Torvill & Dean Dancing on Ice Tour 2008
Saturday 4th October at 2pm, ITV1

ITV1 is giving viewers the chance to see their favourite ice skating stars once again in the Torvill & Dean Dancing On Ice Tour 2008.

Having completed a successful tour of the country this show will feature footage from the performance at Birmingham NIA.

Familiar faces from the show including the 2008 winner Suzanne Shaw, Chris Fountain and Zaraah Abrahams, Gareth Gates and Linda Lusardi, plus last year's winner Kyran Bracken, actress Clare Buckfield, football legend David Seaman and Bonnie Langford.

The stars will all take to the ice once more to perform live in front of a packed stadium.
 

Sunshine
Starts Tuesday 7th October,
BBC ONE, 9.00 to 10.00pm

Steve Coogan (I'm Alan Partridge), Bernard Hill (Lord Of The Rings) and Lisa Millett (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Blackpool), star in Sunshine, a new, three-part drama co-written by Craig Cash and Phil Mealey, the team behind the BBC's hit comedy Early Doors and co-writers of the Bafta award-winning The Royle Family – Queen Of Sheba.

Sunshine is a bittersweet story of three generations of the Crosby family. Bob (Bing) Crosby grew up to be one of the most likeable people around, and his natural wit and optimism were infectious to those around him. The only negative trait in Bing's life was his inability to resist gambling a few quid on the occasional bet.

Bernadette, his childhood sweetheart and mother of their son, Joe, loves Bing for the person she's known all her life and, although she doesn't approve of and is often infuriated by his casual betting, she always reluctantly forgives him.

Bing's dad, George, knows that he shares a special bond with his grandson, Joe, and even though Joe is too young to realise this, he certainly feels it in his heart.

When Bing's gambling develops into something more serious than the occasional bet and the risks he takes become greater, it's no longer just a few quid that Bing stands to lose – potentially, it's everything.

Steve Coogan plays Bing Crosby, Bernard Hill plays George Crosby, Lisa Millet plays Bernadette and Dominic Senior plays Joe.

Sunshine is directed by Craig Cash.
 

Comedy Classics
Doctor in the House
Tuesday, 4th October, ITV1

Do you remember the comedy classic Doctor in the House? Well it's time to get nostalgic, as ITV will be showing it as part of their Comedy Classics series on 4th October.

The hit comedy - a whirlwind of nurses, mini skirts and medical mayhem – was inspired by a series of films from the 50s and was first screened on ITV in 1969.

It featured a group of trainee doctors as they muddled their way through medical school. The producers of the series tell Comedy Classics how they became involved in making the comedy and some of the cast members share their memories of the series.

George Layton who played Dr Paul Collier says, “We were the ‘Friends’ of our day. It was something new, an ensemble comedy, five young, hopefully sexy, guys.”

Personalities such as Dr Hilary Jones and actress Sherrie Hewson reminisce about watching the comedy.

Dr Hilary Jones says, “Doctors have a long tradition of becoming comedians, I can think of quite a few. I think there’s a lot of material you come across as a doctor that is potentially funny.

I thought, ‘Well, hang on, if I’m a medical student having as much fun as that, I’ll give it a try’.”

Sherrie says, “We all just loved those boys and you’d be in love with one of them one week and then you’d drop that one so it was like a whole relationship with all these men.

“I would say it was women who watched that show, that was the following. They all had girlfriends but they all split up with them – thank god.”

The programme looks back at the main characters in the first series, played by teen heartthrob Barry Evans and Robin Nedwell who played his sidekick.

Sherrie adds: “Barry was the one that we all wanted to have as a brother and Robin we didn’t want as a brother.”

Geoffrey Davies played the oldest doctor in the group, the debonair Dr Dick Stuart-Clarke.

Geoffrey tells the programme, “I remember meeting this chap once, quite a flamboyant character, and he said to me, ‘You know your character was written as me?’ and I said, ‘But you didn’t really get up to …’, ‘Oh yes’, he said, ‘Yes, we did get up to all those things’.”

Geoffrey also tells the programme how the cast were often mistaken for real doctors when they were out.

