ONE would assume the Bio Channel to be a purveyor of quality in-depth analysis of a subject’s life and career.

In some cases, it probably is, but its on-going series on rock bands deemed worthy of such treatment doesn’t really hit the mark.

Having sat through The Stereophonics (pre the death of former drummer Stuart Cable) rattling on about how they broke into the mainstream by, er, writing dull mainstream songs, I thought the Manic Street Preachers probably offered more scope for investigation.

What with being friends through childhood to forming the band, Richey’s anorexia, the carving of “4 Real” into his arm and his subsequent disappearance, the politics and the lyrics, there is plenty for an interviewer to go at.

Tom Dunne is the presenter here and this biography basically consists of him chatting with Manics singer James Dean Bradfield. If you’re interested in the band there’s nothing you haven’t heard before and if you’re not, why would you be watching in the first place?

What this “rockumentary” does show is that the Manics did, on occasion, manage to back up their rhetoric with some decent songs and their lives around the time of the recording of The Holy Bible made Nirvana look like JLS.

Bradfield rightly says that the band succeeded in managing to get politics into the charts with the likes of A Design For Life and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.

Some might say the Manics are past their best, but as James argues, there’s little point in doing what everyone else does — endlessly splitting up and reforming. Could just split up, mind.

As far as music programmes go these days, this isn’t a disaster, but surely there’s still a market for having live bands on TV, other than in shows presented by Jools Holland.