Weaver's Week 2025-08-17

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We were going to write about Destination X this week. However, we read the billings for next week's show, and then watched this week's episodes, and figured we needed to change plans. Otherwise it would be like stopping Romeo & Juliet after the second act, and congratulating the new young Mr. and Mrs. Montague on their long and happy marriage.

All of which means we are very much scrabbling about for something to write about.

Insert emergency cat picture here.

Salvation comes our way from Ivo Graham and some feline friends. House of Cats has been produced for Channel 4's online division, and released for free onto the internets.

Ivo Graham is our host, joined for commentary by a vet called Cat. Yes, it's going to be one of those shows.

In the first few moments, we meet the two stars of the show, and the humans they've brought with them. And then we meet them again, in a little more detail.

Round one is the same for every episode – make a chill-out zone for the kittens. Our contestants have brought some items from home, and designed a backdrop on paper. Given a few minutes to check out the new space, we see how the cat reacts and plays with their environment.

While the cat's staff prepare the environment, we hear some information from Cat the vet about what cats like in their life, and how their bodies work. "Cat Fact" captions appear on the bottom of the screen, both accurate and humorous, as though we're watching the ITV Chart Show except it's actually witty. And are they squeezing in some actual educational content here? They're squeezing in some actual educational content. Shush, don't tell people!

The environment is also required to contain a toilet for the cats; the litter tray is there because the programme is sponsored by a cat litter company. The branding is very obvious and hard to miss, in a way that might present some problems if the programme is ever shown on linear television. The winner of each show wins the Coveted Golden Cat Litter Tray and the humans' weight in cat litter. Lovely.

Scores are given by Ivo (on the aesthetics and human attraction) and Cat (on how suitable the place is for the cat); somewhere in the mix will be a half-mark to naturally ensure there will not need to be a tie-break or any sort of cat fight.

Round two is a physical challenge for the cats. In one episode, they are goalkeepers trying to save "penalties" being taken by Ivo; and by "penalties" we mean "tennis balls lightly batted in the vague direction of the goal where the cat was before it wandered off".

Another episode asks for the cats to walk through holes in a giant cutout of Ivo Graham's face; some cutouts are higher than the others, and some are smaller than others. How many holes will the cat walk through? It's literally interesting television.

The final episode had a quite simple challenge, walk along a course of treats and stimuli to the end. To jazz up the obvious, they put in some cat-loving celebrities – Ariana Grande (Cat from Victorious), Tom Cruise (played a cat burglar in some film, probably), all the way to Richard Osman (hosts a round called "there's a cat on the keyboard").

Whatever the physical challenge, the final round is a cat quiz. Three questions, each with three possible answers, each answer indicated by a cushion for the cat. The selected answer is the cushion the cat touches; if they don't know, the human they came with is able to pop the cat on a cushion.

But wait, there's more! Remember the litter trays prepared in the opening round? The cats have been able to use them, and don't know that the trays have been divided into nine squares like a noughts-and-crosses board. The cats are rewarded with one point for each square they've, um, used; and five points if they've used the Secret Bonus Square selected before the game.

And that is it. We had some fun, we might have learned a few things, and most importantly we've looked at lots of cats. And Ivo Graham, but a little rain must fall... Each edition is about 13 minutes long, fast cutting and we're never more than a few moments from some interesting action – or some lovely footage of a cute cat.

One of the titans of television died this week. Biddy Baxter was in charge of Blue Peter from 1962 until 1988. In an industry where most producers remain with a show for a few years, Baxter was the exception, thriving in this one job for a television eternity. We reckon Baxter was one of the most influential producers in the entire history of television, she was able to mould the programme – and quite probably the viewers – to her values.

Baxter spent most of her career on Blue Peter when it one of the top two choices of shows to watch. Quite literally: it was BBC1, or ITV, or some blank screen because the BBC2 transmitters weren't powered on until about 6pm. Sure, not everyone watched television, but for those who were watching, it was the live and unpredictable Blue Peter or something on ITV. And by being on twice a week for ten months of the year, Blue Peter became as reliable as clockwork. If it's Monday or Thursday, and it's 5pm, it's time for Blue Peter.

It is undeniable that Blue Peter helped to shape generations. Those of us who watched the programme have shared memories: John Noakes' bravery, or Valerie Singleton's sheer determination; we could dive to the Mary Rose with Sarah Greene, or walk the London Underground with Peter Purves. We might enter a competition to win the prize money just cannot buy (a coveted Blue Peter badge), we might send in used bottle tops or stamps to help charities at home or abroad. Even if you didn't watch Blue Peter, you would know about it through osmosis, the catchphrases and the formatting and the elephant.

Biddy Baxter's leadership was fearless, and her hard work and devotion to her vision ensured that everyone connected with the show put in their best effort. Baxter had a deserved reputation as a hard taskmaster who would always find a way to do better next time. Everyone involved cared – and still cares – about what they do. The editor, producers, researchers, they all want to make a difference. Everyone wants to inspire children, to show there is a world outside the familiar comfort zones.

Every week, children are challenged to be creative, to make toys and cards and food. Viewers see the rest of the world in their living room. There are honest lessons in growth, things don't always go to plan, failure is a possibility and Blue Peter will not shy away from showing the truth. Life won't always be easy, but perseverance and persistence will pay off in the end.

