Last of the Music Hall Heroes
BBC4, 11.20pm
The appropriately theatrical David Suchet fronts the first in this quirky new series, beginning with the life and career of Sid Field, the comedian who was one of the biggest attractions in Britain’s music halls during the 1940s.
In shows Strike a New Note (1943), Strike it Again (1944) and Piccadilly Hayride (1946), he had his audiences roaring with laughter. One reviewer said he was the only comedian who had the audience literally “falling off their seats with laughter”. He was loved for his naive routines, played with his straight man, Jerry Desmonde.
In 1945, Field appeared in the Royal Variety Performance. Appearing again in 1946, he became one of the few artists to make an appearance in two consecutive performances. Then, 18 months later, he was topping the bill at the London Palladium, replacing Mickey Rooney.
Bob Hope called Field “probably the best comedian of them all”, and for Tony Hancock he was an inspiration. They’ve even brought in Julian Clary for his opinion on Field’s camp style, and he obliges by saying he was “the original mince”. And Eric Sykes talks about his memories of Field’s hysterical stage show.
Given that Field has faded into obscurity and that there is so little recorded material to go on, it’s good to know the revival of his reputation is in such good hands.
Before this at 10pm is a drama about the life of music hall heroine Marie Lloyd, played by EastEnders’ Jessie Wallace. Famed for her generosity and good humour, Lloyd scandalised respectable society with her rebellious attitude and her string of love affairs.
FROZEN PLANET
BBC 1, 9pm
David Attenborough heads off on a journey across the magical ice worlds of the Arctic and Antarctic – the greatest and least-known wildernesses inhabited by the most bizarre and hardy creatures on Earth.
His journey begins at the North Pole – one of the few places he has never visited. Look out for polar bears, whales, seabirds, wolves and bison. Below the ice lurk terrifying sea spiders and massive woodlice.
SECRET PAKISTAN
BBC 2, 11.20pm
In May this year, US Special Forces shot and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Publicly Pakistan is one of America’s closest allies – yet every step of the operation was kept secret from the country. This two-part documentary promises to reveal the hidden story of how for a decade Pakistan allegedly deceived America and the west and was then found out. Tonight’s episode shows clear signs of duplicity emerging after 9/11.
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