Flipside TV (C4): THE noble art of TV criticism is best left to the experts. Once you let amateurs loose with the remote control, all hell breaks lose as Flipside TV demonstrates.

The good thing, as far as those making fools of themselves on the programme goes, is that the show goes out in the early hours when most people are tucked up in bed.

The continuity announcer warned of "strong language and some grown-up stuff". This didn't apply to the guest reviewers who behaved like overgrown schoolboys, giggling at pictures of naked girls or someone being hit over the head.

Radio presenter Holly Samas was the voice of reason, sandwiched between Loaded founder and series producer James Brown and actor Keith Allen, a man not noted for good behaviour.

The trio "watch telly so you don't have to" by sitting in front of TV sets and switching from channel to channel, pausing when they find something interesting. This doesn't happen very often at two in the morning.

Host Iain Lee - sitting in for Richard Bacon - had his hands full keeping Allen under control as he seemed fixated with tuning into Muslim channels and making unsuitable remarks. "Be so legally careful," he was continually warned by an anxious Lee.

As Brown switched to Reality TV an alarmed Lee saw the title of the programme, Terror On The Job, and noted: "I know the feeling". That's feeling as in sinking as the show disappeared beneath the waves with a Titantic gurgle at Allen's unsuitable comments.

As we saw little more than a few seconds on any of the dozens of programmes surfed over the hour, any entertainment value had to come from the studio guests. Again, Allen's constant shouts of: "Look what I've got," hardly made the conversation flow smoothly.

It was like a bad dream as we dashed from Diaries Of Death to Yondo Sister, pausing for glimpses of the Egberto Gismonti Trio and Have I Got News For You from 1993. Brown got excited by footage - which thankfully we didn't see - of an adult on a BMX bike going down a hill and straight under a double decker bus.

Taxicab Confessions looked potentially interesting as an embalmer told the cabby about the problems of dealing with "floaters". Holly reported a previous snatch of backseat conversation when a woman said: "If there's more than one penis in the room, there's one too many penises". I'd have like to have heard the rest of their chat.

Lee's plea of "Anyone looking for boobs or anything?" was rewarded not by Golf Clubs with Tim Brooke-Taylor but by Private Stars, a porn reality show.

The best bit of criticism came from Lee when he declared: "What a lot of crap they put on at this time of night". It's a view that I - and the half-a-dozen other people watching - would probably fully endorse.

Published: 20/08/2004