On TV

Hunt For The Killer Croc (five)

THE Trouble With Jonny, the latest instalment in the Compulsion series, began with a father reading out his son's suicide note which concluded "Yours for the last time..." Film of a happy 14-year-old Jonny was followed by the information that, four years later, he first attended Gamblers Anonymous and that he was visiting Alcoholics Anonymous by his twenties.

We were left in no doubt that this documentary was going to be as uncomfortable for the viewer as for the participants. Then, just when you thought you'd got a grip of the situation, it was revealed that his father was an Anglican priest, putting a whole new slant on the situation.

A little later still, when we were told that his father was working through his own problems of feeling abandoned by the early death of his parents, you wondered how much many more dilemmas could be crammed into the programme. It took up the story of Jonny - who has drink, drugs and gambling habits - as he chose between moving to a therapeutic community or a course of powerful mood-stabilising drugs. He opted for the former. As the community is church-based, although residents don't have to attend, this seemed as though it might throw up even more problems considering his own family background.

He blamed his father embracing Christianity for much of the pain and problems between them. His parting shot to his father was, "I just want to go to sleep and not wake up." There was talk of having to "form your own pilgrimage" and "take your own journey" but Jonny wasn't listening. He proved a disruptive force within the community, drinking and gambling daily and hitting on women (the only part of his behaviour not captured on film). Even the film-maker started to doubt Jonny's motives, saying "I worry he's here to avoid lithium or be part of the filming".

You couldn't help but feel like a voyeur as Jonny's crisis deepened with a car crash and another suicide attempt. You wondered if playing out life-or-death situations in front of the cameras was a good thing in the end. Would it have turned out any differently without their presence?

Hunt For The Killer Croc also made you fear for people's lives as reptile expert Dr Brady Barr hunted down a man-eating giant crocodile terrorising a small fishing village in Lubango in Uganda. The creature had killed ten people and maimed many others. He trained two local wildlife rangers, Peter and Robert, to capture crocodiles. This involved hooking a snare round their mouth, sitting on the squirming creatures and taping shut their jaws. His comments that "it's very dangerous" seemed redundant. Brady Barr's name makes him sound like he comes out of an adventure novel and there was something gung-ho about his cry of "Come and get it" as he instructed his pupils to leap on the back of a captured croc as if they were riding a mechanical bull.

Mrs Brown Rides Again, Tyne Theatre, Newcastle

AGNES Brown, 'The Mammy', is an Irish legend totally new to me. There have been videos, books, a radio series and even a Hollywood film featuring the foul-mouthed fifty-something, and over a million people have seen the plays in Ireland and the UK alone. The audience at the beautiful Tyne Theatre was ready to rock, guffawing loudly every time Agnes mentioned the f-word, which was frequently. I thought the effing and blinding obscured a lot of the genuinely funny dialogue, but maybe that's because that sort of language can still shock me. The cast seems like family, very comfortable with each other and with Mammy, who clearly ad-libs without mercy. In recent years comedy performers have taken to 'losing it' on stage, being so convulsed with laughter at their own antics that they are almost unable to continue. This used to be considered unprofessional but these days, it's used as a device, and there was a lot of it going on in this play. The plot is negligible; the whole performance hinges on the coarse, vulgar, extremely funny middle-aged lady of the title. And there's the genius of Brendan O'Carroll. Not once did I think 'this bloke's going too far' because he's so utterly convincing as Agnes, even though you know it's really a man. I would have enjoyed it more if the swearing had been less. And I loathed the bikini wax scene.

* Runs until June 4. Booking office: 0870 1451200.

Sue Heath

Donovan, Newcastle City Hall

WE love you Donovan" screams a less than sober Geordie and the whisper-soft drift of the great singer-songwriter halts momentarily to acknowledge he has a half-full hall of support out there. The 59-year-old has chosen this tour to discuss his career and the event opens with black and white footage of the young elfin-like sixties performer complete with CND badge and hippy lifestyle. He's also a proud father and allows middle daughter Astrella Celeste to occupy the first half-hour supported by Kevin Hunter (guitar) and Joe Atkinson (keyboards). The family resemblance and voice are there but she still lacks the showmanship of dear old dad. The man born Donovan Phillips Leitch steps out into the spotlight with little ceremony and soon the hooked-on harmonica and green-faced guitar take us for a stroll down memory lane. Perhaps the introduction style of the Beat Caf - the title of his latest album - performance poet grates a little but this is a master songsmith who can turn even the most unpromising material into time-suspending entertainment. So we sing along with the glorious Colours, Universal Soldier and Catch The Wind and hear references to Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joan Baez, the Beatles and the city's own Animals. It's been said that Donovan's career reflects the history of 20th century pop music, but it appears he has a little more to say in the 21st.

* Donovan's Beat Caf tour plays York's Grand Opera House on June 4. Box office: 0870 6063595

Viv Hardwick