The travel/cooking show, Blackbox’s personal fave, is ubiquitous this season. Jamie Oliver, the socially conscience man who’s shown American school teachers and ‘pie and chips men’ how to cook, is about to embark on Jamie’s Food Escapes (SCTEN, Fri, 7.30pm). He joins a schedule packed with galloping gourmets including Made in Spain with Jose Andres (SBS1, Wed Sep 1, 6.30pm), Food Trip With Todd English (SBS1, Thu Sep 2, 6.30pm), Taste Takes Off with Peta Mathias (SBS1, Fri Sep 3, 6.30pm), Food Safari (SBS1, Thu Sep 2, 7.30pm), Annabel Langbein: The Free Range Cook (ABC1, Sat Sep 4, 6pm) and Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam (SBS1, Thu Sep 2, 8pm).
In the end though, nothing can beat the pure theatre of Iron Chef (SBS1, Sat, 8.30pm), the Japanese one of course. The American version a few years back was a disaster because the gravitas of a kitchen stadium challenge is best experienced in a Japanese context with some kind of urchin as the theme ingredient – even the comic genius of host William Shatner couldn’t prevent a flop. Unfortunately such news seems to have been lost on the network execs at prime. Iron Chef Australia (Prime, TBA), featuring Neil Perry, Guy Grossi and Guillaume Brahimi is slated to launch soon.
There is some good news this week though with the start of the new season of Breaking Bad (ABC2, Fri Sep 3, 9.30pm) and the post-election return of United States of Tara (ABC1, Wed Sep 1, 8.30pm).
Among the new shows on the box over the next couple of weeks you’ll find Horne and Corne (ABC2, Thu Sep 2, 9pm) a sketch comedy starring the two guys from Gavin and Stacey which looks much funnier than that show partly set in the (caretaker) PM’s hometown; Gary: Tank Commander (ABC2, Thu Sep 2, 9.30pm) a six-part British dramedy about a returned soldier from Iraq adjusting to life in the barracks; Keeping Up with the Kardashians (Prime, Thu, 10.30pm) the ultimate in trashy US celeb observational docos (at least since Osbournes gave up); Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (ABC1, Sat Sep 18, 9.20pm) and Parking Wars (Prime, Mon, 10.30pm) – US car chases have nothing on the stupidity of people taking on parking inspectors; it’s a hoot!
Docos to look out for include Silesia Strips (SBS1, Fri Sep 3, 10pm) about a Polish coal mining area where teenage girls strip to earn an income; The Music Instinct: Science & Song (ABC1, Thu Sep 2, 9.35pm); Life: Creatures of the Deep (ABC1, Sun Sep 12, 7.30pm); Seven Ages of Britain (ABC1, Sep 7, Tue 8.30pm), and Artscape: Obsessed with Walking (ABC1, Tue Sep 14, 10pm) in which cultural provocateur Will Self wanders through LA’s suburbs on a 120 mile trek from LAX to Hollywood.
Auntie is taking its iView responsibilities seriously with another exclusive – the new cult doco The Vice Guide to Film (iView, Mon Aug 30). Eps include a visit to Kim Jong Il’s film studio and the Narco Cinema funded by Mexico’s drug lords. Increase your bandwith now.
Anyone who’s ever done an Outward Bound course should pencil in The Goodies – Way Outward Bound (ABC2, Mon Sep 6, 8.05pm). And don’t miss The Kirk Douglas Season which starts with Spartacus (ABC2, Sat Sep 11, 8.30pm) or series two of Mad Men (SBS1, Sun, 8.30pm). Avoid: X-Factor (Prime, Mon –Thu, 7.30pm). Kyle Sandilands coming at ya four nights a week… aaaaaaagh.
