Valley of the proles (From The Northern Echo)

Valley of the proles

2:21pm Wednesday 1st February 2012 in TV By Steve Pratt

Bouncers (C4, 10pm)
Natural World: Tiger Dynasty (BBC2, 8pm)
The Unforgettable Rod Hull (ITV1, 7.30pm)

A WEE-BIT intimidating, they can either be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on the circumstances – but you’d do well to get bouncers onside.

While shadowing a bouncer in any town or city of a Saturday night would prove an eventful and certainly eye-opening evening, telly bosses behind the documentary Bouncers seem to think Newport, the gateway to Wales, has the extra entertainment factor.

Located about 12 miles outside Cardiff, it’s home to LRS Security, a company which looks after many of the city centre’s bars and clubs. This offbeat film follows the boys of Newport’s biggest security firm during a summer of brawls, booze and camaraderie.

From their headquarters above a cafe on the High Street, MD Richie Davis and operations director Len Harrhym run a team of lads who manage the sozzled and often tricky locals every week.

Joe Gower, 27, is a dry-witted Valley boy. Once a top earner in the insurance industry, the credit crunch left him broke, and he’s now trying to build himself up again.

But he hardly sees things through rosetinted glasses. “It’s jobs like this that make you hate the human race,” says Joe.

“Newport could be a really nice place, but it’s full of such d*******s that it ends up the way it is. Our job, theoretically, should be to look after the people who are enjoying our bars, but for some reason everyone seems to think the way to look good in life is how flash you are and how many pints you can drink.”

Jamie Yarnold, 21, was bullied from the age of six which led to his weight rising to 21 stone. However, after moving to Newport and becoming the regular doorman at the town’s leading gay-friendly venue, he’s now found a partner – and the friends and respect he always wanted.

Jamie talks about his lifestyle outside of the job and doesn’t label himself as what you’d expect of a typical bouncer.

“I’m not like everyone else, I’m not big and massive, I don’t go to the gym everyday just to flex my guns. When it kicks off I’m not the same person, I’ll change and that’s it – you’re out.”

The film also follows charming university student Geraint Clarke, a bouncerphilosopher with a love of Oscar Wilde, a designer haircut and an eye for the ladies.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a typical doorman,” he explains.

“I’m a lot more erudite and articulate in the way that I approach certain situations.

Other people like The Only Way Is Essex, I prefer The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

THE BBC’s natural history and wildlife output must be the finest in the world. While the bigger budget shows on BBC1 are all about the spectacle, Natural World is peerless at turning animal magic into distinctly human drama. Tonight’s episode Tiger Dynasty could be the script for a Disney movie or a cultured drama.

It focuses on a young tigress, who is chosen by experts to found a new dynasty.

Airlifted from her home in an Indian park to life in a new reserve, Baghani the tigress must fight with leopards for territory and learn to hunt the dangerous wild boar.

Also released is Rajore, a hot-blooded young male. For two years every aspect of their lives are followed by the camera.

THE Unforgettable Rod Hull tells the story of the man and his emu.

Born in Kent, he trained as an electrician and moved to Australia in the Sixties.

He had his first taste of fame on TV shows such as Kaper Kops and The Super Flying Fun Show. It was in the latter that he first started using a puppet that would help make his name – Emu.

By 1971, Hull returned to the UK and armed with a certain feathered accomplice, his brand of anarchy went down a storm on British TV.

Yes, it helped that his chat with Michael Parkinson in 1976 became one of the most talked about chats in Parky’s history, but for millions of kids growing up during the days of three TV channels, it was Emu’s Broadcasting Company that helped brighten the dullest afternoons viewing.