Asia Television (ATV), which was recently sold after being controlled by the Lim family for the past 10 years, has announced it plans 'big changes' to its programming schedule in September to allow it to 'walk out from the shadow of TVB'. This is welcome news, as the current programming on Hong Kong's perennial number two station is dreadful. Tonight is no exception.
With ATV's Fantastic Friday line-up (World, 9.30pm) featuring the seldom funny Mr Bean, the often degrading Japanese game show Ganbare and the animated Samurai X series, tonight is a good night to rent a video. It is time to face the fact that Mr Bean has run its course and that Ganbare is the Japanese equivalent of America's Stupidest Home Videos.
To ATV's credit, Samurai X is a good animated programme, but suffers from being in the wrong time slot.
Much better is the Spanish romp What Have I Done To Deserve This? (World, 2am). Directed by Pedro Almodovar (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!), the film follows the delightfully kooky housewife Gloria (Carmen Maura) and her equally dysfunctional family.
With a taxi driver husband who longs for an old flame, an older son who deals heroin and a younger son who likes to sleep with his father's friends, Gloria longs for sanity, but to get it drastic measures must be taken.
The Pearl Report (Pearl, 8pm), looks at the situation facing fresh graduates in a climate of soaring unemployment and economic turmoil.