A listing of selected television and radio broadcasts, with a deliberate emphasis on culture and intellectual programmes.

Highlights of the week The Mary Rose, OJ Simpson, Karl Jenkins, Lauren Laverne amongst starkers people, Fine Time Fontayne, and lots of Harry Potter stuff.

Regulars
Composer of the Week (Radio 3, noon): Gluck
Book of the Week (Radio 4, 9.45am and 12.30am): Istanbul, by Orhan Pamuk. Read by Michael Maloney.
Woman's Hour Play (Radio 4, 10.45am and 7.45pm): Soldiers' Wives, by Sarah Daniels. Set in the recent Iraq conflict.
Book at Bedtime (Radio 4, 10.45): Minaret, by Leila Abouela. From Sudan to London. Read by Adjoa Andoh. (Second of two weeks).

Saturday

11.45 Friday pm ITV Live from the Castle

News of the Jackanory revival is a little premature, but that's not stopped ITV from getting JK Rowling in to read from her latest work. The first in the channel's new Bedtime Stories strand.

10.30am Radio 4 Don't Mention the War

Especially if you're a comic.

6pm BBC7 Journey Into Space

The World In Peril (part nine). The crew are being held captive on one of the Martian moons.

6pm Eurosport 2 Tug-o-war

Yes, really.

7.20 BBC-2 The Secrets of the Mary Rose

Timewatch tries to re-construct life on the ship, in the days before Margaret Rule spent all day swimming around it.

7.30 Radio 3 Prom 2

A Gilbert and Sullivan night, including a full production of HMS Pinafore.

8pm Radio 4 Eyes In the Sky

The Archive Hour reflects on how satellites have changed history.

8.30 BBC-4 Court on Camera

An investigation into the role of the camera in the court-room. Does it pervert justice? O J Simpson's lawyer discusses.

9.10 BBC-1 (TV) Are You Younger Than You Think?

Des Lynam asks people if they've discovered the secret to eternal youth.

Sunday

4.30 Radio 4 Behind the Book

Joan Bakewell pretends to be part of the LiteraTecs, to-day tracing the story behind Coleridge's Lyrical Ballads.

5pm Classic FM Tea-time Concert

Including Karl Jenkins' Palladio and The Armed Man, and Einaudi's Nefeli. Oh, and some Arvo Part.

5.30pm ITV The JK Rowling Interview

By asking to be interviewed by a child, Ms Rowling clearly expected to be getting a fairly easy ride. In young Owen Jones, it looks like she's met her match.

7pm BBC-2 Top of the Pops

It's not Friday, it's not still number one, but it is hosted by Fearne Cotton. Let's be thankful for small mercies.

8pm Channel 4 The British Middle Class

Tristram Hunt looks at the bit in the middle. No prizes for guessing what's up next week.

9pm BBC-2 Car Nation

Last week's was weird, with the anti-road protester and the bypass-at-any-costs lady.

10.40 ITV The People's Channel

Entertainment and comedy, so lots on Cilla, Antan, Beadle, and a long look at all those sitcom flops.

10.30 BBC-3 Naked City

Spencer Tunick is filling the streets of Gateshead with starkers people. Is it better art than the BBC's election map, and which of Paddy O'Connell and Lauren Laverne will be shedding their kit?

Monday

3pm Eurosport 2 Dragon Boat Racing

Yes, really.

5pm BBC-1 Blue Peter

Back so soon, and Liz Barker will be reviewing the new Harry Potter book.

5pm Radio 3 The Proms

The Valkyrie in one night. Also on BBC-4 from 7.30.

8pm Radio 4 After the Goldrush

Remembering the high hopes for North Sea oil.

Tuesday

10pm Discovery Comet Impact

A slightly fuller version than Patrick Moore offers. But not as entertaining.

Wednesday

11am Radio 4 Mishkids

Edi Stark talks to the children of missionaries.

9pm Radio 4 The Moon Trees

In search of trees planted from seeds that went to the moon on Apollo 14.

Thursday

3.45 Radio 4 Being Yourself

Nigel and Earl are no longer sorting out the world, and they couldn't make a worse job than the people who are trying. Fine Time Fontayne, who played Earl in the seminal Radio 5 drama, looks for people who share his name. Or Ian Crossley, as he used to be known.

