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The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
TV reviews: Finally, Who Do You Think You Are? hits the mark again
Now I know WDYTYA has been a bit boring lately - frankly, some of the 'celebrities' have been human sleeping tablets - but come on, wasn't this a case of TV eating itself? As Morgan said: 'I never thought in a million years you'd actually ask me to be on it.' Bolton born and bred and now living in Bloomsbury (nice), Morgan had three aims: to learn more about her Aunty Ginny's fiance, Albert Dugdale, who died in the First World War; to trace her Scottish roots in Dumfries; and to find out the identity of 'German Charlie', the stuff of family legend. As she suspected, Morgan's journey was far from glam. She travelled on buses and suburban trains to small town libraries. There was a lot of weaving in her background. German Charlie's story was part of that history and wasn't terribly interesting unless you were into chimneys. Aunty Ginny, Morgan discovered, lived near the rest of the family in Bolton, as many of her generation did. That didn't set the heather on fire either. But Dumfries and Morgan's four times great-grandmother Isabella? Now you're talking. Isabella turned out to have had five children to four different fathers. History could relate this because she had taken all the absent fathers to court for child support. As a result, a record of her existence existed - a rarity for a woman, even more so someone who was working class. Between the lines there was obvious sadness. One record said Isabella had been known to the local lads as 'an improper character'. 'I thought you were going to tell me I was related to Robert the Bruce or Robert Burns, one of the Roberts,' said Morgan. 'Instead my great, great, great grandmother was a bit of a hussy.' For fear of spoilers I won't say what happened next in Dumfries, or how Morgan got on tracing Albert Dugdale's family to give them the 'death penny' that had been kept safe in her family. If you haven't seen the show yet you are in for a treat on iPlayer. Morgan's WDYTYA probably isn't destined for the hall of fame. But the very ordinariness of the people we learned about was what made them special. They weren't kings or queens or captains of industry or explorers, they did dull jobs and lived in terraced houses, but they were here once, and their lives mattered. Whoever decided Diane Morgan would be a good pick for WDYTYA should be given a pay rise. This could have been a disaster; instead it was a triumph. The same cannot be said for Genius Game (STV, Wednesday), which reached its finale this week. A test of intelligence rather than general knowledge, Genius Game has been a hit in its home country of South Korea. Here, it struggled from episode one. Where to start? The games were ridiculously complicated and poorly explained. The contestants lacked sparkle. But nothing fell on its backside as much as David Tennant's hosting. It was up to him to bring the party, and he didn't. Given the grand title of 'The Creator', his part in proceedings was limited to sitting in another room, isolated from the contestants, chipping in the odd comment now and then. Tennant can usually do that kind of thing in his sleep; here he seemed to be between naps. After grinding on for eight weeks we finally had a winner. Everyone still watching should have been given a share of the £44,000 prize just for getting to the end of the series (Why £44,000? Who knows?). Still in his attic, Tennant readied himself for the big finish, such as it was. 'What a ride!' he said. 'For now, I shall bid you farewell!' For now? What a ride? I don't know what quiz show he was watching, but if he expects a second series of Genius Game he may have a very long wait. Defying all advice about returning to the scene of a crime, Neil Forsyth was back with The Gold (BBC1, Sunday-Tuesday), a follow-up to his 2023 hit about the Brink's-Mat robbery. In the hands of another writer this might have been a sequel too far. Fortunately, the creator of Bob Servant and Guilt expertly blew the bloody doors off the tale again. At the end of the first series it was revealed only half the gold had been found. Some £13 million was still out there, together with mountains of dirty cash waiting to be laundered. So it was back on the chain gang again for gentleman copper Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville), and side-kicks Tony and Nicki (Emun Elliot and Charlotte Spencer; worth a spin-off series on their own). Following the money was never going to be as exciting as watching the original heist, and so it proved. It was episode three before anyone even broke into a run (the whole series is on iPlayer now). Forsyth made up for this lack of action by adding layers to existing characters and creating new ones. Of the latter, Joshua McGuire was a standout as Douglas Baxter, Oxbridge graduate and lawyer fallen on hard times on the Isle of Man. Baxter was a terrible snob but highly amusing with it. 'The Isle of Man doesn't offer much,' he said. 'I once ordered a martini in a pub and the landlord came at me with a poker.' At times, Forsyth's villains seemed a touch too clever and eloquent. While this made for some great dialogue - there's an old lag's speech later on that's one for the ages - it didn't always ring true. But this, after all, was a drama about Brink's-Mat, not a documentary. Forsyth brought the threads of the story together with deceptive ease, righting a key wrong of the first series along the way. Kenneth Noye (an excellent Jack Lowden), made out to be a charismatic Robin Hood-type in early episodes, was shown in his truly grisly colours. 'The gold' remained a fascinating character in its own right, a siren luring men to their doom. Who, in the end, profited? Where did all the money go? As one villain said, 'Loads of people got rich from that job, but it weren't the six blokes in the van.' David Tennant was the host of Genius Game (Image: ITV1) More villainy was at work in the new historical drama Shardlake (STV, Monday). I say 'new' but admirers of CJ Sansom's novels will know this period murder mystery had been this way before. It first aired on Disney+ in 2024, but after four episodes the show wasn't renewed. Never mind Tudor England, it's a tough old world out there in streaming land. Young Matthew Shardlake (Arthur Hughes) was a lawyer/detective for hire. He was also disabled, which made him an outsider in a society that saw difference as a curse. We knew what Shardlake thought about that, and much else, because he had a handy habit of talking out loud to himself. 'Ready Matthew, ready for what this day might bring?' he asked his reflection in the window. The day brought a summons from Thomas Cromwell (Sean Bean) no less. One of his commissioners had been murdered in a distant monastery. Cromwell appointed Shardlake to head the investigation. Mark Rylance made Cromwell his own in Wolf Hall, so all power to Bean's elbow for taking on the gig. His Cromwell was more swaggering than quietly sinister, but he more than passed muster. The drama's treatment of disability, the attempts at witty asides, the hero's empathy, turned Shardlake into a modern affair, presumably to widen its appeal. But the more talk, less action approach also made the hour seem as slow as a week in the Tower. Shardlake also wanted to have its period cake and eat it, which meant lots of gloomy scenes where you could barely make out what was going on. When times got tough, there was always that man Bean to liven things up, even if you did half expect him to start banging on about a certain brand of tea. Mark Rylance didn't have that problem.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Who won Genius Game on ITV? Result explained
