THE MASH REPORT, BBC2, 10pm
THERE have been several attempts recently to do satirical news shows, but it seems British TV just can’t produce anything as sharp and brilliant as Last Week Tonight or The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and it’s embarrassing when they try.
But things might be different with this new series and the clue is in the name. “Mash” refers to The Daily Mash, the devilishly funny spoof news site. This show comes from the team who produce it, and is presented by comedian Nish Kumar.
From behind his desk, Kumar will deliver satirical news about the state of Britain, as will his team of roving reporters.
The show is recorded the day before broadcast so no one has seen it yet, but one glance at The Daily Mash’s website, with its stories like “Man Outwits Student Loans Company By Staying Poor Forever”, and a report on how Theresa May’s election tears burned a hole through three floors, suggests they have the sharpness and courage every other recent British attempt has lacked.
I SHOT MY PARENTS, BBC1. 10.45pm
INCREDIBLE as it sounds, Nathon Brooks shot his parents in the head while they slept, yet they both survived.
Brooks was 14 when he picked up the gun. Four years on, he’s now serving a long sentence in Washington State for assault with a deadly weapon, and his parents, equally incredibly, visit him regularly.
This painful film features interviews with the would-be killer and his forgiving parents as they all seek to understand why he shot them, and how it’s possible to remain as a loving family unit with this horror in their past.
It’s hard to comprehend, but five parents are killed in America every week by their children. Is it a simple matter of gun control or is there something more rotten and hidden to be examined?
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