The corridors of power behind the trenches of war

Jun 27, 2014

Once called the Great War, nowadays it’s more like the Forgotten War. The details of the First World War tend to get lost in the shadows of the more recent World War II. Let’s see … someone got assassinated, trench warfare, some borders got redrawn, the Germans lost – or was that World War II?

BBC Two is coming to the rescue to fill in the details with 37 Days (8.3 on IMDB), a wartime drama miniseries that follows the events leading up to the start of the First World War.

Ian McDiarmid (the Emperor in Star Wars) plays British statesman Edward Grey, the man who famously said on the eve of the war: “The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time,” while Tim Pigott-Smith (V for Vendetta) plays British prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith.

The show has been praised for managing to pack in so many facts with such historical accuracy – about a relatively uncovered time period, no less – while maintaining an exciting pace and narrative.

37 Days, 3+, Sat 17:00

Also New:

DR2, Sat 19:40 Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live

Who knew Keith Richard would live to be the combined ages of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, who died in 1969, 1970 and 1971 respectively. Well, he’s not there quite yet, as all three were 27 when they died, but he only needs one more decade to draw level.

Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live recalls the Stones’ tribute concert to its founder Jones, who died shortly after being kicked out of the band. “I wasn’t understanding enough about his drug addiction,” Mick Jagger later told Rolling Stone. “People thought cocaine was good for you.”

Hendrix: Hear my train a comin (DRK, Sat 23:40) and Doorstown (DRK, Sun 22:15) are the more traditional kind of tribute: 2013 docs about their genius, promising unseen footage and unknown insights.

Elsewhere, in Lindsay (K4, Mon 20:00) Lohan’s life is laid bare as she seeks rehabilitation from being herself; don’t miss World Cup exposé In the Shadow of the Stadiums (DR2, Sun 23:00); Terry Jones lends a comical eye to The Surprising History of Sex and Love (DRK, Tue 21:20); and Tony Parsons: The Art of Boxing (BBC World, Sat 18:30 or 23:30) examines how great minds like watching people hit each other. (BH)

Coming Soon:

Isn’t this what Prince Harry does just for laughs?

Moments before her arrest for being a Russian spy

Picture Borat, but instead of an offensive Kazakh journalist, you’ve got two British aristocrats – George and Poppy Carlton – roaming the States making a mockumentary.
Naturally they do quintessential American things (see Texas), like shooting guns, going to a rodeo and going to a taxidermy office.

The Carltons are Almost Royal (71 on Metacritic), to the point where if a bus-load of 49royal family members were to crash and everyone abroad died, George would be king. (LS)

Sport of the week:

TV3 Sport 1, Mon 13:00 Wimbledon last 16 (Photo: Scanpix)

The World Cup is hotting up as it enters its knockout stage and the final 16. Saturday to Tuesday, eight games, there are no excuses to miss any of them, and it all starts with Brazil vs Chile. Meanwhile, Wimbledon reaches the final 16 on Monday: men and women, 16 matches in total, all played to a finish. (BH)

TV2, Sat 18:00 2014 World Cup: Brazil vs Chile (Photo: Scanpix)

DR1, Sat 22:00 2014 World Cup: Colombia vs Uruguay (Photo: Scanpix)

Film of the week:

Imagine if the guy in Boogie Nights had a small dick. If that made you laugh, you might like Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (3+, Mon 22:45) for the first minute. Funny People, again Adam Sandler, this time as star not producer, actually delivers, as do Sean Penn in drag in This Must Be the Place and Aung San Suu Kyi flick The Lady. (BH)

3+, Tue 23:15 Funny People