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Watching some great TV history
No comments on Watching some great TV historyI am a huge fan of TV history programmes and most TV historians. There is some particularly good stuff on at the moment which I thought I would highlight. Simon Schama’s ‘The American Future: A History’ has been brilliant so far. The first episode dealt with America’s evolving relationship with its land and resources and how uneasy it is with the idea that these can limit its growth and power. I thought Schama was particularly…
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Fry on the BBC
I’ve been catching up on a few things today and have finally got around to watching this lecture on public service broadcasting by Stephen Fry from May. It is a blatant piece of BBC propaganda timed to influence Ofcom’s review of public service broadcasting, but it is none the worse for that. And as I am on a bit of a ‘big up’ the BBC thing today I urge you to have a look at…
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In praise of…Clare Balding
No posts for a week or so partly through laziness, but also because I’ve been distracted, more than I was expecting to be, by the Olympics. There have been some amazing, and sometimes moving, performances so far. But the one that has stayed in my mind has not been by an athlete, it has been the work of BBC presenter Clare Balding. You will recognise her as the face of the BBC’s horse-racing coverage and…
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The Mary Whitehouse Experience
I rather enjoyed Julie Walters portrayal of famous ‘anti-filth’ campaigner Mary Whitehouse in last nights BBC 2 TV drama “Filth: The Mary Whitehouse Story”. I thought the drama was cleverly constructed. It was a sympathetic portrayal of Whitehouse. Her principled convictions, determination, and personal sacrifice was highlighted and we got a clear sense of her motivation to protect a middle England, and Christian, morality from the forces that threatened it. She was painted as a…
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Happy 40th Birthday Radio 1
It’s been 40 years since “Home”, “Light”, and “Third” became Radio’s 1,2,3 & 4. Radio 1 has been the most prominent in celebrating this birthday. Fitting, as it was the need for the BBC to change to accommodate itself to the growing power of popular music that was a major reason for the change. However, this has given them the excuse to invite 10 “Radio 1 Legends” to present an hour long show of their…
