CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews Alexander Armstrong Across America
Alexander Armstrong Across America (Ch5)
Rating: Four out of five stars
Swaggering aboard a steam train in his black gaucho hat, waistcoat and watch-chain, Alexander Armstrong looked like an extra in a Spaghetti Western — The Good, The Bad And The Pointless.
'I'm feeling quite Lee Van Cleef,' he growled, narrowing his eyes. But the tough gringo image was rather undermined by a clip in the opening sequence of Alexander Armstrong Across America, where he examined a six-shooter, holding it with distaste between thumb and forefinger as though he were picking up a teenager's smelly sock from the floor.
Xander, as he introduces himself to everyone, is at his most entertaining when he's out of his depth and trying to win everyone's approval by playing the hapless charmer, with a sort of regal camp.
This persona didn't work at all on his last series, in India, where English toffs are largely regarded with a mixture of suspicion and deference. But in the States, where they adore our bumblings and are far too polite to mention our eccentricities, he was able to chunter, wiffle and gurgle to his heart's content.
Arriving in Philadelphia, he tucked into the city's traditional cheesesteak sandwich, a baguette laden with beef, melted cheese and onions. Gnawing the end off it, he spluttered, 'A manly slice of food, this. I'm feeling terrifically butch, can you tell?'
Everyone he met seemed ready to adopt him, which is just how Xander loves to be treated — as a sort of posh pet who craves attention and tummy tickles.
Visiting a family of Philadelphia Dutch churchgoers, who refuse to own smartphones or even televisions, he tucked into shoofly pie, a sort of treacle tart that is crying out to be a 'technical challenge' recipe for the next series of Bake Off.
Alexander Armstrong with Sarah Laurel from Savage Sisters Recovery
Alexander Armstrong pictured at Skinny Joes Cheesesteak eating a Philly Cheesesteak
Before he'd polished off dessert, he was joining the five Gustavsons in song, and did so well that they invited him to join them on stage at their church hall. This is Xander's idea of heaven.
Anthems of the weekend:
The last part of Free Nelson Mandela (Ch4) showed how 1980s stadium pop helped end apartheid, thanks to songs by Labi Siffre, Simple Minds, Steve van Zandt and others. Today's TikTok generation doesn't do protest music.. just memes.
He was much less comfortable on a visit to a mobile medical unit offering help to homeless drug addicts, in the city's downtown Kensington district.
In his button-down shirt collar and sleeveless pullover, he was mistaken for a policeman by the locals, who started throwing bottles at his car. 'To be honest,' he gulped, 'this whole scene makes me very nervous.'
His guide was former addict Sarah, now a charity counsellor, who told him how she lost her job as a hotel executive after sliding into opioid addiction. To feed her habit, she said, 'I started working in a strip club.'
Xander looked blank. He had the look of a minor royal at a palace garden party who has asked a visitor, 'Have you come far?' and been told they've just arrived from Alpha Centauri.
'What were you doing at the strip club?' he wondered. Sarah gaped at him. He's a dear fellow, but perfectly clueless.
"What I will never do is give up" – Kimmich rules out international retirement after Germany's World Cup exit
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Germany captain Joshua Kimmich is not considering retiring from international football after Monday's heartbreaking World Cup exit to Paraguay.
"I'll always have the determination to make another attempt. What I will never do is give up," Kimmich told MagentaTV after the match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe 31-year-old, who was also part of the squads that crashed out in the group stage at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, converted his penalty in the shootout. However, it wasn't enough to prevent another disappointing tournament exit.
"I grew up in Germany watching the national team on television, and it always seemed to be the semifinals or the final. Of course, you want to give today's children, the people, and this generation that same experience. The fact is, we weren't able to give the people back home that," Kimmich said.
According to Kimmich, everyone in the team must take full responsibility for the latest failure.
“It's a real shame, especially at a time when it would do us so much good to have something in Germany we can be proud of. Unfortunately, the national team isn't that right now, and we all share responsibility for it,” he said.
"We have to take responsibility – no one can distance themselves from it. We have to own it, because we, the players who were on the pitch, are the ones who messed it up."
Taylor Swift won over Kelce's skeptical friend in backstage encounter
Taylor Swift won over another new fan in Travis Kelce's friend Taylor Lewan, days before the American power couple are expected to get married at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Swift joined Kelce last week for his annual 'Tight End University' - an event he helps plan for practice and networking with players who play in the position where the Kansas City Chiefs star made his name.
Swift has sprinkled some stardust over the last two events with a brief performance at the concert they host each year and this time, ex-NFL man turned podcast host Lewan got to witness Swift preparing to perform backstage.
Speaking on his popular Bussin' With The Boys podcast, Lewan explained: 'I'll just tell you this, dude - I was kind of into her music when I was younger. I haven't been super into it since then. It is just not my genre.
'The girl is incredible. What a performer. We are sitting backstage for a moment and she's about to go out. She's got a cluster, she's got a gaggle of individuals with her. But she's in the back before she walks out and you can see her just getting in the zone.
'I remember just looking at her being like "it is so cool that somebody who is as successful as she is, as famous as she is, she just handles her business the correct way at all times".
Taylor Swift stunned fans with a surprise performance at Travis Kelce's Tight End University
Swift joined Travis Kelce (left) alongside Claire Kittle, George Kittle, Greg Olsen and Talbot Olsen (L-R) at the opening event of Tight End University on Monday
Bussin' With The Boys host Taylor Lewan was impressed by Swift's performance last week
'And for her to sit back, get in the zone and go out and put on a performance, whether it was three minutes or five minutes, it was a very short amount of time, but the pop from the crowd... everybody in that moment felt like she was singing individually to them. And I thought that was just awesome.'
Swift joined Lainey Wilson on the stage to perform her hit 'Love Story' and dedicated it to Kelce's friend and rival tight end George Kittle, who plays for San Francisco 49ers.
'She probably misses ball!' Lewan joked about the lengthy NFL offseason. 'She misses ball a little bit, dude! But she was awesome. It was just really cool to watch people who are outliers in their craft perform.
'And I thought she is clearly that, the biggest superstar in the world. It is just awesome to see all that going down, all while our boy Trav is just bobbing around, stoked to kind of like be there.'
Swift and Kelce are expected to tie the knot this weekend in New York at the city's most iconic venue.
There were people in the industry who wondered if their plans to marry at MSG were a high-profile decoy but Daily Mail earlier this week shared pictures of equipment getting loaded into the venue, seemingly in preparation for the big day.
It remains to be seen if Lewan is going. He has known Kelce for around 10 years but the guestlist has been kept quiet and those attending have been sworn to secrecy.
And if, as Lewan suggested, Swift is missing football then she doesn't have too much longer to wait.
Kelce's Chiefs team start the season with a Monday Night Football showdown against AFC West rivals Denver Broncos on September 14 at Arrowhead Stadium.
