The banking crisis explained by the Now Show

As we sit, post holiday, amid the carnage of credit card receipts and bank statements wondering exactly how we make 20p stretch for the rest of August, it's always nice to listen to the Now Show; Radio 4's topical satire show with Punt and Dennis, Marcus Brigstocke, Mitch Benn et al.

I've just heard a 2 minute children's explanation of the entire banking crisis, using Homer Simpson, Bob The Builder, Miss Piggy, Scooby Doo and many more in a game of imaginary pass the parcel. Perfect. And funny.

Okay, back to the finances. Anyone fancy sponsoring a family like that hideous Channel 4 programme Louise was watching on holiday?

Was it just me or did you think it was horribly, horribly exploitative and just a new low-point for Channel 4? I'd love to be rich enough to be able to give that much money to charity and I'm sure that the poor family in question found the money life-changing but there are better ways to do it than the sort of public humiliation and pompous backslapping Channel 4 broadcast. I remember when Channel 4 had a remit beyond exploitative reality shows. I'm not sure Channel 4 remember that anymore.

Mayo, Kermode, Manchester, 2011 - I really shouldn't worry so....

Was reading the latest Word magazine tonight and one of the articles talked about Radio 5 moving to Manchester in 2011. But without Simon Mayo (amongst others). Now this shouldn't be something I'm thinking too much about really, but it's rather set me on a bit of a downer. Nothing too bad - I'm not that sad. But it does make me sad to think that a very enjoyable part of my week will potentially be lost.

I really enjoy getting home on a Friday lunchtime, settling back at the computer and listening to Simon Mayo's 5 Live afternoon show. The sports panel followed by Kermode and Mayo's film reviews that have transcended simple reviewing and become pure entertainment (or, as they often say: wittertainment) in itself. It's such an enjoyable afternoons listening, both live and later in the week on podcast that I'd be really sad to have to lose it.

The rumour is that Mayo will go to radio 2. I'm hoping that they'll let him ditch the music and keep his show exactly as it was on 5 live. I doubt they will, but I'm hoping anyway

That Friday feeling....

There's some kind of bizarre time warp going on today. My new school year resolution is to definitely be out of school every Friday by 1pm and to always try to make it out earlier.

Because if I'm late, my afternoon off turns into nothing more than a quick coffee before picking Molly up from school.
But if I'm early, just like today. something wonderful happens. Time slows down to a crawl and I keep looking at the clock amazed that after having coffee, lunch, a sit down, read all my outstanding newsfeeds on bloglines, closed a few tabs by writing about them and tidying up the house I've still got nearly two hours to go.

Now off to get another coffee, then a bit more blogging whilst listening to Simon Mayo's afternoon programme. For me, it's a great afternoon's relaxing. The only thing that could make it better was if Mayo and Kermode were on from 2-3 rather than 3-4. That way I could listen to it in full instead of catching it on the podcast later.

Phil Jupitus' Comic Love

Comedian and broadcaster Phil Jupitus has a half hour radio show this Saturday (19th July) called Comic Love. It's going to be a celebration of newspaper comic strips and promises to feature the likes of Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury), Peattie & Taylor (Alex), the wonderful Steve Bell & Bill Griffith (Zippy).

The BBC is promoting it quite hard. Down The Tubes has already covered the BBC Magazine article with Phil Jupitus providing a 4 panel strip. But this weeks Radio Times has a feature radio article and another 4 page strip from Jupitus:





I've also scanned in the article in question and slapped it onto Flickr.

Phil Jupitus's Comic Love is on Radio 4 Saturday 19th July at 10:30am.

Friday afternoon - Wimbledon's rained off - Everything is great!

Normally on a Friday afternoon I head home at some point (meant to be 1pm, rarely is) and sit here listening to the radio. Radio 5 on a Friday afternoon is usually just wonderful. Simon Mayo and the sports panel followed by Mark Kermode's film reviews. The only downside to this is that Kermode's reviews start at 3pm and finish at 4pm. This means I miss the second half as I'm off to pick up Molly from school.

Except today.
The rain is hovering over Wimbledon and play has been delayed. So the radio gods have smiled on me and they've brought Kermode forward today. So I sit here and enjoy the hour. Joyous.

Hulk - angry Shrek. Funny.
M Night Shalamar. Funny.

Update - rain stopped. Tennis on. Booo

Today website relaunch, but oh, what a crappy logo.

Today, the highlight of Radio 4's news service, receives a website redesign in keeping with the new minimalist Beeb. And it's all very good, except for the logo. I'm looking at it trying to work out why they felt the need to make the o special.
Am I missing something? Some special meaning that escapes me?

Stephen Fry on the future of the Beeb

The latest in the esteemed Mr Fry's blessays is up here. It's the text of hi sspeech on the Fuure Of Public Service Broadcasting. And it's well worth a read:

It begins thus.....

