The Apprentice - defeat from the jaws of victory

This blog is dedicated to bringing you the latest news for the Grand National and the build up to the great race as we go through the season.

Dear Ms Rowling,

I hope this finds you well. As you so accurately recorded me saying to Petunia Dursley once, “Remember my last.”

The first of the live shows opened with a hot and fiery group dance to Livin la vida loca!

UK - Comedy. BBC 2 - 1970 - 1977 & 1980 / ITV 1981 - 1982

Zany humour with a trio of do-gooders

Graeme, Tim and Bill are benefactors to a society, available to do anything, anywhere and at any time to help humanity, Taking the wierdest assignments, they find themselves guarding the Crown Jewels, rescuing London from the advance of a giant kitten, and in other bizarre situations. Sometimes they cook up their own world improvement schemes and attempt to put them into action. Energetically charging around on a three-seater bicycle (a 'trandem'), the three form an unlikely team.

The great detective unravels a mystery in his formative years.

This eight-part series, shown early on Sunday evenings, depicts Sherlock Holmes as a 16 year old schoolboy (donning a deerstalker even then), assisted this time by John Whitney in an investigation at a manor house. It appeared three years before Steven Spielberg and Barry Levinson's cinema version of Young Sherlock Holmes and the Pyramid of Fear.

UK - Children's Entertainment - BBC 1953 - 1955

The hedgerow adventures of a trio of country animals.

Rag Tag and Bobtail was the Thursday segment of the 'Watch with Mother' strand and featured the little escapades of glove puppets Rag (a hedgehog), Tag (a mouse) amd Bobtail (a clover-chewing buck rabbit). The puppets were created and controlled by Sam and Elizabeth Williams, and 26 episodes were made. Episodes one and two were never screened, but the remaining 24 were repeated endlessly until the programme was replaced in 1965.

UK - Children's Situation Comedy - ITV 1988 - 1990

A disgraced wizard has fun and games on Earth

Strange things start to happen in Class III of St Barty's School when new teacher Mr Majeika takes charge - not surprisingly, because he is in fact a wizard, expelled to Britland from Wizland (Walpurgis) by the Worshipful Wizard for failing his magic exams no less than 17 times.

UK - BBC 1 - 1971 - 1972

A man discovers magical adventures at the back of a costume shop.

Mr Benn, resident of 52 Festive Road, London, enjoys escapism. In each episode, he indulges his hobby by walking along to the local fancy-dress shop, where he is greeted by a shopkeeper, who arrives 'as if by magic' and escorts him through to the changing rooms. Donning the outfit of the day, Mr Benn then exits through a special door and into a land of adventure, which is always related to the clothes he is wearing. He is seen as a knight in armour, a caveman, a spaceman. a pirate, a cowboy and a hunter. Mr Benn is able to provide some valuable assistance to the people he meets before the shopkeeper suddenly appears 'as if by magic' and leads him back into the changing room. Switching back into his business suit and bowler hat, Mr Benn then strolls off home, taking with him a souvenir of his day's work.

The draw for next year's Davis cup was made earlier this week and Great Britain's Davis Cup team have been been given a bye in the first round of next year's Euro-African Zone group one.

John Lloyd's men will return to action at home to Holland in the second phase of the 2007 competition on April 6-8.