19 December 2021 89THE BEST TV FROM WALTER AND BEYOND... NEW YEAR’S EVE
Meanwhile, in Scotland,
where December 31 takes
on its own unique flavour,
Edith Bowman is very live
indeed on BBC Scotland from
10.20pm. She introduces
Scot Squad at 10.30pm, a
not entirely serious police
documentary about the
challenge of maintaining
public order at street ceilidhs
at chucking-out time and the
legal requirements of the
pastry/gravy/meat ratio of a
Ne’erday steak pie. At 11pm,
Queen Of The New Year
brings together Scotland’s
top comedians and actors
for a sketch show that might
actually be funny because
Robert Florence is in it.
Then it is back to the studio
at 11.30pm, with Bowman,
Texas and Emeli Sandé, for
a correctly pronounced Auld
Lang Syne, the bells and a
cup (or two) o’ kindness yet.
Helen StewartGregory Porter (BBC2, 11.25pm)ON DEMAND
Cobra Kai (Netflix)
Netflix knows a little about
how fans of Jon Hurwitz’s
martial-arts comedy-drama
consume the show. Season
three premiered on January 1,
2020, and season four drops
today. Yes, the best way to
devour this unlikely mix of
angsty teen soap and middle-
The White Heather Club
(YouTube)
Presented by the Scottish singer
Andy Stewart, this tartanised
gallimaufry of country dancing,
folk-singing and terrible jokes
ran from 1958 to 1968, with
specials that occasionally
featured the genius of Stanley
Baxter. Don’t complain about
Jools’s Hootenanny; take a look
at what we ghosts of New Year
past were subjected to.
Andrew Maleaged melodrama is on holiday,
following a period of culinary
excess. As a reminder, it stars
William Zabka and Ralph
Macchio returning to their
original Karate Kid roles, only
now it is as two flawed,
middle-aged men at war with
themselves. When the show
isn’t being wryly funny it
possesses a strangely soulful
self-awareness that is best
embodied in Zabka’s cheering
central performance.Remember what it looks like? The Elizabeth Tower’s Big Ben bongs are back to ring in 2022New Year
(BBC1, from 10.20pm)
It’s time to give 2021 a firm
push out the door and let
light entertainment in to
chase away the darkness.
The Graham Norton Show
does its best to provide the
glamour with a stellar line-up
— Jessica Chastain, Claire
Foy, Cush Jumbo and Peter
Dinklage — plus music from
the Divine Comedy. The
music turns up louder with
the punningly titled The Big
New Year’s & Year’s Eve
Party (BBC1, 11.25pm), where
Olly Alexander performs his
hits before being joined by
guests Kylie Minogue and Pet
Shop Boys. The only sound
that really counts tonight,
however, rings out from the
usual places: New Year
Bongs (ITV, 11.45pm) and
Happy New Year Live (BBC1,
12 midnight). Onwards.
Victoria SegalKenny Everett
(That’s TV Gold, 10pm)
Interweaving humour and hits
just as Everett did as a radio
DJ, his fizzingly inventive
television series boldly
blended disparate ingredients;
the ITV New Year specials
here from 1978 (10pm), 1979
(10.50pm) and 1980 (11.50pm)
all contain sketches, spoofs,
visual gags, sci-fi animation,
slinky Hot Gossip routines
and then-current chart
high-fliers performing their
singles. The presence of pop,
whether sung or danced to,
gave his shows a much more
youthful, of-the-moment feel
than those of Stanley Baxter
and Morecambe and Wise.
Guests across the triple bill
include David Bowie, Billy
Connolly and Rod Stewart.
John Dugdale
Harlan Coben’s Stay Close
(Netflix)
An embarrassment of acting
riches graces the latest
adaptation in the 14-book deal
Netflix has struck with the
American author. The Good
Fight’s Cush Jumbo stars in this
tense psychological thriller,
abetted by Richard Armitage,
James Nesbitt and a wholly
outrageous Sarah Parrish.Musicals — The Greatest
Show (BBC2, 5.35pm)
It’s been on iPlayer for a
while but the cast list of this
spectacular event means it
easily merits a terrestrial
repeat. Sheridan Smith, Elaine
Paige, Josh Groban, Michael
Ball and Idina Menzel serving
up the biggest numbers from
the West End’s greatest
productions? Yes, please.Jools’ Annual Hootenanny
(BBC2, 11.25pm)
These New Year celebrations
might not really be live (it’s
generally pre-recorded early
December) but the subterfuge
is more than justified by a line-
up that includes Ed Sheeran,
Gregory Porter, Rag’n’Bone
Man, Ruby Turner, Lulu and
the pipers of the Scots Guards.
Helen StewartCRITICS’ CHOICE
A guid new year
to ane an a’
When Harry Met Sally
(BBC4, 10.40pm)
Rob Reiner’s classic romcom
ends (no spoilers here) at a
New Year’s Eve party. So, if
BBC4’s schedulers have timed
things right, you can watch
the film this evening and have
art and reality chime with
each other. On its path to that
climax, however, the movie
speeds time up a little. Nora
Ephron’s chatty, worldly-
wise script takes us through
a decade or so in the lives
of two friends (Billy Crystal
and Meg Ryan) who should
perhaps be closer. (1989)Captain Underpants
(BBC1, 9.10am)
A chubby man wearing
nothing but pants and a cape,
this cartoon’s superhero may
sound like a puerile creation,
and in a way he is: he enters
the movie as the invention of
two giggling boys. However,
David Soren’s film is witty
and sweet in its affection for
children’s humour. (2017)Principal boy (BBC1, 9.10am)FILM CHOICE
Coco (BBC1, 2.40pm)
Mexico’s celebration of the
Day of the Dead inspires good
narrative ideas and a host of
jazzy images in this Pixar film,
the story of a boy who visits
the land of the dead and meets
the skeletal ghosts of departed
relatives. Determined to stay
upbeat while addressing
mortality, Lee Unkrich’s
movie is helped by its bright
colours and its abundant
music (its hero is a devoted
guitarist). Its main strength,
though, is that its positive
thinking is warm and
unpatronising. (2017)Nothing Like A Dame
(BBC2, 4.15pm)
The director Roger Michell,
who died this year, oversaw a
wonderful gathering for this
documentary: Eileen Atkins,
Judi Dench, Joan Plowright
and Maggie Smith — thespian
dames and old friends — chat
and reminisce. The result is a
hugely enjoyable film made
up of funny stories, gently
barbed remarks and moments
of poignancy. (2018)
Edward Porter