4.30 Radio 4 The Material World

Peter Firmin discusses how to protect Bagpuss from the ravages of old age and becoming more than a little saggy about the seams.

9pm Channel 4 Beslan

Dispatches tries to answer the questions behind the footage.

11pm Radio 4 Radio9

"This programme will not air as billed to-night. In its place is the programme that would have gone out."

11pm ITV Stealing a Nation

John Pilger examines the bizarre case of Diego Garcia.

Friday

9pm BBC-2 Coast

The thirteen-week circumnavigation of Britain's shoreline begins along the south coast, from Dover to Exmouth.

10pm BBC-4 The Wrecking Season

Beachcombing in North Cornwall.

permanent link
posted 14 Jul 2005, 18.01 +0100

Fifteen years after first launching a station for Coventry and Warwickshire, and ten years after merging the station into the Birmingham operation, the BBC has finally admitted the error of its ways. CWR has retained about five hours of separate operation since the unequal merger, but will finally return to full operation on 3 September.

The headling signings: Jon Gaunt will host the breakfast show - after successful work in Bedfordshire Three Counties, he's not quite made his mark on the GLR schedule. It's believed he'll continue boring the pants off people on WM on Saturday mornings. Liz Kershaw's on drivetime, that's the same Liz Kershaw who used to be the taller half of Bruno And Liz. And Trish Adudu will host a weekly not-quite-sport programme - she was one of the faces of Channel 5's sports coverage until the television station stopped doing news last year.

That line-up in full:

Weekdays
* 0500-0700 BBC Talent presenter (competition under way)
* 0700-1000 Jon Gaunt (from GLR)
* 1000-1300 Annie Othen (from breakfast)
* 1300-1600 Bob Brolly (as now)
* 1600-1900 Liz Kershaw (from 6 Music)
* 1900-2200 Anita Miah (from BBC Norfolk)
* 2200-0100 Jimmy Franks (shared with BBC WM)
* 0100-0500 Radio Five

Saturday
* 0500-0700 TBC
* 0700-1000 Will Hanrahan (erstwhile Watchdog, head of Hanrahan Media)
* 1000-1300 Trish Adudu (ex Five News)
* 1300-1400 Sport lead-in (TBC)
* 1400-1800 Sport
* 1800-0500 Share with BBC WM/Radio Five

Sunday
* 0500-0700 TBC
* 0700-1000 Will Hanrahan
* 1000-1300 Trish Adudu
* 1300-1400 The Best of Annie Othen
* 1500-1600 Arts/ Local bands (TBC)
* 1600-1900 Bob Brolly
* 1900-2000 Poles Apart
* 2000-2200 Nikki Tapper
* 2200-0500 As WM / Radio Five

permanent link
posted 15 Jul 2005, 10.30 +0100

A decent Lib Dem hold at the Cheadle by-election yesterday marks a minor rubicon for the third party - it's held its seat at two consecutive by-elections for the first time since the war.

Part of this run comes from a share of good fortune - Patsy Calton was only the fourth Liberal / Alliance / Lib Dem MP to die in office. Had the Liberals had the same mortality rate as members of the other parties, we would have had at least eight by-elections in Liberal seats since the 1945 election.

The stories are as follows. Hopkin Morris had held Carmarthen by less than 500 votes at the '50 and '51 elections, and a strong personal vote pushed his majority past 3000 in the '55 contest. His death in November 1956 came just weeks after Clem Thomas had been replaced as party leader by Jo Grimmond, and while the political world was reeling from the Suez crisis. Carmarthen's Liberals selected John Morgan Davies as their candidate, a man who had been strongly in favour of Britain's intervention in Suez. The Labour party fielded Megan Lloyd George, daughter of the former prime minister, and a lady who had been a Liberal party member until recently. She overturned the majority and was returned as the Carmarthen member; the seat has since become a battle-ground between Labour and Plaid Cymru.

Montgomeryshire was Clem Thomas's seat. Though he, like Hopkin Morris, had only been able to hold their seats during the early 50s thanks to a non-intervention policy from the Conservative party under Churchill and Eden, his personal popularity sufficed to ensure his re-election against two opponents in '59. The by-election came just two months after Eric Lubbock's historic victory at Orpington, and the Liberals were clearly back on the political radar. The seat was retained by a considerable majority.