He says, “I used to go down the North End Road shopping with my wife and you got the old ladies saying, ‘Oh doctor, I’ve got a pain in my chest, come and give it a feel’.”

Comedy Classics: Doctor in the House explains how at the end of the series all the doctors had qualified, so when bosses decided to bring it back they had to change the format and make it Doctor at Large.

Robin Nedwell left the case, but Richard O’Sullivan joined as a new doctor and David Jason appeared in the series as a patient.

At the end of Doctor at Large, Barry Evans left the cast and Robin Nedwell re-joined, the sitcom returned yet again as Doctor in Charge.

When that run finished Richard O’Sullivan and George Layton left the cast, leaving Robin Nedwell to star in Doctor at Sea. Then in 1975 Doctor on the Go became the fifth and final doctor sitcom on ITV and Comedy Classics: Doctor in the House features clips from across the five series.

Comedy Classics: Doctor in the House is produced and directed by James Norton. The series producer is Leo Burley and the executive producer is Matt Cain.
 

Greatest Cities of the World with Griff Rhys Jones
Starts 8th October, ITV1

Griff Rhys Jones gets under the skin of three of the greatest cities on earth for a new three-part documentary series.

Exploring a day-in-the-life of New York, London and Paris, Griff paints a landmark portrait of each metropolis revealing what gives each city its unique identity.

From serving breakfast in New York, to late night dinner in Paris, and beer in London, Griff gets stuck into the daily life of these cities. He works with garbage men in New York, gives a cut and blow dry to a poodle in Paris and tries his hand at bell ringing in London.

What really makes New York, New York? Griff finds out by rolling his sleeves up and delving behind the scenes, uncovering how the different cities work as living machines, and discovering some astonishing secrets.

Armed with his trademark humour and relentless curiosity, Griff tracks down the individuals who epitomise the character of each city, and celebrates the infinite variety of life in these great cities.
 

All Star Family Fortunes
Starts Saturday 4th October ITV1

Vernon Kay hosts a brand new series of All Star Family Fortunes. The classic game show, which started on ITV in 1979, sees two celebrities and their families go head-to-head in a bid to win £30,000 for the charity of their choice.

Viewers will see celebrities - and their families who are normally kept out of the public eye - put under pressure as they face the One Hundred People Surveyed Said… and Double Your Money rounds.

But which of the families will have enough top answers to go through to the Big Money round to win the potential £30,000?

The teams will be hoping they’re remembered for their performances rather than any bizarre answers which over the years have included ‘Naomi Campbell’ when asked to name a bird with a long neck, and ‘a sheep’ in response to the question “name something made of wool”!

The first show sees Will Greenwood and his family taking on Duncan James and his team. Tune in to find out who wins.
 

Sixtyplusurfers Competition

Win Trial & Retribution The Third Collection

Sixtyplusurfers has once again teamed up with Acorn Media to offer ten lucky readers the chance to win Trial & Retribution: The Third Collection on DVD by BAFTA winning writer, Lynda La Plante.

Acorn Media presents - from BAFTA winning writer Lynda La Plante - the long-awaited Trial And Retribution: The Third Collection. This is the is latest DVD release (the first in three years) for one of the top ten rating returning dramas of 2008 with over 6.5 million viewers on ITV1. A new series is already in production for 2009.

Hard nosed Chief Superintendent Mike Walker (David Hayman) an old school detective with a shady past, works  alongside career driven  DCI Roisin Connor (Victoria Smurfit) who often has to wrestle with Walker as well as the criminals in order to solve a case and bring it to justice.

“Victoria Smurfit as DCI Connor is fabulous – as icy and gritty as an icy road just after the grittier truck has passed by” said The Guardian. From crime scene to courtroom conclusion, this hard hitting series is backed with gripping storylines and riveting characters all presented in a powerful and gripping televisual style.

In The Lovers, a young honeymooner disappears in London. The police consider it a missing person’s case until the bride’s father appeals to the Commander and Walker is called in to investigate. When the bride also vanishes while searching for her missing husband, the evidence of the CCTV camera shows this to be a crime where time is of the essence.  Now the race is on for Walker and Connor to find them… alive.

