Daily Express Wednesday, April 8, 2020 39televisionexpress
artichokes and hazelnuts, in
honour of Enid Blyton’s The
Enchanted Wood. It’s by far the
tastiest-looking mushroom panna
cotta with artichokes and hazelnuts
that I’ve ever clapped eyes on,
although admittedly that’s a fairly
easy honour to achieve.
Even more adventurous, another
chef creates a duck crumble with
rhubarb, seen as an ambitious
tribute to Alice’s Adventures In
Wonderland. A duck, you may
recall, was one of that story’s
minor characters. Mind you, so was
a dodo. If ambition is what this guy
wants to demonstrate, I’d have
thought a dodo crumble would
have been way more impressive.because host Susan Calman tells us
at the start of the show. Otherwise
I wouldn’t have had a clue. I have a
sneaking feeling Susan may not
have known it either and that one
of the producers had to tell her.
But maybe that’s doing her a
disservice.
Anyway, the children’s literature
thing that’s been the theme of this
series has an extra significance this
week because Belfast was the
birthplace of the great CS Lewis,
whose books included The
Chronicles of Narnia.
But that doesn’t mean all the
dishes have to be Narnia-themed.
One contestant, Leigh, creates a
mushroom panna cotta withthreaten to scupper any hope of a
happy ending.
Elsewhere, GREAT BRITISH
MENU (BBC2, 8pm) resumes with
four new chefs, this time from
Northern Ireland.
I say “new”. Two may actually
look familiar to you, at least if
you’re the sort of person who
keeps a mental note of who’s
appeared in previous series of TV
cooking contests, in case that
somehow comes in handy one day.
That’s because one of them,
Shauna, finished runner-up in the
Great British Menu in 2016. And
another, Alex, did likewise 12
months ago.
Personally, I only know thatDawn French’s gossipy, nosey but
fundamentally decent Maggie as
each week has passed.
I’ve found myself rooting for her
as she attempts to fix the damage
she caused in episode one with her
drunken indiscretions on the local
radio station, Ludicrously
Implausible FM.
Events tonight, mind you,:
HO ever would
have thought I’d be
making it to the end
of THE TROUBLE
WITH MAGGIE
COLE (ITV, 9pm),
given the things I was saying about
it at the start? Particularly about it
being ludicrously implausible.
Have I simply changed my mind,
and decided ludicrous
implausibility is not such a terrible
thing? Maybe I have. Maybe it
isn’t. After all, a TV classic such as
Doctor Who has always been
ludicrously implausible, yet neither
of its remaining viewers seems to
have a problem with that.
Also, madly, I’ve warmed to
7KHUHVQRWURXEOHKHUH
Mike Ward
previews
tonight’s TV
DID YOU KNOW? Martial arts action hero Steven
Seagal has been nominated three times in the Worst
Actor category at the Golden Raspberry Awards for On
Deadly Ground, Fire Down Below and Half Past Dead.PICKS OF THE DAY
Cookery: MasterChef, BBC1, 9pm
As the semi-finals continue and
the heat in the kitchen increases
this evening the remaining
contestants are surprised by a
very special guest in the
MasterChef kitchen, chef Tom
Kitchin. The cooks are challenged
to recreate one of his complex
and delicious signature recipes.
Some have to battle with unusual
ingredients which they have never
used before, whilst others must
turn their hand to new techniques.
Next, the contestants have to
create a dish inspired by someone
they love or admire as they battle
for their place in the final. As
always, John Torode and Gregg
Wallace (both left) are in charge.Comedy: Kate & Koji, ITV, 8pm
We have reached episode four of this comedy but we
still cannot shake off the thought that hat-wearing
detective Vera is talking to Neil from the
Inbetweeners! In fairness, Brenda Blethyn and Blake
Harrison (both above) do a good job of breaking free
from their previous roles but we just cannot shake the
thought! Tonight, when word reaches that a storm is
headed for town, Kate refuses to step in line.
Film: Under Seige 2,
ITV4, 9pm
This was the triumphant
return of Casey Ryback,
the arm-breaking,
gun-toting ‘cook’ from the
original Under Siege. In
the sequel, our hero,
played by the
incomparable Steven
Seagal (right), is forced to
leap into action when he
realises terrorist hijackers
are on board the same
train as he is. Their leader- a vengeful former
government operative – is
threatening to set off a
chain of earthquakes if
his demand for $1billion
is not met. Another
classic role for Seagal.
Soap: Coronation Street, ITV, 7.30pm
Soaps across the channels have tackled delicate
issues superbly well in recent years and Corrie bosses
deserve recognition for their handling of post-natal
depression. Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell, above
left, with Sam Aston as Chesney) boards the bus with
the quads but suddenly she’s overcome by a wave of
anxiety and hurries off the bus. Having watched in
horror, Chesney sprints after the bus.Property: Location,
Location, Location, C4, 8pm
Filmed well before we
were all confined to
Coronavirus lockdown,
Kirstie Allsopp and Phil
Spencer guide
prospective buyers in
south east London
through the complex
world of viewings and
agents as they try to buy
a home. Kirstie meets
Ros and Hannah, who
have lacked the
confidence to go out and
secure the house they
always dreamed of.
Meanwhile, Phil is on
hand to help Emma and
Karthik, who have moved
from Singapore.