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Mark Millar's Big Newsnight Review Adventure

Newsnight Review, or The Review Show as its calling itself these days, is an arts discussion show that runs late-night BBC2 after certain editions of the BBC's flagship news commentary show Newsnight. And last night, discussing an influx of eighties culture right now with a group of, was Mark Millar in a suit.

He was joined by Ekow Ershin, Julia Peyton Jones and Peter Yorke to discuss the BBC's adaptation of Martin Amis' Money starring Nick Frost, biopic of Boy George and new drama A Royal Wedding, fashion design analysis, and movies A Nightmare On Elm Street and Hot Tub Time Machine.

Mark discussed how the creative industry remakes their childhood, and gave the superhero movies of the eighties as examples of that, remaking the fifties and sixties.

He also began to master the skill of bursting in on conversations, as the other guests did as the show played out.  Millar handled himself eloquently – and far more than his previous comparable stint on Richard & Judy when Paul Gambaccini blocked him out. This time, with Kick Ass on his credits, they really wanted him to speak.  Though Ekow did jump on a few of his lines…

He liked Money, despite finding it slow and passe, because of Nick Frost. And he enjoyed the witty banter in About A Boy,  Also, it did look a bit like he hadn't watched Royal Wedding, thought Nightmare was so-so, noted how Hot Tub idealised the eighties just as Back To The Future idealised the fifties, defended the very concept of remakes to engage younger audiences and got a reference to Pokemon in there. And he seemed slightly scared by the violin player at the end though. Don't blame him.

So there you go folks, Mark Millar, mainstream arts commentator. Brits can see the whole thing on the BBC iPlayer here.

I have a bit of a hate-hate relationship with the show – born of a discussion about comic books, specifically Acme Novelty Library with the guests complaining about the colour scheme, and one saying that comics could  have worth because something like From Hell had been turned into a film. This seemed, if nothing else, so much more knowledgeable.

Weirdly, I once did a pilot for a rival show to Newsnight Review for Channel 4 that never got picked up. They'd tried to get Mark Millar on and failed and I was flown up to Glasgow as a last minute replacement, to discuss the Global Frequency leaked pilot and Ricky Gervais' Extras. I don't think I did very well as I just liked everything…

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