A collection of the late Clive James’ TV criticism published in the London Observer during the period between 1979 and 1982. James re-invented the style of TV criticism and this book is of his best, funniest and most biting reviews covering – among many other things – ITV’s airing of The Tamarind Seed on Christmas Eve 1979; the lady on Nationwide who had inadvertently laundered her cat through an entire cycle of the washing machine; John McEnroe’s ‘remarkable’ behaviour and the Horizon programme’s time lapse photography of maggots at work.