STARTING off a new food programme series with a test tasting of expensive Civet coffee, which uses beans that have passed through an Indonesian cat, was the kind of shock tactic TV that is becoming the norm.

Full On Food (BBC2, Wednesday) is already being dismissed as "Top Gear for foodies" as the audience stands around somewhat uncomfortably as three more extroverts strut their stuff. Bespectacled presenter Stefan Gates introduces himself as an epicurean desperado but he's really a frustrated BBC comedy producer/director, which is why he volunteered to spend 24 hours in Tokyo drinking sake and trying the only edible part of the deadly fugu fish.

From the faces my wife was pulling, I thought she was drinking Civet coffee. "This lot are rather irritating and the Australian pub landlady is completely dotty," she said, correctly spotting the odd accent of the incredible Roxy Beaujolais started life in Sydney. In between flicking her red hair and stroking the cat, Roxy made potato bread and then had a crack at autumnal belly pork and butter bean stew.

"Now that just looks like dog sick," chipped in my Oz lingo expert who had gone off to pinch our youngest's mobile CD player to listen to the Berry Vest Of album by Gilbert O'Sullivan that I'd just acquired. Perhaps all the Ooh-Wakka-Doo-Wakka-Day was flavouring her judgement. As you always seem to require three people for new programmes, the Full On Food trio is completed by critic Richard Johnson, who has mastered the ability to talk while eating. He has the journalist's love of crushing puns and arrived clutching a boxed "instant" meal from the Gordon Ramsay range. It takes around 20 minutes to assemble the ingredients and costs a mere £40. For that kind of money you'd expect Mr Ramsay to come around your house and cook it personally.

Over on ITV, episodes of Foyle's War (Sunday, ITV) are taking an overlong two hours to come to the boil. "You realise it's actually started at 10pm and I can't keep my eyes open," complained my Foyle fan who left me alone again (naturally) to discover the murderer of a wife-beating RAF blackmailer. In between biting the inside of his mouth - presumably to look thoughtful and not insane like George W Bush - Michael Kitchen slowly builds a case as the much sinned against Detective Inspector Foyle.

Both in Foyle and ITV's Rosemary And Thyme the sleuths are constantly faced with the demand "it's just a murder can't we get on" (do people really say that?) and a cornered suspect who jeers "yes, I killed him/her and I don't care".

Thankfully, there is Musicality (C4, Wednesday) to restore our spirits as another three experts seek West End wannabes for a one-night appearances. Sadly, the search didn't include the North-East or even Leeds, but at least they bothered to weed out the no-hopers before the audition.

Over on Big Art Challenge (five, Thursday) I was delighted to see Sunderland's Sonny Williams selected to reach next week's Baltic, Gateshead, semi-final by the TV treble of Brian Sewell, Wayne Hemingway and Tynesider Jane Wilson. Sadly, the ever-rude Mr Sewell was not a fan. I wonder if he'd like my home-made fugu?