Gene Wilder - My Top Three Films - I like a laugh

The news of the death of Gene Wilder sadden me and had me thinking about his catalogue of films and which were my favourites. Limiting myself to only three was hard when I could have suggested more and no place for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), Young Frankenstein (1974) or The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) all great films but I love to laugh.

Stir Crazy (1980)

The best of the four movies Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor collaborated on was ‘Stir Crazy’ and is probably my favourite, delivering an abundance of humour and quick fire jokes, which manages to make even the most stupid of gags enjoyable even if you see the joke coming from miles away.

The storyline, after both losing their jobs, best friends Skip Donahue (Gene Wilder) and Harry Monroe (Richard Pryor) decide to leave the noise of New York and head out to California. Along the way, they are accused of a bank robbery they didn’t commit, sentenced to 125 years in prison much to the shock of the duo. The movie directed by Sidney Poitier, yes the famous actor, who allowed Wilder and Pryor to adlib their way through many scenes.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Today it would be difficult to make owing to the numerous racial jokes including the famous "the sheriff is a n...”. To be frank, the story line is purely a vehicle for a continuous stream of gags, which never stop for the duration of the film.

Rock Ridge need a new sheriff, the Governor despatches one but in a mix-up the job is given to a black guy about to be hung. The townsfolk of Rock Ridge prepare to welcome their new sheriff but he has landed in possibly the most racist town in the west. His only friendly face is the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder) an alcoholic gunslinger who is a permanent resident in the towns’ jail. The door is open to numerous gags, it also attempts to spoof the western genre and does so in magnificent style.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is the farting scene as Cowboys sitting around eating hot beans and letting out more hot air, farting.

The Producers (1967)

Another great vehicle for Wilder this time playing an accountant who gets mixed up with Broadway producer Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel). Leo (Wilder) discovers a discrepancy in Max’s books but also notices that producing a failure can generate as much money as producing a success.

The idea of financing a Broadway flop as Max excited and try’s to convince Leo to join his scheme. After some gentle nudging and persuasion he managers to get Leo on board so Max sets about raising the money. That is achieved by Max romancing a collection of little old ladies and selling then 100% shares in the production. The play is needed to be a dead cert failure and once they read the script "Springtime for Hitler", they believe they found it. It is a wild and wacky movie with every minute full of jokes from a musical number about Hitler to the chalk n cheese buddying going on between the theatrically over the top Max and the nervy Leo. But as they always say humour is subjective and watching the larger than life Max over whelm Leo was fun in itself.

Checkatrade Trophy - Lower League Football Matters - Why Development Squads?

The EFL Trophy is getting a makeover which some are happy to see while others are up in arms with the inclusion of some Premier Leagues development teams (under 23) to had some spice to the competition. Not all the Premier League sides have accepted the offer to take part Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all declining.

So what have we here! The bottom two divisions comprising of 48 teams join by 16 teams from the Premier League and Championship not Cardiff City, pity, kicks off tonight. The new format, which has seen the introduction of a group stage and something I have been calling for in all cup competitions for years no replays or extra time and if the game is level after 90minutes, penalties.

The main argument, for the inclusion of the development squads, is that the competition needed to change or face a possible extinction.

The competition has never been popular with the fans and I see little to change that even with it regionalised. However, those in charge claim the clubs will see financial benefits from the revamped Checkatrade Trophy. They expect a boost in the dwindling attendances with more prize money going to the clubs.

Prize money for the 2016/17 Checkatrade Trophy stands at £1.95 million - an increase of over 300% from 2015/16. Match earnings will be split between both sides, each taking 45 per cent, with the remaining 10 per cent going into a pool account.

The 16 invited clubs will also donate a proportion of their match earnings back into the prize pot. That amount will be 100 per cent in the group stages, 44 per cent in rounds two to four, and 33 per cent in the semi-finals and final. However, despite the benefit of these funds, if a team such as Chelsea were to win the competition then the winner’s prize money will be of no benefit to League One or Two sides.

Some fans plan to protest games. A Portsmouth supporter’s group plan to walk out of EFL Trophy matches shortly after kick-off in protest at the competition's new format. The Oxford Ultras fans group will not “be attending any of the EFL Trophy games this season and will be supporting the boycott” while urging all Oxford fans to do the same. They said,

“Fans need to send out a strong message that lower-league football matters and we will not be bribed and used as puppets to benefit the youngsters of the Premier League clubs, creating an even larger divide between the Premier League and the Football League.”

The final at Wembley could be between two development squads what will that do for lower-league football.

Another concern among supporters, is the Trophy is been used as a vehicle to introduce academy teams, or B teams, into the lower divisions a subject that doesn’t seem to go away. The introduction of new teams into the league would need the backing of 90 per cent of clubs and that is just not going to happen. The lower league matter to thousands of fans all over the country.

Hannibal Brooks - Film Review

YouTube came up trumps last night while the wife was on soap watching duty with a nice film to watch, Hannibal Brooks (1969). A strange war film where a British soldier escapes to Switzerland with an elephant.

When captured, Hannibal Brooks, (Oliver Reed) is more than happy to be heading for a Stalag POW camp. The Germans looking for volunteers to work outside the camp sees Brooks and some friends jump at the chance. They end up working in Munich zoo and Brooks is to help the caretaker for the zoo's elephant, Lucy. Later the caretaker is killed in a bombing raid and the Director of the Zoo asks Brooks to take charge and lead Lucy to safety in Austria.

