More dumbing down on BBC2

[Mr Pee]

From today's Sunday Times "Culture" section:-

Along with BBC2, Covent Garden is embarking on a three-part series Maestro at the Opera, which will pit the actress Josie Lawrence, the DJ Trevor Nelson, the choreographer Craig Revel Horwood and the maths wiz Marcus du Sautoy against each other to see who is best equipped, after five weeks of intensive teaching, to conduct part of an opera in the spring. Just to make it more hairy, the performance, captured on TV, is live.

I don't know whether I'm more dissapointed that the BBC are inflicting this upon us in the first place, or that the ROH decided to participate. I suppose the one saving grace is that Ann Widdecombe is not involved, although the same column reveals that she will be making her ROH debut next month, playing the Duchesse de Crackenthorp in La Fille du Regiment.

Thank goodness for Sky Arts. At least they provide a small oasis of culture.

[Nick Armstrong]

Ann Widdecombe ... will be making her ROH debut next month, playing the Duchesse de Crackenthorp in La Fille du Regiment.

Is that a joke or are you being serious?!?! Impossible to know with the sort of idiocies being perpetrated upon a gullible public these days...

[teamsaint]

seems ROH punters are indeed set to enjoy seeing AW on stage..........
lucky, lucky them !!

Oh and as to the main point of the OP, this kind of stuff just makes me even more likely to abandon paying the license and junk the telly.

[Stunsworth]

Is that a joke or are you being serious?!?!

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ann-widdecombe-takes-to-the-stage-with-the-royal-opera

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It's appalling and makes me ashamed to be British.

Think of all those conducting students in our music colleges, many of whom deserve an opportunity to be noticed. Instead the BBC chooses so-called celebrities and puts them in the jungle, sorry, opera pit and lets the world see them making idiots of themselves. Very sad.

[teamsaint]

It's appalling and makes me ashamed to be British.

Think of all those conducting students in our music colleges, many of whom deserve an opportunity to be noticed. Instead the BBC chooses so-called celebrities and puts them in the jungle, sorry, opera pit and lets the world see them making idiots of themselves. Very sad.

That is PRECISELY the point.

[Chris Newman]

I agree that this celebrity conducting thing is a load of unfair nonsense as for as music students are concerned.

Ann Widdecombe performimg at the ROH is a separate issue. My DVD of the Royal Opera House production of La Fille du Regiment has Dawn French as the Duchesse de Crackenthorp. It has long been a tradition to have comedians playing speaking roles like Crackenthorp and Frosch the jailer in Die Fledermaus.

By the way. AW is on my fantasy guest list for a party.

[teamsaint]

I agree that this celebrity conducting thing is a load of unfair nonsense as for as music students are concerned.

Ann Widdecombe performimg at the ROH is a separate issue. My DVD of the Royal Opera House production of La Fille du Regiment has Dawn French as the Duchesse de Crackenthorp. It has long been a tradition to have comedians playing speaking roles like Crackenthorp and Frosch the jailer in Die Fledermaus.

By the way. AW is on my fantasy guest list for a party.

well you have every chance of her turning up, she is always hanging around Salisbury. (not sure why). As a matter of interest, since you brought it up, who else is on the list? and is there a decent thread in this!?

[Nick Armstrong]

http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ann-widde...he-royal-opera

Some trenchant remarks on the ROH site

There was never the slightest chance of me shelling out for tickets to that piece anyway, but the thought of the sort of reaction that will prevail (that sort of genteel 'opera house' amusement) among the perfumed punters when W waddles on is making me fight a losing battle with my gag reflex.

The other aspect of the OP likewise.

I recoil another step or six from the whole world of opera, a process that's been going on for the last 5 years or more...

[VodkaDilc]

Might I suggest a new programme for BBC2? - Celebrity Brain Surgeon. Five chosen celebrities, with no previous medical training, could be given five weeks of intensive training in brain surgery. Selected luminaries from BBC management could then volunteer to be operated upon - and the public could vote for the most successful participant.

[MrGongGong]

Its the bog society matey
"all in this together" and we can all have a go !

[Nick Armstrong]

Might I suggest a new programme for BBC2? - Celebrity Brain Surgeon. Five chosen celebrities, with no previous medical training, could be given five weeks of intensive training in brain surgery. Selected luminaries from BBC management could then volunteer to be operated upon - and the public could vote for the most successful participant.

"Success" being defined as "greatest comedy-value hamfistedness" ??

[gamba]

But would we be aware of any difference ?

[JFLL]

Might I suggest a new programme for BBC2? - Celebrity Brain Surgeon. Five chosen celebrities, with no previous medical training, could be given five weeks of intensive training in brain surgery. Selected luminaries from BBC management could then volunteer to be operated upon - and the public could vote for the most successful participant.

Wonderful, Vodka! But you know how they'd present it - 'Operation successful, patient dead'. (And we might agree, might we not?)

[Paul Sherratt]

'patient dead'

But how would you know ?

( Borrowing that from ???? )