Before I can even think to presume to dare to begin to expatiate on what sort of an organism I think the British Broadcasting Corporation should be, where I think the BBC should be going, how I think it and other British networks should be funded, what sort of programmes it should make, develop and screen and what range of pastries should be made available in its cafés and how much to the last penny it should pay its talent, before any of that, I ought I think in justice to run around the games field a couple of times puffing out a kind of “The BBC and Me” mini-biography, for like many of my age, weight and shoe size, the BBC is deeply stitched into my being and it is important for me as well as for you, to understand just how much. Only then can we judge the sense, value or otherwise of what I am saying.

Read on...

Sunday mornings, the Archers. Happy memories

The Archers is always a joy to listen to and something that I really don't do often enough. It all comes from childhood. The Archers was never missed at older Bruton Mansions. Whatever happened Radio 4 was on in the background and the unmistakable music came pouring out. Happy memories.
So, although I don't listen to it as often as I'd really like, when I do, it's like sinking back into a comfortable coccoon of childhood.

I was looking forward to listening to the Mark Kermode podcast....

Every Friday I'm meant to have the afternoon off.
Well, I'm meant to finish at 1pm. This means I can get home, put the kettle on, have a relaxed lunch and chill out before going to pick Molly up at 3:35. Of course, it rarely gets to be like this. Usually I finish more like 2 or 2:30. This means I barely have time for the coffee before rushing out again.

But later ona Friday night I always clear a slot of time to listen to the Simon Mayo / Mark Kermode film reviews podcast. Kermode is one of those reviewers whose views on a film I find I'm rarely in disagreement with. And the half hour plus with Mayo on Radio 5 is never less than thoroughly entertaining radio.

But today I got 5 minutes in and just deleted it. Because not only is Mayo on holiday, but so is Kermode. I can cope with Mayo's replacement, Gabby Logan. But the thing that made me turn off was Kermodes replacement:


Hardeep Singh Kohli. Smug. Annoying. Patronising and boring. Please let Kermode be back next week.

Spending all day on the Internet doubting everything I read. It's April Fools Day.

The big problem with April Fools Day now is that you spend all day asking yourself "is that a practical joke?"

So far:
Google.au looks into the future.
Virgle - the Virgin/Google project to get you to Mars.
G-Mail custom time
Boing Boing's Heathrow homeless story.
and my favourite of the day so far: BBC iPlayer with it's special penguins.

And then there's this one:
Guido Fawkes telling us that Boris Johnson will be stepping in for Dave Cameron for PMQs tomorrow. I really, really want this to be true. And if it is I shall be tuning in for what may be the finest bit of comedy this year.
(Update 02 April - sadly, no Boris. William Hague instead proving the old adage shown by John Major that when Tory politicians give up their ambition, they turn into intelligent, reasonable and interesting people.)

No doubt there shall be many more, oh so hilarious things going on today.
I shall try not to laugh too hard over them all.

You're just wrong: Daily Telegraph on John Peel's legacy.

I read this tonight and it just makes me angry.
The Telegraph has printed an obvious bit of deliberately obnoxious filler column by Michael Henderson about John Peel.
It starts off thus:

There is something embarrassing, to be frank, unmanning, about the inscription on the memorial to John Peel, the broadcaster, who passed away four years ago. Freshly carved in a Suffolk graveyard, the stone reads: "Teenage dreams so hard to beat". Strictly speaking, there should be a comma after "dreams", those phantoms that are, apparently, "so hard to beat". But, whatever else he did in his 65 years, before his unfortunate death on holiday in Peru, Mr Peel did not speak strictly. On this occasion, therefore, and making further allowance for the fact that the line is borrowed from a pop song, it is permissible to overlook that solecism.All the same, it is embarrassing. The man lived 65 years, and in that time he must have had the kind of experiences that bring a few drops of wisdom; at the very least, a smattering of self-knowledge. Yet he chose to be remembered by the words of a song that, like the adolescent dreams they are supposed to evoke, are thoroughly wet.

And continues in the same vein for the rest of the article.
It's just wrong and seems stupidly spiteful, as if the writer is angry at Peel for something he's missed in his own life.
All I want to add to the impassioned defense of the Teenage Kicks blog is that I doubt that in years to come they'll be quite so many people as affected by the body of work by Michael Henderson as have been by that of John Peel.

The Christmas number 1 is........soulless, bland, miserable, predictable and horrible.

Well thank you Simon bloody Cowell for yet again polluting our idea of Christmas with another of your insipid, no talent, no excitement, shit-idol winners.

This year's Christmas #1 is that bland bloke off the X-Factor.

Do you remember when Christmas number 1s used to be exciting things? Do you remember the words to all of the great Christmas songs? Does the memory of Wham's last Christmas or Band Aid or Slade bring back happy Christmas memories?
They do for me. I can sing along happily with them all, reliving Christmases past and present. But Molly can't. Molly wont have that same memory of Christmas because so far, all she knows about the Christmas number 1 is that it's always some talentless talent show winner. There's nothing special, nothing memorable about it.

The one ray of light in all this talentless show gloom is that this year the chart is awash with old Christmas songs, proving to all and sundry what a Christmas number one should be about.
Baa Humbug.

Happy Birthday Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4

Many happy returns. Okay, so Radio 3 isn't my thing, but I've never known a time without some reliance on the other 3 stations.

