I forgot to watch Robert Peston’s new Sunday morning show. It’s hard to break the habit of watching Nicky Campbell’s low-brow, tabloid style, down-market antidote to those decorous political one-to-ones. It’s like an indecorous filling sandwiched between Two Andys.
The funniest article I’ve seen concerning Peston’s debut isn’t a review of the show itself, it’s Roy Greenslade accusing Quentin Letts of cruelty to Andrew Marr. The offending opening paragraph:
Sunday mornings just became a little madder and more metropolitan. Not only do we have Andrew ‘Captain Hop-Along’ Marr growling away on BBC1, throwing his arm about like a tipsy conductor.
Mocking the afflicted is a bit ‘Frankie Boyle, but the arm-throwing gesture is certainly worth a mention. I see it as olden-day, music-hall semaphore for ‘mark my words’ and it’s spookily reminiscent of Arthur Askey.
Come to think of it Marr is very like Arthur Askey. I bet he’d make a great job of “Busy Bee”
“Sting who you like but don’t sting me!”
Roy Greenslade said:
“I was full of admiration for Marr (and for the BBC) when he returned to presenting his show some eight months after his stroke. And no-one can deny that he remains a first-class interviewer.”
Hmm. No-one?
Nobody can deny? All together now: “For he’s a Jolly Good fellow.”