Genius Game fans have all made the same demand of ITV after the first season ended 🚨 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Genius Game has crowned its very first winner on ITV. Viewers are all making the same demand on social media. But who won the first season of the David Tennant hosted show? After weeks of fierce competition and numerous brain-melting challenges, Genius Game has come to a conclusion. The David Tennant hosted show has crowned its first ever winner after a dramatic final. The two remaining contestants faced off against each other in a best-of-three Death Match in a bid to secure victory. As the show came to an end, fans were quick to take to social media to make the same demand of ITV. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But who came out victorious in the reality competition? Here's all you need to know: Who won the first season of Genius Game? Genius Game on ITV | Remarkable Entertainment /ITV Based on a Korean series called The Genius, ITV's newest game show challenged some of the country's brightest minds to prove themselves in a gauntlet of fiendish games. Designed to not just test their intellectual acumen, the challenges also encouraged them to carefully and creatively use the art of manipulation to outfox their opponents. David Tennant was on hosting duty and the cast originally included 11 contestants. However over the weeks that was whittled down to just two for the final - which took place yesterday (June 11). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Genius Game host David Tennant | Remarkable Entertainment /ITV Poker player and comedian Ken Cheng came out victorious and is the first ever winner of Genius Game. He triumphed over fellow finalist Charlotte Yeung. Genius Game fans make the same demand to ITV Following the conclusion of the series last night, fans of the programme quickly took to social media to demand ITV renew it for a second season. The future of the show has yet to be confirmed either way, although Daily Mail reported back in May that it had been reduced to just one episode a week because of 'abysmal' ratings - so it doesn't look good. One fan wrote: 'Has Genius Game been perfect? Well, no! But for a first series it's been pretty strong despite the glaring issues. It's a shame we won't be getting a second series because I really feel this could be something huge if they were given the chance to grow and change.' Another echoed this and added: 'Despite its flaws (I actually found this finale to be the weakest episode) I really enjoyed Genius Game! I wish people gave it a chance as it did get better and it did have some genuinely 'genius' gameplay which was incredibly exciting to watch. Shame it'll never get a Season 2…' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A person said: 'Please ITV give this show a second series, one of the best reality competition shows out there.' Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Who won Genius Game on ITV? Result explained
Genius Game fans have all made the same demand of ITV after the first season ended 🚨 Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Genius Game has crowned its very first winner on ITV. Viewers are all making the same demand on social media. But who won the first season of the David Tennant hosted show? After weeks of fierce competition and numerous brain-melting challenges, Genius Game has come to a conclusion. The David Tennant hosted show has crowned its first ever winner after a dramatic final. The two remaining contestants faced off against each other in a best-of-three Death Match in a bid to secure victory. As the show came to an end, fans were quick to take to social media to make the same demand of ITV. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But who came out victorious in the reality competition? Here's all you need to know: Who won the first season of Genius Game? Genius Game on ITV | Remarkable Entertainment /ITV Based on a Korean series called The Genius, ITV's newest game show challenged some of the country's brightest minds to prove themselves in a gauntlet of fiendish games. Designed to not just test their intellectual acumen, the challenges also encouraged them to carefully and creatively use the art of manipulation to outfox their opponents. David Tennant was on hosting duty and the cast originally included 11 contestants. However over the weeks that was whittled down to just two for the final - which took place yesterday (June 11). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Genius Game host David Tennant | Remarkable Entertainment /ITV Poker player and comedian Ken Cheng came out victorious and is the first ever winner of Genius Game. He triumphed over fellow finalist Charlotte Yeung. Genius Game fans make the same demand to ITV Following the conclusion of the series last night, fans of the programme quickly took to social media to demand ITV renew it for a second season. The future of the show has yet to be confirmed either way, although Daily Mail reported back in May that it had been reduced to just one episode a week because of 'abysmal' ratings - so it doesn't look good. One fan wrote: 'Has Genius Game been perfect? Well, no! But for a first series it's been pretty strong despite the glaring issues. It's a shame we won't be getting a second series because I really feel this could be something huge if they were given the chance to grow and change.' Another echoed this and added: 'Despite its flaws (I actually found this finale to be the weakest episode) I really enjoyed Genius Game! I wish people gave it a chance as it did get better and it did have some genuinely 'genius' gameplay which was incredibly exciting to watch. Shame it'll never get a Season 2…' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A person said: 'Please ITV give this show a second series, one of the best reality competition shows out there.'
