APOLOGIES for the use of a picture of Tony Blair this week, particularly when I'm told that some people, not a million miles from where I'm sitting, start shouting at the TV set whenever he appears.

It was actually the large beads of sweat that formed on the Sedgefield MP's brow as he faced Question Time Leaders' Special (BBC1, Thursday) which fascinated my family.

Real questions, real questions, real questions, from real people took the reassuring smile off the PM's face.

"How would he know about people struggling to make a doctor's appointment because of the new Government targets, he doesn't live in our world?" asked my wife.

Mr Blair promised on air that he would look at why setting GPs a target of seeing patients within 48 hours has created a system where the majority are now unable to make convenient appointments a few days in advance.

The Labour leader also flashed a less than happy look at presenter David Dimbleby when he asked why Mr Blair had turned down an offer to take questions seated alongside his main rivals Michael Howard and Charles Kennedy.

Far more worrying is the prediction from an entertainment company's survey, done in the three leaders' constituencies, that nine out of ten people won't be watching next Thursday night's election coverage on BBC1 and ITV1.

That puts potential viewers on a par with those glued to Genghis Khan (BBC1, Monday). Or as my wife described this look at one of the world's great mass murderers: "I'm not watching this - it's horrible, horrible, horrible."

Uncanny how the Blairite "three repeats and you're out" use of words has caught on.

Such luminaries as Omar Sharif and John Wayne have tried to bring Genghis to the big screen, so there was bound to be a little less pantomime about the wonderfully-named Orgil Makhaan having a crack at a lower budget effort.

"Have they finished killing people yet?" asked my wife before she'd return to the living room, which rather cast a cloud over programme-makers claims that Mr Khan wasn't too bad a chap as empire-building monsters go.

Reality TV took off with the final part of the latest look at Heathrow in Airport (BBC1, Thursday). The current six-parter has lost John Nettles' gentler narration for the more abrasive style of Liza Tarbuck and my eagle-eyed airline observer was soon on the case of overweight Heathrow police officer Sarah.

"My goodness, she's in absolutely no hurry," observed my other half as the poor law enforcer showed little enthusiasm in tracking down a man well-known at the airport for creating mayhem.

Armed with nothing more than a stab-proof vest and Michael Winner's tactic of crying "calm down, dear", the situation looked hopeless for Sarah until two burly male officers arrived to lead away a suddenly much quieter individual.

Sarah would probably have done better dealing with two men who made a bet about how long it would take airline staff to find a book hidden in their luggage among thousands of other items. Make them watch every second of election night coverage as a punishment.

Published: 30/04/2005