BBC America: "BAFTA Awards"

8=9PM
BBC America, TV-PG
Season Premiere

Top Gear

"The team road tests the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, the BMW M6, and the Porsche 911 Carrera S. I'm going to TiVo and watch it the day I'm reincarnated as a millionaire who gives a hoot about cars."

 

I'm not into cars, and I find Top Gear great TV. The presenters are so passionate about their cars they're almost child-like, and they are not afraid of going a little crazy to have fun.

 

This.

 

Top Gear is a brilliant show, wonderful fun. I do recommend downloading the episodes, because BBC America edits them down quite a bit.

 

8-11PM
BBC America, TV-14-V

Occupation

"A critically acclaimed U.K. drama about three British soldiers who have a hard time resuming their prewar lives after fighting in Iraq."

 

3PM
BBC America

Ab Fab Early New Year's Eve

"Your two favorite crazy Brits, Eddie and Patsy, are launching their New Year's Eve celebration early by popping open a bottle of champagne and uncorking a six episode marathon featuring the wildest most hilarious Ab Fab moments. Cheers, darling!"

 

10-11PM
BBC America, TV-PG
the-choir_150

Season debut
The Choir

This BAFTA award-winning reality show about 35-year-old Gareth Malone's experiment in forming a choir at a tough English high school has notes of Glee and American Idol. But it also offers a tireless champion in Malone and heartwarming stories about the students that would make Sue Sylvester barf. B

 

Tonight:

The Graham Norton Show

"Flamboyantly gay Irish comic Graham Norton welcomes international show-business guests and musical performers to a free-wheeling hour of laughs -- many of them distinctly rude -- that often includes madcap audience participation."

 

9-11PM
BBC AMERICA

I'd Do Anything

"Who will buy this show in which actors vie to appear in a U.K. revival of Oliver!? Not you, if that ''Who Will Buy?'' reference didn't ring any bells."

 

9-10:20PM | BBC AMERICA | SEASON PREMIERE
Top Gear

"A celebration of gearhead manliness with a slightly satirical edge."

 

I used to enjoy Top Gear. I have about as much interest in cars as I do in professional cricket trivia, but it's so engrossing and clever and well-scripted that it was a joy to watch.

And that's the problem. It's scripted (I just found out recently). They pass themselves off as car fans providing real honest reviews of exciting (to them) cars. They're actually just reciting lines that were written and paid for weeks before they ever saw the vehicles, and all those 'lap times' and scores and road tests and whatnot are all fabricated, to make the cars look better or worse than they are, depending on whose paying the BBC that week.

It was a real bummer to find that out.

 

Whilst it's clear that the show is scripted, I don't believe that lap times are "fake"

 

Yeah, much of the show is scripted, but I believe they are genuine in their opinions and objective in their scoring (in the more serious parts of the show). If you have evidence to the contrary, Radical_Edward, by all means link me to it. I'm interested in where you heard this.

 

The gags are scripted, obviously (as if they could get away with setting stuff on fire without getting into trouble, and they aren't really that stupid). But Stig's laps and the celebrity laps I doubt are rigged, and I don't think the races the presenters do are either.

Top Gear is an excellent show, I was impressed in this recent series with the segment on electric cars. Clarkson is a petrol-head of the highest order, but he liked the electric vehicles and hailed them as the future. Although there were problems with them (as the show demonstrated) it was interesting to see how far electric cars have come in recent years.

 

Whitechapel
NEW
S02, E01

Buchan believes that gruesome killings are replicates of an infamous pair from the '60s.

CC
TV-PG

10:00 - 11:00 PM BBCA

 

10-11PM
BC AMERICA AND LOGO

Absolutely Fabulous

"Jennifer Saunders' Edina and Joanna Lumley's Patsy are as deliciously delusional as ever in the Britcom's 20th-anniversary special. At times, the jokes try too hard (smartphones have so many noises!), but fans will relish seeing Bubbles reenact the royal wedding, Edina dreaming about being in The Killing, and Patsy finding out her true age in order to collect her pension. Spoiler: She's not 39. A? ?Jessica Shaw"

 

10:30-11PM | LOGO
Absolutely Fabulous

"Baby Spice and Lulu guest-star in this special about Edina's celeb client who wants to be a singer."

 

8-11PM
BBC AMERICA

The British Academy Film Awards

The BAFTAs! Like the Oscars but with far better accents and less emotion from the winners.

 

Plus, as shown, they seem to be slightly less political with thier winners & nominations.

Tintin was nominated for Best Animation but lost out to Rango, Drive was up for BEst Film & Fassbender was up for Best Actor for Shame. All the things I criticised the Oscars for leaving out BAFTA actually put in.

Scorsese got the Fellowship Award and John Hurt rightly received the Ostanding British Contribution to Cinema award.

Bonus points to Hugh Jackman & Russel Crowe for their Aussie segment when announcing the Best Film winner.