Several moons ago Damian Lewis made his name playing Major Dick Winters in the TV series Band of Brothers.

As the battle of the master-servant themed period dramas hots up between ITV and BBC, the Beeb has gone full throttle with its revival of the 1970s hit series Upstairs Downstairs.

After watching Becky McDonald jetting off for a new life away from Coronation Street last night I found some far more uplifting viewing over on the other side with the latest instalment of BBC2’s Wonderland series.

Since when did cooking walnut cake in a rush become a sport?

Years ago, there used to be a children’s television programme called Why Don’t You? with a theme song featuring the line ‘why don’t you just switch off your television set and go out and do do something less boring instead’, or words to that effect.

“Beautifully set, wonderfully lit and stuffed full with top rate actors, old and new” – Peter Rhodes reviews The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

With the excess of the festive period finally over and the remnants of the turkey tightly sealed in a bin bag, I’m sure we’re all thinking the same thing – it’s time to dust off the vat of liquid nitrogen that’s been sitting in the garage for ages and start cooking the Heston Blumenthal way.

Comedians have sort of taken over the world in recent years.

It is difficult to imagine a world without Sir David Attenborough. The broadcaster has been a mainstay on our television sets for more than 50 years, bringing all four corners of our planet to the living room.

As an unashamed purveyor of all things blokey, Top Gear’s James May is the perfect host for Man Lab, a show that aims to reclaim lost masculine skills for the modern male.

Blog: Oh, the injustice. A heartbroken Rory Bremner was booted off Strictly Come Dancing last night as the public voted to keep watching bane of the ballroom Nancy Dell’Olio.

How on earth could telly manage without the Second World War?

What with the property market in the doldrums, the fragrant Kirstie Allsop of Location Location Location-fame has surely found she’s got some time on her hands.

Is it just me, or is the BBC gradually getting more depressing each evening?

Zoe Ball had some very big stilettos to fill.

This is a show that must be on borrowed time, given the fact that those “surprised” by the Secret Millionaire must have an inkling not everything is as it seems.

I have to admit I had my reservations about watching actress Joanna Lumley jet off on her jollies to sunnier climes.

The forthcoming BBC cuts to save £670m a year from their budget will apparently mean more repeats and fewer entertainment shows. And they’re not kidding if last night’s viewing is anything to go by. Just please, don’t bring back Dad’s Army.

The pretext of Gok’s Clothes Roadshow: Get The Look For Less was simple. He would visit Brummigem and convert three middle-aged women into stunning catwalk beauties.

It’s an issue that we all have an opinion on. Rubbish.

With his infectious enthusiasm for life, Stephen Fry is the perfect host for a show that in someone else’s hands may have been hard going.

Long before the disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese holiday apartment in 2007 rocked the world and its media, Sheffield-born baby Ben Needham disappeared from the Greek island of Kos.

Editing pages for a newspaper involves a lot of reading. A lot of reading.

Every so often a reviewer wheels out the phrase ‘life affirming’ when it’s least appropriate.

It’s interesting that the finale of Doctor Who series six dealt with alternative realities. I imagine that somewhere out there, in some far-off universe, series six ended with a truly satisfying story that appealed to both fans and casual viewers.

There is a running joke in our house – just before I settle down to watch Spooks on Sunday night the wife will take a sarcastic guess at the about-to-unfold storyline.

You’ll think I’m weird, but this is just between you and me, right? Good. Then here goes . . .

If the saintly Delia is Queen of the TV chefs then Lorraine Pascale is clearly the heir to the throne.

Ummm…So what exactly was the point of Torchwood, then?

There’s nothing like battening down the hatches on a blustery evening, slipping into your jim jams, grabbing a blanket and a brew and settling down in front of the telly.