The Herald Scotland
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Loading a dishwasher is more exciting than David Tennant's quiz show
* Squid Game, the South Korean dystopian thriller about a fight-to-the-death contest to win millions, starts its third and final season at the end of June. Whatever grisly trials the makers have concocted, they will have to go some to beat the horror of watching David Tennant's Genius Game try to come alive. Like Frankenstein's monster, its creators have hit it with everything, including a prime time slot, all to no avail. You could go old school and blame the state of UK education. A test of intelligence rather than general knowledge, Genius Game has been a hit in its home country of South Korea. Yet Lee Mack's The 1% Club takes the same tack, and the four million-plus ratings show audiences are comfortable with that. So what was the problem with Genius Game? For a start, the games were ridiculously complicated and poorly explained. As someone who took an age to get their head round Pointless ('What, the aim is to score as little as possible?'), I'm reluctant to throw that particular stone, but needs must. The problems were there to see in the final, where Ken took on Charlotte to win the £44,000 prize. It was an odd sum, but then everything about Genius Game has been peculiar. Read more Ken and Charlotte slogged through a series of 'death matches', with contestants from previous episodes coming back to help, as in The Apprentice, The Traitors, and many other shows. Not that the also-rans had much to do except sit on a sofa in another part of the set and try to talk up the tension. 'This is nerve-wracking,' said one as Ken or Charlotte made another move in a game that made no sense. It was about as nerve-wracking as watching someone load the dishwasher. The contestants can't be blamed for the boredom. It's not strictly their job to sparkle, though it would have helped enormously. It was up to Tennant to bring the party, and he didn't. Given the grand title of 'The Creator', his part in proceedings was limited to sitting in another room, isolated from the contestants, and chipping in the odd comment now and then. Tennant can usually do that kind of thing in his sleep; here he seemed to be between naps. Back in the final, Ken and Charlotte were using special 'advantages' bestowed on them by the ex-contestants. Just what we needed, more faffing for zero reward. 'I'd like to invalidate his appeal,' said Charlotte. Was she talking about the game or Tennant? Ken was having a nice time, so that was something. He declared one match to be 'very exciting', giving it 'eight out of ten on the Ken-ometer'. Maybe the Ken-ometer should have been incorporated into the game: it couldn't have made things any more boring. Finally, we had a winner. By this point I was doing the dusting just to stay awake. Still in his attic, Tennant readied himself for the big finish, such as it was. 'What a ride!' he said. 'For now, I shall bid you farewell!' For now? What a ride? I don't know what quiz show Tennant was watching, but if he expects a second series of Genius Game he may have a long wait.
Scotsman
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Genius Game final: what time is it on TV tonight?
Genius Game is set to air its final on ITV - who will win? 👀 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Genius Game will crown its first winner in just a few hours. David Tennant hosts the show which made its debut on ITV this year. But what time can you watch the final? David Tennant's Genius Game will be holding its very first final in just a matter of hours. The show debuted back in April and blends Traitors with Netflix's The Devil's Plan. The finalists will face each other one last time - with the eliminated players also returning for the conclusion. Throughout the season the show has put contestants in situations that not just test their intellectual acumen, but encourage them to carefully and creatively use the art of manipulation to outfox their opponents and win a cash prize. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Genius Game is based on a South Korean TV show called The Genius. But when is the final on TV? What time is the Genius Game final on? Genius Game host David Tennant | Remarkable Entertainment /ITV Since it debuted back in April, the David Tennant fronted show has aired on Wednesday nights and that will continue with today's (June 11) final. Each episode has also started at 9pm and the same is the case for tonight's series conclusion. Genius Game is set to run for an hour - including adverts - this evening. It is due to finish at 10pm and will be followed by the nightly news. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It will be live on ITV1/ 1HD and on STV for viewers in Scotland from 9pm. The show will also be on ITVX/ STV Player at the same time as it is on terrestrial TV - and then is available on catch-up afterwards. What to expect from the Genius Game final? The preview for the final, via Radio Times, reads: 'The eliminated players return to pledge their allegiance, giving their chosen player an advantage in the final game. The finalists face a best-of-three Death Match format that tests the most strategic and lateral thinkers and the first player to win two games will be the winner.' Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
