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.”
And now the BBC News website has an article about it as Quentin has now said he's sorry. It really is among the headlines on the home page.
ReplyDeletehttp://tradingaswdr.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/spectacular.html?
ReplyDeleteIt is likely that mentioning Marr trying to get in a subordinate's kickers outside a nightclub due to an excess of weariness and emotion will also be deemed off limits post dodgy-ticker parade, much like many other areas that free speech no longer applies to. Apparently.
The no one can deny/is saying/etc meme by those elected and not elected to speak for the nation seems to be growing exponentially.
Roy Greenslade has apparently described himself as a "long-time supporter of Sinn Fein".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/debateni/ruth-dudley-edwards/you-can-depend-on-red-roy-greenslade-to-support-sinn-fein-30708728.html
I suppose on that basis he can claim to have some expertise in the cause disability, so many Sinn Feiners having done so much to increase the disabled community through their actions.