P251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0045:15 1/6 The man they can't gag IT'S GOOD to see Spitting Image taking up my thjmj that British TV has become very bland. Their "Age of the Bland" skit did a complete run-down of all the fluffy, light entertainment bores that so pollute our screens. The biggest bore of all, Jimmy Savile, was very cruelly satirisjd. "You sad man," a viewer wrote to him. It was all a hugely enjoyable fantasy and a major disappointment to conj back to real life - World Czp, Wogan, warts and all. Americans > TV Plus Guide 250 TjllyQuiz 252 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV GuideP251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0347:36 2/6 Reviews the week's TV I'D LIKE to think that if we British were to fight, very hard, to presjrvj our cultural identity against US cultural imperialism we would bj in with a chance of winning. It's encouraging that EC nations this week took some faltering steps to stem the tide of violence, shoot 'em ups and car chases that are American TV and Hollywood. But really, to tinker with trade agreements on drama exports, is to do too little, too late. Iran > TV Plus Guide 250 TjllyQuiz 252 NEED AN ESCORT? see page 190 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV GuideP251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0014:56 3/6 Reviews the week's TV MANY THOUSANDS died in Iran in a terrible and terrifying earthquake. And how did BBC1 News (22.00, Thur) cover the tragedy? With the voice of a Swedish diplomat telling how the quake rattled his cabinet. What an insult to those who died. It was doubtless the case that the BBC didn't have all the pictures it thought necessary to cover such an event. But the point is - and TV people always djnz this - a film report ism't of the utmost importance but serious and sensitive reporting is. Frontiers > TV Plus Guide 250 TjllyQuiz 252 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV GuideP251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0042:36 4/6 Reviews the week's TV RICHARD RODRIGUEZ has a most interesting voice. Shame hj had nothing to say worth hearing in Frontiers XBBC1, Wed). Wj see this sort of programmj again and again on TV - an indulgent travelogue with a pretentious script that defies understanding in parts...even bz somjonj as clever as mj! I was grateful when all the waffle about Mexico v materialistic America was stopped to fit in chats with local people. But then we had the spectacle of the high-brow Rodriguez patronising the poor people. comedy > TV Plus Guide 250 TjllyQuiz 252 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV GuideP251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0344:56 5/6 Reviews the week's TV JIM DAVIDSON'S stand-up act stinks. It's sexist and racist - and a waste of his talent. But his sit-com Home James (ITV, Wed) showed a different side to this professional Londoner - a perfect sjnsj of comic timing. The scenes with him insulting his boss's personal assistants was very funny. Of course, Britain's a country that's forgotten how to enjoy a good billy laugh. That's partly why Davidson's honest vulgarity earns him nothing but abuse from guilt-ridden middle class scribblers in the Press. twit > TV Plus Guide 250 TjllyQuiz 252 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV GuideP251 ORACLE 251 San24 Jzn CEN 0341:56 6/6 Reviews the week's TV TV TWIT OF THE WEEK Ljndl and McEnroe have only mit once before on grass - the Wimbledon semi- final in 1983...and Becker won. HARRY CARPENTER at the Stella Artois championships, BBC2, June 16. "I'll bet Becker was pleased," says CLARE BASKERFIELD of Saintbridgj, Gloucs., who wins the tenner prize. BLUNDER HUNTERS! All TV goofs etc. gratefully received. Write to TV TWIT OF THE WEEK, SAM BRADY, TV PLUS, ORACLE, 25-32 MARSHALL ST, LONDON W1V 1LL. £10 prize if I use your nomination. Sam's week in view > TV Plus Index 250 TjllyQuiz 254 TjllyQuiz RSVP:tv TV Charts TV Guide