In Sins Of The Father, young Emily Harrogate the clever daughter of an apparently happily married couple is found dead in the family home after a night out clubbing. But when investigating this crime, it appears all is not as it seems and the police discover a house full of secrets and lies. Any one of them could lead the investigation to the true killer - and does - but will justice be done?

Finally in Closure, a teenage schoolgirl is brutally raped and murdered.  Two months on and DCI Connor still has no witness, suspect or leads. When Chief Superintendent Walker orders a trawl through unsolved cases, the team discovers three more murdered schoolgirls who appear to have been killed in similar way. Connor calls in a criminal profiler to help track down what looks like a serial killer but can he help?

Produced by La Plante Productions for ITV1, this 3 disc set features an exciting and revealing behind the scenes documentary, a Lynda La Plante biography, cast filmographies and picture gallery.

Trial & Retribution: The Third Collection is available from Acorn Media. Price is £24.99 for the three disc set. Certificate is 15.

For details click on www.acornmedia.com

For Your Chance to Win

Tell us who wrote
Trial & Retribution?

       a) Victoria Smurfit
       b) Lynda La Plante
       c) Dan Brown
       d) Colin Dexter       

To Enter the Competition

Tell us who wrote Trial & Retribution then send in your answer together with your name and address by clicking on the Sixtyplusurfers link: sixtyplusurfers@hotmail.co.uk
 

 * This competition is open to our
UK visitors only

The South Bank Show
Ronnie Corbett
Sunday 5th October, 10.15pm
 

A South Bank Show ‘The One Ronnie’ is a portrait of one of the country’s best loved comedians Ronnie Corbett.

This is a classic South Bank Show giving a true insight into the delightful world of Ronnie Corbett. He gives the film crew unique access to follow him and his wife Anne to their homes in Scotland and London where they indulge their love of shopping, eating out; golf, cookery (Ronnie’s fine recipe for chilli crab linguine cooked on film!) and fine tailoring.

Ronnie talks about contemporary comedy with Melvyn Bragg, and discusses why he is still in such great demand to work with today’s young comedy stars.

The South Bank Show has sourced fantastic archive footage and photography to illustrate Ronnie’s fantastical stories and memories. From working with Danny La Rue to his first big break in Lional Bart’s flop Twang; from the day he met Ronnie Barker at the famous Buxton Club to their first pairing on The Frost Report.

This South Bank Show is a revealing insight into half of one of the greatest double acts in comedy history – and a larger than life, hilarious and loving individual.

Contributors include David Frost and Michael Palin. The programme is presented and edited by Melvyn Bragg, and produced and directed by Jonathan Levi.

A Touch of Frost

Starts in October, ITV1
 

Sir David Jason reprises his role as Britain’s most popular detective DI Jack Frost for three brand new episodes of the hugely successful and highly acclaimed A Touch of Frost for ITV1.

In the first episode of this new series, Mind Games, an unsolved case is re-opened when the remains of 14-year-old Harriet Collingham, who went missing almost 20 years ago, are finally found. David Crewes (Keith Barron) is furious that the suspected killer has been released from prison after serving time for the murder of his daughter, Jane.

Meanwhile, Gloria Collingham (Paula Wilcox) is desperate to discover the truth behind Harriet’s disappearance, but can Frost get to the bottom of the mystery that has spanned so many years?

The second episode, Dead End, sees Frost frustrated as he finds himself working alongside DS Marsh (Cherie Lunghi), a former colleague who got him suspended from duty after she made a formal complaint about his handling of a case. Can Frost and Marsh put their differences aside in order to investigate the abduction of two adults, and the murder of a children’s entertainer?

In the third episode entitled In the Public Interest, multimillionaire press baron James Callum (Adrian Lukis) sets about taking over the town of Denton. He wants to establish his new headquarters in the area and uses his newspapers to run a smear campaign to force a youth club owner to sell up. As the headlines go too far and lead to an attempted suicide, will Frost be able to stop Callum in his tracks before another death occurs?

