mostly david ephgrave

I hope no-one informs whoever owns the rights of seasons five to eight of Diagnosis: Murder that they’re currently available on YouTube as, if they do, I could be scuppered when it comes to watching the latter half of my favourite hospital-based sleuthing series. (Quincy comes second, due to pathology being pretty grim.) I’ve written here before of my frustration regarding the airing habits of various channels with the programme. For a long time, Five USA were the culprits for constantly looping back to the first series instead of going past the end of season four; now CBS Action are facing my wrath, for doing the same with just the first two seasons. It’s as if they think no-one’s watching, which is a defeatist stance to take; how else is a highly-strung person like me supposed to relax without my daily dose of Dick Van Dyke? I can’t even buy the DVD Box Set, as it’s (1) stupidly expensive and (2) I’d need to invest in a multi-region DVD player; t...

It was genuinely sad to see Bill Turnbull sign off his final appearance on the BBC Breakfast sofa this morning (subject to coming back as a guest). He exudes real warmth, which is an unusual quality for a newsreader. With some people, it would be hard to tell if this was authentic or painted on, but not with Carol Kirkwood’s “Billy”. He’s clearly the real deal; an opinion that was only cemented by watching him walk his dogs in the Peak District during his last week on the programme, and reading that part of the reason he was leaving to spend more time with his bees. In a gentle way, Turnbull was subtly subversive; cracking dad jokes one minute, then emanating sincerity the next. He was the perfect pair of hands to nudge the average sleep-encrusted British citizen through the early part of a working day. Without him, weekday mornings (and the odd Saturday) won't be the same. I’ll miss my secret daily game of guessing which presenters will be on ...

I've just found out that next week, Five USA will skip back to the beginning of the first season of Diagnosis Murder rather than carrying on into season five, and I'm inconsolable. (I'm a closet fan of the show, by the way. Something I've covered here previously .) Why are they doing this? Do they think no-one's watching? I guess not: they're Five USA. They don't seem to have any faith in their audience. This is the third time they've shown season one this year. I've half a mind to write to Channel 5's owner Richard Desmond and take him to task on the subject. Though, to be fair, when it comes to the man who’s also behind the Daily Star and Television X, continuously rerunning the first few episodes of Diagnosis Murder is the tip of the iceberg. Perhaps Five USA don’t hold the rights to air seasons five to eight. Maybe they’re just trying to fuck with my head. Whatever the reason, I’m not happy. I...

I have a bit of a guilty pleasure. Well, I say that it's guilty: I’ve only prefaced it with this because I’m afraid of what you might think. I’m a bit of a fan of Diagnosis Murder. Actually, I’m quite a lot of a fan. So much so that I own a couple of the DVD box-sets. They're not mine, technically: they were presents for my girlfriend. It’s a good job she likes it too; if she didn’t, I doubt I’d find a member of the opposite sex who’d be prepared to see past it. Don’t get me wrong: I know it’s not exactly gritty . That’s part of the appeal. It isn’t challenging – but has enough of a storyline to keep you interested. It’s straightforward entertainment; not afraid to play for laughs when necessary. The thing that always draws me back is its central performer, Dick Van Dyke. I think he's truly underrated. He’s the physical embodiment of versatility: the sort of performer who could never look out of his depth. He comes fr...