Unable to take the elephant by train, Brooks sets off on foot, accompanied by two German guards and a female cook. Following the accidental death of one of the guards, plans change and the remaining trio make their way to Switzerland.

Brooks and Willi (Helmuth Lohner) are captured but manage to escape with the help of Packy (Michael J. Pollard) an American who was captured with Brooks and escaped from the Stalag POW camp and their paths just keeps crossing. Vronia (Karin Baal) also a prisoner reluctantly takes up with Colonel von Haller (Wolfgang Preiss) whose path crosses Brooks' as well after she is made an offer she couldn’t refuse.

Willi is killed helping Brooks, he runs into Von Haller and Vronia they are planning to escape over the border to Switzerland so join forces, it is not long before Packy, and his group of partisans join the party. The plan is to use von Haller to bluff their way through, but like most Nazis, he betrays them as he was using them to get to the border safely. Vronia tries to warn the others but Von Haller orders her shot and she is killed. After another long fight with the Germans, Brooks and Lucy eventually get to Switzerland with Packy and his remaining partisans.

There is some great German scenery in the film as Brooks and company make their way into the high country. Rather reluctantly, Brooks becomes something of a hero, though he's motivated more by his desire to keep Lucy safe than by anything else. A very enjoyable movie that I wouldn't mind seeing again some time.

Movie speeches that inspire

Well it makes a bit of a change from blogging my music likes. Today’s offering are favourite movies speeches that I find inspirational. I felt inspired to share with you after watching Henry V this morning, which is always, guaranteed to get me into a patriotic fever.

While looking around the internet it would seem film movie pundits place the Braveheart speech top of their lists. I hate this film with a passion made by Hollywood at the time the English/British were the new baddies. Full of inaccuracies which they try to push off as the truth like all these kind of Hollywood films love to portray.

There could have been a few more but I will keep them in my pocket for another time or another year.

• The Great Dictator: ... (Final Speech)
• Henry V: ... (Kenneth Branagh Saint Crispin's Day)
• Network: ... (I'm as mad as hell)
• The Blind Side: ... (Meaning of Courage)
• Elizabeth the Golden Age: ... (Battle Speech)
• The Proposal: ... (Date me)
• V for Vendetta: ... (The Revolutionary Speech)
• Blade Runner: ... (Time to Die)
• Snatch: ... (Do you know what Nemesis means)

Time for a Change - Back Pages - I have seen the light

I was picking up the morning papers this morning I just thought to myself why am I buying them. I mainly buy them for the sport (football) in the most but its pages and pages of Premier League, 

which I really have no interest in other than watching the odd game.

When I got back from the shop I sat back and continued to watch Match of the Day (Sunday replay) hearing from Gary Lineker and his guests their reactions and analysis of the games, do I really need to read about it again I thought to myself. Therefore, I decided changes are a foot for next week.

What I don’t need on a Sunday morning is reams of pages about the special one and Manchester United and the other one down the road at Manchester City. Then we have how crap is Arsene Wenger for keeping Arsenal at the sharp end of the Premier League. Fans demand success and the clubs use their power with cash to bring in foreign talent while home-grown academy players are loaned out or shown the door with both likely to end up in the lower leagues.

I have my new papers choice sorted. I will still get the Sunday Star because it is cheap and full of crap in the main but still everyone needs a bit of crap on a Sunday. I will continue with the Non-League Paper because it has kept me grounded in the world of the crazy money at the top of the football tree.

The Football League Paper will replace the Sunday Sun and the Sunday Mirror luckily my corner shop sells it. Well I am saying sells! I mean there is one copy and nine times out of ten, it never sells. I have bought it before the reason it is in the shop is because I ordered it. 

The football reporting inside is extensive coverage for all 72 Football League clubs with news, features, and gossip plus comprehensive match reports what more can I ask for. 

My team Cardiff City deserves more than just three or four paragraphs of a match report so does the rest of the Football League.With international football next week, there will be no Premier League and you can still bet the news in the back pages will be full of United, Chelsea and the rest. Even England will be fighting for space on the back pages in the national press.

The Fog - Film Review

Seen the remake a month or so ago and wanted to see the original and did so this morning as I was up early enough. Directed by John Carpenter you expect to have a bit of a squeaky bum time the guy knows how to turn the knife and scare you.

A small coastal Californian town Antonio Bay is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary but holds a dark secret at its heart. In 1880, six of the founders of Antonio Bay struck a deal with a wealthy man Blake (Rob Bottin) with leprosy to allow him and his community to establish a leper colony nearby for money. The six then decided to plunder and sink the ship the lepers arrived on killing everyone.

Forward to the present day and the town is readying itself for the 100th anniversary when a strange, glowing fog envelops a small trawler and the three crew are killed, it’s the vengeful revenants of Blake and his crew before he died he promise to return and seek revenge. Town resident Nick Castle (Tom Atkins) picks up a young hitchhiker named Elizabeth (Jaime Lee Curtis) when the fog comes out of nowhere and all the truck's windows inexplicably shatter.

