Britain's Best TV Reviewer Posted Tue Oct 24 08:18:14 BST 2000 by Justin

For me, it's...

Mark Lawson, before he became a self-conscious media pundit. His stuff for the Independent and IoS in the late 80s/early 90s was really good - and he was the one non-Murdoch employee prepared to give The Simpsons a thumbs-up in its very early days.

Clive James in The Observer. The Crystal Bucket (the collection of his reviews between 72 and 82) still shows that when he wasn't trying to be too clever, or overestimating his audience's intelligence (much of his TV work, then), he's a good writer.

Victor Lewis Smith when he *can* be bothered. Which isn't often enough.



Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Sue de Nim' on Tue Oct 24 11:42:46 BST 2000:

There's a site out there called www.Offthetelly.co.uk -has telly reviews . some good some bad....generally an interesting site . Done by some of the TVCream lot .

*s'pose its a shameless plug as I occasionally do stuff for the site , but so what ?*

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Wed Oct 25 01:17:13 BST 2000:

Ooh, yes. Mark Lawson's good.

Have I strayed off the Worst TV Reviewer strand here...? No. There is some positive feeling on this forum. Hurrah.

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Al' on Thu Oct 26 00:34:17 BST 2000:

Ian Parker in The Observer was the king - until that dope Flett replaced him. The only broadsheet reviewer to spot, Emperor's New Clothes style, that This Life was a load of old cack. Where is he now?

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Unruly Butler' on Thu Oct 26 01:03:11 BST 2000:

Jim Shelley (and now the erstwhile Charlie Brooker) (Guardian Guide).

Not actually reviewing TV, just stringing elaborate insults in a row. Now that's criticism! Top stuff.

Jim Shelley was the first man to point out that Mike Reid says "Swede Tart" all the time. Make me laugh.

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Mike J' on Thu Oct 26 10:42:09 BST 2000:

Anyone remember Paul Morley's Telecide column in Blitz? Anyone remember Blitz even?

That was terrific. I recall the month he claimed to have submitted a massively over-used tape to an avant-garde Dutch art festival and won third prize in the 'video collage' section. (Or something - it *was* 12 years ago...)

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By Justin on Thu Oct 26 19:18:28 BST 2000:

>Anyone remember Paul Morley's Telecide column in Blitz? Anyone remember Blitz even?
>

Me. That was a great column, I'd forgotten about that. Still got all my copies of Blitz somewhere. It was at least as good as The Face back then (and certainly a damn sight better than The Face is now).

>That was terrific. I recall the month he claimed to have submitted a massively over-used tape to an avant-garde Dutch art festival and won third prize in the 'video collage' section. (Or something - it *was* 12 years ago...)

Have you read Nothing, Mike? Do, if you haven't.

Subject: Re: Britain's Best TV Reviewer [ Previous Message ]
Posted By 'Mike J' on Mon Oct 30 15:15:25 GMT 2000:

[morley in blitz]
>That was a great column, I'd forgotten about that. Still got all my copies of Blitz somewhere.

Dug out some from '88/'89 last year and they were stuffed full of good things - architecture, music, design, art, decent interviews with interesting people. Does anything of this sort exist today*? If it did, would it survive more than two issues?

(* - I mean in large-circulation print form. Of course, there's plenty of fine writing about, on the Web, in fanzines, etc)

>Have you read Nothing, Mike? Do, if you haven't.

Oh yes. Slow start, but marvellous thereafter. I enjoyed being able to say, in response to the question "What are you reading at the moment?", "Nothing" and for it, for once, to mean Something.

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