As some of you may or may not know, the television that that has accompanied me in my room for the last 3/4 years blew up. Yes, it literally made a loud BANG and stopped working. This rather traumatic event has forced me to convert my alliance to television.

MIDSOMER MURDERS
I have a couple of guilty pleasures I would like to share with you. The first is a murder mystery drama called Midsomer Murders. Now, this drama is usually on a Sunday afternoon, and seems to make an appearance on various unknown channels during the day.

The show follows a detective called Tom Barnaby and his efforts to solve the numerous crimes that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer. The fact that it takes place in ONE county and is ALWAYS in the countryside makes me wonder how the population of Midsomer is not extinct. That is another issue, though.

Not your typical murder scene...

I have no idea why I like this show. The plot is often conventional, the characters odd and the outcome often predictable. I suppose my main interest is the setting. I have a "thing", if you like, for quaint English towns. They have a sort of charm about them. It is a rather odd thing to like which is why I consider this a "guilty pleasure". Of course, the setting is usually disrupted with murder, but that does not stop Midsomer Murders been an up-beat show to watch. Strange, I know.


TIME TEAM
The second guilty pleasure I like to watch is Time Team. This show is presented by Tony Robinson (he is probably unknown to many outside of the UK) and it follows a team of archaeologists digging for three days. The main idea is always the same – Tony explains where they are and what they're looking for, they dig for three days, and on the third day comes the conclusion.

Many episodes are disappointing and end up with no exciting results. On the other hand, there have been some truly remarkable finds that could fascinate those with no interest in history. An example of a good find could be something like a whole Roman Villa. On the other hand, a bad find could quite literally be nothing.


ALAN PARTRIDGE
In the past couple of months, I have also managed to catch up on a British comedy legend: Alan Partridge. I thought it was fantastic. As a fan of The Office (UK) and Extras, it catered perfectly to me. The show is full of many hilarious moments that are simply cringe worthy. As a character, Partridge is an insecure and narcissistic person. His main concerns are simply his status. Throughout the show, you will see his attempts at gaining a public profile and fame. Brilliant stuffand recommended to those who enjoy the sort of comedy that is both painful and funny.

HEROES
Finally, I also managed to watch the entire first season of Heroes. I have heard a lot about it, so I was delighted when the whole series was available for viewing on Virgin's TV choice service. Unlike the above, I am sure many of you are familiar with the premise of Heroes, so I won't bother explaining it.

I really enjoyed the plot and each episode ends with a cliffhanger, which was one of the reasons why I flew threw the first season so quickly! My favourite character is Noah Bennet. He is such a mysterious figure and I enjoyed the way his character slowly developed through each episode.

Mysterious...

For those looking to watch a new TV drama, I would highly recommend Heroes. Unfortunately, I have heard that the next two seasons are extremely disappointing and suffered due to the writers strike.

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Anyone else have any favourites or guilty pleasure TV?