Bang Goes Christmas Television
For some reason, my Sunday Times today, didn’t have a copy of the Culture section. So I won’t know how to avoid the total crap on the television over Christmas!
At least as I only watch BBC1 to 4 and Sky Sports1 and 2, I can probably find out what’s on, by just flicking channels.
The Man Who Played The Piano, Whilst Einstein Played Violin
Sadly, Sir Patrick Moore has died. This piece is the BBC’s obituary, from where the title of this post comes.
I was lucky to see him once in my last year at school, when he gave a lecture on the connection of the moon to earthquakes at the British Astronomical Association. In those days he was a large man with a booming voice. He was a naturally entertaining and infectious speaker.
This paragraph from another article on the BBC sums him up.
Queen guitarist Brian May, who published a book on astronomy written with Sir Patrick, described him as a “dear friend, and a kind of father figure to me”.
He said: “Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.
It is such a pity, that there seems to be no possible successor to someone, who may well go down in history as the last great British eccentric.
BT Will Setup BT Sport On The Olympic Park
There was good news today for Hackney, when BT said that they will run their BT Sport operation from the Broadcast Centre on the Olympic Park. It’s all here on the BBC.
As BSkyB is also London-based, does it not look to have been a bad decision to move BBC Sport to Manchester?
Do Actors Sometimes Regret Their Early Roles?
Dame Diana Rigg is a well-respected actress and has appeared in many high-class productions. But there are performances in her past, that she might like to downplay. C and I saw her in the infamous 1970 production of Anelard and Heloise with Keith Michell, which was noted for its full frontal nudity. Everybody leaned forward at the appropriate moment. Wikipedia describes her performance in the play as follows.
A return to the stage and a nude scene with Keith Michell during Abelard and Heloise in 1970 led to a notorious description of her as ‘built like a brick basilica with insufficient flying buttresses’, by the acerbic critic John Simon.
She did of course star as Emma Peel in The Avengers in the 1960s. Some clips on YouTube are interesting to say the least. Would ITV show something like this today?
BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
I like sport, but I don’t care who is the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.
After all, the program is just one big selection of repeats to fill an evening of television.
The New BT Vision Is So Annoying
Leave it on a radio channel and every so often it reverts to this advertising screen.
The New BT Vision Is So Annoying
It didn’t pay for adverts. And when you switch that screen off, it never gets the program headings correct.
Incorrect Program Information
I have complained, but I’ve not received any details on how to correct the faults.
Memories Of That Was The Week That Was
They’re talking about That Was The Week That Was on Radio 5, this afternoon.
It was on late at night and I had to get up early in the morning. So my father used to get me up just as the program started.
I can remember several things about the program.
- Bernard Levin’s interviews. My father hated pomposity and nearly got himself a hernia laughing at some of Levin’s interviews.
- Frankie Howerd on the Budget, which is surely one of the greatest monologues ever written and performed. It was written by Muir and Norden.
- The program on the death of President Kennedy. Surely, the finest tribute program ever.
- Millicent Martin’s songs. And her dresses that appealed to a 14-year-old.
- David Frost’s tactics to handle overrunning of the program.
I’ve never seen anything so good since.
Newsnight In A Twist
The BBC’s flagship news program has really got itself in a twist lately.
They may or may not have libelled a politician and they really got it wrong with Jimmy Savile.
When she was a pupil, C did one pupillage in chambers specialising in libel. Every night, someone from chambers used to read the next day’s copy of a well-known tabloid to make sure they hadn’t defamed anybody.
Where was that check in Newsnight?
Channel 4 Sacks John McCririck
Channel 4 has sacked John McCririck, one of their horse racing team. He blames ageism in this report on the BBC.
I’m not bothered one way or another if he appears on Channel 4 Racing, as he can be almost as irritating as the adverts that appear on the channel.
I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and although his views can be outspoken, I’ve never found him anything but charming and courteous. In fact a friend was interviewed by him, for their screen test for television and found he put them totally at ease.
I have a feeling that McCririck will appear elsewhere on television and/or radio, as his knowledge of horse racing is undoubtedly at the highest level.
The Inter City 125 On BBC4
There was a documentary last night on BBC4 about the legendary High Speed Diesel Train or Inter City 125. It described how the politics, finances and some clever thinking produced a real icon.
Catch the documentary before it disappears from the BBC iPlayer!
The programme said that they’ll still be running in the 2030s on some routes. I wouldn’t bet on them still being running long after that.
Because of their speed and acceleration, they have proven that they can mix it on lines with both slow and higher speed traffic, so unlike heritage units like steam trains, they don’t cause pathing problems. Since they have now been updated with new engines, they produce a lot less noise and emissions too.
It is still proposed that they will be used for services to the far south west for many years, as electrifying the route from Exeter will be very difficult and expensive. They even did the journey from Plymouth to London in well under three hours recently. I reported it on this post.
But if they did a bit of marketing and perhaps uprated the catering, they could create a line, that would be a must-ride one for all visitors to Cornwall from London.
I have believed for a long time, that these trains will never go quietly. They’ll be like Routemasters and even if they’re not in main line service, they’ll turn up in the most surprising of places. The ghost of Jimmy Saville will see to that!
The Anonymous Widower 