I chose the following five programmes as my favourites in the TV section:
Soccer AM is a Saturday morning football show on Sky Sports 1. It has been running on every Saturday morning during the football season since 1995. It is currently presented by Helen Chamberlain (ever-present) and Andy Goldstein (since 2007) but it was made famous and popular during Tim Lovejoy’s reign as producer and presenter (1996-2007).
It is a program based on football and also includes doses of entertainment, comedy sketches, music and guest interviews. If you love football you will love Soccer AM. If you hate football, there is still a chance you will love Soccer AM.
King of Queens is an American sitcom based around the characters Doug Heffernan (Kevin James) and Carrie Heffernan (Leah Remini). It has been running for 9 seasons, from 1998 to 2007
The two characters are a married couple living in Queens, New York. Doug is an overweight delivery man working for IPS (deliberate imitation of UPS). He constantly disobeys his bossy wife and often finds himself in trouble with her. He is a huge sports fan and is also famous for his catchphrases and specific ways of saying things.
Carrie works as a secretary in a law firm and is a bossy moody wife. Her dad lives in the basement due to him burning down his own home in the pilot episode. He is probably the funniest character in the program due to his outrageous rants that occur for no reason at all.
The Simpsons has to be the greatest cartoon of all time and arguably the greatest comedy program of all time. I have loved the Simpsons since I can remember. I probably first watched it as a kid purely because it is a cartoon. My favourite character was obviously Bart as was every kids' but as I got older he was replaced by Homer and I began to understand more jokes and gags that I wouldn’t have noticed before. Even now if I watch an episode that I haven’t seen since I was young I will spot different brilliances. It is funny on all levels which is why it is so great. It appeals to all ages and I am yet to see someone sit through an episode of The Simpsons without constantly laughing (even my mum and dad who claim they can’t stand it).
The Office is yet another classic sitcom. It is a mockumentary (fake documentary). It follows David Brent (Ricky Gervais) and the goings on in the office that he is the manager of. Brent is not your typical manager; he prides himself on being an entertainer and a manager. He thinks that his colleagues love him and find him funny. Because of this he constantly gets himself into awkward circumstances that make you feel embarrassed for him; none more so than the brilliant comic relief episode in which Brent does the now infamous dance. Brent, in my view, is possibly the greatest character ever in a sitcom.
The Office can seem very boring and slow, but that’s because it is so real. If you’re after dry humour and hilarious awkward, cringe worthy moments then The Office is for you.
This is the thing that I miss most now that I am away from home. For many years, Sunday has been football day and I sometimes I pretty much did nothing but sit in and watch football…all day. From the moment I woke up, to late that evening when the Spanish football finished.
‘Goals on Sunday’ was the program that kick started the day. It was presented by ex-footballer Chris Kamara and sports journalist Rob McCaffrey (for some reason this season Rob McCaffrey has been replaced). The program would have two or three guests (generally ex-players, players and managers) and would show a round up of Saturday’s action as well as analysis and chat with the guests about their careers and experiences.