Radio Fun

[callmemadam]

Much of what is on in the 6.30 p.m. comedy slot is so unfunny I have to switch off, but I've been enjoying Craig Brown's 1966 and All That. This week we reached the 1980s with Mrs Thatcherism and Michael Vaseline. Not as funny as the original, need I say, but a master stroke has been to have it read, by Joss Ackland and Eleanor Bron, very much in the style of This Sceptred Isle, so that it sounds completely serious.

Another radio listeners' poll, this time to vote for one's favourite comedy which has moved from radio to television. They are calling this Radio ha ha. Of the six programmes nominated, two I didn't like at all. The one that made me laugh most was Dead Ringers, which I have not bothered with on television. I am strongly tempted to vote here for People Like Us. Partly because I really enjoyed it and partly out of annoyance at the Beeb's cowardice. You will notice that they fail to mention that the whole thing was performed, brilliantly, by Chris Langham. Good grief, the man's not been found guilty yet.

Comments

[coughingbear]

I heard that this evening and really liked it - I think I'd only heard bits before. Much better than Sceptred Isle, as I just commented somewhere else.

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Sceptred Isle was very relaxing! As history it was pretty much G M Trevelyan stuff but it did set out to be a traditional narrative. It occurs to me that we get very little analytical historical discussion on the radio. I can only think of the occasional In Our Time programme. 1966 and all that is historical criticism of a kind, just as The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere can be seen as literary criticism.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Had to be Goodness Gracious Me for me. No mention of After Henry?

[callmemadam.livejournal.com]

Possibly because it wasn't put on by the Beeb but was snapped up by another company? Can't remember for sure.

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes - ITV did the TV version. Silly me!