Audrey Fleurot by Mark Seliger

Utterly breathtaking photoshoot of the French beauty for Lui Magazine

Iveta Mukuchyan - My Tip For Eurovision

Yup, it's that time of the year again; on Saturday the BBC dispenses with its usual schedule to bring us the annual Eurovision Song Contest. Having watched bits of the semi-final earlier this week I can safely say my tip is the Armenian entry; Iveta Mukuchyan and her song Love Wave

Good song, very attractive singer, great eye-catching staging in the semi-final, and from a country which resides in the Eastern bloc - it's a winner! 

In contrast our own effort isn't as bad as recent years but will struggle in the face of even further apathy towards the UK thanks to the EU referendum. 

Theme Time: Peter Schilling - Deutschland 83

Tonight sees the screening of the final episode of Deutschland 83 on Channel 4.

I've loved this wonderful German series about a young East German border patrol guard who is sent over the Berlin Wall by the Stasi to spy on the Western military at the height of the Cold War's nuclear threat. It's like a cross between The Lives of Others (for the espionage and suspense) and Ashes to Ashes (for the nostalgia of the music and pop culture references)

The theme tune is German pop star Peter Schilling's 1983 hit Major Tom (Coming Home) an affectionate ode/sequel to Bowie's Space Oddity. However I believe in its native Germany, the theme used is actually New Order's Blue Monday

Theme Time : Jackie Lee - The White Horses

Back in the day to amuse schoolchildren during the holidays it was a common occurrence to buy children's TV programmes from overseas and dub them into English. The Singing Ringing Tree and The Flashing Blade are classic examples of this type of thing but perhaps one of the most treasured and fondly remembered - thanks to its theme tune if nothing else - was a 1967 thirteen part black and white series co-produced by Yugoslav and German TV known as Počitnice v Lipici (in Yugoslavia - now Slovenia) and Ferien in Lipizza (in Germany). A rough translation into English would actually be Holidays in Lipica but we knew it better was The White Horses and it was first aired here in the UK in 1968 and was routinely repeated for many years afterwards.

The story followed the adventures of a teenage girl Julia (Helga Anders) who leaves Belgrade to spend a holiday on a stud farm run by her Uncle Dimitri (Helmuth Schneider), where with the help of head groom Hugo (Franz Muxeneder), white Lipizzaner horses are raised.

For its broadcast here in the UK, a theme song to was written by composer Michael Carr and Ben Nisbet titled White Horses and sung by Jackie Lee under the name Jacky. It became a top 10 hit in the UK charts in the April of 1968 and later back dubbed onto all versions of the programme, so that other countries could enjoy it. 

It became a top 10 hit in the UK charts in April 1968. The book The Penguin Television Companion claimed it to be the best television theme in history.

Tonight's Tele Tip : Spiral

After a gap of two years, it's back; Spiral season 5 hits our screens tonight, 9pm BBC4.

I've been in on this excellent French police procedural (it's original native title is Engrenages) since its very first season aired on BBC4 back in *I think* 2007 and as each season has gone on it has shown no signs of a dip in quality. In fact its gone from strength to strength. Densely plotted, thrilling and grisly - I just know I'll be hooked for the next six weeks (BBC4 will be screening two episodes back to back every Saturday night)

And of course one other great reason to watch is the beautiful Audrey Fleurot as the clever, cynical and smoking hot lawyer Josephine Karlsson. She really is hot stuff as this photo - from a recent Paris Match article/photo shoot - proves 

Bye Bye Borgen

Tonight sees the final 2 episodes of Borgen series 2 air on BBC4, which means it'll probably be another year before we get to see it again, with series 3. As with series 1 last year I have been absolutely hooked these past 5 weeks thanks to BBC4's double billing each Saturday night from 9pm to 11pm. I will, quite controversially perhaps, claim that this is the finest Danish export we have been treated to, yes even better than The Killing. I love the political machinations, seeing how parties interact and what similarities, good and bad, there are between government here and government there. I also love the human aspect of the show as States Minister Birgitte tries to juggle her family and her personal life with her endlessly demanding professional one. She is excellently played by Sidse Babett Knudsen.

I will also miss once again the beautiful Birgitte Hjort Sorensen as the intrepid journalist Katrine, whom I have quite a crush on.

But, the good news is as one excellent foreign language drama comes to a close, we have the return next Saturday of another; the excellent French thriller Spiral which will commence its 4th series on BBC4. WOO! I love Spiral for its graphic gritty depiction of crime and the search for justice in a Paris you seldom see in fiction. Plus, it also helps that like Borgen, Spiral has an absolutely gorgeous actress in the mix. The divine Audrey Fleurot