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The week ahead: a sitting Tennant on the TV
Conrad Astley9/12/2005
It's clear we'll be seeing a fair bit of David Tennant over the
next few weeks.
Not satisfied with transforming into the tenth doctor - he already
has the brilliant Casanova and Blackpool under his belt - he offers
a tasty aperitif in
Secret Smile (Monday and
Tuesday, ITV1).
The pretty boy plays sinister conman Brendan Block who sweeps naïve
Miranda off her feet. While everyone warns the sweet-talker might
not be all he seems, she's obviously not read the Nicci French
novel this was based on, or followed any recent Coronation Street
plots.
It doesn't take more than a quick look at the last fortnight's
headlines to realise there is no end in sight to our obsession with
heroes falling from grace.
The same papers which ran page after page on George Best's
alcoholic exploits had only just finished mourning his death when
they turned their attention on the booze sessions, punch-ups and
incoherent ramblings of another once-great sportsman - Gazza.
This is the theme behind
One Life's (Tuesday,
BBC1) look at former boy band star Brian Harvey.
During the mid 90s, he topped the charts with East 17 - The Rolling
Stones to Take That's Beatles - before bragging about his drug
consumption and ending his career.
Now, he has suffered two suicide attempts and is unable to walk
unaided after a bizarre accident in which he ran himself over.
Personally, I think it's difficult to feel much sympathy for anyone
who helped popularise the Burberry baseball cap.
A more uplifting tale comes in the real-life story of single mum
Maggi who has seven kids - four of whom suffer different kinds of
autism.
Magnificent Seven (Tuesday, BBC2) is a
well-handled drama avoiding being a gloomfest while steering clear
of Forest Gump sentimentality.
The family motto is "different is cool" and Helena Bonham Carter's
Maggi sees it all as challenging but rewarding.
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