TV Review: Fresh Meat (C4)

THE terrific Manchester-set student sitcom from the pens of Peep Show scribes Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong is back after a break, presumably to allow Fresh Meat viewers some respite after the last episode’s many shocks.

They included Josie’s engagement, Vod’s overdose, JP’s father dying, and Oregon’s real identity being unveiled.

This series has been full of surprises, and over the course of the six episodes so far we have followed the characters through a great deal of the highs and lows of their uni life.

What has really been surprising though is how naturally both the plots and the characters have developed over the weeks.

What began as a fun, slightly crude knockabout sitcom has grown and matured into a thoughtful and touching comedy drama, with moments of genuine tenderness in among the many laugh-out-loud gags.

One of the standout performers from the sterling ensemble cast is Zawe Ashton, who plays hard-drinking Londoner Vod. As the house’s coolest character, she has had some great lines to deliver already, and the last episode saw her displaying a somewhat more vulnerable side, even considering – albeit very briefly – entering a crisis centre to get help to turn her life around.

It has proved the perfect role for Ashton, who went to university in Manchester herself for three years.

She recognises aspects of Vod’s personality from her student days there, so has a wealth of inspiration from which to draw.

“She’s an extreme version of lots of people that I definitely knew as a student in Manchester. So I know a lot of that scene that Vod’s into, I definitely see parts of me from back then in her,” she says.

“I see Vod as like an ageing rocker trapped inside a young student body – extremely cool but at the same time extremely insecure, same as the others.

That’s what is so nice about the whole group, they’re all trying to put up some kind of front or mask to the rest of the world”.

Tonight’s penultimate edition sees Vod caught in the middle when Mrs Shales twigs that her husband is having an affair – although suspects Vod, rather than Oregon, as the other woman.

But Oregon’s plan to break it off with her lecturer don’t quite go to plan when Shales leaves his wife and turns up at the house. And he’s not the only unwelcome guest – Josie’s fiance Dave arrives, much to Kingsley’s chagrin, and blurts out the details of Josie’s fling with JP during a heated confrontation.

Then Howard’s split with pal Brian leaves Brian at a loose end, and begging Howard to give him another chance. But can Howard forgive him for ruining his chances with “Geology Girl”?

Things are definitely coming to a head in this episode, setting the scene for a riveting finale next week.

THE celebrity versions of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

have been useful in helping viewers decide which stars they’d like to have on their team in a pub quiz, but some of us remain nostalgic for the days when members of the public used to get a chance to sit in the hot seat.

Luckily, Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Remembrance Special should keep everyone happy, as it pairs famous faces with some unsung heroes – active service members of the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, who will be raising money for each of the Forces’ Benevolent Funds.

Given that it’s for such a worthy cause, host Chris Tarrant may occasionally feel tempted to slip the contestants a clue, but he’ll have to fight the urge and instead offer them the usual three life-lines.

However, there is a slight twist. It’s business as usual with Phone a Friend and 50-50, but when it comes time to Ask the Audience, they will be appealing to members of the Armed Forces past and present.

HIS first business venture earned him the big bucks at the tender age of 16 when he set up his own tennis academy, so it’s little wonder that Peter Jones is now one of Britain’s most respected and successful entrepreneurs.

As if he hasn’t got enough going on to keep him busy – he must be sick of the colour of money by now – Jones has somehow found time to take to the helm of the documentary Peter Jones: How We Made Our Millions which offers a look behind the scenes of the fascinating world of high-end business.

The Dragons’ Den star meets two talents behind our biggest brands, but do they know what they’re letting themselves in for?

Their successes and failures will be interrogated, business strategies discussed, and their business brains unpicked, all so we can see just what it actually takes to make it to the top – and, of course, finally put pen to paper and start up our own plans for world domination.