Critical TV viewing
What’s on the box? MARION MCMULLEN recalls how Clive James turned telly watching into an art form 40 years ago
AUSTRALIAN TV critic and journalist Clive James once said: “Fiction is life with the dull bits left out.”
He could certainly not be accused of being dull when his ITV hit Clive James On Television launched in September, 1982.
The Sunday night show introduced British viewers to the eye-wateringly, painful challenges of Japanese game show Endurance and the vocal talents of colourful red-haired Cuban singer Margarita Pracatan.
Clive served up an entertaining 30 minute round-up of bizarre television shows from all around the world and British viewers lapped it up.
The show was so popular that it ran until 1988 and was quickly followed by Saturday Night Clive and The Clive James Show. He also fronted the BBC’S Review Of The Year programmes in the late 1980s and paid special tribute to fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue in 1989 presenting her with the award for
Woman Of The Decade.
Clive offered a unique view of the world. Of Formula One presenter Murray Walker’s high-octane style as “sounding like a man whose trousers are on fire”. Speaking about his friend Princess Diana, he said: “She wasn’t just beautiful. She was like the sun coming up: coming up giggling.”
Diagnosed with cancer in 2010, Clive even penned his own obituary before he died aged 80 in 2019, saying it would
“serve as a cheaper obituary than anything most newspapers are likely to have in the freezer”.
The erudite and charismatic author, broadcaster and critic, added that he would be “updating it until they carry me to the slab, during which journey I will try to give details of my final medication”.
He was once asked what he thought was the most important thing he had brought to television? He simply replied “Words”.