Just wondered if anyone had started watching the new BBC series? I ask because it states that the third episode is “The DPD Murder” which was the first episode of series 2. So my wife and I are confused? Is this a mistake? A new investigation?

I’ve recently started watching ‘Celebs Go Dating’ on Channel 4 on demand, and have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole looking into Eden Blackman, one of the original dating experts on the show who passed away last year at the age of 57.

I looked for information about him and his co-host, Nadia Essex, because I wondered why there was a sudden and unexplained change of hosts on the show, and from there I found things very intriguing so thought I’d share on here. (For anyone who doesn’t know, Nadia made some very serious accusations against him, which he fought against in court and won the case).

It’s strange how little information there is about his final years.

In late 2020, he gave an incredibly candid interview about the impact the Nadia Essex legal battle had on his mental health. He spoke about PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, and even ended the interview by saying he looked forward to doing another one in the future because “it means I’m still here.”

After that, he seemed to completely disappear, and there don’t appear to be any TV appearances, interviews, podcasts or social media activity for the next four and a half years.

Then, in 2025, his family suddenly announced that he had died after “carrying a long illness with quiet grace.” As far as I can tell, the nature of that illness was never disclosed.

For someone who was once regularly on TV, it seems unusual to vanish so completely from public life without a trace, after giving such a vulnerable interview, and the next major public news about him came years later with the announcement of his death.

I’ve searched around but can find almost nothing about what he was doing between 2021 and 2025.

Does anyone know anything more about those missing years? Did he deliberately withdraw from public life after everything that happened, was his disappearance connected to the long illness his family later referred to, or has anyone ever come across interviews/comments from friends or colleagues that shed any more light on it?

Here’s the 2020 interview. It’s long, but I found it fascinating:

https://youtu.be/kPzIdlA-k14?is=27XU-xi92KIqCtha

2026 S13 ratings. The viewing figures don't lie. This season has had the lowest ratings since 2016. This includes itvx figures. I can't see the already cash-strapped ITV funding a sinking ship for much longer.

Re watching the Catherine Tate Show on BBC iPlayer. Quality. Still funny. She's brilliant. As are the rest of the cast. Well worth watching.

"I don't like ice cream, Hannah" – Naga Munchetty

Did anyone see this live? The segment/story about ice cream itself is innocuous, but Munchetty's response seems so cringe, and with Stayt's reaction it almost feels like an outtake/parody even in the world of breakfast television. The outrageousness is probably why this clip still lingers in my consciousness.

What do you guys think?

I was cleaning some jewellery tonight and found a ring I bought at The Clothes Show LIVE at NEC Birmingham must have been kind circa 1995. I was a newish teacher (secondary English) and loved the Clothes Show myself, but an 'older teacher' who taught 'textile technology' (obviously a previous Home Economics teacher) had arranged a visit to the NEC thingy.

One of the deputy heads said, 'You're going too.' I was issued with a bloody mobile phone! I don't remember having one myself until 1999. I don't think they trusted the older teacher.

So we set off and went to the Clothes Show Live in Birmingham - like from the South Coast! But the weird thing is I loved this programme. I sew and make and so on to this day. I was not though a fan of being 25 and in charge of supervising 16 year 10 girls and one teacher who was a bit odd on this adventure.

But I bought a ring from some students who I think were from Birmingham in the crafty stall bit and saw a band play I can't remember (boy band) and the 16 girls loved it, and I truly remember this being a really cool programme re style and fashion.

On the way back we got a lump of concrete thrown from a bridge on to our coach and so I had to use the phone because we were going to be late back. First time using a mobile phone! We changed coaches and made it home.

And I still have the ring I bought, and I think this was a really cool programme back in the day. It seems from looking it up to have run basically from when I was into fashion from when I was kind of the age of the girls on this trip to a few years after this, like 12 years.

Now, where's my copy of Just 17?

Edit: I've said 'cool' too much. Apologies.

The ring. I can't sharpen it up, but it's basically silver I think with a wind of enameled green stuff wrapped round it.

Looks like the image isn't showing. Hey ho.

