Recommended Television Programmes

[LMcD]

Ian Hislop having a good old rant on Peston, who clearly had the lawyers in his ear trying to stop him.
https://youtu.be/AJpscXI016s?si=2GvWcVSMVD0cMVMv

As far as I'm concerned, Ian Hislop is what Sellar and Yeatman would have called a Good Thing, and it's nonsense to suggest that everything will now be tickety-boo just because politicians have been shamed into taking notice and giving the impression that they're finally doing something.

[johncorrigan]

As far as I'm concerned, Ian Hislop is what Sellar and Yeatman would have called a Good Thing, and it's nonsense to suggest that everything will now be tickety-boo just because politicians have been shamed into taking notice and giving the impression that they're finally doing something.

As Ian Hislop said, L, it's an election year!

[gradus]

Horizon on Hubble last night on BBC4, well worth catching to be boggled by a telescope that can reveal a galaxy 12.6 billion light years distant.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I've followed all of Nick Wallis's excellent reports on Radio 4, and share his disappointment (to put it mildly) that, following the cancellation of 'Inside Edge', the BBC was unwilling or unable to follow up the initial TV exposure of the scandal on BBC South. The 2020 Panorama report also did little to shift the dial, so I think we must be grateful that an excellent TV drama finally came along to finally get things really moving. And let's not forget that Computer Weekly, Private Eye and some MPs had also been trying to keep the issue alive.

The cancelled series was Inside Out - a regional series that went out in 11 English regions. The edition that gave Nick his chance to expose the scandal was Inside Out South based in Southampton . Their work was repeated by other regional Inside Outs with affected sub postmasters featured in it . I think the first films went out in 2011 with two maybe more follow ups.Collectively they would I have been seen by millions of people.The story perhaos didnt “cut through” because it’s about computers and post offices - not exactly riveting subjects. However it was evident even 10 years ago that it was a major and important story.

Previously Nick had worked for BBC Radio Oxford as a journalist. Inside Out has been axed (two years ago) and along with it approx 100 editors, producers and journalists. Local Radio has been cut to the bone. Although the BBC is recruiting investigative journalists to work in its regional newsrooms those of us with experience of such things seriously doubt whether they will have the time off rota to do complex investigations of this nature. In my view there is little chance of the BBC breaking stories like this in the future (NB Computer Weekly also made the running ). With Newsnight being reduced to a discussion programme there’s only Panorama left .
It is a pitiful state of affairs.

[LMcD]

Thank you - I clearly had an incomplete/incorrect understanding of these events. 'Pitiful' is definitely not too strong a word to describe the current state of BBC News. When I wrote 'Inside Edge' I think I had that cricket-based series starring Paul Eddington at the back of my mind!

[johncorrigan]

As a wee boy I remember sitting in front of 'The Rag Trade' on the tv. I followed some of the stars down through the years, especially Peter Jones and Sheila Hancock, and tuned into things they were on. I hadn't seen any of Amol Rajan's interviews but was attracted by him interviewing Sheila Hancock on BBC2 last night. Glad I watched - a great interview, very enjoyable, and very moving in places - the two of them clearly got on very well.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vgpx/amol-rajan-interviews-sheila-hancock

[Serial_Apologist]

As a wee boy I remember sitting in front of 'The Rag Trade' on the tv. I followed some of the stars down through the years, especially Peter Jones and Sheila Hancock, and tuned into things they were on. I hadn't seen any of Amol Rajan's interviews but was attracted by him interviewing Sheila Hancock on BBC2 last night. Glad I watched - a great interview, very enjoyable, and very moving in places - the two of them clearly got on very well.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...sheila-hancock

What a mood shifter that interview was, for me! Sheila Hancock surely has to be the sprightliest 90-year old. I much prefer Rajan in this role than as a general news commentator and host of University Challenge, and wouldn't have missed this for anything. Thanks for linking to it, John, and saving me the trouble. Hopefully others will see our recommendation..

[Nick Armstrong]

As a wee boy I remember sitting in front of 'The Rag Trade' on the tv. I followed some of the stars down through the years, especially Peter Jones and Sheila Hancock, and tuned into things they were on. I hadn't seen any of Amol Rajan's interviews but was attracted by him interviewing Sheila Hancock on BBC2 last night. Glad I watched - a great interview, very enjoyable, and very moving in places - the two of them clearly got on very well.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...sheila-hancock

Really want to see this, thanks for the reminder!

Meanwhile, a rarity on BBCFour last week …

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vfck/screen-two-series-8-memento-mori

… a dramatisation of ultimately rather an odd Muriel Spark work, but a fabulous cast - always delightful to see Michael Hordern, Maggie Smith, Stephanie Cole, Maurice Denham, Thora Hird, John Wood etc etc going through their paces!

[smittims]

Sheila Hancock was on Woman's Hour some time ago and made some very pertinent points about the way our society pays vastly different salaries to different jobs, underpaying some valuable people shamefully and vice versa. I was cheering her on. We need more people to speak out in this way.

[Belgrove]

A strong recommendation for a repeat of the wonderful two part Arena documentary on Orson Welles, where he candidly appraises his triumphs and failures (on BBC 4 last Thursday and the next). What comes across, quite apart from his vast talent and intelligence, is his joie de vivre and the sheer sense of fun it would have been to be around him.

[alywin]

Oh dear. Guess I really should have recommended the Margot Fonteyn "Magic of Dance" series which has recently finished on BBC4. Oh well, it's presumably still available on iPlayer. Oh, for the days when the BBC put on long clips from artistic works rather than 30-second snippets ...

[LMcD]

Oh dear. Guess I really should have recommended the Margot Fonteyn "Magic of Dance" series which has recently finished on BBC4. Oh well, it's presumably still available on iPlayer. Oh, for the days when the BBC put on long clips from artistic works rather than 30-second snippets ...

At the time of posting, it's available for 21 days.

[LMcD]

Ian Lavender, the last surviving member of the original cast of 'Dad's Army' has died.

[smittims]

'Let me shoot 'im, Mr, Mainwaring'.

I think my best memory of Ian Lavender was the episode where he was dressed as a german officer for a propaganda film. He was immaculate,the very image of the stage Nazi.

Coincidentally, Philip Madoc, who played the U-boat commander in the famous 'Don't tell him, Pike!' sketch ('Your name vill also go on ze list') is appearing currently on TPTV (Channel 82) as another fervent Nazi, an SS officer in 'Manhunt' an excellent ITV serial from , I guess, the early '70s. The cast includes Peter Barkworth, Robert Hardy (for once playing a villain) and Alfred Lynch in, I think, the best role I've seen him in. It's set in occupied France in 1942/3 . Quite gripping.

And fans of early '70s Tv drama may need reminding that 'The Brothers ' is also being shown on TPTV, a family saga .

[Sir Velo]

Oh dear. Guess I really should have recommended the Margot Fonteyn "Magic of Dance" series which has recently finished on BBC4. Oh well, it's presumably still available on iPlayer. Oh, for the days when the BBC put on long clips from artistic works rather than 30-second snippets ...

It still is and many thanks for bringing it to my attention. It certainly is an idiosyncratic, personal view of dance rather than a chronological history. Fonteyn no doubt clocked up some serious air miles with locations in at least four continents. One slight disappointment was that little was shown of Fonteyn's own dancing from her pomp, Notwithstanding, it is a fascinating series, well worth six hours of anyone's time. Highlights for me were Wayne Sleep's take on John Durang's hornpipe and the Royal Ballet's production of Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardee.