TV REVIEWS

BBC Three

Ghosts US –

Sunday November 20,

It’s always odd watching American adaptations of British sitcoms. If you’re a fan of the original iteration, you can’t help feeling on edge. Not because they’ll get it wrong as such – our American friends have produced some of the greatest sitcoms ever made – but it’s impossible to avoid comparisons. So here’s some good news. This version of the popular BBC sitcom is in spiritual tune with its source material. It’s charming, daft and family-friendly. Naturally, it recycles many of the same jokes and plots, but the writers add their own spin on things. And, a la the US version of The Office, they’ll presumably drift off in a different direction once they’ve established a particular vision.

Green Lions: Cameroon 90 – Tuesday November 22, BBC Four

Unless you’re somehow young, you’ll fondly recall the Cameroon World Cup squad of 1990. An inspiring saga that even Hollywood would hesitate to conjure up as fiction, that team captured the imaginations of people who – like me – seldom pay any attention to sport. This documentary explained the whys and wherefores in captivating style. Cameroon were barely afforded any attention at all when they qualified for Italia ’90. Just another filler team to be knocked out in the first round. When they proved to be anything but, the world cheered them on. If that sounds like a corny fantasy, then I urge you to lift your spirits via iplayer. Cynics be damned, it’s a wonderful true story.