Close call

PAUL WHITEHOUSE and Charlie Higson are back on TV, not with a fresh run of The Fast Show, but as two of the writers of Bellamy’s People. They also produced and directed the eight-part series that will be recognisable to those who listened to the Radio 4 spoof phonein show Down The Line.

The character of Gary Bellamy makes his TV debut in this spin-off of the popular satirical radio series.

Down the Line initially came to the public’s attention thanks to the concern of listeners who didn’t realise that the show was a spoof.

Rhys Thomas reprises his role of hapless radio host Bellamy, who is given the opportunity to make the transition to the screen and present his own TV series, travelling around the country in his Triumph Stag “personality vehicle” as he goes in search of what it means to be British.

The show marks the first TV collaboration of Whitehouse and Higson in ten years. Some may be surprised that the pair are collaborating on a sitcom as a few years back they claimed it wasn’t the genre for them.

Whitehouse even went so far as to say: “We can’t do it. One fine journalist described our last effort as like Watching with swearing. That’s exactly what it was. So we ended up writing Terry and June with the word bloody in it.”

It appears they’ve changed their tune.

The duo met years ago at the University of East Anglia, before Whitehouse was thrown out and went to work for Hackney Council.

Eventually, they began writing for Harry Enfield. “I knew Harry when he was first starting out,” Whitehouse has said. “I used to give him the odd line for his stage act and he was always trying to encourage me to write with him.

“So when he started doing Stavros, he insisted that I write some stuff for him and that’s where it all started.”

In tonight’s opening episode of Bellamy’s People, he meets some of his regular callers, including 28-stone Graham Downes, Jamaican entrepreneur Early D, barely-reformed celebrity criminal Tony Beckton and small-minded builder Martin Hole.

ONE series of a programme about Extreme Fishing seemed like it might be a stretch, but Robson Green is back with yet another, following his swimming documentary for ITV.

What next? A remake of The Man From Atlantis?

He packs his bags and heads for Africa where he begins his fishing traip at the mighty Lake Kariba on the edge of Zimbabwe.

This gorgeous country has been off-limits to tourists for many years, but it offers some of the best fishing in Africa.

Green is hunting for the vundu catfish, known to the locals as the steam train because of its strength. These fishy monsters, which have been known to weigh up to 60 kilograms, can keep anglers busy for hours.

The actor also takes a look at the kapenta fishing industry, which provides fish proteins for the low-income populace of Zimbabwe.

FOR some, the idea of living on a farm is an appealing thought. All that fresh air and countryside, with days spent feeding chickens, milking cows and then a nourishing farmhouse dinner.

Of course, reality isn’t always like that, as My Dream Farm will show. Monty Don, after a two-year absence from TV, returns with a six-part series in which he helps various families realise their dream of returning to the land.

They’re all determined to leave the rat race behind and transform their lives, but with few skills and no previous experience, it’s going to be far from easy.

The first episode features Dick and Pauline Beijen, who gave up their executive lifestyle and moved from Dick’s native Holland to Devon. But despite dozens of good ideas and bundles of enthusiasm, the hard-working duo quickly realise their 44 acres cannot provide a sustainable living for the whole family.