The by-election in Mitcham and Morden was caused by the honour of Bruce Douglas-Mann, and a particularly unfortunate set of circumstances. He won his seat by a whisker in 1979, and defected from Labour to sit as an Independent SDP member in December 1981, and resigned his seat in May 1982 in order to seek re-election. The election in June came during the thick of hostilities in the Falklands conflict, and resulted in Angela Rumbold taking the seat; she would hold it until it returned to Labour in the 1997 election.

David Penhaligon, the MP for Truro since October 1974, had been tipped as a possible future leader of the Liberal party, a rival for Paddy Ashdown and Alan Beith when David Steel stepped down. His career was cut short just before Yuletide 1986, when he was killed in a car accident. Matthew Taylor retained the seat at the by-election, and in the general election three months later, and hasn't looked back since.

Winchester It's my understanding that the special election held in Winchester in November 1997 was in place of a void poll in the May general election. I'd therefore argue that the seat was still nominally Conservative, even though the Lib Dems had won the earlier poll by two (2) votes.

permanent link
posted 15 Jul 2005, 18.43 +0100

Right, what's been happening while I've been away...

Hatfield Six Go Free. After a full hearing into the clear corporate negligence that led to 2000's derailment at Hatfield, the judge trying the case has decreed that the jury may not find the directors guilty of manslaughter. Mr Mackay declined to explain his reasons, and we trust that it will be overturned or explained by a more competent court.

Still on the rails, Stephen Byers confirms his mendacity, telling the court that he was aware of discussions to take Railtrack private before summer 2001. The admission - which Mr Byers will explain to the Commons next week - comes during a trial where the government stands accused of forcing Railtrack into insolvency to force a nationalisation by the back door.

Laksmi Mittal, the man responsible for the 2002 embarrassment to the Labour party, has donated £2 million to the party. The phrase, "What's he after?" springs to mind. Last time, it was Mister Blair's support for his steel-making operations in Romania.

Roy Meadow has been thrown out by the doctor's governing body. OFDOC agreed that Mr Meadow had not intended to mislead during some now-famous cot death trials in the early 90s, but nevertheless had made grave errors in his handling of statistics. His use of statistics "may have seriously under-mined the authority of doctors giving expert evidence". In order to protect non-retired medics, he's been slung off of the doctor list.

In entertainment news, former game show host Robert Kilroy-Shaft is to be challenged as leader of his own vanity party. Yes, it appears that there's more than one person in Veritas Party Leader Robert Kilroy-Shaft, and he's a tad unhappy with the way Mr Kilroy-Shaft has been swanning about as though it was his name on the door. There will be a show of hands at the party conference at the Pig and Whistle, Erewash, on the first Saturday in October.

Has anyone seen any clear thought and cogent discussion about the G8 declaration last week? Thought not.

It emerged that FARCE troops were ordered to stay away from London last week, but this ban was overturned after it leaked to the British press. Being intimidated not only by pisspoor terrorists, but also by the Daily Hell. Are these troops led by Mister Blair, too?

The government response is to publish new proposals. At 4pm on a Friday afternoon. Are they trying to stifle debate or something? Yet another anti-terrorism bill will come before parliament later in the year (at least the fifth since 2000). Proposed new offences include:
"indirect incitement to terrorism" - a crime to glorify or condone terrorism if the intention is to incite people to take part in attacks.
"acts preparatory to terrorism" - a crime to plan or prepare for a terror act, intent to acquire chemicals or with instructions on how to produce a bomb.
"banning terrorist training" in the UK or elsewhere.

Charles In Charge declined to speak to the minister, sending instead his odious henchman Hazel Bleargut. She said direct incitement to carry out terror attacks was already outlawed, but less clear-cut indirect statements would be covered by the new laws. "For example, saying isn't it marvellous this has happened and these people are martyrs - not direct incitement to do something but something that could be construed by someone as giving an endorsement of terrorism." She acknowledged that any prosecution would have to prove strong intent to incite terror acts and said ministers were treading a fine line. Indeed they are: it would be very easy to arrest Mister Blair and the entire British armed forces if one cared to deem the invasion of Iraq a terrorist act, for instance.

