the day after the deadline: can the union survive brexit and other deep questions

Current programmes

Boomers (BBC One 2014–present)
Cheap Cheap Cheap (Channel 4 2017–present)
Derry Girls (Channel 4 2018–present)
Dinner Date (ITV 2010–2012, ITV Be 2014–present)
The Fake News Show (Channel 4 2017–present)
Have I Got News for You (BBC Two 1990–2000, BBC One 2000–present)
Room 101 (BBC Two 1994–2007, BBC One 2012–present)
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (Channel 4 1988–1998, ABC & ABC Family 1998–2007, The CW 2013–present)

the trailers for Derry Girls look mildly amusing but I think we could safely gulag these people anyway

Why do people not like Maconie?

It is not that I revere him myself. This week I heard him on radio asking listeners to text in about forgotten 1970s TV programmes and saying 'That's BRILLIANT!' about most of them, and also getting into some kind of debate about Tiswas.

So this was not poor quality. But is there something about him that people think more awful than the above?

tbf that second sentence mostly answers the first.

I don't feel strongly about him nowadays, he doesn't even seem omnipresent as a lightweight faux nostalgia talking head on TV any more. in that sense, Dennis Norden is a good comparison.

Stuart Maconie: C or D?

when I wrote 'this was not poor quality' I meant: this was poor quality.

I guessed that!

The Maconie thread reflects a time when he was, evidently, a 'lightweight faux nostalgia talking head on TV'.

I guess he vaguely represents a kind of cosy, restricted cultural incuriosity to me in the same way that Radio 6 does in general. But not even to generate actual spleen.

I partly agree. But then again he knows many, many things that I don't, inc. about music history.

I think one of his biggest flaws is an eagerness to please which, when he is presenting radio alone, comes across as very weak and sycophantic.

ok but the person bringing george steiner into the story is you not me -- or do you mean i made this remark in the pub or something?

(nevertheless i am glad to be quoted saying something about steiner and maconie, if not nordern, in radical philosophy)

(i am not really a maconie hater either -- he has always been nice about me, and he helped retweet the kickstarter with some kind gloss: what he does is not really my kind of thing, and i do think he sells himself short, actually maybe less so now than 15 yrs ago: with my former-wire-ed hat on the freak zone is a bit gatekeepery, but it's worlds away from IBAOTN)

Maconie's Freak Zone continues to be Good Content IMO

My former NME editor was INCENSED to discover SM wrote fake gig reviews while she ran the live pages and says she would have sacked him if she’d only known, this saving us from Cider With Roadies etc.

I would like a number of offences by NME writers who probably did attend the gigs to be taken into consideration.

so he actually wasn't at the same gig lol

Maconie is now largely promoting ignorable pipe-and-slippers fodder for ageing indie fans and lord knows there's enough demand for that right now, but whichever editor decided to pay him to write about politics should never be allowed to commission anyone again.

quick Google says he's a step-dad

he actually uses the phrase "legitimate concerns" straight-faced in that NS piece

he is the Big Chief Ispy equiv for the Ramblers now, i believe. and his new book is on the jarrow marches. so he does literally walk the walk.

and Cider with Roadies is one of the all-time great puns imo.

Just looked on Rory McGrath's Wikipedia and noticed:

In July 2013, McGrath received a caution for assaulting two people while he was "heavily in drink" in May that year.[8][9] On 26 January 2017, McGrath was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail, suspended for 18 months, for harassment.[10]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-38756508

Aside from his fronting as a jolly + amiable joker on various light entertainment shows for years, who could guessed that "eyes of oblivion" McGrath would be such a wretched and dangerous man?

so sorry sic, burning my chelmsford 123 box set rn to appease the gods of shit 90s comedy

I meant good morning as in more delightful schadenfreude for you to relish!

- https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/jan/12/john-humphrys-jokes-about-bbc-gender-pay-gap-in-leaked-off-air-recording

So, Humphrys is toast hopefully?

it was just banter, it's not like he's got a track record of publicly oh never mind

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/01/john-humphrys-criticised-suggesting-westminster-abuse-allegations/

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/10/18/bbcs-john-humphrys-criticised-for-suggesting-trans-women-are-men-who-think-they-are-women/

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/johanna-konta-interview_uk_596dc6c1e4b0e983c0589621

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/02/nick-robinson-spectacularly-mocks-john-humphrys-over-sensational/

The last time he did something shit I put it on facebook and a friend said he had a great deal of respect for him until then. So maybe there is hope that word will eventually get out.

