Memories of 2006....Television

Television highlights were in short supply during 2006, the BBC had, Dr.Who, Jane Eyre, Hustle, Spooks and Life On Mars which were probably the best programmes on terrestrial television this year. ITV saw its share of the viewing audience fall below 20% for the first time ever and panicked itself into recruting Michael Grade to lead it out of the wilderness.

ITV outdid itself in appealing to the lowest common denominator by introducing yet more series of 'reality' and 'people' shows, the BBC, forgetting its remit once again, followed the trend by having various Come Dancing type series and then found itself hosting auditions for Andrew Lloyd Webbers Sound of Music - rarely has the licence payers pounds beens spent so profligately.

Anyway back to Life on Mars, it ran for eight episodes back in January and February and was based on the simple idea that a police detective is the victim of a hit and run in 2006 and wakes up to find himself back in 1973 complete with brown trousers, leather coats, Ford Cortinas and the all casual violence and sexism he can handle. The star of the show was supposed to be John Simm as Di Sam Tyler but the series was stolen from under his nose by the ever brilliant Phillip Glenister as his boss DCI Gene Hunt - Liz White finally got a part to suit her undoubted talents as the reliable WPC Annie Cartright. The final eight episodes are due for transmission early in 2007.

The most improved channel on British television is good old Channel 5. Gone are the days when the Channel 5 schedules were a virtual wankfest of tits and bums, having bought the CSI franchise to Britain, it followed this up by broadcasting Law and Order for the first time on terrestrial television and then the first three NCIS series. Over on FX (Channel 179 on SKY), Rupert Murdoch's Fox network added Family Guy to its list of superb animations, joining the Simpsons, Futurama and American Dad on the list of programmes that appeal to both children and adults. FX also premiered E-Ring and Sleeper Cell, tapping into America's paranoia about terrorists and conspiracies.

On the comedy front, the second series of Extras on BBC and Green Wing on Channel 4 were as good if not better than their predecessors and Jack Dee surprised me by actually being funny in his own BBC3 series Lead Balloon - apparently I wasn't the only one watching as the show was transferred to BBC2 mid-series and a second series commissioned for 2007.

The summer viewing was dominated by the World Cup, in fact three of the Top Ten most watched programmes of the year were football matches.

A sign if the times was the viewing figures for Christmas Day where the most watched programme was Vicar of Dibley with just over 11 million viewers - a far cry from the days of three channels and 23 million tuning in for Morecambe and Wise or Den and Angie's bust up in the Queen Vic.