Remote Control - Saturday February 07, 2015

One of the most popular formats on our televisions screens today is the ‘expert’ show when a well-known personality tells a less famous person where they have gone wrong in life.

This genre of programme is loved by millions of people because it usually results in the poor sap under microscope exiting stage left after being pushed to breaking point.

The best current example of this is Alex Polizzi - The Fixer (Tuesdays 9pm, BBC2) which sees the eponymous star attempt to turn around a series of struggling businesses.

In the last two episodes we have seen the dreadfully polite, if not cocksure, Ms Polizzi go toe-to-toe with two very proud patriarchs, who have probably never been told like it is in their entire lives.

Last week’s episode was an absolute belter as it portrayed the owner of a Devon tearooms in a very worst light including him, quite literally, stamping his feet when he was told what he did not want to hear.

Quite simply it was television gold and a shining example of how binary conflict makes for the very best viewing on the box.

Although not quite as explosive, this week’s show took the all-knowing presenter to Hertfordshire to help Lester and Sue save their ailing soft play centre and, for all of us who like a good small screen bust-up, it started promisingly.

The scene was set: Lester, the head honcho of Big Play, and an ex-army man with a steely glare who knows what he wants, was up against our bossy heroine.

There was only ever going to be one winner in this meeting of minds.

We initially saw Lester poo-poo every suggestion from Alex on how his business might be turned around, and were even treated to a David Brent moment when he explained why he would not go and visit a successful rival.

It is moments like these which prompts the viewer to ask why people like Lester allow cameras to intrude into their business affairs if they clearly do not want the advice.

But, eventually he came around to most of the ideas put to him and his far more agreeable wife Sue and the initial results were good – we were told that business had improved.

Another victory for Alex.

Blaise Tapp