TELEVISION PREVIEW
overlooking the fact that vast numbers of Scots work in the media in London,’ he continues. ‘But I had a secret weapon they’d overlooked. I said: “Sorry to disappoint you, but I would like you to know that Her Ladyship, Madame there, Mrs Jamieson, happens to be as Scottish as you are!” She was born in Dennistoun, so that
' shut ’em up.’
i The reaction from the South has been ) perplexed too. ‘People who’ve never
5 been to Glasgow say: “What do you
i want to go there for - it sounds
é dreadful.” They’ve still got some
2 image of the Gorbals in the 1930s. In
E Bethnal Green where I come from they think the Gorbals is some rival to the
TALK HAOIO
Do they mean us?
Derek Jamieson: it's OK — his other hall's Scottish
Yes, says Derek Jamieson, he’s aware of the adverse criticism his move to
Krays.’
Jamieson and his wile Ellen are holding court in One Devonshire Gardens to launch their relocated show (the first edition went out on Monday with Blythe Dutl singing the blues and Molly Weir guiding the Jamiesons through the pitfalls of living in Scotland).
‘The programme will have the same appeal to listeners in the south east of England or Auchtermuchty,’ says producer Norma Fraser, ‘but we’re
Glasgow has attracted in Scotland. It’s . going to introduce regional influences
tokenism, say the critics, moving a London-produced network radio show over the border without essentially changing the format of topical chat. It’s not making the network Scottish but making Scotland an intrinsic part
so there will be some flavour of Scotland coming through.’
‘I see the Jamiesons as pioneers,’ says Derek (it’s okay — you’re allowed to call him Derek). ‘We are proving that you can make a successful
of the network, goes the official reply. : Plogfamme nationally in Glasgow I“St
‘Why shouldn’t Jamieson work in Scotland?’ is Jamieson’s reply. ‘People actually had the temerity to say: “What is this blatant Cockney doing in Scotland?” conveniently
as well as Oxford Circus.’ (Fiona Shepherd)
The Jamiesons are on Radio 2, Mon-Thurs from 10.30pm.
HAOIO HIGHLIGHTS
I Friday Feature: Gift of Kings (Radio 3 ) Fri 7 Apr. 10.45pm. ‘Mirror experts' from all over the world. including a psychologist. a space technologist and a Japanese actor. reflect on narcissism. vanity and decadence and what tnakes the act of gazing at our irrrage in the mirror each day so impossible to resist. I The World Tonight: From Cold War to low World Order (Radio 4) Fri 7 Apr. 10pm. The statesmen who shaped American foreign policy during the Cold War conre under scrutiny in anew series that begins with George Kennan — the famous ‘Mr X' who penned the anonymous article that triggered the official post-war line on the Soviet Union. Here he talks to political scientist George Halliday about the dramatic shifts in opinion he has experienced over the course of his career. I In Celebration: Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls (Radio 4) Sat 8 Apr. 5.40pm. Famous fans of the eminently sookable sweeties invented for Wigan miners back in 1904 get together to explain the enduring attraction of this much-loved confection. Among them are singer Mike Harding. who has quite literally sung the praises of these minty gems. and infamous ex-Chief of police James Andertorr. I New Spies for Dld?: Spies and Spy- Tech (Radio 4) Tue 11 Apr. 8.30pm. Felix Rodriguez. the CIA contract agent best known as the mart who tracked down Che Guevara. comes under the spotlight in the last of this series looking at the role of the old-fashioned spy in modern-day politics. I Soundtrack: GII’I Gang (Radio 4) Thurs 13 Apr. 7.20pm. Recent tabloid headlines sounding alarm bells about the threat of girl gangs in Britain’s inner cities come
rrrrder investigation as Soundtrack pay a visit to the stamping ground of a group of East End girls with a history of delinquent behaviour.
‘ I Private Passions (Radio 3) Sat 15 Apr.
noon. Find out the tunes that make Dennis
Healey cry. and the songs that inspire PD.
James. in this new show that promises to be Desert Island Discs minus the desert
i island. First to delve deep into his record E collection is singer. songwriter and record
1
producer Elvis Costello.
I Mel Blanc: Bugs Bunny’s Best Friend (Radio 2) Sun 16 Apr. 2.03pm. Mel Blane. the voice behind the twangy Brooklyn accent of Bugs Bunny. is the subject of this one-off profile by Rolf Harris. Blane, who died in I969. notched up over a thousand cartoon voices during his remarkable career. the ‘desthpicable' Daffy Duck. Elmer Fudd the egghead who couldn’t catch a ‘wabbit' and Sylvester the cat.
I Marika (Radio 3) Mon 17 Apr. 9pm. Marika Rivera. daughter of the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. looks back over a colourful life as painter. dancer. singer and story-teller as she talks to writer Patricia Cleveland-Peck. Now 75 and living in Ealing, West London she recalls a youth spent dancing with Isadora Duncan. posing nude in nightclubs and seeking refuge from the Nazis.