The police claim to know who carried out last week's bombings in London. This smells rather strange, as the identifications appear to be based purely on personal identification found at the bomb sites. Identification that has survived a rather large bomb blast, sufficient to do unspeakable things to mere mortals. If this is so, how come other people aren't being identified from documents about their person. And how come one person was able to be in Aldgate and Edgware Road. At the same time.

Oh, and what happened to the idea that the bombs were detonated by timers, or by mobile phones (well, apart from the Piccadilly line, where mobiles don't work)? If these really were suicide bombers, how the hell did three of these explosions take place within seconds of each other?

I'm reminded of the passport of one of the alleged World Trade Centre hi-jackers, which was (apparently) found some streets away. And that this is, surely, the last nail in the coffin of the central identity register - the authorities claim that these people had been flying beneath their radar, thus demonstrating that the register is as useless at "fighting terror" as waving a wet flannel on the Hangar Lane gyratory system.

The police have also been raiding some houses in Leeds and Aylesbury. They reckon they've found the highly explosive and volatile substance that powered the bombs. Semtex? No. Dynamite? No. TNT? Nope. Eludium Q-36 explosive subterranian modulators? Not a chance. No. The explosions were powered by acetone peroxide. Yes, the combination of nail polish remover and hair bleach is enough to do all this damage. We need to close down the entire cosmetics and make-up business, for obvious reasons. Oh, and I think my Kenickie CD might also have become contraband.

No. Sorry. This won't wash. It's all far too neat, far too simple to be above suspicion.

permanent link
posted 16 Jul 2005, 14.33 +0100

After a short hiatus caused by the world cup qualifiers (Scotland took the ICC trophy by beating Ireland; Bermuda, Canada, and the Netherlands will also be in the Caribbean the spring after next), it's back to proper test matches. First destination is Colombo, where Sri Lanka beat the West Indies by a distance. The Windies had sent a development squad, but started well. Chanderpaul made 69 of a total of 285, but Malinga took three quick wickets, finishing with figures of 4/71. Sri Lanka were bowled for 227, Jermaine Lawson taking 4/75. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers took three wickets on the second day, and secured the initiative for their team. The visitors were dismissed for 113 - Muralitheran taking 6/36. Sri Lanka made heavy weather of their target, thanks to some more tricky bowling from Lawson, but reached 172 for the loss of four wickets. Moral victory to the West Indies, but actual victory to the Sri Lankans.

permanent link
posted 16 Jul 2005, 14.33 +0100

Three highlights from yesterday's radio schedules.

Any Questions? I'd expected the clash between George Galloway RESPECT, Bethnal Green and Colleen Graffy Republicans Abroad, UK to be entertaining. And it was, oh it was. In an episode dominated by questions about last week's bombings, George had every chance to rant and rail against the policies of the Republicans. It's what we pay him for, and it's a job he does spectacularly well. Colleen took the attacks as a personal affront, and re-heated some allegations about George's relationship with the Iraqi government. Presenter Jonathan Bumblebey had to break into one of Colleen's rants to say that the BBC didn't associate itself with such libels. It's possible that Galloway v Graffy will have its day in the courts; the phrase "Does there have to be a winner?" springs to mind.

XFM has recently introduced The Week-ender, an early-evening collection of classic indie tunes. On a warm but not oppressive night like last night, it was the perfect soundtrack for a couple of hours.

Thence to HMS Pinafore, one of the Proms performances. I'd tipped this as something worth listening to, and that was without knowing the narrator was none other than Tim Brooke-Taylor. He rather stole the show, taking some slight liberties with the book.

permanent link
posted 17 Jul 2005, 11.25 +0100

British ambassador to the UN prevented from publishing his memoirs, reveals the Obs. Jeremy Greenstock was in post before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which he describes as "politically illegitimate." UN negotiations "never rose over the level of awkward diversion for the US administration."