That evening the fog is back heading in land, towards the town, and from her lighthouse vantage point, Stevie (Adrienne Barbeau) advises everyone to head to the town's church. The fog then attacks the lighthouse where her son’s babysitter is killing but Nick manages to rescue her son Andy. Stevie herself looks to be in trouble as she climbs out onto the roof of the lighthouse followed by what is within the fog.

Once inside the church, Nick, Elizabeth, Andy (Ty Mitchell), Kathy (Janet Leigh), her assistant Sandy (Nancy Loomis), and Father Malone (Hal Holbrook) all take refuge in a back room of the church as the fog arrives outside. Inside the room, they locate a gold cross in the wall cavity, which is made from gold stolen from Blake and the others. Malone enters the chapel and offers the cross and himself in lieu of the deaths of Blake and the others.

Blake takes the gold cross, which begins to glow, Nick pulls Malone away before Blake, the cross, and the fog vanishes. It was just in time for Stevie her number looked up until the fog disappeared. Later that night, Malone is alone in the church pondering why Blake did not kill him. The fog then reappears inside the church along with the revenants, and Blake decapitates Malone.

A good cast gives life to this ensemble and make them characters we like and care about so, we fear for them when they are placed in harm's way. Add an alcoholic priest and a host of Carpenter regulars, with even a cameo by Carpenter himself, and you have a film wonderfully filled with a variety of characters who are all potential victims for the marauding phantoms.

Must see TV - Week beginning 27/08/2016 - My Choice

You wait for the odd new series to get your teeth into and then a shed load appear in the TV schedules for the upcoming week. Spoiled for choice and it is so fortunate to have catch-up TV and my favourites on my virgin box meaning I am unlikely to miss much.

I always start this blog with my highlight of the week and this week Four Rooms fits the bill. The dealers did battle over a rare signed Winston Churchill book, the punter wanted £5000 but settled for £3500, and she sold to Celia Sawyer.

Loved the two wise guys trying their luck with a show-stopping drinks cabinet made from a bomb with an asking price of £30000 to £40000, which should have given the dealers a heart attack. One of the dealers parted with £23000 and he sold it on for a profit.

A footnote to the show Celia Sawyer … WOW.

Saturday Sci-Fi Channel – Childhood’s End 10pm

Showing over three nights, I have only heard good things about this mini-series. Coming from the eerie mind of Arthur C Clarke and stars Charles Dance as an alien overlord promising humanity a utopian future.

When aliens tell you they come in peace bullshit, it is always the same and proves costly to the human race in the end. Most of humanity will happily embrace the visitors while some will fight and what price will be paid for the promised Shangri-La you will need to view and see.

Sunday BBC1 – Are You Being Served? /Porridge 9pm and 9:30pm

I was raised on these classic comedies and still watch when they are on TV. These shows are part of the BBC sitcom revival special to mark 50 years of the sitcom on the BBC. Are You Being Served is back with new faces playing the staff of Grace Brothers department store. According to reports in the press, there’s no need to worry as ‘Benidorm’ writer Derren Litten has created a respectful homage to the original. There will still be all the double entendre without causing offence and plenty of pussy.

In Porridge, we will not be seeing Norman Stanley Fletcher (Fletch) but is grandson Nigel and it was written by the original writers and sitcom gods Dick Clement and Ian Le Frenais. If it is received well by the public, there could well be a series.

Monday Channal5 – Adolf & Eve: Love & War 8pm

It’s Bank Holiday Monday and for my entertainment, I am going a bit right field watching the Adolf and Eve love story. Yes, it seems bazaar viewing but I like these drama-documentaries and I am interested in all WW2 related stuff. It chronicles Eva Braun’s teenage infatuation with Adolf Hitler to their wedding and joint suicide in the bunker days before the end of the war.

Tuesday Discovery Channel – Gold Divers 9pm

I can smell the gold! Well a programme about gold and now the summer season is over and the grounds covered in thick sea ice its time to go under the ice in search for the precious metal.

With gold hard to find last winter Shawn Pomrenke sparks a gold rush when he offers the fleet access to his virgin claim of Bering Sea floor, rumoured to contain over £11million in gold. However, access comes at a price.

Wednesday History Channel - Barbarians Rising 10pm

This is not a story about the glory of Rome. It’s the story of the people who rise to fight for freedom against a cruel and violent force bent on their destruction. As Rome grows stronger, the barbarians are taxed, enslaved, slaughtered, displaced, and robbed of their cultures. Nevertheless, set against seemingly overwhelming odds, they never surrender; evolving and innovating new ways to fight against an organized and determined enemy. This is a clash of titans fought over centuries.

The four-part docu-drama reveals the true story of the 700-year battle for supremacy, a fight for freedom that would shape the world to come. Featuring fully dramatized portrayals of icons including Hannibal, Spartacus, Arminius, Boudica and Attila alongside an eclectic group of experts and contributors,

Thursday BBC4 – Lost Sitcoms: Till Death Us Do Part 9pm

After the airing of the original episode the tape was lost or more likely destroyed but with luck the script survived and this is remake with Fast Show star Simon Day stepping into the shoes of Alf Garnett.

The episode set to be re-created is titled A Woman’s Place is in the Home. In the 1967 episode, Alf arrives home to an empty house and a burnt supper as wife Else is at the pictures when his daughter arrives home she simply doesn’t care. He then sets about “putting things right” in his own particular way.

