John Byrne's telly week included Travel Man (Mondays, Channel 4), Happy Valley (Thursdays, RTÉ One), Mr Selfridge (Sundays, UTV Ireland) and The Comeback (Thursday, Sky Atlantic).
Barcelona's a city I've visited several times over the years, so I was intrigued to see that Richard Ayoade has a new gig hosting a series called Travel Man: 48 Hours in Barcelona (Mondays, Channel 4) and was obviously starting off in the Catalonian capital.
The concept is pretty straightforward: Ayoade and a companion (first up is actress Kathy Burke) head to a destination with the intention of nailing it over a weekend. Easier said than done.
While Ayoade points out early on that a weekend in Barcelona can be enjoyed for less than €200 (or whatever it is the British call money), Burke and himself are put up in the far more expensive El Palauet, a five-star boutique hotel that appears pretty plush.
It's hardly breaking news that Ayoade – best known for his role alongside Chris O'Dowd on The IT Crowd - cannot stop talking. His is a constant babble throughout the show, but that's fine as he's quite funny.
The best moment was when he was urged to have his photo taken alongside a virtual Lionel Messi at the FC Barcelona museum, and pretended to be reading from a book. He is most definitely not a football fan.
Kathy Burke was equally indifferent to the abstract art on display at the Fundació Joan Miró, but both of them appeared more comfortable with some cava tasting. Ayoade had a buoyant Burke in stitches as they sampled five different varieties of the Catalonian equivalent of champagne.
While Ayoade was quite amusing throughout, Burke seemed like a nebulous tack-on, and the programme failed in its essential goal of capturing Barcelona as a stand-out weekend away destination. But it was a fun half-hour.
One place I certainly won't be heading for any time soon is Yorkshire – or, more to the point, the Yorkshire that's depicted on Happy Valley (Thursdays, RTÉ One). I missed this drama when it was screened last year on the BBC, heard great things about it afterwards, and made sure I wasn't going to miss it second time around. Along with Line of Duty, it shows that the Beeb are on top form with drama these days. This opening episode was something like a series of scripted punches to the stomach.
Sarah Lancashire has carved herself into the character of Sgt Catherine Cawood, a veteran policewoman convinced that a freed criminal murdered her daughter. That's the starting point for a tale that looks at least as tangled as Broadchurch's first season. One episode alone shows just how easily it is for otherwise law-abiding people to suddenly find themselves dragged into the murky world of crime, as their lives begin to unravel.
Steve Pemberton plays Kevin Weatherill, an accountant with a grudge against his boss. In a rash moment he tells a local dope dealer that kidnapping his boss's daughter (played by Charlie Murphy, of Love/Hate fame) would yield a handy six-figure ransom. Yeah, you can guess what happens next, but this story is told with such dexterity and dramatic tension it draws the viewer in and leaves you nearly breathless.
Far more fluffy, but ideal end-of-weekend viewing came in the shape of Mr Selfridge (Sundays, UTV Ireland), which completed its third season with a customary flourish, and was high on affairs of the heart.
Poor old Harry (Jeremy Piven in top form) survived a vote of no confidence at a board meeting, but his engagement to Nancy disintegrated when he discovered that she was a lying grifter.
Elsewhere, Harry's daughter Violette was red-carded by Victor Colleano so she took off to Paris to link up with a French airman, Miss Martle and Mr Grove rediscovered their groove, and young Gordon Selfridge chose Miss Calthorpe over his career.
Ultimately, season four was set up when the delightfully pantomime-like villain that is Lord Loxley (played by Dubliner Aidan McArdle) sold his shares in Selfridge's to a mysterious buyer. This guy's got his eye and now half a grubby hand on the famed Oxford Street shop. I only wish I'd a pair of waxed side whiskers so I could've rubbed them during the closing credits of this joyfully melodramatic period piece.
Another show that closed its doors in recent days is The Comeback (Thursday, Sky Atlantic). Lisa Kudrow's cynical and squirmy mockumentary about an actress trying to relaunch her TV career has been a source of Hollywood insider joy, but the season two finale wrapped up in a surprisingly upbeat manner.
It's Emmy time and Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) is up for an award for her role in Seeing Red. But the downside is that husband Michael is nowhere to be seen, as he appears to have had enough of Hollywood hopes trampling all over his marriage.
Exposing the shallow desperation and sheer awfulness of Hollywood life has been a key signature of in this show, so it was quite refreshing to see it ending on an almost-Capraesque high with some good, old-fashioned empathy. Cynicism will only get you so far, even in Tinseltown.
If you haven't yet seen The Comeback, do so at the earliest opportunity. Kudrow's fantastic, and the show is scarily on the money. The nine-year wait for season two was worth it, so let's hope HBO don't add insult to irony by commissioning a third.
John Byrne
