TV review

One Life: Beating The Bullies (BBC1)

Gifted (ITV1)

THERE was a sting in the One Life documentary about a new idea to deal with school bullying - despite its success, the scheme is unlikely to continue because of a lack of Government money.

It would be a pity if this was allowed to happen as bullying has been "dramatically reduced" since mediators were introduced at Heatherbrook Primary School, on the outskirts of Leicester.

The difference with this effort is that these are pint-sized peacekeepers, youngsters trained to mediate between warring parties in the playground.

Four million children get bullied every year. The most common and hurtful bullying is name-calling. The film didn't always make easy viewing, especially when bullied youngsters described their experiences.

Jordan and Stephanie have been bullied because of the way they look. He's been called big ears, she's been called four-eyes. There was something chilling about listening as they talked about flirting with the idea of killing themselves because of the bullying. But the fact is that three-quarters of the children who take their own lives do so because of bullying.

Some viewers might also have felt uncomfortable as the camera showed children being bullied and interviewed them, in tears, afterwards.

Jordan and Stephanie were among pupils chosen to be trained as mediators, although the selection process itself led to tears before bedtime for several unlucky applicants.

They progressed from youngsters who didn't even know what mediation meant to being able to step in and calm down the parties when trouble flared up. Remarkably, the mediating team of Jordan and Stephanie was able to make the two sides shake hands and say sorry.

It would have taken more than a referee to sort out the problem at the heart of Kay Mellor's footballing drama Gifted. The action off the pitch was the cause of the trouble when star player Jamie Gilliam picked up a two female students in a nightclub.

The next morning one accused him of drugging her drink and raping her. A court case involving a black player facing an assault charge following racial abuse in a restaurant formed another part of the plot. All this made the story a little too close to comfort to recent real life events, although Mellor began writing Gifted two years ago to illustrate the dangers of celebrity.

If ITV's timing in screening the film was spot on, the script became less convincing the longer it went on. This was partly because Sharon, the single mother making the rape allegation (the excellent Christine Tremarco), became sidelined in favour of her much less interesting friend Maxine (Claire Goose).

Once the story became a did he, didn't he? thriller, Mellor was forced to put plot over character. The result was occasionally provocative but never wholly convincing.

Julius Caesar, Arden Theatre Company, The Arc, Stockton

A BUNCH of ordinary, non-privileged 13 to 17-year-olds have - entirely without help - produced Shakespeare's Julius Caesar at a prestigious theatre.

That means The Northern Echo is absolutely guaranteed to give the plucky kids a rave review, right?

Well, maybe. But the fact remains that if you go to The Arc tonight you'll see an entertaining, well produced, dramatic version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It's not good for kids and it's not a good effort under the circumstances. It's just good.

A strong point is the direction and stagecraft. There's the eerie moment when the light fades out around Caesar's erect corpse, the subtle rise in music volume as violence reaches a crescendo, the drama when the cast come alongside the audience and we all become part of an angry mob. The famous scenes including the 'et tu Brute' attack on Caesar or the ghosts appearing to Brutus on the eve of battle are well done and not overblown.

The acting is good all round but special mention should be made of Robert Icke and Andrew Berriman who play Brutus and Cassius, as well as directing the play.

If there are any schoolboys crawling, reluctantly, to school and whinging that Shakespeare is boring, come and see your contemporaries.

l Fewer than 50 tickets costing £5 (£4 concessions) are still available for the last performance tonight but are expected to be sold. Call (01642) 525199 to book.

Chris Webber

Scrooge, Newcastle Theatre Royal

I F you're one of the people who thought Tommy Steele was dead, you should have heard the cheer that went up when he appeared on-stage at the Theatre Royal. In character as curmudgeonly old Scrooge, it was all he could do to suppress the famous cheeky grin in response.

This is a musical version by Leslie Bricusse of Charles Dickens' Christmas tale, and it's full of warmth and good humour. The songs are pleasant if not particularly memorable, and the strong cast includes some very talented and professional children.

Tommy Steele is just as engaging as he always was; even when Ebenezer is at his meanest, suggesting the poor would be better off dead, Tommy's real personality is bubbling underneath.

The ghosts are impressive, especially the monstrously menacing Christmas Yet to Come; shame they didn't whisk his wire frame away quickly enough. The scariest moment is when Ebenezer comes back into his bedroom thinking Jacob Marley's appearance is a dream, and the ghost is hiding behind the door! Squeals from the youngsters in the audience.

Tommy Steele has been an entertainer for nearly 50 years, and there's no substitute for that kind of experience. He had the audience with him from the moment he stepped on-stage, and the tumultuous applause at the end had him good-humouredly shouting at the punters to "Go 'ome!"

The Christmas spirit is alive and well at the Theatre Royal; after such a feelgood evening it was quite a shock to emerge into a rainy October night.

Sue Heath

Until Saturday, November 8. Box Office: 0870 905 5060