Recommended Television Programmes

[vinteuil]

I know - I too can be facetiously simplistic.

... phew, that's a relief!

But I do highly recommend The Project.

There's something so odd about watching stuff that was so central in one's own lifetime but which is now distant history - and yet, as I indicated, many themes remain distressingly familiar : indeed, the film begins with activists protesting about effluents pouring in and polluting rivers...

And fascinating footage of Kinnock, John Smith, Blair, Brown, Kenneth Clarke &c


.

[kernelbogey]

Ludwig (BBC1)
I gave this a try on the basis of a sympathetic review in The Guardian. I shall stick with it. Ingenious plot idea, and clearly LvB is at the heart of an unsolved puzzle....

[LMcD]

Ludwig (BBC1)
I gave this a try on the basis of a sympathetic review in The Guardian. I shall stick with it. Ingenious plot idea, and clearly LvB is at the heart of an unsolved puzzle....

Decidedly mixed reviews in tomorrow's papers, but I enjoyed the first episode (and I don't think Beethoven will have been too offended).

[kernelbogey]

Decidedly mixed reviews in tomorrow's papers, but I enjoyed the first episode (and I don't think Beethoven will have been too offended).

I didn't pick up that Ludwig is John's Crossword Setter name (revealed in this morning's Guardian review).

[LMcD]

I didn't pick up that Ludwig is John's Crossword Setter name (revealed in this morning's Guardian review).

I think it's revealed in the flashback towards the end of the first episode.

[johncorrigan]

Last night, instead of 'Ludwig' we decided to watch 'The Magic of Mushrooms' on BBC4. It was presented by Professor Richard Fortey and first aired about ten years ago. One of my all time favourite one-off nature docs was his 'Secret Life of Rockpools', which I have seen a number of times and continues to fascinate. Prof Fortey is passionate about funghi and he passed on his excitement in this very interesting programme. I don't know if he has presented anything else, but I like his approach.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...c-of-mushrooms

[Barbirollians]

Very many great composers have been child prodigies . Shostakovich and Britten to name but two. Mozart was nothing out of the ordinary in that - he was out of the ordinary in writing music of the quality of the Da Ponte Operas , later symphonies piano concerti , chamber works -etc etc a list so long it would take a week of continuous listening. One of the most astounding geniuses in human history.
It was Hans Keller who pointed out that Beethoven wrote the odd masterpiece in his teens - earlier than Mozart who took longer to mature though he started earlier.
I took one look at the cast of actors being interviewed and thought they have nothing interesting to say about him. Good they put the doc on BBC Two though.

I rather enjoyed this - yes too many talking heads especially though I thought getting some of the actors to read Mozart’s letters was effective . I was glad it was on BBC2 and anyone coming to Mozart not knowing his music might well have been taken by the musical extracts .

They did pinch Bridcut’s idea of having the talking heads listening to and talking over the music .

[LMcD]

I rather enjoyed this - yes too many talking heads especially though I thought getting some of the actors to read Mozart’s letters was effective . I was glad it was on BBC2 and anyone coming to Mozart not knowing his music might well have been taken by the musical extracts .

They did pinch Bridcut’s idea of having the talking heads listening to and talking over the music .

Here's hoping! A good place to start could be the wonderful Leif Ove Andsnes Prom that is repeated tomorrow night on BBC4.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Ludwig (BBC1)
I gave this a try on the basis of a sympathetic review in The Guardian. I shall stick with it. Ingenious plot idea, and clearly LvB is at the heart of an unsolved puzzle....

The music soundtrack is full of Beethoven quotes : Fur Elise , the final movement of the Tempest sonata (the theme tune ) , the Allegretto from the 7th Symphony. What it all adds up to …..??

[johncorrigan]

I really enjoyed 'Ludwig', surprising since I often find David Mitchell a bit annoying. I laughed a lot and thought the plot ideas were pretty unusual. Anna Maxwell Martin was excellent, but I enjoyed a lot of the support cast too.

[johncorrigan]

In the past I have mentioned 'Crowdie and Cream' on BBC Alba. It appears every so often on the channel - it's a three-part account based on Finlay J MacDonald's book about growing up in the Hebrides in the 1930s. Last night, flicking, through the channels, I caught episode three once again and was immediately sucked into that pre-war Hebridean world with its wonderful land and sea scapes. Part One is available for another 15 days and if you haven't seen the series before, well worth investigating. Here's the link:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/b00g1lqt/crowdie-and-cream

[LMcD]

In the past I have mentioned 'Crowdie and Cream' on BBC Alba. It appears every so often on the channel - it's a three-part account based on Finlay J MacDonald's book about growing up in the Hebrides in the 1930s. Last night, flicking, through the channels, I caught episode three once again and was immediately sucked into that pre-war Hebridean world with its wonderful land and sea scapes. Part One is available for another 15 days and if you haven't seen the series before, well worth investigating. Here's the link:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod...wdie-and-cream

Duly noted, thank you!

[AuntDaisy]

Last night's "Face the Music" had dear old Michael Flanders on it....
Bernard Levin must have missed the Brahms 1 BaL. His conducting was a tad distracting, ditto an hour of presenter comb-overs.

[smittims]

The 1970s Z-Cars has returned to TalkingPicturesTV (freeview channel 82) . I can't recall it being shown since its first time, though these TPTV showings usually coincide with a DVD release. Connoisseurs note a considerable diffrence between it and the original 1960s version, which some consider much 'edgier' and dramatically radical (for its time). I think the idea was to make a more realistic programme in contrast to 'Dixon of Dock Green' which, in the 1960s came to be criticised for being too cosy , though of course attempts were then made to modernise it as we have seen in the recent repeats of the 1970s version , called 'Dixon', in which Jack Warner was usually shown sitting down due to age and infirmity.

I don't mind admitting I watch TV for pleasure and entertainment. I don't want to see violence and unpunished injustice; there's too much of that in real life. I don't think I'd like a fully-realistic police series. What do you think? Do you ejoy watching violinece? Or do you feel we have a duty to watch it?

[LMcD]

The 1970s Z-Cars has returned to TalkingPicturesTV (freeview channel 82) . I can't recall it being shown since its first time, though these TPTV showings usually coincide with a DVD release. Connoisseurs note a considerable diffrence between it and the original 1960s version, which some consider much 'edgier' and dramatically radical (for its time). I think the idea was to make a more realistic programme in contrast to 'Dixon of Dock Green' which, in the 1960s came to be criticised for being too cosy , though of course attempts were then made to modernise it as we have seen in the recent repeats of the 1970s version , called 'Dixon', in which Jack Warner was usually shown sitting down due to age and infirmity.

I don't mind admitting I watch TV for pleasure and entertainment. I don't want to see violence and unpunished injustice; there's too much of that in real life. I don't think I'd like a fully-realistic police series. What do you think? Do you ejoy watching violinece? Or do you feel we have a duty to watch it?

TPTV is also to be found on Freesat channel 306. I believe negotiations continue with the BBC on the 1960s episodes of Z Cars.
The utterly brilliant 'Cracker' wouldn't be the same without its violence, would it?