Friday BBC1 – Would I Lie to You?

The comedy panel show is back and so is presenter Rob Brydon the perfect foil for team captains’ comedians David Mitchell and Lee Mack. Two celebrity guests join them. The teams compete as each player reveals unusual facts and embarrassing personal tales for the evaluation of the opposing team. Some of these are true; some are not, and panellists’ task is to decide which is which.

The Great British Bake Off - TV review - Come on Candice

BBC1 at 8pm last night it was back, The Great British Bake Off hit our screens for its seventh series. time for Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood to be judge, jury, and executioner. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins were also back with their special slant of risqué humour and comforting words when needed.

The Bakers

On the menu of the new intake was drizzle cake, jaffa cakes and the show-stopper for the twelve fresh amateur bakers. Most of my friends and readers know I don’t do cakes, I don’t like them and only ever made one cake not counting the Swiss Roll I made in school once before. It was for a dare/bet and I ended up making a Dundee cake, it was beautiful I was told but I wouldn’t know because I don’t like cake.

The technical challenge was a drizzle cake some of the contestants struggled which could be down to stage fright with millions watching, later confirmed to be over 11million. I have to admit the disappointment of failure is one of the big turn-ons for me.

The next task was 12 jaffa cakes in the technical round and it seems the making of the jaffa cake is fiendishly difficult. On social media, the big debate cake or biscuit with experts in the world of baking coming down on the side of cake and should have Paul dipped his in a cup of tea. One of the amateurs even managed to design a new jaffa cake ’the upside down’ and the rest of them didn’t do much better they didn’t look like any I have seen before come out of a box.

The showstopper was a Mirror Glaze Cake with a difficult Genoese sponge some contestants worried, mistakes were easy, and the bin soon filled up with cake. It was noticeable how many of the contestants were forced to ditch their attempts and start again. At the end, 61-year-old Jane was top baker but everyone wanted to know was who was leaving the tent and it was vicar Lee, which I found a bit unfair there were a number of massive fails.

Lucky my horse/favourite is still in the running, PE teacher Candice and after her rubbery sponge incident was fortunate to be in the show. I am thinking my attraction towards her maybe not helping in picking a winner.

Sex Robots - Androids - The Future

I was reading in the press yesterday about how by 2050, brothels will be manned by sex robots according to some professor. They would replace prostitutes but how would the National Union of Prostitutes and its members feel about the loss of work?

The prof is talking of several health benefits for clients like reducing the risk of spreading STIs, and won’t need to ‘fake it’ the same way has human prostitutes and the wife/girlfriend at home. They have already been given a name and are called Yub-Yum a strange name for a strange business.

They claim this futuristic club/brothel — will feature robots of all ethnicities, body shapes, ages, languages, and sexual features. I think someone must have watch the film Westworld where sex between humans and robots was expected. Westworld will soon be on your TV screen as a TV series a futuristic, adult-themed western amusement park.

How long would it take before someone somewhere cross the line of decentness because it is only an android? How about shagging an android of the Queen or some celebrity. Some nerdy Japanese guy spent (£34,000) on a robotic Scarlett Johansson and I am not saying he is shagging it but just pointing it out does he have the right to use someone else’s face. Can you married an android? You can bet it will be put to the test one day. We have animals rights how long before someone is calling for android rights.

He is where I am! There will always be a demand for the ‘real thing’ these androids would end up at the high end of the market so the death of the sex trade being made are exaggerated. Maybe androids will do everything for us in the future include going to work for us. 

The Gold Rush - Film Review

Growing up I was brought up on a diet of silent movies and today you just don’t see them on TV. The kids today are missing classic slapstick comedy from the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and later Laurel and Hardy.

This morning I re-watched Charlie Chaplin's classic "The Gold Rush" arguably his finest film. He stars as a wimpy prospector who decides to go to the Klondike hoping of striking it rich. Like all great movies, The Gold Rush has more than its share of memorable moments, from the Thanksgiving dinner to the dance of the dinner rolls to the cabin teetering on the edge of the mountain. The shoe for dinner after which his companion, Big Jim McKay (Mack Swain) is so hungry that he believes Chaplin to be a chicken and before long, a bear enters their cabin soon they are eating well. In the midst of it all, the prospector falls in love with dancer Georgia (Georgia Hale).

Everything ends well with Chaplin and Big Jim they strike it big and are now millionaires. They leave on board a ship in first class. Asked by some photographers would he dress as old poor prospector self he obliges them. At the same time, Georgia who is on board overhears some of the crew talking of a stowaway and on seeing, Chaplin tries to hide him not knowing he is rich and the love is still there.

The movie is exceptional in every way. I would still probably call "The Gold Rush" one of the finest films ever. Oh how the cinema misses Charles Chaplin today.

My Rating

Goodbye Rio Hello Tokyo - Olympics - Team GB

I heard somewhere there were just over 300 events at the Rio Olympics and I can’t say I seen them all but I can’t think of one sport I didn’t watch from Archery to Wrestling and all the sports in-between. Medals or not I enjoyed my two weeks in front of the TV. The velodrome was my favourite venue, followed by the rowing at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon just two of many.

