Life

TV review: On this occasion the sentimentality and solidarity was entirely fitting

Billy Foley

Billy Foley

Billy has almost 30 years’ experience in journalism after leaving DCU with a BAJ. He has worked at the Irish Independent, Evening Herald and Sunday Independent in Dublin, the Cork-based Evening Echo and the New Zealand Herald. He joined the Irish News in 2000, working as a reporter and then Deputy News Editor. He has been News Editor since 2007

English, French players and the crowd respect a minute's silence during the International Friendly at the Stade de France, Paris on Tuesday. Press Association
English, French players and the crowd respect a minute's silence during the International Friendly at the Stade de France, Paris on Tuesday. Press Association English, French players and the crowd respect a minute's silence during the International Friendly at the Stade de France, Paris on Tuesday. Press Association

France v England, UTV, Tuesday at 7.30pm

It’s probably only in the last decade that sport has started overdoing the sentimentality.

Prior to that, fans at sporting events - particularly football - were only asked to stand for a minute’s silence when one of their own had died.

It made sense that the world’s favourite sport would pay tribute to its own heroes and leaders.

More recently this has been broadened to significant multiple deaths, mass killings and sometimes the sudden deaths of supporters.

So common has it become that variations have been added - so joining the minute’s silence are a minute’s clapping and also cheering at a time in the match connected to the deceased. Thus supporters would stand and applaud on the 11th minute to mark the death of a player who wore the number 11 shirt and so on.

Thus it was with a touch of weariness that we waited for football to mark the terrorist attacks on Manchester at the start of the France v England international in Paris.

Cynicism was soon dismissed.

In a truly French display of solidarity, the Republican Guard at the Stade de France struck up Don’t Look Back in Anger, the theme song of the Manchester resistance to the efforts of the Islamic bombers to cause division in the great city.

The French fans sang along with the English but the tributes were not finished there.

In a break with protocol God Save The Queen was played second (the home team’s national anthem is normally last) and the entire crowd sang along in reference to the joint singing of La Marseillaise at Wembley in 2015 after the Paris attacks.

It was a fitting and emotional response to an attack on the values that all liberal democracies hold dear.

****

Dirty Dancing 2017, Channel Five, Sunday at 6.25pm

Woe betide the producers of a remake deemed to have got it wrong.

So beloved is Dirty Dancing by 1980s teenage girls that the remake would have to be amazing to win them over.

How do you replace Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey and how do you recreate that lift?

The ABC TV movie, which was first shown in the US last month and in the UK and Ireland last Sunday, has got a mauling since its showing.

Despite starts such as Nicole Scherzinger and Debra Messing in the supporting cast, much of the criticism has centred on poor Abigail Breslin.

In fairness, the child star of 2006 hit Little Miss Sunshine did seem miscast in the lead role.

Movie review site Rotten Tomatoes gave it 20 per cent. Its audience score was just 15 per cent.

Here’s a typical Twitter response: “Dirty Dancing is 30 years old. To celebrate, ABC has decided to stomp all over your memories of the beloved film.”

Ouch.

****

Pain, Pus & Poison - The Search for Modern Medicines, BBC 4, Monday at 8pm

It’s incredible to think that just 200 years ago there was no such thing as pain medicine.

When surgeons had to operate or amputate, patients just had to put up with the extreme pain. In fact, dealing with the pain was seen as an essential part of the healing process.

Then chemists got to work and discovered first the miracle powers of morphine, derived from the poppy. and later ether, laughing gas and anaesthesia, a drug so miraculous that not only does it stop pain but the patient doesn’t even remember the trauma of the operation,

This was one of those programmes you come across, decide to watch for 10 minutes and an hour flies by.