I'm just spending 2 very happy hours with Radio 1 reliving the Sunday night Annie Nightingale and Annie Mac doing the Sunday request show.
Every Sunday I'd be at my desk (no change there then) doing homework to the request show. I even had the Cure's Lullaby played for me in 1989 - I think it was the first play of the single.
Of course, no mention of Radio 1 would be complete without a mention of the much loved and still much missed John Peel. Many nights of listening to his shows, not liking a lot of the music but being introduced to so much great music by the great man.
The station just seems lessened by his absence. Of course, his legacy is maintained by a host of online sites, my fave being John Peel Everyday.

Happy Birthday. BBC Radio is such an important piece of British culture. The license fee is worth it just for these 4 stations alone.

Clive James Interviews - Posey Simmonds

Clive James interviews - here at Slate. Interviewing the way it used to be on TV and now is only ever found on the radio. Two people simply talking face to face. So easy to do, but so difficult to do this right.

Thanks to Pete for the link.
But I'm just typing this after having watched the every interesting Posey Simmonds I know I'm now going off to waste a huge chink of tonight watching lots of the other interviews. PJ O'Rourke next I think.

Clive James Illustration by Joe Ciardiello

More BBC goodies for you; Futureshock, the Story of 2000AD on Radio 4

Futureshock: The Story of 2000AD
Saturday 22nd September 10:30-11:00 Radio 4.

Phill Jupitus tells the story of 2000AD. In half an hour. Wow. He's going to have to talk really fast.

(via down the tubes)

Radio 1 is 40 years old. Legends to guest DJ ....... Legends?

Radio 1 is 40 years old this year and to celebrate their getting 4 legends to take part as guest DJs on the station.
Spot the odd ones out in this list......

Monday 17th: Paul McCartney
Tuesday 18th: Dave Grohl
Wednesday 19th: Gwen Stefani
Thursday 20th: Paul Weller
Friday 21st: Paul Oakenfold
Monday 24th: Noel Gallagher
Tuesday 25th: Debbie Harry
Wednesday 26th: Arctic Monkeys
Thursday 27th: Ozzy Osborne
Friday 28th: Fatboy Slim

Excuse me? Gwen bloody Stefani? The Arctic fucking Monkeys? Legends?
Fatboy Slim, Noel Gallagher and Paul Oakenfold are dubious enough but some little pop-ska diva and a band only just out of bloody nappies?
It appears it's taken just 40 years for senility to creep in there.

Even sadder is the Keeping it Peel show they've tacked on to the end of the days programming on Sunday 30th September. It just highlight how much he's still missed.
I'm currently making my way through a dvd of Peel Shows that was given to me by Gary at John Peel Everyday. But time and time again, when I'm listening to a show, it strikes me that we who were able to hear Peel in our lifetimes were so very lucky.
This feeling is only hightened by the occasional times I try to listen to night time Radio 1 nowadays. Horrible shouty shouty shitheads.

Benefits of Broadband part 1 (probably of 1): Radio 4

For years and years I've always said I should listen to more Radio 4. I know I should listen to Radio 4 more, I always mean to, but it's no good trying to listen to it at work; too many distractions to concentrate. And then I often find that the night schedule is, to be frank, often a touch crap.

But now I have broadband.
Now I can use the wonderful listen again function.

Today I caught the latest edition of Chain Reaction with Mark Thomas interviewing Alexi Sayle.
Then two episodes of the Now Show
Later Charm Offensive
So much radio, so little time ........

Stephen Fry on punning....

Listened to the great Mr Stephen Fry do a documentary on puns on Radio4 (probably still available on the listen again function on the radio player).

Stephen Fry's best pun / play on words was a definition of Countryside : "to kill Kelvin McKenzie". Blessed be Mr Fry.

John Peel blogs.....

Perusing the Guardian guide yesterday in the motorway service station, I came across a list of some excellent Peel blogs.
Being the lovely person I am I pocketed the guide with the intent to post them later on. My thinking being that they're more likely to be clicked on if I post them than if some trucker spills his coffee and lard breakfast over them.

John Peel Everyday - a huge amount of Peel stuff here.
The Perfumed Garden - audio links to peel sessions, some fantastic stuff.
The Run Out Groove - more of the same..
The Furtive 50 - looks at Peel's much loved and much missed Festive 50.

All wonderful.
I'll be clicking and downloading a lot tomorrow at school I think.

Margrave of the Marshes - John Peel

Margrave of the Marshes (Amazon Link)

Got this last year and have just re-read it. It's a spectacularly quick read, entertaining and yet another reason to miss the man himself.

The first part, completed by Peel before his untimely death is everything you expected it to be. Peel wrote as he talked and as he presented; with enough of himself coming through to make it seem like he's in the room with you.

Unfortunately the first person narrative finishes before he gets back to the BBC. But he gives enough fascinating detail about future events to make you intrigued to know what he intended for the remainder of the book. Such a shame.

The remainder of the book, finished by Sheila and the family falls somewhat flat, but that's not really surprising. After all, who could replace him? That's certainly been proven on Radio 1, where his slot has just been increasingly diluted, messed around and ignored, one great man's vision replaced by inferior copyists who seem content to marginalise and ghetto-ise music. Horrible.