The Eternal Breakfast Debate in a New Place

[mercia]

sorry, but even as spelt, I find that ridiculous hyperbole

[french frank]

sorry, but even as spelt, I find that ridiculous hyperbole

It's a fair indication of why, at one's peril, one knocks individual presenters in a generalised way, apparently because one doesn't like them: someone else does like them.

[hmvman]

I was fascinated to read this on Damian Thompson's latest blog on the Torygraph site:

"Radio 3 under Roger Wright has, miraculously for the Beeb, preserved most of its authentic ethos; presenters such as Petroc Trelawny are the apostolic successors to the late Cormac Rigby and other mighty figures. Rarely does it put a foot wrong."

The rest of the item is about Catherine Bott leaving R3 but it took me a while to get to that bit after a fit of apoplectic spluttering having read that first line!

But it's another point of view…..

The blog's here: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/da...n-corner-shop/ and the relevant bit is under the heading "National treasure jumps ship"

[Nick Armstrong]

Damian Thompson

[french frank]

I'd seen it and already wiped it from my memory. DT (heh, heh!) has long remained under the impression (illusion?) that all is as ever at a Radio 3 that is in safe hands.

[Richard Tarleton]

"Radio 3 under Roger Wright has, miraculously for the Beeb, preserved most of its authentic ethos; presenters such as Petroc Trelawny are the apostolic successors to the late Cormac Rigby and other mighty figures.

Damian Thompson was 10 when Cormac Rigby became Presentation Editor at R3, and 24 when CR resigned from the BBC to become a priest. So he was in his teens for much of the R3 "golden age". This sounds more like received opinion than personal experience.

[french frank]

Mr Thompson is certainly a fan of Our Petroc. Seems like they're buddies, too. Perhaps Our Damian wants to be asked back to do some Free Thinking ...

I have to admit that I have met Petroc and he is indeed charming. Good teeth. Pity about the programme.

[Richard Tarleton]

At least they've heard of Cormac Rigby. I was talking to a BBC Autumnwatch researcher a few years ago and asked her how Tony Soper was these days (I'd worked with him on an episode of "Wildtrack" in the 1980s). She'd never heard of him.

[french frank]

She'd never heard of him.

Like narrowboats passing through pond weed... I met Tony Soper once: his girlfriend kept her horse in a field locally.

[antongould]

Whispers while it is quiet .....I shall miss SMP!!.......has it really been 7 years?

[Thropplenoggin]

Whispers while it is quiet .....I shall miss SMP!!.......has it really been 7 years?

7?! It felt like twice that.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Whispers while it is quiet .....I shall miss SMP!!.......has it really been 7 years?

After this morning's embarrassing example, I cannot agree. . I decided to give Breakfast another chance, and caught the Specialist Classical Charts. Although there was some interesting music mentioned, the actual selections were sanitised to appease the CFM mentality. And we still have those nauseating text messages from people who are obviously not concentrating on the music.

[underthecountertenor]

I have to say that I agree with you. The Takacs playing Britten would have been good to hear, but obviously it had to yield to a twee Bob Chilcott carol because the latter was at number 2 (and because SMP didn't want to frighten people with a difficult Britten String Quartet movement, obviously). SMP's excuse for breaking her self-imposed rule not to play any Christmas music in November smacked of protesting far too much. And in a Tasmin Little disc including Moeran's Violin Concerto, Delius's Legend and Holst's Song of the Night, why go for Elgar's Salut d'Amour (or was it Chanson de Matin?) I'm afraid this typifies SMP's tenure on Breakfast.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It was Salut d'Amour

[Sir Velo]

Thank God! SM-P's last Breakfast, and end to the endless gabbling. This morning she introduced some Faure, with performers "Captain Scott and the Hermitage Trio". Took Mme V and myself a few incredulous moments to realise she must have said "Kathryn Stott".