 As a talk show parody, Jennifer Saunders finally has another winner, says David Knox.
“Did you say Oprah?” gasps Vivienne Vyle.
“How dare you talk about Oprah? We’d all like to be Oprah! We’d all like to sit and clutch hands with Susan Sarandon and weep openly when she says she’s a great ‘marm.’
“We’d all like to sit smugly in the condom of cashmere and deal out Ralph Lauren vouchers to the poor and hungry, but we can’t. Do you know why she can? Because she owns the fucking channel! She doesn’t need children!”
As TV talk show host ‘Vivienne Vyle’, UK comedian Jennifer Saunders is back, unleashing her characteristic stinging barbs in a sharp new comedy from the BBC. As a fusion of Jerry Springer, Larry Sanders and assorted British hosts, this is the best vehicle for Saunders’ talents since Ab Fab concluded. Mirrorball and Jam and Jerusalem were hardly her biting best.
Here, Saunders lets rip on trash TV. We go behind the scenes, literally, of her shows entitled, ‘My Son Calls The Wrong Man Daddy’, and ‘I Love My Mum But She Dresses Like a Whore’. Backstage, a production assistant revs up a jealous father directly before he’s introduced. “She’s trying to take your son away from you,” he says. “Tell her, mate, do something about it!”
Vyle confronts her angered, working class guests, moralising from on high like a televangelist. Before long she’s socked in the nose and lying in a hospital bed. This leads to the show’s producer Helena De Wend, played mercilessly by Miranda Richardson, imposing a psychotherapist on the show. Dr. Phil anyone? But the conceited Vyle is having none of Dr. Jonathan Fowler (Jason Watkins), who insists most of the guests are too unstable to appear.
Set against the on-screen theatrics and moral shortcomings of television are Vyle’s deeper, personal issues. She has married her gay friend Jared (Conleth Hill) but is desperate to become a mother via her dead husband’s frozen sperm.
Richardson’s smoking, swearing, ballsy producer looks like Geri Haliwell on a bender. Her daughter, spending more time with her Nanny, only speaks Spanish. Christopher Ryan (The Young Ones) will also appear as Miriam, Vyle’s transgender PR advisor.
As you might have guessed, everything is in place for a rip-roaring attack on television, pop psychology and celebrity. I loved it.
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle premieres 9pm Monday July 28 on UKTV.
TV Guide
FRIDAY 25
[Seven/12:00pm] Movie: Far From Heaven (US 2002). Todd Haynes’ tribute to Douglas Sirk’s 1950s melodramas is a wondrous, emotionally-wrought tale. Julianne Moore plays a housewife whose husband (Denis Quaid) is having a homosexual affair. A slice of closeted Americana deftly re-created. Rpt.
[ABC/8:30pm] The Commander. New Series. Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect) is one of my favourite storytellers and this plot, where a patient from a psychiatric hospital is found holding a dead girl, is a strong start to these telemovies.
SATURDAY 26
[SBS/8:30pm] Big Love. In what is still the best drama on the box (aside from Dexter in repeat), Ellen Burstyn guests as the mother of Jeanne Tripplehorn – inspired casting. Along with Chloe Sevigny, Louise Fletcher and this week even Phillip Baker Hall, it’s a measure of the show’s reputation that it attracts actors of this calibre.
SUNDAY 27
[ABC/7:30pm] Doctor Who. First seen in 1973 alongside Jon Pertwee, the Sontarans return to mess with global navigation systems. This is the first of a double story arc, with Christopher Ryan (The Young Ones) heavily disguised as the chief villain. And, as if you hadn’t heard, there’s a fan favourite returning…
[TEN/10:50pm] Flight of the Conchords. Final. Murray finds the boys’ outfit a third member: a manic bongo player named Todd. “The bist thing that’s hippened to the bind.”
MONDAY 28
[ABC/9:30pm] Enough Rope with Andrew Denton. New Series. During his recent Aussie visit, Gordon Ramsay almost lost his voice, but he’s no less charismatic or hilarious. When Denton’s famous research brings up several touchy questions, a surprised Ramsay calls him “a little fucker”.
[Seven/10:30pm] Boston Legal. Tourette Syndrome-affected Jerry is asked to defend his one-time girlfriend on a sexual harassment charge for hugging another female. Later, in 30 Rock, when a cute young guy brings coffee to the office, straight scriptwriter Frank realises that, while he isn’t gay, he is suddenly ‘Gay for Josh.’ A fun twist.
[SBS/10:05pm] Skins. For devotees of this series, tonight holds a huge turning point, followd by a rapid shift to a new locale. Next week is the final episode with an even greater surprise.
[Bio/8:30pm] Helpmann Awards. LIVE. Ok, I was premature with excitement last week. It’s tonight, guys.
TUESDAY 29
[SBS/11:30pm] Beautiful Boxer (Thailand 2003). This remarkably dignified film is based on the true story of Nong Thoom, a champion kick boxer who lived life as a female, too poor to undergo gender reassignment. The performance by lead actor Asanee Suwan is a revelation in itself. Truly uplifting and worth setting your PVR for.
WEDNESDAY 30
[Seven/10:20pm] Prison Break. Final. Along with Lost, here’s another fine series that Seven’s programming has bastardised. It remains a great ride for those who have stuck with it. Twists, turns, jeopardy and Wentworth Miller. What more do you want?
THURSDAY 31
[TEN/8:00pm] Back to You. Final. The last ever ep of a promising sitcom sees Chuck Darling trying to negotiate his way through a hostage drama. The closing credits include an ensemble bow before the live studio audience.
www.tvtonight.com.au
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