The BBC

never not at it again

When Toby Young was on @BBCr4today to plug his free speech union, the "other" voice to ensure the balance the BBC so loves was Trevor Phillips.

Last night Trevor Phillips spoke at the *launch* of the Free Speech Union pic.twitter.com/FA242Y65Ig

— Ross McCafferty (@RossMcCaff) February 27, 2020

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/27/tv-debates-brexit-bbc-centre-ground-leavers-remainers

tbf on the BBC Claire Fox wasn't available at the time.

that guardian article reaffirms what Local Garda was saying years ago tbh

And builds on it tbf

One notable incident came when in order to find an “authentic” northern voice, all plausible interviewees who displayed any obvious erudition were vetoed. In their place, newspaper owner Danny Lockwood was slotted into the identity sudoku, as his tone was seen to more directly signal his real northern identity. Several producers thought fit to mention that said individual was, in fact, a reactionary whose past achievements include mocking the “Zorro” outfits worn by some Muslim women. But the grids didn’t have any disqualifying categories.

Yeah, LG shared his experiences brushing on this. Damning, though hardly surprising, stuff. Get off the grid BBC.

Not all national media enterprises can be guerrilla organisations my man :)

Too true :)

original full-length Fence article appeared a couple of weeks ago and is worth reading.

just heard "Kate Andrews of The Spectator .." on an ad for tonight's Any Questions. She's their economics correspondent now it seems, what a fucking champion acquisition they've made. At least now BBC don't have to mention her association with that shifty right-wing think tank that loves to dump on the NHS.

They've bumped Andy McDonald from Any Questions tonight because no Tory MP could be arsed turning up. Shitting it that having two lefties (Faiza Shaheen is there as well) picking on poor Kate Andrews wouldn't be balanced and lol impartial.

https://lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v42/n06/james-butler/the-bbc-on-the-rack

Is anyone else watching Noughts + Crosses & is it worth having a thread?

is it a case of bbc doing something half decent for once shocker? I've been avoiding bbc drama like a fucking virus for so long now nearly everything they do is below my radar.

It’s really good!

is it based on a YA novel? because from the trailers i've given it a hard "no thanks"

ok, googled and lol i was right. i'm sure it's got an audience, just don't think that's me.

Yes, but it’s one that’s well known and very good. We’re not talking Twilight here.

i'm not knocking YA fiction, i'm just far from the mood to sit down with something like this, if i'm ever in the mood.

i'm trying to work out why that is, and it's partly to do with wincing at most allegories and partly not feeling...something...that i'll have to think about. i want to say something about not engaging with capital r Romanticism at the moment but that's not quite it, i have my own super-sentimental vulnerabilities. i wanna say it's something about cartoonishness in drama but it's not quite that either. absolutely it's me, not them.

There’s a really vile Home Secretary in it!

yeah i've seen the odd one of those irl

This is the Children’s Laureate who is publishing her autobiography on #merky, and the story so far is great.

It’s good! Only watched the first episode but I really like it and I was surprised how much I remembered from the book.

I'll be watching it once I'm done rewatching all of Better Call Saul which is taking up all my TV viewing time at this present moment
Anyone watch Hidden? Worth it?

Guess who they had on Newsnight to talk about Coronavirus.

Kate Andrews.

Oh probably her as well but no, Farage.

Aw I was gonna guess Brendan

That was my initial guess but I went with oor wee Katie instead.

Tonight, on BBC2, Miriam's Big Fat Adventure. On BBC4, Why Are We Getting So Fat?

Stay classy, BBC.

Still a bit irritated with Miriam, treasure though she is, after her programme about dying, when she filmed at a group my wife was in, yet for some reason concentrated only on the hosts running it, who are not dying yet managed to make it all about them, while the rest of the programme was entirely about the people actually dying and what they are going through, not publicising someone's business. She may not have been in charge of the editing I suppose.

This is really good:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p082wt49/the-unshockable-dr-ronx

I assume the presenters of shows are only that but I feel your annoyance CP. I'm peeved she's put her name to this grossly titled show I mentioned above.

MM is now a patron of the company so that's why I think she had some input into it - I think the general idea is good, and that's why MM probably liked them. my wife was not too happy about the people running it, which also colours my opinion of it.

The Govt need to start putting people on Newsnight again. Jeremy Hunt basically undermining the govt line there

Newsnight is very good though. Just putting experts on air and letting them talk for as long as they need.

Miles away from the Farage ep

Yes Newsnight finally remembering what it’s for tonight

fucking hell, need to get drug testing kits on the set if true!

Five Live: well, there's no sport to cover, what would make a good replacement for a Saturday afternoon? I know! Hours of cunts wittering on about the coronavirus, that'll make a change

Folk on Sportsound optimistically discussing the opportunity to bring in summer football in Scotland. No-one quite accepting that summer is probably written off too.

for another thread but it seems to me like the best option as far as running competitions fairly is concerned is to write off next season, suspend all competitions for at least 6 months and then finish off this season next year if feasible

That LRB article is p good

Finsbury Park pic.twitter.com/RSKxGQ5Pl2

— Dorian Lynskey (@Dorianlynskey) March 14, 2020

shit chat

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51979654

Continuing to ask the important questions like ‘what if most of the people who die from coronavirus would have died anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ?’.

I was just thinking of how the BBC might be able to make itself a bit more popular if eg: it put BBC4 on for longer (at least say 12 noon on) showing nothing but classic old black & white British films.

I woke up to the immodest and tiresome voice of Bob Geldof on R4. He could bore a virus to death.

Xpost I think the problem with that is BBC4 shares the bandwidth with CBeebies. There’d be riots on the streets if parents couldn’t leave their kids stuck in front of Peppa Pig at this time.

showing nothing but classic old black & white British films.

We've got Talking Pictures for that - and there aren't that many good old black & white British films anyway.