FRANKIE BOYLE’S US ELECTION AUTOPSY, BBC1, 10.30pm
HERE you can watch Frankie Boyle tear into Donald Trump.
Why would you watch anything else?
He declares that Trump is not just the wrong person for the job of president but might even be the wrong mammal. Quite. And he predicts that the US presidential race was so absurd, and between two such unappealing candidates, that the next one might be run between a toaster and an ostrich.
However, there are some kind words for Hillary: “For a granny she was quite good at email.”
Boyle is joined by the annoyingly ubiquitous Katherine Ryan and Sara Pascoe. These are mediocre comedians and it feels like they’ve been thrown in so the BBC can tick a box on gender equality but also to dilute the acid of Frankie Boyle. Which is a shame. Give him the spotlight, uninterrupted. You don’t see John Oliver being forced to share the stage when he eviscerates Trump.
The show is a mix of Frankie’s brilliant stand-up and some watered down chat with his relatively genteel guests.
LIFE AND DEATH THE PENTECOSTAL WAY, BBC2, 9pm
WITH half a million worshippers, the Pentecostal church is the fastest growing Christian group in Britain, and this energetic documentary goes inside Brixton Community Church to find out why. The popular image of Pentecostal congregations is reinforced here with joyful black women in elaborate hats crowding the pews. “We shout, we sing and we praise God and shout Hallelujah!” declares one lady. The reason for this exuberance is that they believe the spirit of God enters them during the ceremony. They’re not seeking to merely feel close to God – they feel He is there with them.
The Brixton church was founded by West Indian immigrants in the 1950s, and it retains an old-fashioned feel. One pastor says he is asked why we need so many churches “but no-one asks why do you need so many McDonald’s?”
There is also valuable community and mentoring work done by church volunteers. Whilst other churches see attendance decline, this one is booming.
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