First post back after a long break and where to start? I was feeling like The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year, except that a year didn’t seem long enough; it was all I could do to drag myself downstairs and summon the energy for my first proper coughing fit. But now I’m better, it’s given me a new-found respect for people with ME. I don’t know how they cope.
I spent much of the time watching TV. I caught up with the whole of Keeping Faith; not a bad series except that it was hard to fathom people’s motives. Evan was a lantern-jawed, expressionless man who did terrible things for no reason and Faith spent most of her time gazing moodily into space before screaming out a huge steaming pile of heavily-accented invective (I needed subtitles for most of it) and rushing off to apply a fresh layer of lipstick. It was fun to watch though and Celiac Imrie was delightfully villainous as Faith’s mother. It all ends in a bloodbath and a barbie on the beach.
But! Compare and contrast with the astonishing Line of Duty. Can that series get any more stonking? I spent the whole of March catching up with previous series and I’m now like the rest of the population, reduced to one episode a week, six days spent gagging for the next.
This is TV drama at its best. Other than that I’ve been avoiding most of the OTT Prince Phillip coverage; once you’ve heard one Nicholas Witchell statement you’ve heard them all – and besides, I didn’t like the man, though it seems churlish to say so. It is amusing though to hear people try to recast his racist gaffes as the jokes of a man ill-at-ease, not to mention explaining away his Alpha Male instincts. But that’s always the way with the royals.
What amused me most were the 116 people who took the trouble to complain to the BBC about how easy it is to complain. Off with their heads, say I. It may seem hard Ma’am, but I do think a little bit of choppy, choppy…
Oh yes, we’ve been watching Blackadder as well.
Kirk out
Sarada Gray 
I’m glad you’re feeling a bit better, Sarada. I haven’t caught up with previous series of Line of Duty subsequent to the first two which were shown on ‘live’ TV, but I decided to watch the latest series, even though I might get some plot spoilers from the ones yet unseen; meh: I’ve enough to be concerned about, and that seems too trivial. The current one is very good, though: being an [occasional] actor, I should be able to watch with professional detachment, but I can’t help but get involved; which, if nothing else, must be some sort of endorsement for the production. An episode of A Touch of Frost [“Endangered Species”], in which I had a couple of lines, was on the main ITV channel on Friday evening, but I don’t get any repeat fees for it, which is somewhat irritating.
I’ve studiously avoided all the ‘royal’ coverage over the past week. Apparently, a large number of people complained to the BBC about how the schedules were hijacked in the deluded belief that ‘the nation’ shares the royal family’s presumed grief; this should be the ideal time for a sensible, adult discussion about the possibility of a change from hereditary monarchy when the current incumbent passes on and, ideally, before the succession is just imposed as a matter of expectation, but I really can’t see it happening, much as I would like it to. I despair of our country, at times like this. Cheers, Jon.
I agree with you on the monarchy. I didn’t know you acted. How did you get into that?
Glad you’re back. I didn’t watch the coverage last week, and wasn’t going to watch the funeral, but came in and caught it for about an hour and a half from around half past two and was captivated by the grand spectacle and particularly the music – the funeral march and the four voices. As regards monarchy v republic, well, there would still need to be a head of state. We ask a great deal of our hereditary Royal Family but at least it puts things above politics and corruption. President Cameron anyone? President Blair? Even President Attenborough. I would really despair of our country then.
That is indeed something that would need to be discussed
I have the whole of Blackadder on DVD, but as my wife hates it, I can only watch it alone. I watch ‘Keeping Faith’ just to look at Eve Miles. I think she’s gorgeous! Did you know that she is married in real life to the actor who plays Ewan? They also film every scene twice. Once in Welsh, and again in English. In Wales, it is only shown in Welsh.
I love Line of Duty, even enough to forgive the unrealistic portrayal of the size of the ‘Anti-Corruption Units’. The mainstay is the excellent casting, such as in the current series with the inclusion of Kelly Macdonald and Anna Maxwell Martin.
Best wishes, Pete.
I did not know those things about Keeping Faith.
And how could anyone hate Blackadder?
My wife hates all comedy shows, she makes no distinctions. 🙂
All? Even Dad’s Army? Fawley Towers? The Vicar of Dibley?
Every single one. And every comedian who does stand up too. *With one exception*. She really likes Peter Kay! 🙂
Weird
Mind you, I can’t stand The Vicar Of Dibley! 🙂
Argh! How could you?
I like Dawn, but I thought it was too ‘Twee’. Too 1960s. 🙂
Twee! 🙂 🙂