Thursday 23 January 2014

I Dis-associate Myself From These Remarks

Metro, the free newspaper you find in train stations, published an online review today of "Russia on Four Wheels".

Metro, the brilliant car-blogger, considered doing an online review of the very same programme having watched the second (and concluding) episode that was broadcast last night.

I, being the latter Metro, now have to review the other Metro's review.

It was crap.

Click here to see it.

It is written by their "TV and Dance critic", Keith Watson. It lasts for six sentences, two of them about homosexuality and completely misses what the majority of the show was all about.  I would not wish to be associated with such a poor (and pointless) review.

I bet Keith Watson didn't even know that it followed on from "India on Four Wheels" and "China on Four Wheels."  These shows have Anita Rani and Justin Rowlatt travelling about large countries meeting locals, learning about how these countries are changing and what impact the motoring industry is having and what impact these changing are having on the motoring industry itself.

The BBC describe "Russia on Four Wheels" thusly.
Anita Rani is very engaging despite often being in a state of excited bewilderment.

Justin Rowlatt reminds me of an older Jonny Smith.

Anita is always given the best car and the most upmarket situations to report on - in this case a Dartz Kombat T98 which she drove to try on fur coats and eat caviar.

Justin always gets the rough end of the deal.  He was given a Communist era UAZ 469 to drive and went to visit a former Gulag prison camp - for me the best bit of the show.

I also loved listening out for the incidental music accompanying the show - it was inspired as long as you tuned in to it.

Hopefully they will make more of these shows - not sure where though - possibly the Middle-East. The BBC aren't allowed in Iran though and Anita wouldn't be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia unless she joined the US Army.

Anyway, if they do, I recommend Keith Watson sticks with The One Show.

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