Team GB secured second place in the Olympic medal table beating China and a host of countries that in the past, we would be looking up to and now they could look up at us. The UK are now a superpower in the Olympics and along the way surpassed the 65-medal count achieved at London 2012. There could have been even more than the 67-medals as a number of athletes across the sports came home in the dreaded fourth spot.

The British Olympic Association set a reasonable medal target for Team GB of 48-medals in Rio, one more than they achieved at the 2008 Beijing Games. The target reached and overtaken with five days of the games left. There was some heartache to on show. Who could forget taekwondo star Lutalo Muhammad heartbroken has he missed a gold medal by one second he looked a broken man.

The Rio Olympics was not a disaster but there was a lack of spectators at many venues. It may have been me but the seats seem to be full of tourists at the smaller venues anyway unless a local athlete was involved the locals were then vigorous in their support. Unless a media blackout was in operation, there were only a few visitors’ mugged and mass attacks on tourists failed to emerge.

I can’t see any South America country rushing to hold the Olympics anytime soon when Brazil won the games in 2009 the Olympics were expected to showcase Brazil’s emergence as a major economic force. Much has changed since then.

Roll on 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Cup Double - Welsh Cup - FA Cup

It was a cup double yesterday with both the Welsh Cup and the FA Cup playing meaning both my armchair teams were in action.

In the Welsh Cup, I am following Tiger Bay and yesterday it was the opening game of the competition. They were playing Blaenavon Blues at home. In the FA Cup, we have already had the opening round, the team I picked Maltby Main FC fell at the first hurdle, and now I am riding on the coat tails of Squires Gate.

First Tiger Bay and it was very annoying that I couldn’t find any news of the final score on the Football Association of Wales (FAW) website after checking around 6pm. In fact, I couldn’t even find the result anywhere. However, better late than never as when I checked again around 7pm the result was up and Tiger Bay won 2-1 and are in the hat for the next round.

Unfortunately, AFC Butetown who share their pitch with Tiger Bay lost 4-1 to Bridgend Street a famous name in local Cardiff football.

Contrary to the (FAW), there was a full results list on the Football Association of England website and easy to find out that the team I was following won. Squires Gate FC travelled to West Didsbury & Chorlton FC I have no idea who they are which league they play in or where but I will remember their name. Squires Gate won 3-2 and move forward. The draw was pre-drawn and Squires Gate will be home to Handsworth Parramore FC.

Must see TV - Week beginning 20/08/2016 - My Choice

With the Olympics more or less over it’s back to a less sporty TV viewing pattern for me. I have really been enjoying the past weeks from Rio with the performance of Team GB making the viewing even more enjoyable. Time for me to list my must watch TV list for the upcoming week with some great viewing.

My highlight of last week is simple … The high and high from the velodrome in Rio. If I were a kid today, I would take to my bike and join a cycling club.

Saturday Sky Cinema Premiere – The Martian 8pm

Mars is big in the scientific world with everyone with a viable space program wanting to be first to land an astronaut on the planet and plant their flag. One non-country entry plans to send four people on a one-way trip to the red planet to live and one-day die they have plenty of volunteers.

During a storm on Mars, one of the astronauts Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead but is in reality left behind by his crew. He survives the storm but he is now marooned on the hostile planet with meagre supplies he needs to put his thinking cap on. Water and food may be important but secure a way of signalling Earth and tell someone he was alive is just as important for a hopeful rescue mission.

Sunday Channel4 – Posh Pawn 7pm

Even rich people find the need for quick money when finances are tight so instead of visiting Cash Converters they have places like Posh Pawn in London. They lend against high-end belongings, fine art and antiques, fine jewellery and wine, and extravagant but unnecessary baubles like a £250,000 canary yellow Lamborghini and a £1.5 million helicopter.

In the race for quick cash, we see the rich and wealthy try for the best price but what I would like to see is the outcome of the deal. Can they redeem their stuff or do they forfeite their precious possession because they just can’t raise the cash to buy it back.

Monday More4 – Four Rooms 9pm

Sarah Beeny is hosting the show were four antique dealers do battle over the publics prized possessions.

Four Rooms is out to find the spectacular antiques, the one-offs. The four sellers negotiate one-on-one with each dealer in one of four rooms (hence the title). But, once they turn down an offer, there's no going back... The punters always are looking for more money than it is really worth

Wednesday BBC1 – The Great British Bake Off 8pm

Its back and I will be glued to the screen and I don’t even like cake, well except for plain Madeira. There are 12 new bakers one coming from my home city of Cardiff but the PE teacher caught my eye already. Most are watching for that disaster and the pressure building up as the clock ticks down.

There are suggestions in the press that the BBC could lose Bake Off to ITV. I hope that all involved will see sense and leave it be on the BBC.

Thursday BBC1 – Class of 92: Still out of their League times vary

I shouldn’t like this with the strong Manchester United connection in the ownership of the club, Salford FC. However, you have to give the five members of the ‘class of 92’ a pat on the back for investing in a non-League team.

After the success of the first documentary we are back for a two parter on the newly promoted Salford FC and we catch up with the likes of star striker Gareth Seddon, who opens his own cheese shop and one of the co-managers gets married. I will be stopping by for a look.