I Mental Health Season: Don’t Fence Me
i In (Radio 4) Tue 18 Apr. 7.20pm. Michael
Palin takes a probing look at the idea of madness as part of the BBC's current ‘Mental Health Season’. Unveiling a specially comrnisioned MORI survey, he asks how society’s attitudes towards ‘the last taboo' have changed over the years and speaks to those who‘ve experienced the psychiatric system first-hand. (Ellie Carr)
Some of you do it once a year at Superbowl time. Apparently, others indulge whenever a General Election rolls around. For such occasions you may take the next day off work. get some beers in. even invite friends over so you can holler at the television together. But was there anybody — anybody - siezed by a burning desire to party through to the wee small hours to watch the BBC‘s as-it-happens coverage of the Academy Awards“?
In his inevitable capacity as the Beeb‘s anchor for The Oscars - Live (BBC2) shindig. Barry Norman‘s job was to fill frantically whenever the ceremony proper halted for a commercial break. It was a task he attempted in a number of ways. First. there were Barry’s Oscar Questions. directed with alarming regularity at whoever he managed to collar walking past his table: 1) ‘So. what do you make of the ceremony so far — I mean as an actual show?‘ and 2) ‘So, what do you make of [insert name of British nominee]’s chances in the next category‘?‘
Then there was Barry's Oscar Thought. repeated as a kind of mantra throughout the night. that Forrest Group and Pulp Fiction represented two sides of the State of America — the former a head-in-the-sand. rose-tinted ‘hey. everything‘ll be alright. goddammit this is America‘ view, while the other presented things the way they really are. That’s right. be praised Pulp Fiction for its realism. Also in fine form was Film 95's American correspondant Tom Brook. who conducted some probing encounters with the stars. Well, what would you ask Tom Hanks? How about: ‘Do you see Forrest Camp and Pulp Fiction as the light and dark sides of the same coin?‘ or perhaps: ‘Do you feel that the phenomenal success of Forrest Camp in the United States is yet another indication of a pervasive national tendancy toward denial?’ or maybe even: ‘Why are you so crap?‘ No. thought Brook, what the British public really want to know is: ‘Why do you always thank your wife in your acceptance speeches?‘ Nice one. And for this I missed The Munsters Today.
Still, it wasn't all bad. There was the fun of charting Barry's journey from a state of extreme where‘s-my-auto-cue- when-l-need-it nervousness at the start ofthe night through to . . . well, to be honest he looked a bit pissed by the end. And then there was the wonderful
Alan Parker who. after disagreeing with Barry’s observation that a sadly frail director Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow Up. The Passe/Leer) was looking pretty good actually. handed back to the awards action with the memorable link: ‘Time for another bunch of sick people.‘ Hooray for Hollywood!
Apparently taking his acting cues from some irony-free version of Roger Moore. Bugs (BBC 1) heralded the return to the screen of Craig McLachlan. of Neighbours and Home and Away fame. (His on-screen colleagues Jaye Griffiths and Jesse Birdsall also have soap connections in The Bill and Eldorado respectively.) McLachlan's role as the daredevil in a trio of. ahern. high-tech crimcbuster‘s, offers the best opportunity for playing spot-the-stuntman since the golden days of The l’rofessio/utls y'know. he‘s paragliding/scaling a tall building/ flying a helicopter under a bridge etc. so we get a long shot of the action. swiftly followed by a tight. teeth gritted close up shakily filmed from just beneath his manly chin. No surprise then to find that Brian Clemens. creator of The Professionals and The Avengers, acted as a consultant on the production.
But the show‘s real stars are the exciting. Bond-like surveillance gadgets employed by this unorthodox bunch in their fight against international evil-doers. Sorry. don't know what came over rrre just then. Bugs is strangely, worryingly. anachronistic television. From it‘s sinister Eastern-Europeans as enemy paranoia, through to its distinctly A- Team portrayal of death. ie it happens off—screen and without consequence. This first episode had a body-count of six: two in a burning helicopter. one blown apart by an explosive in his jacket pocket (potentially funny. granted). one shot in the stomach. and two in a car plummeting off the end of an unfinished road. Not that itjust fell. of course. No. it shot straight up and exploded in mid-air. just like it would in real life.
If like sortie of Clemens's other. classic shows. Bugs was camped way up. it could be pretty good. As it is, the only thing it seems to share with his older works formula. is the ‘funny bit' at the end ofeach episode. Too awful to contemplate.
Hurrah! Absolutely Fabulous (BBC 1) is back! Jane Hor'rocks with a small dog in a handbag! Respect! (Damien Love)
78 The List 7-20 Apr 1995