Lashings of Enid Blyton

It was all over the radio news yesterday that the BBC refused to broadcast anything by Enid Blyton, regarding her work as second-rate. It can't be a coincidence that this story was deemed 'news' just as the Beeb is about to show another television drama based on her life. This evening, nine o'clock on BBC4, starring Helena Bonham Carter.

Quite by chance, next week I'm going to a talk by Viv Endicott, who has made herself an expert on Enid Blyton's Dorset connections. I'm not a great admirer of Enid Blyton. The only books of hers I keep are the Malory Towers series and some of the family stories. Nevertheless, anyone interested in children's books must acknowledge her importance so I'll be glued to the screen this evening.