Talented young people demonstrate their talents, either in the studio or on films. Viewers take responsibility for the environment, coo over the cute animals and clean up trash from the beach. Appeals demonstrate that children can do something for the rest of society, both at home (children in need of kidney dialysis machines, old people's care homes) and abroad (different generations can point to Kenyan schools, and Cambodia, and to the Romanian orphans, and say "we did that".)

Blue Peter has a reputation for being a bit "middle class". We don't believe this to be accurate; Biddy Baxter sometimes said that the show was made for a child in one of the modern high-rise flats – hence the pets, the garden, the way all the makes used familiar objects and materials such as lavatory rolls and sticky-backed plastic. Blue Peter remains the ultimate in democratic television, viewers write in and share what's inspired them about recent editions; by rewarding correspondents with personal letters and the iconic badges, Blue Peter creates a shared experience any child can join in, from the sons of royalty to the daughters of Windsor Avenue L20.

Back in 2018, the show marked its 60th anniversary by asking its current viewers to explain why they deserve a Diamond Badge. This accolade required applicants to demonstrate what they've done in seven areas:

• Do something different – how have you stretched your own horizons?
• Inspire others – how have you tried to stretch other people's horizons?
• Amazing experience – something you have done this year.
• Memory mission – talk to someone older about their Blue Peter era, demonstrate that generations have something in common.
• Others I have helped – ...and showing generosity (of time) to other people
• New Blue Peter fans – a bit of evangelism amongst the young viewers...
• Design your diamond – and some creative drawing for display on the show.

Really, these criteria coalesced into three core values. Expand your horizons, build solidarity, and be creative.

Baxter's influence is still felt to this day. Blue Peter show will demonstrate how much fun it is to skateboard, the tricks you can pull if you train hard enough – but you've got to put in the effort. As we often see, life is hard, there are setbacks. The important thing is to begin, and even failure provides lessons. Recently, after injuring herself during training, presenter Abby Cook was unable to take part in the London Marathon; a disappointment, but she still has the training, and converted her joyous energy into on-the-spot reports for the BBC1 coverage.

Underpinning all of the other Blue Peter values is perseverance, persistence, putting in the effort. People who put in some effort are rewarded, you've got to work hard to achieve your due. And that's the link from Biddy Baxter to the best game shows: although sometimes luck can be cruel and fickle, anyone who puts in the effort can reap their reward, regardless of where they come from. And sometimes, the victory is not the cash prize at the end, but the journey towards it.

Two announcements from ITV. Gary Lineker is to host another game show for the channel. The Box will drop some minor celebrities in unlikely locations, and ask them to do strange challenges. We expect Lineker will host with all the gravitas he showed for Sitting on a Fortune a few years back.

ITV has also ordered The Floor, yet another Name That Thing quiz, albeit enlivened by audio rounds and more open questions. It's a format owned by Talpa Studios (not to be confused with Talpa Media, folded into ITV about ten years ago) and made by South Shore (part of ITV Studios). No fewer than 81 players will be whittled down over 10 episodes – no bulk eliminations here, we note – and the winner pockets an "impressive" cash prize.

A follow-up from last week: we hear that the head of the German railway board has been sacked, in order to improve the deteriorating public transport system.

!mpossible, Monday, 1.04pm: "Which food takes its name from the French 'to crunch'? Arbette, Baguette, Croquette"
Mastermind, Monday, 7.48pm "What word derived from a French verb 'to crunch' is given to a potato shape dipped in oil and fried?"

Yes, Monday was Croquette Day on Quizzy Mondays; the baguette takes its name from the way it will just fit into your shopping container, and the Arbette is something people do to get rid of irritating pests.

Miles Searle came from behind to win this week's Mastermind, taking the composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein as his specialist work. Yes, Miles is the rare player who wins from last place, but he was only two off the lead and everyone had scored excellently. No specialist subject better than Devon Krohn, perfect on the artist Edvard Munch.

Showstoppers took the win on Only Connect, beating the 5ks by 22-17. They were five points ahead after three questions, and the lead never changed very much after that. Highlights included a super question involving Gran and Ted, much discussion of sheep and battles, and a spirited verse of everyone's favourite song "Baby shark".

The difference between an amphitheatre and a colosseum proves crucial on University Challenge; Manchester heard that the seating went all the way round, New College Oxford didn't hear that distinction and picked up a penalty. Manchester ended up winners by 170-150. Looked to be cruising at 160-50 going into the second picture round, but a string of three penalties from Manchester and great knowledge from New meant the gap collapsed, and the Oxford side even held the lead for a moment.

Manchester were 60% on the bonuses, 61% overall, but surprisingly weak on physics and maths questions. The team relied on Kai Madgwick's buzzer finger to the exclusion of almost all others. New were 40% on their bonuses, 49% overall; the score of 150 puts them on the cusp of a repêchage place.

Incidentally, we're reminded that the behind-the-scenes documentary about University Challenge – which nicknamed them "Manchester The Team Everyone Wants To Beat" went out in 2014 – just as Manchester's reign of three series wins and perpetual semi-finalists came to an end. These days, we reckon UCL are The Team Everyone Wants To Beat.

We're away next weekend, so expect a review of Destination X when we next publish on 31 August. Before then, we have a new run of The Answer Run (BBC1, weekdays) and the return of Just a Minute (Radio 4, Mon). New episodes of The Chase begin on 25 August (ITV), with the finals of Destination X and The Fortune Hotel on Thursday the 28th.

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