The X Factor

Another series of X factor got underway, this time with Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole as one of the judges.

I think this series is promising - some of the acts that went through in the first episode were way better than in the last series.

Cheryl got a shock when a former contestant of Pop Stars The Rivals turned up (Pop Stars the Rivals is the show that created Girls Aloud). It was clear immediately he began to sing that he was mediocre, and poor Cheryl didn't know what to say, in the end declining to judge (which was the right decision).

Regarding relations between the judges, it's clear that Simon Cowell likes Cheryl very much. He kept talking across Danni to her. It must have been very irritating for Danni.

Who Do You Think You Are?

Series 5 of the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? opened with the actress Patsy Kensit tracing her ancestors. Patsy's story was compelling. Her father had been involved in crime, and she was hoping that this wasn't a family trait. So you see her face fall when she discovers that her grandfather forfeits his medal of honour from WW1 because he later went to prison for robbery.

Poor Patsy gets more and more nervous wondering what on earth she will uncover, and her relief is massive when she discovers a very respectable clergyman ancestor from the 19th Century. What her story illustrates is how fortunes can ebb and flow simply because of economic circumstances. Her family's descent into criminality happens because her great-grandfather's industry becomes obsolete due to technology. Her great-grandfather manages to hold onto respectability despite straightened conditions but his children do not.

Patsy herself seems to have been rescued by her mother, who was determined to keep her children away from any criminal activity. To view the episode click here.