There's some great television on at the moment.  But man, there's some dross being poured out.

I'm trying to make an effort at the moment to wean myself off of sitting for hours in front of the TV and, as the "Why Don't You" gang implored, go and do something else more exciting instead.  [That always seemed strange that a TV programme was encouraging you not to watch TV].

Anyway, last night I was witness to two programmes from either end of the quality spectrum.  Can you decide which is which?

Exhibit A: Fort Boyard, Ftn

Long gone are the days of Melinda Messenger and Leslie Grantham.  Now we are greated by a nondescript blonde female who rockets through the script so fast I was unable to decipher her name and the "Jacques, the door" line goes to the ex-Bill actor who played DI Burnside, hamming it up big-time.

I'm not going to sit here and admit that this was ever must-watch TV, but the latest re-incarnation left me aghast.  Then, who should be up in the tower, but my favourite Doctor - Tom "voice of Little Britain and BT (but not for much longer)" Baker.  What is he doing getting himself involved in this?  Surely someone somewhere would commission another series of Booktower.

The contestant had to go up with the midget to answer a question posed by Captain Baker.  Needless to say, he got it wrong and the key was thrown in the sea.  That was enough - it had moved from 'so bad it's quite funny' to 'so bad I'm starting to feel angry'.

Exhibit B: Prison Break, Channel 5

Coming from across the Atlantic with a great deal of hype, this show left me feeling quite disappointed after the first couple of weeks.  I almost gave it up, but decided to give it one more week.  I am so glad I did - this has now become my 'can't wait until it's on' programme.

For those that are unfamiliar with the programme, a brother gets himself sent to prison where his older brother is on death row for a crime that his family believe he didn't commit.  Michael makes use of his photographic memory and attention to maticulous detail to plan an escape from the prison.  Meanwhile, outside the prison walls is a web of political intrigue and cover-up.

I've not done it a great service, but the series is superbly written and filmed.  Each episode is well paced to develop the stories of the characters and bring us one step closer to a possible  escape (or one step away).  In my opinion, the series is totally deserving of the hype by which it arrived - another quality import from the country that brought you 24.

And tonight, more temptation gets put in front of my eyes with the new series of Lost on Channel 4.