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REVIEWS

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7 Days on the Breadline

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Aerial Comment

"Ah fuck it - the cunt bit me" - a Steve Irwin tribute

Alive: Back To The Andes

Amy Winehouse on Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Amy Winehouse on the Charlotte Church show

Anti-Social Old Buggers

The Apprentice

The Apprentice Series Three Final

The Apprentice Series 3 half-term report

The Apprentice Season 4

The Apprentice Series 4 Finale

The Armstrongs

Arrested Development

Ashes to Ashes

Battlestar Galactica Season 3

Battlestar Galactica Season 3 finale

Battlestar Galactica Season 4

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Battlestar Galactica: Sometimes a Great Notion

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Beauty And The Geek

Being Human

Being... N-Dubz

Bernard Manning From Beyond the Grave

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Big Brother 2005

Big Brother 2006 Launch Night

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Big Brother 2007: Get that chickenhead hoodrat out

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Big Brother 2008 - It's a Wonderful Life (when you're not in it

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Big Brother 2008: Stuart tapped the compassion vending machine and it toppled over and fell on top of him

Big Brother 2010 final

Big Brother's Big Mouth

Big Brother, Emily Parr and racism

Big Brother got no gas, Sienna Miller got no ass, Mark Ronson got no class

Big Brother poetry

Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty and racism

Bionic Woman pre-air pilot

Bo! in the USA

Bodies

Bodies series finale

Body Shock: Half Ton Man

Bollocks To Cancer

Bonekickers

The Boys Who Killed Stephen Lawrence

Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad Season 2 finale

Breaking Bad Season 3

Bring Back...Grange Hill

Britain's Got Talent Series 4

Britney and Kevin: Chaotic

Bruce Forsyth - A Comedy Roast

Bully Beatdown

C-D

Californication

Carnivale

Caprica pilot

Castrating Galactica - why Faceman needs to can it

Catherine Tate Christmas Special

CBeebies website

Celebrity Big Brother

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China

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Criminal Justice Season Two

The Cube

Cutting Edge: My Kid's Psychic

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Damages

The Dark Side Of Porn

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Dead Ringers

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Deadwood - a lament

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Derren Brown: The Heist

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Dexter Season One

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Dispatches: The Big Heist

Doctor Who

Doctor Who Series 5 Premiere

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Dragons Den

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Election 2005 coverage

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Fat Beauty Contest

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Generation Kill

Getting On

Glee

Going Cold Turkey

Gravity

Guys And Dolls

Hannah Bradbeer - wide forehead having X Factor goddess

Hard Sell: BT

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Heather Mills: what really happened

Heroes

Heroes Season One Finale

Hidden Lives - Three In A Bed

Home Time

House

How Not To Live Your Life

HSBC adverts

I'm All Shook Up: Parkinson's at 25

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here

I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, 2006

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I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here 2009

In This Corner

The Inbetweeners

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

Inside Waco

REVIEWS | A-B | C-D | E-I | J-M | N-R | S-T | U-Z | MISC


Dragons' Den

Dragons' Den

BBC2


As many of you "people" know in addition to his extensive philanthropy, womanising and TV panopticising Aerial Telly is also a professional bettor, making crazy paper at the expense of the bottom-feeding scum of the bookmaking industry. This means that he's no stranger to risk assessment, liability management and putting his motherfucking money where his motherfucking mouth is. This makes him rather a large fan of Dragons' Den, the Pop Idol for entrepreneurs show where nascent business people come along to persuade a panel of five investors (the eponymous Dragons) to stump up some cash in exchange for a stake in their businesses. The second series wound up on Thursday leaving a trail of broken dreams and, just occasionally, the beginnings of some beautiful business partnerships.

"Jock McSlasher started out in the ice-cream van game but there's no suggestion that he was part of any kind of ice-cream van war but let's just say that you dinnae want tae fuck with him y'ken?"

The dragons are composed of Duncan Bannatyne (played here by Hugh McIllvaney) a rough, tough, bluff and, yes, guff Jock from the school of hard knocks. Jock McSlasher started out in the ice-cream van game but there's no suggestion that he was part of any kind of ice-cream van war but let's just say that you dinnae want tae fuck with him y'ken?