Friday Dave – The Blues Brothers 9pm

A film classic and always a watch when it is on this musical comedy. The film revolves around Jake and Elwood Blues (John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd) and their mission to help save the orphanage they grew up in from closing down.

They come up with the idea of re-forming their old R&B band and set about gathering the band including Mr. Fabulous out of his ‘high-payin' gig’ as maître d' at an expensive restaurant. With the band reformed fun and games begun as they tangle with Good Ol' Boys country western band, the Illinois Nazis, the cops and Carrie Fisher who Jake left standing at the altar. 

The money raised and then one mad chase to the office of the Cook County Assessor, so the brothers can pay the tax bill and save the orphanage.

Cardiff City - All we are singing is give us a goal and three points

Another chance for Cardiff City to score a goal having failed in the first three games of this new season, two league games and one cup game but no need to panic, yet!

We are only three games into the season along with our newest boss Paul Trollope it is a long way to go but fans are rumbling with talk of former boss Russel Slade as a god. Oh, the fickleness a football fans.

Been the nerd as I am I decided to look into the inability of Cardiff City strikers to score a meaningful amount of goals. Last season Anthony Pilkington was top of the goals tree but he wasn’t a striker more a midfield/winger player according to stats. He was made an emergency striker last season due to the lack of strikers at the Cardiff City Stadium scoring nine goals.

Slade sold Joe Mason who up until the January transfer window was the top goal scorer at the club and then loaned out Tony Watt, Kenwyne Jones, and Alex Revell in the January window. He brought in Kenneth Zohore from K.V. Kortrijk who made little impact at the club on loan until the end of the season.

The season before Pilkington striker Kenwyne Jones was top goal scorer with 15 league goals plus 2 more in cup games a fairly health total of league goals. In our brief visit to the Premier League in a season, the whole team managed 30 goals Midfielder Jordon Mutch scored seven yes a grand total of seven. While striker Fraizer Campbell converted six goals in total three of which were cup goals petty poor.

The last time we had strikers to scream about was in 2010/11 season with Jay Bothroyd scoring 18 league goals with Bellamy and Chopra on 11 and 9 respectively. They were heady days when fans overall were happy Datuk Chan Tien Ghee was chairman taking over from Peter Ridsdale and a play-off finish. Defeat to Reading in the play-off saw the fans miss possibly the greatest ever South Wales derby against Swansea that would have been played on foreign soil at Wembley in the Play-off final.

Tonight Blackburn Rovers are visiting South Wales, bottom of the league table after just two games but have let in seven goals in those two games. Even our strikers can’t fail to join the party or could they. I for one was hoping the club were unleashing a loin in Trollope playing football to excite.

However, from what I have read from other fans on social media they are being put to sleep. Maybe it is an early season hiccup which will end tonight and lion wakes tonight .

"We didn't fire in and around their box and didn't create the chances our play deserved," Trollope said.
"It's something we work on and will continue to work on and we're learning all the time.
"We scored pretty well through pre-season and created chances and our strikers scored during that period.
"It's been three frustrating games."

The School Yard - British and Germans

I remember one of the favourite games we played in the schoolyard was British and Germans for us boys we never had girls playing, lines back than were squarely drawn. We didn’t need nurses so sexist of me but back then games were boys or girls.

“Cross my heart and hope to die” Girls skipped a lot and played clapping games and two-ball which involved juggling two/three balls, against the wall while chanting rhymes. Lots of girl’s games involved nursery rhymes but I did like group skipping.

When my boys were young, I never saw them playing British and Germans I think sometime in the seventies it was consigned to the dustbin. I have great memories of walking around the yard shouting ‘Who wants a game of British and Germans’ hand over each other’s shoulders as more and more boys linked up and sides were picked. I don’t remember any problems on which side you were on and then the yard was full of noises of battle.

We would then charge around the yard using the bins, corners, and doorways for cover dreading one of the enemy shouting ‘Peter, you’re dead’. So you hit the floor wet or not but unlike in real war you are dead for moments until one of your side touch you and you spring back into life and back in the fight. Some played if you were killed three times you were officially dead for this game or no one would win.

This happened in the junior and girls yard before the upgrade to the big boy’s yard. Our guns were put away in favour of more rough and tumble fun and lots of football.

Welsh Premier League - Cardiff Met

The Welsh Premier League kick-off this weekend and this season there is something different about the league. There is a team from Cardiff for the first time in years. The last time a capital team played in the top Welsh league was in 2000/01 season when Inter Cable-Tel were relegated.

Cable-Tel later merged with Cardiff Metropolitan University who at the time were called (UWIC) to form UWIC Inter Cardiff FC. Digging around for some information about the new boys in the Welsh Premier there was not much out there but I did find some.

I believe their manager is Director of Football, Dr. Christian Edwards, a former Swansea City defender, and Welsh international whom after quitting football completed a doctorate. They are a University team and I would think that is a rarity in European football at the top anyway.

Cardiff Met were in Welsh League Division Three (4th tier) at the start of 2012/13 season. Then they won successive League promotions from Division Three and Two before earning promotion to the Welsh Division One. The plan was always the Welsh Premier League and last season they reached they goal. Their place in the Welsh Premier League was only confirmed after Caernarfon Town and Denbigh Town failed to secure licenses to play in the top flight of Welsh football.

