TV: All Shook Up
It’s probably fair to call the BBC’s commitment to leftfield music sporadic at best these days. But curios such as this Mark Riley-fronted show are surely the kind of thing that the iPlayer was invented for. The format is proudly basic – simply three bands playing live, in a room. Accordingly it stands or falls on the quality of the musical guests. Happily, we’re in good hands on that score; recent episodes feature, among others, the fragile electronic psychedelia of Jane Weaver, the folk manglings of Richard Dawson and avant-indie greats Wire. Later…With Jools Holland for Quietus readers, anyone?
Video: Alec Baldwin’s Love Ride
If there’s one thing that we know about Alec Baldwin, it’s that when it comes to managing functional romantic relationships, he’s the go-to guy. This webseries, available on subscription video service Vessel, feels like a slight but likable riff on Baldwin’s chequered past as he hops into New York taxis with young couples and cheerfully runs the rule over their intimate lives. After all, who wouldn’t feel like sharing when suddenly faced with the beaming face of Jack Donaghy?
Video: Greig Johnson: Browzer
Opportunity knocks for aspiring entertainers these days. If, like Greig Johnson, you’re an actor and comedian with decent ideas and a Twitter account, you don’t need to wait for a commission, you can just get started. Johnson is putting up a short sketch every day in June and the first couple are nicely observed and gently satirical. He’s also attracted the social-media attention of Matt Lucas, which can’t hurt.
TV: Man Vs Wave
Like most other modern sporting endeavours, surfing is now subject to levels of analysis that should be tedious but actually have the effect of increasing the fascination. This webseries follows Irish surfer dude Al Mennie as he immerses himself in the science of big waves. How does undersea topography affect surfers? What is the physical impact of surfing? And where are the best waves in the world? (“Why would I tell anyone that?” wonders Mennie.)
TV: British Muslim Comedy
Pegged to Ramadan, the Beeb has commissioned a series of comedy shorts celebrating British Muslim culture, starring some of the country’s emerging Muslim comics. The tone here is goofy and self-deprecating, from the gentle First Fast, about a boy’s attempts to circumvent the rules of fasting, to Things I’ve Been Asked As A British Muslim, in which Sadia Azmat provides an unvarnished look at life as a Muslim woman. Available from Thursday 18 June.