Don't bother getting married is the message from "hundreds of hotels, banqueting halls and even some register offices," says to-day's Sindie. "More than a third of the venues currently used for marriage parties will refuse to let gay and lesbian couples celebrate civil partnerships when these become law later this year, according to the country's leading firm of gay wedding planners." Stonewall has already engaged solicitors to bring these bigots into line, and continues its call for actual equality, rather than the half-way house of "civil partnerships." "We are desperately disappointed that civil partnerships may be overshadowed by this prejudice. The Government could easily have solved the problem by amending the new protections for religious communities in the Equality Bill with similar protection for gay people."

permanent link
posted 17 Jul 2005, 11.29 +0100

Red faces at ROPRA this week. The people who make up the charts, the Royal Pop and Rock Association, still haven't worked out how to handle downloaded tracks properly. Their rules still insist on there being an equivalent physical single to buy, so download-only tracks from luminaries such as Mouldy Looking Stain and Mel C don't appear on the list. Worse, the rules do allow "incidental" downloads, where something other than the tune is sold. This week, Elton John's new release, Electricity, barely made the top 20 in the stores, but took a huge number of downloads. These digital distributions came about because there's a contest to do with whatever flick contains the track, and anyone who enters the competition for a valuable prize via SMS (at a cost of £pound;1.50) is entitled to download the song. On the combined list, Mr Sir John is third.

New at the top, the 1004th list leader, is James Blunt performing You're beautiful. It's the first song since the Outhere Brothers in summer 1995 to reach the top after debuting outside the top ten. Hurrah to the Editors, who put Blood into the top ten; to REM and Lemon Jelly, whose Wanderlust and Make things right land in the twenty; and even the Raveonettes, who find Love in a trash can just outside the twenty. Idlewild, the Paddingtons, and Clor make the forty; the Chemical Brothers and Rooster fall short.

On the continent, Us 5 land in the runner-up spot in Germany - they're the latest boy band, more Backstreet Boys than Take That. Which is a missed opportunity. Further proof (as if we needed it) of the taste of the Norwegians: Daniel Powter is their number one.

NETT

 20 16 Banaroo - Dubi dam dam
 19 15 Rob Thomas - Lonely no more
*18 NE K T Tunstall - Other side of the world
*17 NE Ilona Mitrecey - C'est les vacances
*16 re Hall and Oates - I'll be around
*15 13 Gwen Stefani - Hollaback girl
 14 10 Black Eyed Peas - Don't funk with my heart
*13 18 Charlotte Church - Crazy chick
 12 11 Natalie Imbruglia - Shiver
 11 14 Raphael - Caravanne
*10 17 Kelly Clarkson - Since you've been gone
* 9  7 Daniel Powter - Bad day
  8  4 Ilona Mitrecey - Un monde parfait
* 7 12 James Blunt - You're beautiful
* 6  3 U2 - City of blinding lights
  5  6 Akon - Lonely
  4  8 Shakira - La tortura
  3  5 Gorillas - Feelgood inc
  2  2 Coldplay - Speed of sound
* 1  1 Crazy Frog - Axel f

permanent link
posted 17 Jul 2005, 15.27 +0100

It's two years to-day since David Kelly was found dead in a wood in Oxfordshire. This post is dedicated to the memory of a man who stood up for what he believed to be right.

permanent link
posted 17 Jul 2005, 18.48 +0100

Again, a reasonably easy-to-predict week: exceedingly hot and uncomfortable weather, finally beaten back late in the week. I predicted Thursday for the change, it actually arrived on Friday. Any thunderstorms were sparked off by the heat, not the front.

11 Mo sun                 18/27,  0.0
12 Tu sun                 16/28,  0.0
13 We sun                 18/28,  0.0
14 Th sun to haze         17/29,  0.0
15 Fr sunny spells        18/24,  0.0
16 Sa sun                 15/23,  0.0
17 Su sun                 13/27,  0.0

No rainfall this week, significant or otherwise. An uncomfortably warm 39 degree cooling days this week, taking the summer's total to 137. This time last year, the figure was 63, and the summer's total 184.

Next week: the last of the warm weather will be swept away as a cold front comes down from the north-west during the course of to-morrow. Expect showers or longer periods of rain, unless you're in the south-east. Then we're looking to be at the mercy of a low travelling north of Scotland towards Norway, which will bring northerly winds and cold - but not wet - weather. By the week-end, there's a fair chance that the Azores high will be back over the UK, which could bring a day of light winds and some sunshine. Much will depend on the progress of low pressure areas off Newfoundland - if they make faster progress, it could be quite wet and/or cold.

permanent link
posted 17 Jul 2005, 18.49 +0100

older writing... write to