Also very much doubt his producer will want to defend and deflect over this one, which is what usually happens.

...and on Today this morning; a fawning interview about the crown jewels, then Nigel Farage.

BBC4 have been running a lot of "drooling over the awesomeness of the monarchy" history docs during the last week

it's been bewilderingly retrograde and simplistic, the kind of thing you imagine being produced as cold war propaganda or something

I suspect a lot of people at the BBC have been quite keen to move Humphrys for some time now but no editor wants to be the one shooting the favourite old dog. Wouldn't be surprised if his pay has gone up over that time either.

Carrie Gracie's voice on Today has been such a refreshing change - warm, human, challenging, empathetic - like everything Evan Davis is supposed to be

xpost

Humphries is the fifth highest paid "talent" at the BBC.

https://news.sky.com/story/bbc-talent-full-list-of-highest-earners-10953675

it's been bewilderingly retrograde and simplistic

yeah that's what's been furrowing my brow, I've never seen so many monarchist historians in one place that's not the Yesterday channel

queen:"The crown is quite heavy, if I put my head down my neck would break".

fawning bbc arsewipes:"haw! haw! the excelsior of the season has arrived early, what an absolutely hilarious quip"

I was thinking of all the "Jane Grey vs Mary Tudor vs Elizabeth I vs Mary Queen of Scots" stuff which is just presented like a gossip show like Marx and social history never happened

...and on Today this morning; a fawning interview about the crown jewels, then Nigel Farage.

one's a euphemism for genitalia, and the other's the crown oh never mind

at least you can make a conscious decision to avoid all the ahistorical royal arselicking programs they put out, but when it's all over the news/current affairs shows there is a drastic need for radical change.

tbf I avoid the news/current affairs stuff mostly anyway

Hate listening is a sad habit of mine, probably should spend more time on R3 or WS.

...and on Today this morning; a fawning interview about the crown jewels, then Nigel Farage.

was the discussion about which one should be locked up in the tower of london?

the new humphrys thing seems at odds with this: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-07-19/john-humphrys-is-not-happy-about-the-strange-pay-disparity-on-the-today-programme/

"The Radio 4 presenter admits he would consider working for less after co-host Sarah Montague failed to make it onto the BBC's published list"

No10 clarify that Boris is speaking in a political capacity, and not on behalf of the Government. Despite him being the Foreign Secretary. Keep up. https://t.co/YbyPJPXKQY

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) January 12, 2018

Sorry this is the important bit:

The below has thrown No10 into a sudden flat spin. PM’s official spokesman currently unable to say whether Boris is speaking for the Govt. https://t.co/wD5Qa1dtJy

— Tom Newton Dunn (@tnewtondunn) January 12, 2018

Boris is clearly sure he can get away with shooting his mouth off about pretty much anything at this stage.

doesn't "puffed up" have a connotation of "above his station"? i mean Boris can fuck off in any case but it feels borderline racist tbh

well he's either calling him puffed up because he doesn't believe a job he used to hold is of any political value or

My first thought was somebody put a muzzle on this prick, till he learns his shtick is no good and starts communicating in plain english. But would also expect a racist undertone to it, with it being him.

Mark S: I think you must have introduced Steiner to the conversation - I probably did not know enough to make the connection between him and Maconie.

I like Evan Davis. I don't really want to know what his politics are but I think he is a good Newsnight presenter.

What i like about evan Davis is how badly he dresses. He looks like a sexual health nurse from a clinic in south London.

Lol slow day apart from trump calling Vauxhall a kip which is maybe fair enough

The former Ukip leader told the Observer that he was becoming increasingly worried that the Leave camp had stopped fighting their corner, leaving a well-funded and organised Remain operation free to influence the political and public debate without challenge.

The former Ukip leader told the Observer that he was becoming increasingly worried that his entire raison d'etre was becoming forgotten - that is, that we pay attention to him - and has decided that we need to go back to pre-EU-referendum days in order that he can assert his relevance in public life and be on the news and appear on Question Time every other week.