Deborah Meaden (played here by Zelda from Terrahawks) made it big in leisure and retail and has the advantage of actually looking like a dragon. She's a no-nonsense from-the-hip straight talker so she's a lot like the Jock in that respect. Theo Paphitis (played here by Armando Ianucci) is a tiny business magnate who has an impressive record of turning shite businesses into quite good ones. He has an unhealthy obsession with girls' bras and pants having taken over both Contessa and La Senza but there's no suggestion that he spends his time forcing his male workers to dress up in lingerie then wanking over them. Fond of asking "why should I give you £100,000 of my kids' inheritance?". Yeah, like they're ever going to see a penny.

"Deborah Meaden (played here by Zelda from Terrahawks) made it big in leisure and retail and has the advantage of actually looking like a dragon."

 

Richard Farleigh (played here by Desperate Dan) is a tiny-eyed granite jawed Australian private investor who is still rocking the same haircut Jason Donovan sported in 1989. He's a no-nonsense from-the-hip straight talker so he's a lot like the pissed Jock and uppity dyke* in that respect.

"He's a no-nonsense, from-the-hip straight talker so she's a lot like every piece of shit venture capitalist you've ever come cross."

Peter Jones (played here by Peter Hitchens) made his loot by setting up a tennis academy at the age of 16. Jones describes himself as an "ultrapreneur" which he explains is "a radical spirit whose restless pursuit of innovative business excellence is unbounded; recognised as a super-heroic leader of hearts and minds". He's a no-nonsense, from-the-hip straight talker so he's a lot like every piece of shit venture capitalist you've ever come cross.

"The dragons take turns to ride the willing entreprenwhore, sometimes doubling up, spit-roasting them senseless shouting things like 'show me the money!'"

As the hopefuls file into the den one by one they seem to be reliving the dream where they're back at school and have turned up in just their pants. Nearly every one of them is petrified during their presentation. The only people who seem to enjoy this part are the ones whose ideas are either extremely good or extremely bad - both presumably thinking they have nothing to lose. The dragons nod, frown and file their claws as the pitch takes place and wait for the "are there any questions?" moment when they can finally get to work on their victims.

The grilling takes the form of a televisual gangbang with the dragons taking turns to ride the willing entreprenwhore, sometimes doubling up, spit-roasting them senseless shouting things like "show me the money!" and "what's your three-year projection, bitch?". Piles of cash lie around like in Tony Montana's mansion, as if to mock the hapless beggars who dare violate the Dragon's inner sacristy. Very few walk out with their dignity intact.

"The type of blinkered single-minded determination required to develop a business idea is exactly what trips up many of the near misses."

It's very entertaining watching these begging letters and finding out how capitalism works on its unforgiving frontline. Some enter the den horribly unprepared and the voyeuristic element of watching someone's delusions torn apart by the dragon feeding frenzy is undeniable. The type of blinkered single-minded determination required to develop a business idea is exactly what trips up many of the near misses. Bottom line arguments always win the day - it's all about the ducats, baby.

The best thing about it: The naked terror of the contestants

The worst thing about it: The slightly self-satisfied post-mortems from the dragons

The verdict on Dragons' Den: "Louis disagrees... but you're through to the next round"

Marks out of 10: 7.5

*Far from being mindless homophobia this is actually a hilarious reference to A Very Peculiar Practice. So recognise, bitches.


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REVIEWS (cont'd)

J-M

Jericho

John From Cincinnati

Jordan and Peter: Marriage And Mayhem

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse will be the greatest television show in history

Journeyman

jPod

Keys To The Vip

The Kill Point

Kings

King Of Shaves advert

Life

The Life and Times of Tim

Life on Mars

Lip Service

Live From Studio Five

Louie

Louis Theroux - The City Addicted to Crystal Meth

Loose Women

Lost

Lost Season 2

Lost Season 3 Finale

Lost Season 3: half-term report

Lost Season 3 Premiere

Lost Season 4 Half Term report

Lost Season 6 Premiere

Lost Season 6x09 - Ab Aeterno

Lost Series Finale

Luther

Luther Series One finale

Mad Men

Mad Men Season 2

Mad Men Season 2 Finale

Mad Men Season 3 Premiere

Mad Men Season 3 Finale

Mad Men Season 4

The Madness of Boy George

Mars Believe World Cup Campaign

Man vs Wild

Martina Cole's The Take

Mary Archer

The Mentalist

Mercy Series Premiere

Michael Carroll: King Of Chavs

Misfits

The Mitchell Brothers' Return

Mock the Week

Modern Family

Mongrels

Monkey Dust

Morales v Barrera III

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

My Family

My Name Is Earl

My Penis And I

My Supermodel Baby

 

