TV review

Pop Queens - The Rivals (C4)

THE biographer who declared that T E Lawrence was "a significant player who influenced history" was putting it mildly. The legacy of this desert warrior's achievements is still being felt.

He helped shaped the Middle East as we know it today, a part of the world as disturbed as Lawrence himself, who was scarred for life, physically and mentally, as a result of his special relationship with the Arabs.

The first of the two-part Lawrence Of Arabia: The Battle For The Arab World - the cumbersome title distinguishing this dramatised documentary from David Lean's epic movie - was a clear and concise account of his early life, outlining the political manoeuvring and Lawrence's own personal battles as he fought alongside Arab tribes in a war of liberation.

He was everything we expect our heroes to be: brave but flawed, taking action on behalf of his country at odds with his conscience. Even his background wasn't straightforward. He was born into a family of private means, but one with a secret. He and his brothers were illegitimate, the result of his father running away with the governess.

His passion for the history of the Crusades led him to the Middle East, spending three months as a student travelling around and establishing his love affair with the desert, and possibly the young Arab who became his assistant.

Was Lawrence gay? Lean's film skirted around the issue. The documentary addressed the question directly with coming up with a answer. The pair's relationship was certainly "a bit strange", although may well have been an innocent male friendship. The truth is that nobody knows, adding to the fascination of the legend.

His involvement in the politics of the region came after being recruited by British Intelligence to report on the new railway to Baghdad - a name that tells you how much Lawrence's actions are relevant today - that was a key element in control of a country ruled by the Turks.

Lawrence donned Arab robes and helped lead the revolt, totally outfoxing the Turks at the battle of Aqaba. What he didn't know was that the British and French governments had signed a secret deal to divide up Arabia between them once the Turks had been defeated, a betrayal of the British promise of Arab independence.

We've come to expect no more of politicians, just as you expect pop divas to be as unpleasant as having a bucket of cold custard poured over you. Pop Queens - The Rivals didn't disappoint in that respect as we found out the "weapons" these divas use to get to the top and keep them there.

We'd seen it all before but no programme can fail to keep the attention when it trawls through the tragedies, violence, drug abuse and sex scandals that have bedevilled the likes of Madonna, Diana Ross, Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Liza Minnelli and Mariah Carey.

I particularly liked the London taxi driver confronted by the badly-behaved Courtney Love, wanting to use his back seat for a sexy photo shoot. She was duly snapped wearing nothing but panties, which she removed and gave to the driver as a present. "I still have them," he said proudly, waving them in the air. Try explaining that to the missus.

Sleeping Beauty, The Customs House, South Shields

YOU cannot keep a good panto down - not even when thieves steal the script at the 11th hour, as Sleeping Beauty shows.

It musters a strong cast, is packed with funny lines and situations and boasts sparkling sets and costumes along with the usual South Tyneside-spun jokes.

This show is based on one of the more sentimental fairy tales and it's a challenge to 'Mr Panto', Ray Spencer, to give it his usual raucous treatment. But, despite his re-writing of the script in the aftermath of the burglary, he succeeds with the help of sparring partner, Dame Dotty (alias Bob Stott) and that other posh Geordie funny man, Donald McBride.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Spencer brings in the stars of the theatre's hit comedy of the year, Dirty Dusting. Senior Fairy, Jean Southern, is joined by her two assistants, drama queen fairy, Helen Russell, and forgetful fairy, Gwen Doran, with David Whitaker as baddie, Lord Mekon.

A find to the panto stage is radio and TV's Kathy Secker, who drapes her golden tones in fiery black for the evil Narcissus and proves a force to be reckoned with, though South Shields' own dashing, blond prince of the musical stage, Steven Rae, who partners Princess Beauty (the even more youthful Alexandra Gardner), was the audience's favourite.

Another winner that will be laughing all the way to the box office. Nicola Marsden

l Runs until January 4. Box office 0191-454 1234.