February the third. What a magical date. All over the world, people are rushing about, trying to find their special February the third outfits and ceremonial February the third hats, in preparation for their traditional February the ... No, no, I can't go on, I'm sorry. There's nothing special about February the third. I mean, historically it was "the day the music died", in 1959, of course, with that plane crash that caused the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, etc.
But, unfortunately, there's very little way that I can tie that in to tonight's TV previews. Apart from the fact that the event spawned a terrible song that was once covered by Madonna, who has apparently been issued with several legally binding notices from the Queen stating that she should never be allowed to attempt acting ever again, and consequently cannot be found in any of the television programmes on this evening, and they are all the better for it. They were all quite good to begin with.
And you can find out what they are, of course, right here and right now, with our picks from this week's Guide...
The IT Crowd 9pm, C4 Chris Morris stars as a barking-nuts boss in this new mainstream(ish) sitcom focusing on the world of tech support and three lovable geeks therein. "Ish", because this flows from the pen of Graham (Black Books) Linehan; and with Ash (The Office) Atalla producing, and a suitably electro theme tune by Neil Hannon, it's no surprise we're in superior territory (check out the beautiful gag about a revamped emergency service). Surreal, silly - and a logical response to the played-out comedy of cruelty. A guilty pleasure.
Ali Catterall
My Name Is Earl 10pm, C4 Continuing down his karma list, Earl reaches entry 27, making fun of people with accents. His penance? To become a language tutor to new immigrants - "How hard can it be to teach foreigners to speak American?" Except Earl's life is never that simple, especially when his friend Ralph (Giovanni Ribisi), a one-man crime spree, gets released from prison. Think too carefully about My Name Is Earl and it's as bleak as sitcoms get, but go with the flow - the genius scene when Earl explains why chimneys are all called Randy - and it's a hoot.
Jonathan Wright
Classic Albums: Cream - Disraeli Gears 11.35pm, BBC2 This doc chronicling the gestation of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker's lysergic Brit blues set of 1967 scores highly on the rock-o-meter, with lengthy interviews with all three members, and the series' customarily copious archive footage. The power trio's second album is still surprisingly zesty, especially for such offbeat pop hits as Strange Brew and Sunshine Of Your Love.
Joss Hutton
Johnny Cash Night From 8pm, Artsworld Richly deserved tribute night to the incomparable Johnny Cash. Anthology is a collection of live performances, of varying vintage and quality, intercut with commentary from friends and colleagues, including Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Glen Campbell and Merle Haggard - all of whom merit similar serious airtime. Half A Mile A Day is a more straightforward documentary, which uses some of the same footage and talking heads as Anthology, but fleshes out his life as well as his music. A live concert rounds out serviceable tributes to an enduringly towering figure.
Andrew Mueller
Folk Britannia 9pm, BBC4 Fingers out of the ears time. Folk music has long been encrusted with connotations of rustic, woolly-jumpered familiarity. But recent developments such as free folk and "folktronica" have seen avant-garde players revisit folk in droves. Hence the timeliness of this series, which looks at the radical roots and strange connections of folk; how 1950s skiffle music took its cue from America's Leadbelly, for instance, with tremendous footage to back up the point. Contributions from Roy Harper, Billy Bragg and Pete Seeger add to a thoughtful, compendious and cliché-busting endeavour. If you think this isn't your sort of thing, that's all the more reason to watch it.
David Stubbs
Masters Of Horror 11pm, Bravo This is a great idea: give old, new and underutilised horror directors - such as Tobe Hooper, John Carpenter, Joe Dante, Dario Argento and others - a chance to strut their stuff with one-hour made-forcable outings. This week sees Stuart Gordon adapt HP Lovecraft's Dreams In The Witch House - familiar ground for Gordon who has previously adapted the author with the exceptional Re-Animator. A student rents a room that appears to include such mod cons as a portal to another universe that houses a baby-eating witch. A slow burner, creepy and enlivened by a Bruce Campbell-esque central performance.
Phelim O'Neill
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Also, on this day, the first commercial cheese factory was opened in Switzerland in 1815. Opening the door for commercial cheese all over the world. So there you go. Don't say I never tell you anything useful.
