The proper Titanic film, of course, in which Kenneth More, Honor Blackman, Kenneth Griffith, David McCallum, Geoffrey ‘Catweazle’ Bayldon, Bee ‘are you saying ‘Ni!’ to that old woman?’ Duffel, Gerald ‘Adamant’ Harper, Andrew ‘Quatermass’ Keir, Stratford ‘Barlow’ Johns, Desmond ‘Q’ Llewelyn, Derren ‘Special Branch’ Nesbitt and Norman ‘Simon Simon’ Rossington all conspicuously fail to wear white trousers with racoon-tail key rings on their belts, invent the moonwalk and stiffly mime pouring a drink in front of a bunch of bewildered-looking teenagers who only came to see Depeche Mode.
Read MorePosts Tagged With 'David McCallum'
Sapphire and Steel
 |
 |
 |
WOBBLY FRIDGE magnet letters and tadgerish geometric cartoons began this pretentious sci-fi supernatuum about two elemental agents Sapphire (JOANNA LUMLEY) and Steel (DAVID McCALLUM). Opening bullshit portent tried to impress with flash vocabulary “heavy transuranic elements may not be used.” Yeah, and Sapphire and Steel are not fucking elements. Ludicrous bag of wank plots involved being able to see through time, baubles of light, railway stations being dragged back through history and being able to reduce your body temperature below freezing. The sort of stuff, then, that comprises an entire series of Torchwood.
Read MoreColditz
SUPERLATIVE RECREATION of famed Nazi uber-jail and repeated attempts by do-or-die inmates to pull ultimate fast one on ruthless guards. Banged up together (which in hindsight was asking for trouble) were: DAVID “MAN FROM…” MCCALLUM, EDWARD “DR. WATSON MK. II” HARDWICKE, ROBERT “TOKEN YANK” WAGNER, CHRISTOPHER “SECRET ARMY” NEAME and JACK “ESCAPE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN” HEDLEY. Chief key-jangler was, of course, BERNARD “GOOD NAZI” HEPTON, ably supported by ANTHONY “BAD NAZI” VALENTINE. Each week’s episode began with the group gathered in hushed circle seated on packing cases/crates devising another “ingenious” ruse to exit dank slimy castle walls for good. Each week they failed. Many highpoints, including attempt by one inmate to escape by faking madness, only to end up properly and incurably insane. Series concluded with Germans taking flight ahead of advancing Allied liberating armies.
Read MoreMother Love
DIANA RIGG, looking alarmingly like RONNIE CORBETT, obsesses maternally over her offspring Kit (JAMES WILBY) while estranged beau DAVID MCCALLUM pops round for a spot of dry sherry and JAMES GROUT and ISLA BLAIR tut over the asparagus tips.
Read MoreInvisible Man, The
WAFER-THIN (APPROPRIATELY) Wells-baiting update with DAVID “ILLYA” MCCALLUM as vanishing boy Daniel Weston, this time working for the US government. Donned rubber mask for ease of star identification. Blue screen floating head scenes much in evidence. Wit and whimsy not.
Read More
Creamguide's Pick of the Day
-
The Eurovision Song Contest
Saturday, 20.00, BBC1Jess Cully writes, “Nicki French was certainly our singer the last time the Contest was held in Sweden, but the host city then was Stockholm. The Contest is huge in Sweden and none of its major cities would be allowed to hog the Contest by hosting it twice in a row, hence the choice of Malmo this year. If Sweden wins it again in the near future, expect us to be either back in Stockholm or in Gothenburg.” Indeed, but even though we’ve not enjoyed it quite so much since the Beeb stopped making the scoreboard and got its logo on it every few minutes, we’re still there ready to enjoy the spectacle, and it seems like Graham Norton, for our money probably the best light entertainment presenter on TV at the moment, has been doing this forever.
Points of View