Henry Shefflin: Winning, RTE 1, Monday at 9.35pm
Maybe this is how Brian Cody does it - overload you with information and hope some of it sticks.
That was certainly the way with this documentary on what makes winners, fronted by the Kilkenny manager’s greatest star, Henry Shefflin.
In fairness to Shefflin, I suspect he didn’t have a huge amount of say in the structure of the programme, but it meant that a potential useful hour of television was spoiled.
Perhaps there was originally going to be a series on winning, but the plan changed and all the material had to be squeezed into one programme.
There were interviews with Paul O’Connell, Sonia O’Sullivan and Shane Lowry; discussions with numerous experts and psychologists, a trip to New York to see share traders operate, a visit to the Riverdance set and a slightly odd excursion to the Phoenix Park to see deers rutting.
That said there was lots of interesting stuff.
Did you know, for instance, that on average Oscar winners live four years longer than those nominated for an Oscar but who miss out on the statue?
Winning makes you happy and healthy it seems.
Psychologist Ian Robertson was brilliant on the power of the brain and how it can respond to the stories we tell ourselves.
“If the brain believes, the body responds,” he says.
Now you can’t just wish yourself into being a winner, but a strong metal game can certainly help.
Another section of the programme explored the dangers of having the stock market dominated by male traders.
Testosterone makes men fight to win, but the chemical response to winning can result in a feeling of invincibility and can lead these uber-winners to take increasingly outlandish risks with ever greater amounts of money.
Traders, it seems, are now being tested by companies to determine if they have the optimum level of testosterone.
Risk taking is productive, wild gambling is dangerous.
The psychology of sport is a fascinating area with plenty of scope for a television series, it’s just a pity that Shefflin's programme didn’t follow any team manager’s (and no doubt Brian Cody’s) dictat - keep it simple.
***
Speed with Guy Martin, Channel 4, Sunday at 8pm
Perhaps it's the testosterone in me, but the third series of Speed is addictive viewing.
This week our northern hero was on the Bonneville salt flats on the Utah/Nevada border trying to break the two-wheel land speed record.
Now Martin has achieved some records in his time, but this is the real deal. This isn’t some obscure Guinness Book of Records fastest bicycle over water type of things, this is 400mph on a motorbike.
I’m in no way a petrol-head (in fact I’m much more at home on a push-bike) but for some reason I’ve invested in Martin’s efforts like no other television programme.
I really want him to succeed, to put his name beside something significant.
I guess that’s the mark of good TV - that it engages its viewers.
Unfortunately, on this occasion at least, Martin didn’t quite make it.
The streamliner bike (essentially a motorbike encased in a aerodynamic shell) had some technical problems and the effort was called off.
This was after our hero impressed everyone with his ability to balance the huge machine - one of the most difficulty tasks of the land speed attempt.
All involved (presumably including the television cameras) have agreed to return next year for another try but there was no getting away from the anti-climax.
I guess this must be what it feels like when your favourite celebrity is voted off Strictly Come Dancing.
