You Are Absolutely Bonkers
This was the wonderful accolade that was given to Peter Duncan and his partner on Tumble.
He is putting us all to shame, doing what he does on the show, only a few years younger than I am!
Liverpool Gets The Puppets Out Again
In 2012, Liverpool staged the Sea Odyssey: Giant Spectacular to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
On Friday, they’re staging another giant puppet show to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Great War. It’s reported here in the Liverpool Echo.
I wish I could go, but I’ve got to be here for my builders on Friday, which would be the best day.
You may question, if a free show like this is a good idea, as surely it costs a lot to setup. This is what Wikipedia said about the financial benefits of the Sea Odyssey.
An independent report into the impact of Sea Odyssey concluded it was the most successful event in Liverpool’s history. The report showed that 800,000 people took part in the event, which resulted in an economic impact of £32 million.
So it would appear that spectacular events are a good idea financially.
How much did Leeds, Cambridge and London benefit from the Tour de France? And after the Commonwealth Games, how many people having a holiday in Edinburgh, will now take the trip across to Glasgow?
What odds will I get on the French puppeteers turning up in Liverpool again in a few years time. Perhaps they’ll bring a puppet of Red Rum to the Grand National!
Now That’s What I Call A Turkey
The title is Kate Muir’s headline for her film review in The Times of Walking On Sunshine, which she thinks is worth just a single star and could be a strong contender for Worst British Film of 2014.
I shall not be going!
Worst Day For Films?
I thought it might be nice to see a film, but The Times has reviewed ten films and gives them an average of 2.4.
So not much joy there!
Fighting Talk In The BBC Radio Theatre
I took some pictures of the programme inside the theatre.
They aren’t the best, but they give a flavour of the programme. The panel was Justin Moorhouse, Dougie Anderson, Henning Wehn and Mina Rzouki. The podcast is here.
Is Putin Watching?
I’m watching the Eurovision Song Contest. But is Putin? Or has he just switched off the signal to all Russian sets, as a bearded drag act is representing Austria?
Remember Adolf didn’t need much of an excuse to invade Austria!
The Most Disastrous Television Channel Launch In History
In four days time on the 20th April, it will be the fiftieth anniversary of the attempted launch of BBC2.
I remember it well. My family thought we’d give it a go, but then a power cut in West London changed everything.
The whole incident is reported here. Here’s the first paragraph.
Fifty years ago this weekend, BBC Two went on the air for the first time. Or rather, it was supposed to go on the air. In fact, a massive power cut wiped out the entire launch schedule and led to one of the most disastrous nights in broadcasting history.
It was supposed to be a spectacular opening night for BBC Two. In the end, it was a spectacular shambles.
When the history of television is written a hundred years from now, this night will have a strong chance to be the worst start to any channel ever.
However, the bad start probably gave the channel an awful lot of publicity.
You should remember that in the nineteen-sixties power cuts were a much more common occurence than they are now. The electrical network just wasn’t as good as it is today.
BBC3 To Go On-Line Only
According to this report, BBC3 is to go in-line only! So what?
I haven’t watched BBC3 much, but I do like BBC4. In fact much of my watching of television these days seems to be on the iPlayer. Especially, as my new television has the iPlayer built in.
Incidentally, I’ve just read this weeks schedules for BBC3 and there’s nothing there I suspect I’ll watch!
Scotland Score 12 Out Of 15
Kate Muir is a fan of three films about Scotland released this week; Sunshine on Leith, FIlth and For Those In Peril.
All scored four out of five in her reviews in The Times.
A New On-Line Film Site
I caught this article at the bottom of a page in the Standard yesterday. The title describes it in one.
New player to stream 1,000 British films spanning a century.
It’s all here on the BFI.
i’ve signed up and it supposedly starts on next Wednesday.
The Anonymous Widower 