The players are a mix of current and former students. Will that be enough in the robust league? Their pitch is at the Cyncoed Campus, Cyncoed Road with a capacity of just 1620.

After writing about the need to support your local newspapers, I was surprised this morning not to find one word written about Cardiff Met, and I was bitterly disappointed. I checked Wales Online the internet presents of the paper and again the pages were bare.

The first fixture is tomorrow with an away trip to Airbus UK Broughton.

8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown - TV Tonight

I have found little on TV that as diverted me from viewing the Olympics but tonight come 9pm my eyes will be glued to 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown on Channel4.

This ‘mash-up’ of two popular Channel4 shows works on all levels for me. Countdown provides the format and regular contributors Susie Dent (of 'dictionary corner' fame) and Rachel Riley (the eye candy of the numbers and letters). With the afternoon host and members of the public discarded in comes Jimmy Carr and team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson with a comedy walking on part for Joe Wilkinson causing mayhem and using Rachel and Susie as his foil.

The show was originally commissioned as part of the Channel 4 Mash Up night. It proved popular so the people at Channel4 thought it deserved a series run of its own. Team captains Sean Lock and Jon Richardson face off against each other with guests and try to win but more times than not Jon team wins. Some of the comedic guests I had never heard of before like Katherine Ryan and Isy Suttie the show has opened the door for me with a lot of up and coming comedians.

Tonight Roisin Conaty will join Sean Lock while Jon Richardson is paired with Nish Kumar to win some narf prize that I often wonder do they insist on taking home. I still watch Countdown and can remember its first airing on opening day of the new Channel4 but I do love the naughtier 8 Out of 10 Cats version

Thursday Night Football - City v Rovers - I Love a Cup Run

An unusual day for Cardiff City to play a game on Thursday but that is the demands of football by their TV masters. Tonight the Bluebirds face Bristol Rovers in the much-maligned old League Cup now rebranded but with no sponsor as the EFL Cup.

It will be interesting to see how the Cardiff City manager plays the game in whether he will take it seriously and play is best team or see it has a chance to play some fringe players this early into the season. I think it will be the case of the latter maybe with a sprinkling of players who were on duty for last Saturday’s fixture with Birmingham, last weekend, which ended in a draw.

Pity but the league is priority for all managers and with a game against QPR, this weekend a rested first team is the best option. I just hope the team fielded tonight will progress into the next round where an away trip to Scunthorpe where a win could see Cardiff face a Premiership club as they enter the competition in the 3rd round.

Since the defeat in the 2012 League Cup Final against Liverpool to penalties, the pickings have been lean in the competition. The following season we were out at the first hurdle at Northampton Town and the following season the Bluebirds were out in the third round. In 2014/15 season it was another third round exit and last season it was a case of old and new. Beating AFC Wimbledon at the Cardiff City Stadium, they then lost at MK Dons in the second round.

Last time the two met, Cardiff and Bristol Rovers, was in 2009 in the League Cup with Cardiff winning 3-1 and guess who their manager was, only Cardiff boss Paul Trollope. Another coincident is that Lennie Lawrence was appointed Director of Football at Bristol Rovers at the time, working alongside Paul Trollope in a two-tier managerial structure. He is back with Trollope as his assistant for tonight’s game. Fingers crossed for a cup run.

Support your local Newspaper

I stop buying my local newspaper a good few years ago for no real reason other than I was reading it for free on the internet, so why pay.

However, I have recently started buying the South Wales Echo again. I realised I wasn’t reading it online just cherry picking what interested me missing out on lots of other local news. The localness of such papers is important so is having a full staff of journalist because who will cover the council meeting or look into fly tipping and other issues.

I remember when there would be a mountain of South Wales Echo’s stacked up ready to sell and there would be two deliveries a day, the early edition, and the late. Then it was an afternoon paper now there is just the one delivery first thing in the morning and compered to yesteryear sales they are down and validated by the meagre number of copies of paper on sale today.

Speaking to the shopkeeper, he said he was down three quarters on paper sales not just the South Wales Echo and put it down to the internet. Now he would rather sell out than order more because he can’t be sure he could sell any extra. Newspapers have fallen on hard times. Advertising revenue and circulation have long been in decline and there are plenty of pundits proclaiming the death of the local and even the national newspapers.

People call for more local news but where will they get their news from unless in local print. You are not going to find news about Cardiff in the national London press for sure, social media then, I thing not nor blogs. The national paper of Wales, ‘The Western Mail’ I can’t remember the last time I bought it but do remember it was a boring read. Maybe it is time to check it out as well. Who knows I could be missing something. The local Echo on the other hand is local as local gets and I am glad I decided to start buying it again.

Has a sports fan and in particular a football supporter there is nowhere else I could read about Cardiff City daily. I find it hard to believe other fans are constantly calling for boycotts over this story or that.

Dating 70's Style

Do you remember dating has a teenager back? It was never easy! We didn’t have social media to help us making it hard graft unlike today more about that later. Back then, you were lucky if you had a phone in your house and that could be a ruddy party line meaning you shared the line with some of your neighbours. Our phone was a big red box on James Street not the best of places to be romantic with people standing outside taping their watch.