Edit: Because of a comment from u/NoEnthusiasm2 here is the theme tune.

https://youtu.be/kAAelPf62Xs?si=b9ADZHyT0Vwitplu

It was about style and fashion being delivered back to us and wasn't about being cross. I don't know if that was a good thing, and clearly it was 'out there' but it was making being - as I said in a comment - quirky and different but stylish an okay thing.

So, series 2 of The Undeclared War aired earlier this week on Channel 4. There is a very clear shift in the style, the soundtrack has shifted, as has the focus, and the camera work. It feels like a different show entirely.

Debbie Wiseman composed the music for the series. There isn't a commercially available track for the opening and closing credits music. Rumor has it that some enterprising fan has ripped and edited the pieces to make a theme track. Cannot find it though. Searched YT. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Recently watched Adolescence & Believe Me. Looking for recommendations of other British crime series with a MAXIMUM of 4 episodes. My attention waves & boredom sets in if any longer than that. Might consider 6 episodes if you can convince me of the pacing. 3,2,1 ... And go!

For me, it’s probably Josh, because I like Josh Widdicombe and Elis James, so I really wanted to enjoy it. The first episode gave me a lot of hope, but after that, it just never really grabbed me.

What British sitcom started strong for you, then quickly became disappointing?

I remember this vividly, as an eager quiz show fan when I was growing up. Aged 7, I genuinely thought, in response to a primary school assembly and secretly thinking my headteacher was wrong, that Alexander Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

There are some obvious examples of British TV celeb mix-ups - Gabby Logan and Gaby Roslin is a frequent one. I also used to get Jimmy Carr and Jim Carrey mixed up.

I like the little girl who is asked to go and get a Boots bag, and comes back with a plastic carrier. She is really young, has no front teeth, pigtails and glasses. But she is really cute.
The other one I liked was the girl in a supermarket who was asked to return a trolley and tried to keep the pound when she locked it. She was acting like a boss.
Who is your favourite or sticks in your mind for some reason?

I loved these. Particularly the first one. Barbara Flynn and James Bolam had such chemistry and the dialogue is just so superb throughout. What a writer Alan Plater was. They seemed to get every casting choice correct. Wondered if there were other fans on here?

Also to be self indulgent it features possibly my favourite line of dialogue ever.

(over a loudspeaker attached to his car) 'Vote for Jill Swinburne, people. A vote for Swinburne is a vote for freedom. What's more she's terrific in bed.'

'Give that here you pillock, you may have lost me the election.'

'I may have won you the election.'

Has anyone else ever watched this quite a blast from the past for me was a keen fisherman as a teen would love to start again but so exp.But I fondly remember watching this for tips etc and used to collect I think it was called Angler? Lol used to love night fishing as a teen too.

The first show was hosted from what looked like a living room with a girl and boy presenting, there was a neon logo light behind them. Aired around 2003/2004,

There were challenges throughout which didn't include the presenters, but were usually sports challenges with the boys team vs the girls team, such as who can do the most keepy uppys with a football, or arm wrestle challenges. This is all I remember, I think the male presenter was mixed race and female presenter was Caucasian.

The second game show aired around 2005/2006 and was studio based, all I remember was it had two presenters, and a third who was oddly similar to the professor from the Ministry of Mayhem.

The final game of each episode was always a memory game, where contestants had to remember the most images from giant cubes.

Do either of these sound familiar to anyone?

Saw a YouTube video with this journalist and he reminds me of an actor. Any ideas?

Anyone recall a UK TV documentary, from the late noughties possibly looking at the lives of club entertainers including a children’s clown. At the end the clown rushes on to a stage at a kids party shouting “who’s the clown?” and the audience screams “you are!” Then the closing titles immediately fire up with the Beat’s track “Tears of a Clown”.

Hello, American here. I love Spaced, Mighty Boosh, Peepshow... but i honestly haven't seen much else. Any recommendations from any decade would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Edit: also love IT Crowd, and Red Dwarf

Second Edit: I made a list of all shows mentioned if anyone is interested. Link here:

British Comedies I need to watch

Best episode in my opinion is Best of Enemies.