The sequins and celebrities are back!

Strictly Come Dancing returned to our screens tonight with eight of the sixteen celebrities waltzed and tangoed their way round the ballroom. But how did the first show shape up?

Well firstly after watching the full 90 minute programme I am still not sure which celebrity looked more awkward, nervous and out-of-place; World Champion boxer Joe Calzaghe or new judge Alesha Dixon?

Whilst Joe Calzaghe sat at the foot of the leader board after a terrible tango with partner Kristina Rihanoff, Alesha also put in a disappointing first showing as Strictly's new judge. Her comments were vague and lacked any technical expertise and whilst she seems a nice girl, with an endearing personality surely Arlene Phillips or ex-pro dancer on the show Karen Hardy would have made a more suitable inclusion?

Just like the nervous celebrities, I am prepared to give Alesha time to settle into her new role but she will need to improve if she is to win over myself and the hoards of fans who were left angered by Strictly's decision to install her over tough-talking Arlene on the judging panel.

Anyway back to the dancing and Strictly didn't disappoint with an opening night mix of the good, the surprising and the awkward. Ali Bastian and Brain Fortuna were clearly the best on the night with a beautiful waltz, whilst Chris Hollins and Ola Jordan passed my early expectations with an enjoyable routine.

Whilst Hollins was surprising in a good way, boxer Joe Calzaghe surprised me with a boring Tango. He seemed awkward and struggling with the basic moves throughout but with Rihanoff at his side and the potential I hope that he can find his feet quickly for the Latin round tomorrow. The rest including presenter Rav Wilding and tennis star Martina Hingis were unremarkable, each putting in a good effort but at the same time all needing to show more.

I have been eagerly waiting for Strictly's return and tonight's showing didn't disappoint. Some celebrities made a good start but others, including the one occupying a seat on the judging panel will need to improve to impress me tomorrow night in the always-more-exciting-than-the-ballroom Latin round.

Pictures from Mirror

Reality TV wars

The battle between the two biggest reality programmes on TV re-ignites this weekend when Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC1 on Saturday night (7.25pm) to go head-to-head with X Factor (Saturday, 8pm).

The popular dancing show, which sees celebrities paired with professional dancers returns to our screens tonight but only clashes with X Factor tomorrow night. Many TV viewers, like myself, are avid fans of both shows so many across the country will have to decide whether to go with Simon Cowell's singing stars or Brucie and his band of dancing celebrities.

Broadcasting clashes have occurred in previous years between the two shows but last year Strictly suffered after being shown in an earlier Saturday evening time slot. This year though it seems both shows with regularly overlap as ITV and the BBC head for a ratings war.

Sky+ will save some fans from not missing both shows (including myself) but one show will undoubtedly lose out as the two try to pull in viewers on a Saturday night.

Strictly picture from Broadcast
X Factor picture from Guardian

EastEnders goes live!

EastEnders will mark it's 25th Anniversary by screening their first live episode next year, it was announced yesterday.

The 30-minute episode will be broadcast from BBC Elstree on the 19th February 2010. It will be the culmination of a special week of episodes and will see the resolution of a big storyline. Whilst the special story lines to be broadcast at the time are still unknown EastEnders' executive producer, Diederick Santer has promised viewers the "the high drama and excitement they expect from EastEnders."

This won't be the first time that a soap or television drama has broadcast live though. Shows including The Bill and ER have risked live transmission, whilst soap rivals Coronation Street broadcast live in 2000 to mark their 40th anniversary.

Picture from BBC.

The fantastic tales of Miss Marple

I have always been a fan of the grim murder mysteries on televisions; not for their countless bloody murders but the excitement of trying to follow the clues and find the killer. Some may be more enthralling than others but one that is sure to captivate viewers is the classic tales of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple.

Based on the adventures and discoveries of Miss Jane Marple ITV's second episode of the new series, Murder is Easy (Sunday, 8pm) was a complicated and twisted tale that lead Miss Marple to the door of terrified locals residents, countless victims and an unlikely killer.

The tale started when the lady detective meet distressed Whychwood-under-Ashe resident Miss Pinkerton on a train to London where she was about to visit Scotland Yard after a spate of unusual deaths in her village. After hearing of Miss Pinkerton's 'accidental' death before she got the chance to tell all led to Miss Marple paying the residents of Whychwood a visit. She soon became friends with the dashing former policeman Luke Fitzwilliam and together the pair are faced with the task of unearthing the killer before they strike again.

But more local villagers soon start to meet their fate; including GP Mr Humbleby and maid Amy leaving Miss Marple with another case to unravel. The impressive cast, including Sylvia Syms (Miss Pinkerton), Shirley Henderson (Honoria Waynflete) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Luke Fitzwilliam) create a set of brilliantly mysterious and masked characters, each with a secret or two to tell.

But the star of the show once again is Miss Marple herself, Julia McKenzie. After the departure of Geraldine McEwan and the end of the last series the sleuthing shoes of Miss Marple were larges ones to fill but McKenzie has been a fine replacement so far. McKenzie's Miss Marple has the inquisitive wit and gentle charm that let audiences follow and support the character through the many cases that befall her. In truth she may just be a nosey, yet extremely observant and clever old lady but just like her predecessors McKenzie makes the character endearing and watchable.

