Channel hop
Critics call it a 'bridge to nowhere' but that won't be the case for the runners of February's Standard Chartered Marathon, which will, for the first time, cross Stonecutters Bridge. However it is viewed, the opportunity to see how Hong Kong's latest landmark was created should prove irresistible this week.
Stonecutters is the focus of Build It Bigger (Discovery; Thursday at 10pm) and it's an interesting behind-the-scenes glimpse into the construction of the world's second longest cable-stay bridge. Spanning the Rambler Channel, which separates Tsing Yi from West Kowloon, it is also one of the world's tallest. These and other fascinating facts emerge during the programme - other episodes include profiles of the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas and the Panama Canal.
Unfortunately, they are all presented in such an annoyingly hyperactive, dumbed-down manner by Danny Forster that it's like watching an episode of children's television show Sesame Street. You half expect the breathless presenter to conclude with, 'Today's show was brought to you by the No 8 and the colour blue' and for Big Bird to pop up in the middle of Victoria Harbour. Forster may have studied architecture at Harvard University but English language was clearly not part of the curriculum. While walking along a crowded street, he says, 'Hong Kong is one of the world's densest cities.' Is he saying we are stupid?
Although we meet some of those who built the bridge - from the Indian designer to painters from the north of England - the interviews are frustratingly brief. It would have been far more interesting to have greater input from them and less waffle from Forster. That aside, it's an exciting peek at an awe-inspiring structure that can only serve to intensify your experience should you choose to drive - or run - across it.
Less exciting and not at all informative is the latest season of Without a Trace (TVB Pearl, Tuesdays at 8.30pm). This glossy American drama is, as the title implies, about missing people, and the FBI team trying to locate them. Thousands of people go missing in the United States every year, often in mysterious circumstances - so you think it would be easy to ratchet up the drama and tension. Yet, this damp squib of a series is disappointingly dull. The problem starts with the team (above); it seems you don't need intelligence to join the FBI's missing-persons squad, just a smart suit or a mane of gleaming highlights.
Heading this primped posse is brooding maverick Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia; second from left). He's clearly got personal issues, but unless you've watched the previous season, you won't know what they are. However, we know they're serious because a slick troubleshooter has been brought in to tell Malone he's got one last chance to clean up his act. It's hard to know if Malone's worried about this because his face has just one expression - blank.
The plot to the opening episode of series seven is confusing and convoluted. It features a man whose little girl has gone missing trying to find somebody else's little boy, which leads him to rough up a psychic (who didn't see him coming) and dig so many holes in a neighbour's ranch it looks as though it's been invaded by amphetamine-munching giant moles.
It may be a ratings winner in the US but if anybody were to switch it on in my home again, I'd be tempted to disappear without a trace.
