BrokenTV makes it's feelings known about the teaser ad for Rob Brydon's Annually Retentive

"Oh no! Another attempt to 'be' Larry Sanders!"Good!It tears asunder the weakness of the formulaic 'comedy' panel show format, by mercilessly lampooning it!Bad!Much of the show is likely to be nothing more than a formulaic 'comedy' panel show, but with sarcastic cutaways every...

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A Post That Isn't About Football

Because really, how many more ways can we think of to say "Lawrenson isn't as funny as he thinks he is"? So, to mark the first day of the World Cup where there's no football on, it's time for...The BrokenTV Hit Parade[BrokenTV thinks about donning a comedy Jimmy Saville wig...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Fifteen microupdate

Ian Wright, Leonardo and Adrian Chiles investigate the controversy of the new World Cup ball design by having a game of Wembley. Aces.BBC + 4 pointsMartin O'Neill waxing lyrical about his jealousy for Leonardo. "He isn't the sort of boy you'd be wanting to walk into a disco with." Best pundit of the World Cup? We think so.BBC +2 poi...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Fourteen

From England-Sweden, just after Owen crawls off, delivered in a mocking tone over a shot of Theo Walcott: "That's England's other striker. He's got a provisional driving licence." So? Do you need an HGV licence before you can play international football or something?ITV - 1 pointFrom same: "That was an agricultural clearance from Campbell." Who needs...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Eight

The match coverage is still about the same level as ever (although we always welcome the use of Strachan for key matches, so well done, the BBC. Switch Lineker and Chiles around, and we'll be happy), so here's a look at another piece of World Cup programming.World CuppaThere's...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Five

BBCAt half-time of the France-Switzerland match, Iain Dowie wandering into shot whilst gossiping on his mobile, much to the amusement of Gary. "Is that... is that Dowie?"+2 pointsGary's smug smirk when trying to make a joke about Kaka's name ("Brazil's performance was Kaka... led"). Gary, no.-2 pointsScores as they were, th...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Four

BBCGary and Ian "Wright Wright" Wright trying with all their combined might to extract an ounce of humour from referring to Serbia and Montenegro as 'S&M', despite the obvious insurmountable odds.-3 pointsMartin O'Neill slowly but visibly becoming irritated by the above.+2 pointsAn interview with Embrace...-2 points...with 'Comedy Dave' off of...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day Two

England vs Paraguay10th June 2006BBC1That old stalwart of coverage of England in international tournaments - a rousing speech (this time from Henry V, literary fans), set to grainy footage of the team. A cliche, but at least the BBC always do this sort of thing well, while ITV always tend to mess it up ("The Barcelona Code", indeed).+ 2 pointsA round-up...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day One (and a bit)

Poland vs Ecuador.ITVNot one, but two sponsors for their coverage. The EDF Energy ones should be over quickly and be fairly inoffensive, but the ones for rubbish lager Budweiser, featuring ha-ha-larious spoof US soccer commentators, is sure to get tremendously tiresome very quickly.- 1 point.Uh-oh. Bad cover version of Bowie's Heroes as a theme. The...

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BrokenTV's World Cup: Day One

So, World Cup time. And the question everyone is asking surely has to be: who will have the least terrible coverage? Usually the BBC, of course, but a poor showing throughout the regular season for Motty and Lawrenson means that rank (and we do mean rank) outsiders LiveAndExclusiveOnITV might be inspired to stop being so shit for long enough to string...

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MoreTube

More crumbs shaken from the archive toaster:HUGH LAURIE AND BOOZEThatcher's Britain, eh? Pff.Not quite up to the standards of the Fry Ampersand Laurie Alliance and Leicester adverts, this advert from, ooh, 1981? sees Our Hugh playing Bloke In Pub Looking For Work In Harsh Ecomomic...

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Old Television: here

Thanks to the wonder of YouTube, all manner of TV flotsam has been shovelled onto the web. Granted, much of it is annoying American teens miming along to Fall Out Boy with their chums, but some of it is good. And, thanks to someone who, on legal advice, we'd like to state categorically...

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