Sir David Jason has said, “I’m delighted to be playing Jack Frost once again.  He’s a great character and I’m very fond of him.”

David Reynolds, Controller of Comedy Drama and Drama Features for ITV Yorkshire added: “There is a real appetite for crime drama and A Touch of Frost provides scope for a range of stories and characters.”

The cast throughout the series also includes Bruce Alexander, John Lyons, Elizabeth Berrington, John Castle, Nicholas Farrell, Juliet Howland, Joseph Marcell, Mel Martin, Sarah Matravers, Dearbhla Molloy, Paul Shane, Julia St. John, Julia Watson and Tam Williams.

Stephen Fry
in America - The New World

Starts in October, BBC ONE
 

Stephen Fry was very nearly an American. Just before he was born, his father was offered, but turned down, a job at Princeton University. The writer and actor explores the country which he might have called home and which has always fascinated him. Stephen hires a US cab and sets about visiting each and every one of the 50 US States, to experience for himself the variety of people and places that make up the country.

In this first episode, Stephen explores the states that make up New England, before heading south to the nation's capital and ending up at the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, where Abraham Lincoln made his famous address.

Stephen's journey begins in the state of Maine in the easternmost corner of the country, where he learns how to catch a lobster with the Macpheil family before venturing to New Hampshire where the presidential primaries are in full swing. Passing through the autumnal splendour of the White Mountains, and pausing to reflect on America's economic power at Bretton Woods, he boards the world's first cog railway to the summit of Mount Washington.

From there, he heads into Vermont and stops at the Ben and Jerry ice-cream factory, to mix his own flavour; "Even Stephens". Driving into the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, Stephen visits Topridge, and, donning a plaid shirt and baseball cap, goes native and becomes an unsuccessful deer hunter.

Next stop is Boston, followed by New York City, where Stephen escapes the clutches of some "Goodfellas", who spring to life as if from a Scorcese movie in their social club in Queens. He then takes musician Sting for a ride in the back of his cab to see what an Englishman makes of New York.

Passing swiftly through Delaware and Maryland to Washington DC, Stephen meets up with Wikipedia founder James Whales and learns a thing or two about politics from satirical group Capitol Steps, before meeting up with Gettysburg's very own Lincoln impersonator.

Little Britain USA

Starts Friday 3rd October, BBC
 

Matt Lucas and David Walliams' multi-award-winning comic creation, Little Britain, is returning to BBC ONE this autumn with a brand new series, Little Britain USA.

Filmed entirely in the States, the series features familiar Little Britain characters in new sketches, as well as brand-new characters, all performed by Lucas and Walliams.

Returning favourites include Dafydd Thomas, the self-proclaimed "only gay in the village"; Emily Howard, an obvious transvestite in denial; Lou and his seemingly wheelchair-bound best friend Andy; Marjorie Dawes, the insensitive leader of a chapter of the weight-loss support group Fatfighters; Vicky Pollard, a motor-mouthed teenage delinquent with a terrible attitude and Harvey, a young adult who still craves his mother's "bitty".

Among the new characters on the show are Bing Gordyn, the eighth astronaut to go to the moon; Phyllis, who is powerless to ignore suggestions from the dangerous Mr Doggy, her King Charles spaniel; Mark and Tom, hyper-masculine gym buddies who will do anything for each other; Mildred, who shares wildly inappropriate secrets from her shocking past with her grandson Connor; Ellie-Grace, a frilly little girl with the mouth of a truck driver; and Sandra and George, who have been married for 40 "glorious" years.

The series will feature several cameo performances, including Geraldine James, Rosie O'Donnell, Paul Rudd and Sting.

Simon Fuller, Executive Producer, says, "Little Britain USA is a show we made for HBO, however we always had in mind our British audience and hope everyone enjoys the new characters as much as they do the familiar ones."

"Matt Lucas and David Walliams are two of Britain's most talented comedy writers and performers and I am happy to continue Little Britain's special relationship with the BBC."

The producer is Stephanie Cone Laing and the director is Michael Patrick Jann. The live studio segments have been directed by David Schwimmer.