Seahorse, seahorse, my kingdom for a seahorse

TV REVIEW

There are times when I am truly amazed by the quality of documentary film-making in this country. As I have said many times before, we may struggle to do comedy effectively on the small-screen but when it comes to factual programming, we can compete with the very best.
The programme that once again brought this home this week was Seahorsemen. This four-part series being screened over the week and culminating on Friday, looks at the struggles of Seahorse Ireland, a company once heralded as the saviour of the seahorse and of the rural Connemara village of Carna, which of course, is most likely known to many Clare students as the place where three-weeks of Irish learning take place.
What makes this such an entertaining and interesting documentary is the fact that not only is it beautifully filmed, narrated and produced but the subject matter is as beguiling as any you are going to see. Seahorses are intricate, beautiful creatures and their struggle for survival is only matched by the passion of the man behind the project, Kealan Doyle, a charismatic marine biologist with a dream to save the species from extinction through farming.
Joined by his business partner, Ken Maher, the two set up the project in a cottage in Carna. The idea behind the scheme was to see if they could succeed where many other countries had failed and place Seahorse Ireland and, by proxy, Ireland, at the seahorse-farming centre of the world. The struggles, hours and sacrifices were immense but success was achieved and, as detailed in the first episode, by 2003 it seemed like Seahorse Ireland would achieve its goal. However, like all good stories, the twist was in the tail and what sounded like the bells of victory soon became a death knell.
This documentary would not have been a success if it weren’t for the men at the centre of the programme.
Their openness and willingness to share their struggles along the way makes it truly interesting and the viewer can’t help but root for this pair of scientists whose dogged approach and incredible work ethic should have made them millionaires twice over. But all is not fair in business and soon the company may face the same fate of the species it is trying to protect.
Tune in Thursday and Friday night on RTÉ One for the final two instalments of Seahorsemen and catch up on parts one and two on www.rte.ie/player.
Fresh from ascension to the next world in Ashes to Ashes, Keeley Hawes is back on our screens again and, surprise, surprise, she is a copper. Yes, not content with fighting crime through time, Ms Hawes has now turned her attention to identity theft and its many related crimes in Identity.
Gene Hunt is still lingering in a limbo of his own creation so she has a new partner in Aidan Gillen, probably best known as Mayor Tommy Carcetti in The Wire. All I can say is that if going to heaven means playing the same, but differently named, character for the rest of your life, I’ll take my chances elsewhere. Identity is fine. It’s another cop-drama – there is lots of snappy dialogue, shifty looking characters and getting the job done but really it’s not up to much.
As a programme it works fine and as cop-show it works very well but I just can’t warm to it. It is too much like everything that has gone before. It doesn’t matter if you are investigating the most high-tech crime in the world, the basics of police work and the scripting of police shows is basically the same. Not to mention that the main characters, despite all their innuendo and lusty looks, have about as much chemistry as two ID cards. It’s not for me but by all means tune in to UTV on Monday nights at 9pm.

One to watch
Of course on Friday night there is really one show to watch and that is the last ever Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Wossy is hanging up his BBC boots and the show promises to have numerous highlights, as I am sure Ross will want to say goodbye in his own extrovert way. His guests include David Beckham and Jackie Chan with music from the legendary Roxy Music.
Of course, I am sure there will be other guests as well as some very naughty shenanigans. Of course his departure also means the end of his rather excellent movie review show, which I for one will miss as its match is not to be seen on any other channel.
And if you want a good laugh before Ross, I would recommend a look at The IT Crowd. Yes, I know I am shamelessly plugging it but it’s hilarious. Last week’s Countdown episode was just brilliant, an absolute classic.
This week, Roy becomes obsessed when he hears his latest girlfriend’s sad family history and Jen tells another outlandish lie to get some attention. Channel 4 at 10pm on Friday. A must-see.