N-R

Nibble Nobby's Nuts adverts

Nigella

Neighbours 20th anniversary show

No Angels

No Heroics

Old Enough To Be His Mother

Oscars 2005

Only Yesterday - The Carpenters' Story

Pacific

Paradox

Party Animals

Party Down

The Persuasionists

Peaches Geldof: Teen America

Pete Burns' Cosmetic Surgery Nightmares

The Peter Serafinowicz Show

PhoneShop

The Pick-up Artist

The Pickup Artist Season 2 Premiere

Pineapple Dance Studios

Preston's Walk Out on Never Mind The Buzzcocks

Prison Break

Prison Break 2

Prison Break Season Two: half-term report

Prison Break Season Two Premiere

Prison Break Season Two Finale

Prison Break Season 4 Half Term Report

Pulling

Pulse

Pushing Daisies series premiere...

Richard and Judy

Rev

Rome Season One

S-T

Saxondale

The Secret Life of A Manic Depressive

The Secret Policemen's Ball

Seduction School: Size Doesn't Matter

Sex Addict

Seymour Butts

Shameless

Shameless Season 4

Shane

Sherlock

Sherlock series 1 finale: The Great Game

The Shield

The Shield - Season Five Finale

The Shield - Season 6

The Shield series finale

Six Feet Under

Skins

Skins Season 2

Smoking Room

Sons of Anarchy

Sons of Anarchy Season 2 Premiere

The Sopranos Season 6

Space Cadets

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand Season One Finale

The Spy Who Stole My Life

State of the TV Nation Address

Stepkids In Love

Strike Back

Studs of Suburbia

Summer Heights High

Supernanny

Surviving Disaster

Take That... for the Record

Talk to me

Take Me Out

Ted Bundy - Natural Porn Killer

Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles

The Thick Of It

The Thick of It Series 3

This Life +10

This World: Kidnap Cops

Top 30 TV Shows of 2010

Tower Block of Commons

Treme

True Stories - The Trials Of Amanda Knox

Too Ugly For Love

True Blood

True Blood Season 2 Final

TV's Naughtiest Blunders

U-Z

Unanimous

Underbelly

Undercover Princesses

Veronica Mars

Veronica Mars Season Three Half-term Report

Veronica Mars Season Two

Veronica Mars Season Three Premiere

Veronica Mars Season Three finale

A Very Social Secretary

Vexed

Weeds

Weeds Season 3

Weeds Season 4

Weeds Season 5 Finale

Weeds Season 5 Premiere

When Fearne Met Peaches

When Lineker Met Maradona

Wimbledon coverage

The Wire Season 3

The Wire, Season 4

The Wire Season 5 Premiere

The Wire Series Finale

World Cup coverage

World Cup Final 2010

The World Cup has been kidnapped and molested

World's Deadliest Gangs

Worried About the Boy

X Factor 2005

X-Factor 2007

X-Factor 2008

X-Factor 2009

MISC REVIEWS

40 Pupils Suspended For Bullying

606 with Danny Baker

Amazon Review Scum

Blowjob monologues and the like

Everything is retro, funky and kitsch on eBay nowadays

Floyd Mayweather v Carlos Manuel Baldomir

An Illustrated History of Dis

Fooled By Randomness

Hip-hop

Indie kids - munching on cock all day, every day, from now until forever

Listen up, douchebags: Larry Merchant KO1 murdering rapist hype merchant scum that constitute boxing's deal-making fight-avoiding turd elite

Love skunk Vernon Kay sprays his rat jism

Morales v Barrera III

Music Sounds Better With You(tube)

NME cool list

Playlouder Reviews

Roid Jones jnr? You must be joking, Joke

Stan Collymore

The Streets

Vertigolf

War Winehouse!

We Expose Palace Security As A Bag Of Shite