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Television / Radio

University Challenge’s New Quizmaster

In its 70 year history University Challenge has only had 3 quizmasters: Bamber Gascoigne, Jeremy Paxman and now the BBC’s media editor Amol Rajan. He made his debut last night in a contest between Trinity College and the University of Manchester which ended in a tie with 175 points respectively. [...]

July 18, 2023 // 0 Comments

A spy among friends/An Englishman Abroad

The title A Spy Among Friends gives it away. The theme of this ITV drama is that the escape of Kim Philby, the MI5 counter operation chief working for the KGB, was facilitated by his chum Nick Elliott and all part of a public school fellowship. The gritty Anna Maxwell Martin, a Northeasterner not [...]

July 16, 2023 // 0 Comments

John Minton

Yesterday I watched a recording of Mark Gatiss’ appreciation of the artist Johnny Minton (1917-57) on BBC4. You may not have heard of him and therefore be surprised to learn that in the 1950s he was as well known as Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon. He was the life and soul of the party, an active [...]

July 12, 2023 // 0 Comments

Ten pound Poms

I saw the last episode of this drama last Sunday and enjoyed it. To a certain extent it rounded things off to another it left matters open as the director and producer James  Brockenhurst and cast must surely hope for a second series. It deserves it but there may not be enough for the [...]

June 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

Thoughts on the First Test

I hope that after this most enthralling of matches the media – conventional and social – does not turn on Ben Stokes and Baz-ball after the Aussies won, albeit narrowly, the vital First Test. Of course catches were dropped – and the declaration deprived England of vital runs [...]

June 22, 2023 // 0 Comments

The U S Open

The US Open was won by a relatively unknown Wyndham Clark – holding off the challenge of Rory McIlroy, who once again faltered in his final round and the in-form Scottie Scheffler. It was held at the prestigious Los Angeles Country Club but only had 4,000 spectators outside sponsors and club [...]

June 20, 2023 // 0 Comments

Patriotic football allegiances

In the week I had a long lunch with an old friend of mine – an Arsenal fanatic. He told me once that he was the only English supporter of Benfica in the 1968 European Cup Final against Manchester United. He now said he was firmly behind Inter Milan and this time I believe he did not walk [...]

June 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

Mike + The Mechanics at the Guildhall, Portsmouth (28th May)

Last Sunday evening the Mem Sahib and Yours Truly travelled to the Portsmouth Guildhall (capacity 2,500) in order to attend the last concert of the current UK tour of the musical combo known as Mike + The Mechanics. Rusters of a certain age (mine is 71) are unlikely to need it, but for those [...]

May 30, 2023 // 0 Comments

The process of waving goodbye

There comes a time in the affairs of men and mice when something happens – one might describe it as hitting a watershed – which causes us, for example, to let go of a previously-held firm conviction and switch to another, or perhaps it involves accepting that we cannot do this or that which [...]

May 27, 2023 // 0 Comments

Israel: A Twice Promised Land (PBS) and Land of our Father (BBC4)

There were two interesting documentaries on Israel on Tuesday night. The first on PBS supported my view that 1967 was a watershed in Israeli history. In that year Israel achieved a significant victory in just six days over their invading Arab neighbours. Up till then Israel had global sympathy as a [...]

May 18, 2023 // 0 Comments

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