I remember one girl I arranged to phone one evening at 6:30pm. When I got to the phone box, there was a queue of people and we never met again maybe she it still standing there waiting for me call. It was  done in the main via little love notes being passed around among friends until it reached your target or via a rumour spread my you that you liked someone in hope it would be heard my the right ear. Remember writing the little love note ‘Do you like/love me’ and you would draw two boxes with Yes or No above them hoping for a tick in Yes. Perhaps adding a ‘Maybe’ box just to cover all bases.

There was always a need for a meeting place was essential and preferably on neutral ground away from your mates. Usually the boy would turn up alone but the girl may have a friend on two in the background.

Two places I remember was outside Astey’s Café at the Cardiff Bus Station and the steps of the National Museum. The latter would be the best place to meet, as it was a free date, warm, and plenty to see. It was a popular location on a Saturday or Sunday for a dating meeting place, you could have a wander around and it was easy to miss the cafeteria making it a cheap date. If it was a blind date or you wasn’t sure, you could hide in the park across the road to check her out and if you couldn’t see her, she was probably doing the same.

Astey’s had a cost attached so it was better to make a move soon because if you hung around too long someone might think it was a eating date. Forking out on a meal would be a bit much for a first date. Unless of course she was paying, otherwise, she would be lucky if she got a packet of crisps and a bottle of pop in the cinema.

Today your first date could well be on one of the many social media platforms or via the Tinder dating app, there are many similar sites all over the internet. There is Facebook and Twitter not an official dating site but can help the lonely, single and the happily married. I am not sure how Tinder works being happily married   other than it uses GPS, then uses your Facebook information to create your profile (don't worry, nothing about Tinder will ever be posted to Facebook). Tinder then finds you potential matches near you (you can narrow it down by searching by age and distance) and if they take your fancy, you swipe right to 'like' them. If not, go left to 'pass'. If they’ve also 'liked' you – bingo, your in there mate and you can start messaging. So easy.

Journey to Wembley begins - FA Cup - Maltby Main FC

This fantasy trip on the ‘Road to Wembley’ I indulge in every season got under way at the weekend and it will end in May. What a competition! The simple premise. I pick a team, follow them until they lose and then follow the winners all the way to Wembley. It is the nerdy football fan in me my thing without leaving the comfit of my armchair.

So after picking a team I knew nothing about, where they play but knew they played somewhere in England I plucked out Maltby Main FC. Why I have no idea but why not I had to start somewhere. So Maltby Main play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division a former pit team just outside Rotherham where back in the days when coal was king a good footballer was often guaranteed employment at the colliery.

Their visitors at the weekend were the football giants of Squires Gate FC from Blackpool who play in the North West Counties League Premier Division. It was the visitors who progressed into the next round where they will play West Didsbury or AFC Liverpool, who replay on Wednesday another away visit for my new team Squires Gate.

I have been doing this for years much easier with the onset of the World Wide Web but this is rare that in the early stages you find a match report. Well thanks to the local Blackpool paper The Gazette we have one.

BBC to remake classic Sitcoms

I am looking forward to the BBC remakes of some of their classic shows from back in the 1960s/1970s but with a few reservations. Back then TV was not has political correct as it is today some sitcom had racist overtones and plenty were sexist.

I am lead to believe these new updated to mark the 60th anniversary for the sitcom Hancock’s Half Hour first airing on TV. They will be using original scrips for these remakes some of episodes where no recordings survived.

The first images from the TV remakes have been release of Till Death Us Do Part, Steptoe and Son and Hancock’s Half Hour see below. The re-emergence of Alf Garnett will send a shiver down the spine of the PC brigade is he was notoriously anti socialist, racist, and sexist, which I expect will be dumbed down in the remake.

The episode set to be re-created is titled A Woman’s Place is in the Home. In the 1967 episode, Alf arrives home to an empty house and a burnt supper as wife Else is at the pictures when his daughter arrives home she simply doesn’t care. He then sets about “putting things right” in his own particular way.

Steptoe and Son is one of my all-time favourite sitcom so straight away, there is a lot to live up to, but I will not be comparing the two I will be looking for them to pay justice to the original. Harry H Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell were the perfect foil to each other as their relationship was on screen while off they had grown to dislike each other intensely.

This year marks six decades since Hancock’s Half Hour made the leap from radio to TV – a pivotal moment in comedy history. Regarded as the daddy of all comedy sitcoms being the first televised I had to play catch up as it was broadcasted before I was born and ended its run when I was a baby. Actor Kevin McNally will be stepping up to play Tony Hancock, with Robin Sebastian, Kevin Eldon, Jon Culshaw, and Katy Wix all co-starring.

These aren’t the only revamped sitcoms planned either, with a Keeping Up Appearances prequel titled Young Hyacinth in the works, alongside remakes of Are You Being Served?, The Good Life, Up Pompeii and Porridge where Ronnie Barker’s character Fletch’s grandson is now in prison. In Goodnight Sweetheart, most of the original characters will be returning.

These are plan as one off but if one or two are successful, there could be a new series commission of a whole series of the likes of Steptoe and Son or pick out one or two episodes.

Jeff Rawle and Ed Coleman as Steptoe and Son duo in the new remake

Simon Day will become Alf Garnett in the remake of Till Death Us Do Part

Hancock’s Half Hour with Kevin McNally alongside impressionist Jon Culshaw