the early 1980s. It was over-the-top, wholly irreverant and 110% ridiculous which for me, made it brilliant!

Here they are in the semi-final...

Congratulations to the winners Azerbaijan but for me, with unicycles, monocles, pointy hats and trumpets, there was only one real winner for me tonight - Moldova!

A Tribute to Eurovision (Part II) - The Greatest Hits (1956-2011)

It's that time of year again.

The Eurovision Song Contest is here to bring us its annual dose of hillarity, incredulity and sheer randomness that manages to infuriate and illuminate us all at the same time.

I don't watch it as much as I used too as the shine has been taken off the contest in recent years in my mind. Is it because the UK have fallen back to regular also-rans since the turn of the millennium? Quite probably yes. Also, the loss of the talismanic (and indeed manic) commentating style of Terry Wogan has meant that to me the competition in these isles have lost that mavaric, irreverant care-free voice that made it a 'must-watch' every May.

But whilst I may just tune in to see if Blue manage to improve the UK's lot this year, I can still look back in my own memory and in the memory of the televisual archives to some stand-out moments in Eurovision history.

So here is my run-down of the 20 greatest songs from Eurovision's 55 year history to date since it began in 1956...

No.20 - Rock Bottom (Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran) UK - 1977

It may be rock bottom of my top 20, but this playful melody brought the UK one of many 2nd places in the competition over the years. I love the mix of having two pianos being played along with an orchestra. A catchy sound.



No.19 - La Det Swinge (Bobbysocks) Norway - 1985

Norway's first Eurovision winner was an old-fashioned homage to the rock'n roll era of a generation earlier. Its retro sound struck a chord as it won the 1985 contest for the double act Bobbysocks!



No.18 - Ding-a-Dong (Teach-In) Holland - 1975

The 1975 Eurovision winners followed in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors from 1974 by becoming the second entry to win having not sung in their native tounge.

No.17 - Puppet on a String (Sandie Shaw) UK - 1967

The UK's first win at Eurovision by Sandie Shaw was with a song that she didn't even like! She was also nearly dropped before the competition by the BBC because she was the 'other woman' in a divorce case! But she did sing and made a a piece of history by winning by a then record margin.

Key Change!



No.16 - Nocturne (Secret Garden) Norway - 1995

Norway's second winner was another classic but this time for a different reason from its rocky attempt of a decade earlier.

Secret Garden's performance consisted of only 24 words with a violin solo at the heart of the piece. It reminds me of the music used years later in the popular Shrek movies.



No.15 - Boom-Bang-A-Bang (Lulu) UK - 1969

The UK's second Eurovision winner actually tied for the honour with 3 other entrants in an era when shared victories were permitted.

Like with any Eurovsision hit, it had a catchy hook that is rememebred 40 years on.

No.14 - Poupée de cire, poupée de son (France Gall) Luxembourg - 1965

This catchy song composed by Serge Gainsbourg and sang in French by France Gall was the first non-ballad winner of Eurovision.

No.13 - What’s Another Year? (Johnny Logan) Ireland - 1980

Johnny Logan gave Ireland its second Eurovision win in 1980 with this ballad. He would return 7 years later to win the Eurovision for a second time. He also composed the winning Irish entry by Linda Martin in 1992.

No.12 - Tu te reconnaîtras (Ann-Marie David) Luxembourg - 1973

In 1973, Luxembourg became only the second country to win back-to-back contests after Spain in 1968 & 1969 (indeed, only Israel in 1978 & 1979 and Ireland in 1992, 1993 & 1994 have matched that feat).

Big band time!

No.11 - Save Your Kisses for Me (Brotherhood of Man) UK - 1976

A classic Eurovision hit, it just misses out on my Top 10.

Before we break into the Top.10, it's time for an interval.

What better way of taking a break than with the greatest interval act in Eurovision history? In 1994 in Dublin, the Irish event organisers gave us what would become a world-wide sensational hit - Riverdance.

No.10 - Fly on the Wings of Love (Olsen Brothers) Denmark - 2000

It's a simple but catchy number that begins my Top 10. This rather old-fashioned love ballad was sang by the oldest performers to enter the contest and became the first song since 1974 to lead the competition from start to finish.



No.9 - Congratulations (Cliff Richard) UK - 1968

This perennial Eurovision hit was the favourite to win the contest in 1968 but was pipped by a single point by Spain. It reached No.1 in the UK charts.



No.8 - Diva (Dana International) Israel - 1998

This was and remains, a huge Eurovision success story, being sang as it was by one of the most well known transexuals in the world.

I remember it clearly and it took the world by storm.

No.7 - Take Me To Your Heaven (Charlotte Nilsson) Sweden - 1999

This is a fantastic, up-beat Eurovision favourite which celebrated the 25th anniversary of a certain Swedish band's win in 1974 in style.

No.6 - Love Shine a Light (Katrina and the Waves) UK - 1997

It remains the last British victory at Eurovision to date and is a beautiful anthemic hit. With 227 out of a possible 288 points, it created an Eurovision record which stood until 2004.

No.5 - Making Your Mind Up (Bucks Fizz) UK - 1981

Katrina and the Waves' win was Britain's first in 16 years since this hit from 1981.

The immortal Eurovision 'key change' was noticeable here in a song that epitomised the Eurovision sound with a strong beat and catchy lyrics. It will always be remembered of course for the legendary whipping off of the girls' skirts to reveal even shorter skirts by the boys.

No.4 - Nel blu dipinto di blu (Volare) (Domenico Modugno) Italy - 1958

A surprise entry at No.4? Certainly not.

Although it only placed 3rd for Italy in the 1958 competition, it has become famous the world over with over 100 covers of the song over the past 50 years - most famously being made its own by Dean Martin.

No.3 - Ein bißchen Frieden (A Little Peace) (Nicole) Germany - 1982

The winning song in the year of my birth, this is a simple but gentle ballad describing a wish for world peace, with the lyrics sung in first person, and also describes the beauty of the natural world.

Nicole was only 17 when she performed what would become Germany's first ever Eurovision winner.

Key Change!

No.2 - All Kinds of Everything (Dana) Ireland - 1970

Another easy on the ear ballad (noticing a trend here?!), 18 year old Dana won Ireland the first of a record 7 Eurovision titles.

She proved that she was capable of all kinds of everything as she moved from the entertainment arena to politics. In 1997, she stood as an Independent candidate or the Irish Presidency and though she failed in that endeavour, she was elected to the European Parliament for a single 5 year term in 1999 - again as an Independent.

It all began with that appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970!

No.1 - Waterloo (ABBA) Sweden - 1974

It has to be really, hasn't it?

They had released singles before this appearance but it was winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest that brought ABBA to world-wide attention and would eventually lead to their fame and fortune.

So I thank Eurovision for giving us ABBA and their music but also, all of this weird and wonderful music which we have had to put up with over the years!

There are online bargains available for songs from the '60's & '70's.