Along with the fine cast comes an enthralling story that draws you further in as you too try to solve the case; making the two hours of programming draw to a speedy conclusion. The show twists and turns, becoming to confusing to follow at times yet too engaging to stop watching.

Like most murder mystery programmes I watch I like to follow the best I can and make my guess at who the killer really is, unlike last week's A Pocket Full of Rye I was correct in guessing that reserved Honoria Waynflete (Shirley Henderson) was in fact the culprit. But this hunch was based on completely the wrong conclusions as a back history of assault and adoption began to unravel.

The genre of murder mysteries may be popular, our television screens graced with all manner of sleuthing detectives but when it comes to family entertainment, superb casts and twisted tales few can match the marvellous cases of Agathe Christie's Miss Marple.

Picture from The Sun

Big Brother bows out

After glamour model model Sophie was crowned winner of Big Brother 10 viewers and TV critics will have a chance to reflect on the penultimate BB series.

It came as little surprise when Channel 4 announced back in August that Big Brother was to be axed after next year's, the eleventh series. After falling ratings throughout this series and a notable decrease in media interest the fan base seems to have dwindled beyond repair. The tired format now seems repetitive, with the producers turning to stranger characters to try and interest viewers. For example this year has included a mix of characters; including Russian former boxer Angel and Siavash, who last night left the house in an odd Borat-esque outfit.

This year's series had the familiar cat fights and romances, tasks and challenges but the show has moved far away from the original structure, where the social experiment saw ordinary members of the public were placed in the house and forced to simply live together. The show simply has nowhere else to go after it has had to continually change and become more extravagant in an effort to keep viewers interested.

It remains to be seen what producers will do next year as the show bows out but no one can doubt the success of the television phenomen over the last 10 years. It may not be popular with everyone but Big Brother has revolutionised the reality television genre and the show will be remembered long after many of its contestants and winners fall back into obscurity.

Picture from Telegraph.

X Factor returns

The search for the next Leona Lewis or Alexandra Burke began on ITV1 last night when X Factor returned to our screens. The popular talent contest, fronted by judges Simon Cowell, Dannii Minogue, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh is now in it's sixth series but the show still remains as popular as ever.

Last night's opening show drew in 9.9 million viewers, a slight drop on last year's 10.19 million but the show did peak at a impressive 11.64 million viewers at 8.20pm. Despite the long running success of the show Simon Cowell has decided to change the audition process, with auditionees not only having to impress the judges but also a live audience.

The format, similar to that of Britain's Got Talent (BGT) is a bold step by Cowell. I can see why the music industry expert has decided to make the change. Crowds played an important role in hugely successful shows like BGT, think back to Susan Boyle's audition. The reaction of the crowd was one of the reason's her audition became so popular worldwide. It also lets the auditionees show of their performance as well as singing skills as they try and wow the crowd, for example the talented Danyl Johnston last night who received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges.

But whilst it can help some contestants the show seems to have lost the intimate feel between judges and contestants, where hopefuls had to impress solely with their voice. The judges banter has also suffered and the crowd reaction seems to dominate proceedings more.

Whilst I wasn't completely convinced with the new format I enjoyed he return on one of my favourite shows. It may take time for viewers to get used to the live audience but the X Factor made a welcome return last night as Simon Cowell and co search for a new star.

Picture from Mirror.

Three of the best

On Tuesday EastEnders broadcast a special three-handed episode when Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer), Ronnie Mitchell (Samantha Womack) and Dot Branning (June Brown) shared their troubles over a drink in the Queen Vic.

The London-based soap is known for producing special character based episodes - think back to June Brown's brillant solo episode in 2008 when Dot recorded a message for her poorly husband Jim (John Bardon). Whilst Tuesday's episode was nowhere near as special or moving it was still entertaining, emotional and a enjoyable change in format.

The unique episode centred on the trio of women confronting and opening up about their troubles. Ronnie contemplated her recent involvment with Joel, their past and the loss of her daughter Danielle. Whilst an upset Bianca also struggled to deal with her complicated love-life and feelings for Ricky, Dot faced the prospect of retirement from the laundrette and the return of her husband Jim.

Their first meeting; in which Bianca and Dot turned up at The Vic in search of a drink was a nice way of bringing the characters together. Expectedly the conversation soon turned nasty between fiery Bianca and frosty Ronnie; both berating the other about their mothering skills. After opening up to each other Ronnie and Bianca's conversation and interaction was sweet and it was enjoyable to watch two unlikely friends forming a sometimes comical bond.

Whilst Bianca and Ronnie talked in the Vic Dot made the occasional appearance as she faced the idea of retirement. Dot was clearly the lynchpin of the episode, bringing the three women together. But whilst June Brown gives a convincing performance as the lonely pensioner I felt that her interaction with both Bianca and Ronnie was slightly forced, her apperances not blending into the plot aswell as those of Ronnie and Bianca.

After twenty-five minutes of well paced drama I felt the ending was rushed, the writers clearly wanting to show the impacts on the interactions within the one episode as Bianca returned to find Ricky gone and Ronnie went to Joel's and delivered him an ultimatuim.

All three actresses gave convincing performances and on the whole their characters and stories worked well together. It was an enjoyable to watch the change in format and one that EastEnders could explore again if they choose the right characters and plotlines.

Picture from Digital Spy