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Television / Radio

The impossibility of making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

No doubt like many others beyond – shall we say – the first flush of youth, yesterday evening I tuned in to watch Jo Pavey’s progress and eventual triumph in the European Athletics Championships women’s 10,000 metres final. The mother-of-two, who will be celebrating her 41st birthday in a [...]

August 13, 2014 // 0 Comments

Going back and actually enjoying it

Last night, in keeping with my normal television-choice routine, I channel-hopped as far as BBC4 in a desperate attempt to find something worth watching and thereby came across The Story of the 1986 Commonwealth Games on BBC4. [Here I must confess that I am about to comment upon an hour-long [...]

August 7, 2014 // 0 Comments

Observation and insights

For some time now, the world has been aware that Clive James – Australian author, columnist, television and book reviewer, lyricist and poet – is terminally ill. I have been an admirer of his from the days long ago when he made his name in Britain as The Observer’s television critic and [...]

August 6, 2014 // 0 Comments

Smiley’s People

A friend of mine is shortly to publish the biography of John Le Carre. We recently met and I confessed to him that I found Le Carre’s novels hard to follow, which is a bit like admitting you find the Economist dull. He said this was not uncommon given the complexity of the plots, but [...]

August 5, 2014 // 0 Comments

Glasto review

  Although an occasional visitor to what in my youth were described as ‘pop festivals’, I have never been to Glastonbury – the 2014 version of which took place over the weekend – and probably never will. You can call me old-fashioned – or even just old – if you wish, but I [...]

June 30, 2014 // 0 Comments

Tribute time

Any premature passing is regrettable and a tragedy. In this regard, yesterday’s announcement of the sudden death of comedian Rik Mayall at the age of fifty-six certainly qualifies and, generally-speaking – not just in these sad circumstances – if you cannot say something positive about an [...]

June 10, 2014 // 0 Comments

Depending upon your point of view …

In an interview featured the website of The Independent today (Tuesday 20th May) actress Gemma Arterton has expressed her reservations about the growing practice of broadcasting ‘live’ televised relays of theatrical performances, see here – GEMMA ARTERTON INTERVIEW I can understand [...]

May 20, 2014 // 0 Comments

A worthy television piece

Sunday nights in my household are set aside for doing nothing – well, apart perhaps from taking the shoes off, flicking through the newspapers, grabbing a bite to eat and watching bland television. Last night, finding myself in a bored mood, just passing time – unable to raise much interest in [...]

May 12, 2014 // 0 Comments

Great Lives/Arnold Bennett

Much as I criticise the BBC, I do consider that their arts broadcasting on Radio 4 are of high quality and worth the licence fee alone. Saturday Review presented by Tom Sutcliffe and Front Row are consistent in their critiques. Another programme I enjoy is Great Lives, presented by former Tory [...]

April 30, 2014 // 0 Comments

Jamaica Inn

Unless you were in the drama department of the BBC, you might have thought that audibility is a prerequisite of an actor. However in Jamaica Inn the publican of the Inn was incomprehensible with a combination of muffled diction and Cornish burrh. Given the success of Nordic noir, they might even [...]

April 23, 2014 // 0 Comments

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