The future of BBC4 TV

[Flosshilde]

The opinion of Stephen Moss:

"The decision to make the arts show monthly and shunt it to BBC4 is, says the corporation, a bold step forward. Nonsense – it would be braver to kill it and start afresh."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/feb/26/late-review-typical-bbc-cowardice

And " For a long time, with the honourable exception of Arena, the BBC's arts programming has been patchy"

Absolutely - bring back Arena, I say, complete with its wobbly bottle floating in a bowl of water & the weird music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcr4ywFsXWc

[MrGongGong]

complete with its wobbly bottle floating in a bowl of water & the weird music.

Another Green World is one of Brian's finest IMV

[eighthobstruction]

I do enjoy these glimpses inside your noddle when you're in rant-mode, eighth!

....I'm glad some B***** does Ams.....oooooooooooooooooooooooooh isolation does these things (that and listening to Matching Mole at 0830 hrs),[have I told you about my novel ]....humming ones own symphonette {today, an Adamsesque homage to Tubby the Tuba} while the dogs sniff and water their posts....thinking of an original way of saying GOODMORNING....WHOOF....playing appeggio' on the bars of the metal bridge over the beck....looking for perfect stones....meditating to the GOD STICK....chanting "Itgo, Itgo, onile onile jivam attchala...."....another day on planet earth, filled with knapping flints, drinking ambrosia, and smokum the sweet fragrance of pure virginia....someones got to do it....(though I do it a lot slower than I used to....)....<snigger>

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

....I'm glad some B***** does Ams.....

Add this B***** to the list, too, octaveblock!

[Flosshilde]

Another Green World is one of Brian's finest IMV

I'd be interested if you could direct me to a recording (freely available on-line, preferably ) - I'd love to know if it's meant to sound like that, or if the Arena intro was made to sound as if it was a poor-quality recording played on a duff cassette player to suit the over-all wobbly set aesthetic.

[Flosshilde]

Have you thought about asking MrGG to set your posts to music, 8o?

[Serial_Apologist]

Another Green World is one of Brian's finest IMV

"Nurse! - give the patient a dose of Eno's"

[eighthobstruction]

While life has been a lucky wind-blown staccato romp around the random and very interesting cul de sacs of banal binary grass blade counting.....one has to say I've never been THAT lucky to think that gg would want get involved in such a project (though he has exhibited a jazz-rock pedigree on occasion)....Perhaps if we could get Robert Wyatt , Taj Mahal, and Soweto Kinch involved it might begin to be a runner (plus someone who is good at sound recording the wind)....

....the steel bridge over the beck has a beautiful ring to it....a worthy instrument without doubt....But I'm afraid I'm holding out for the FILM ....

....thanks for the thought Flosshilde <yoursinpots>

[Flosshilde]

Well, if not GG, how about ahinton?

[Nick Armstrong]

....I'm glad some B***** does Ams.....oooooooooooooooooooooooooh isolation does these things (that and listening to Matching Mole at 0830 hrs),[have I told you about my novel ]....humming ones own symphonette {today, an Adamsesque homage to Tubby the Tuba} while the dogs sniff and water their posts....thinking of an original way of saying GOODMORNING....WHOOF....playing appeggio' on the bars of the metal bridge over the beck....looking for perfect stones....meditating to the GOD STICK....chanting "Itgo, Itgo, onile onile jivam attchala...."....another day on planet earth, filled with knapping flints, drinking ambrosia, and smokum the sweet fragrance of pure virginia....someones got to do it....(though I do it a lot slower than I used to....)....<snigger>

...While life has been a lucky wind-blown staccato romp around the random and very interesting cul de sacs of banal binary grass blade counting.....one has to say I've never been THAT lucky to think that gg would want get involved in such a project (though he has exhibited a jazz-rock pedigree on occasion)....Perhaps if we could get Robert Wyatt , Taj Mahal, and Soweto Kinch involved it might begin to be a runner (plus someone who is good at sound recording the wind)....

....the steel bridge over the beck has a beautiful ring to it....a worthy instrument without doubt....But I'm afraid I'm holding out for the FILM ....

Pure magic

Agreed, one of the composers on t'Forum needs to set that. It's like latterday Yorkshire Walt Whitman!

[eighthobstruction]

Thank you for my 5 minutes in the spotlight ....

Back to topic....I feel that a great deal more could be done with playwrights/plays....productions of the smaller plays that get put on in the smaller venues, that do not have the 'box office hits' like History Boys or Art etc....but are good/interesting productions non the less - Which are put on but then just disappear- like Enron (perhaps)....I think viewers would be pleased to see such productions in their stage version (yes not everything adapts straight to screen)....I would be pleased to see 'stuff' in a far more RAW form....I think producers always want to make TV too slick....

....sorry for appalling spelling , grammar etc....

[aeolium]

I feel that a great deal more could be done with playwrights/plays....productions of the smaller plays that get put on in the smaller venues, that do not have the 'box office hits' like History Boys or Art etc....but are good/interesting productions non the less - Which are put on but then just disappear- like Enron (perhaps)....I think viewers would be pleased to see such productions in their stage version (yes not everything adapts straight to screen)....I would be pleased to see 'stuff' in a far more RAW form....I think producers always want to make TV too slick....

I agree, 8o, and the BBC did of course have a lot of 'staged' drama in the past (e.g. Sophocles, Beckett). If it is too expensive to mount a new production why don't they broadcast live - or deferred - from theatre? It seems odd to me that quite a few companies are now broadcasting live to cinema but the BBC, which is a broadcasting organisation, does not often broadcast staged work! (OK, it does sometimes show Glyndebourne or ROH productions but not plays)

I think Enron, btw, was probably quite a box-office hit - didn't it go to Broadway? Though it would be a good choice.

[eighthobstruction]

Yes, I think you know where I'm coming from aeolium (Bristol , if you didn't know). There are many things that never get further than the Donmar Warehouse or Bush Theatre etc (smaller theatres), That does not mean they are all no good, it just means they have limited interest and are not going to transfer to larger theatres or tour....I am regularly (though not so often nowadays....) hearing and reading stuff from London centric review and critics ref certain clever, well aimed productions, that as far as i can tell just disappear, and never get as far as the provinces....and even if they did i am unable to travel the 30 miles to the nearest town/city at night time....Not only that, a staged play has a totally different feel and focus ....where elaberate dream sequences (as in TV) etc etc cannot be done....A pratt-fall in something you know is live , has a completely different feel to one which has been shot (possibly several times....)....

....I mean!!....they film Match of the Day at 10 different venues and using at least 10 cameras....

[Flosshilde]

.I am regularly (though not so often nowadays....) hearing and reading stuff from London centric review and critics ref certain clever, well aimed productions, that as far as i can tell just disappear, and never get as far as the provinces....and even if they did i am unable to travel the 30 miles to the nearest town/city at night time....Not only that, a staged play has a totally different feel and focus ....where elaberate dream sequences (as in TV) etc etc cannot be done....A pratt-fall in something you know is live , has a completely different feel to one which has been shot (possibly several times....)....

And looking at it from the other end of the street, there is a lot of good stuff done in the provinces (and in Scotland & Wales & Northern Ireland ) that isn't reviewed & deserves a much wider audience.

[BBMmk2]

I do rather like BBC4 on a Friday night, with a lot of their programmes,it is also sometimes good to see their rock music programmes as well.They had Pink Floyd on a few weeks back.