Exercise and British Old-Time Radio

As someone who spends a lot of time sitting in front of a computer (I work from home, and most of my volunteer and other activities involve computer work), I've been very conscious recently that I'm not getting enough exercise. I recalled Stephen Fry on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (and elsewhere) talking about how he'd lost a lot of weight and become fitter by walking. Being someone who easily got bored by exercise, he had discovered that he could cover long distances without realizing it, simply by listening to audiobooks on his MP3 player while walking. This appealed to me, so I decided to do a similar thing. I would start walking in the vicinity of my daughter's school before picking her up, listening to my MP3 player on the way.

Being a cheapskate, I thought I would try to find some free audiobooks online. After asking around on Twitter and my Facebook page, someone suggested trying The Internet Archive. This site is a vast repository of texts, audio and video in the public domain, all free to download. I discovered a lot of audiobooks, but what caught my attention was that there were also many old-time radio shows. I downloaded some and I have been listening to them on my (mostly) daily walks.

Being a good son, I usually talk to my parents on the telephone every Sunday. During a recent call, I mentioned to my Father that I had been listening to these old-time radio shows. He started talking about some of the radio shows he remembered from his youth. On a whim, while we were talking, I did a search in The Internet Archive, and found a collection of episodes of radio shows from the 1940s. These were all shows that he had loved.

ITMA, one of the most popular of these shows, starred comedian Tommy Handley. ITMA was an acronym coined by the newspapers when reporting about Hitler's activities, and stood for "It's That Man Again." Other shows in this collection included Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh, Merry-Go-Round, The Will Hay Programme, Life With The Lyons, (which featured American couple Ben Lyon and Bebe Daniels and their children), and Band Waggon, the first regular comedy series on British radio. There's an amazing array of famous comedians and actors who appeared in these shows; Tommy Handley, Arthur Askey, Kenneth Horne, Hattie Jacques, Jon Pertwee and Charlie Chester, to name a few.

Of course, there are many "in-jokes" and references to long-forgotten events that go over one's head. But a lot of this stuff is still really funny. Not only is it a great way to pass the time while exercising, but I shall also be making a CD compilation of these as a gift to bring back some memories for my Father.

I thoroughly recommend spending some time exploring The Internet Archive to rediscover an old favorite, or to find a new one! Let me know what you find, or share some memories by making a comment.

Couch Potatoes: England 2010 Part 3

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, we had a lot of snow during our recent trip to England. This was not a bad thing; we really needed a break, and these trips often result in us tearing around the country. We spent most of this visit simply relaxing with my family, watching TV and listening to music.

I generally try to keep up with the British music scene, but I'd really let things slip in recent years. Fortunately, my brother had brought a lot of recent music with him, and so I was able to catch up. A few years ago, I "discovered" Goldfrapp, a synth duo led by Alison Goldfrapp, who wear their influences (Glam Rock, 80s synthpop) on their sleeves, but La Roux, another suitably retro synthpop duo, were new to me. Anyone into early Vince Clarke should give them a listen. I'd heard a bit of Lily Allen, but really hadn't taken the time to listen to her clever lyrics. Another thing I appreciate about her two albums is how she embraces different music genres. Be warned, though; Lily, is a bit of a potty-mouth! I first heard Paloma Faith, a quirky chanteuse, on Jools Holland's New Year's Eve show, Hootenanny. Also on that show I heard Florence and the Machine. Singer Florence Welch didn't impress me much, live, but I did enjoy her album, Lungs. Although he's not a British Act, I did miss bluesman Seasick Steve on Hootenanny. He attained worldwide fame after being on the show a few years ago, and has appeared several times since. Fortunately, my Father had recorded some of his other TV appearances for me. I was also thrilled to hear about the imminent release of the movie biopic of Ian Dury, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, after seeing starring actor Andy Serkis (Gollum from The Lord of the Rings movies) being interviewed on TV.

Among the TV shows I watched was the second part of the Doctor Who special, The End of Time, a wonderful farewell, both to star David Tennant and writer/producer Russell T. Davies and an introduction to new star Matt Smith. After avoiding Big Brother for years, we got hooked on the final series, Celebrity Big Brother, and had to follow news about the show when we returned to the US (Cage-fighter Alex Reid, boyfriend of model/reality TV star Katie Price beat Dane Bowers, ex-boyfriend of Price!). A big fan of cooking shows, I discovered the delights of The Hairy Bikers, who motorcycle and cook around Britain. Their most recent series, Mums Know Best, feature the bikers visiting Mothers around the country, persuading them to share their favorite family recipes. Their homemade fish and chips recipe had me salivating! One thing I really miss about British TV is the wide range of great shows about wildlife, both native and around the world. Some of these make it to the US, but not nearly enough. Fortunately, my family is a big fan of these shows, so I got to see lots of them, including a Christmas special produced by Springwatch. I also enjoyed Wild at Heart, starring Hayley Mills, about a British Vet starting a game park in South Africa. Unfortunately, an American version of this show was canceled in 2008, due to poor ratings.

Do you have a favorite recent UK music act or TV show? Have I missed a gem or two? Please do share in a comment!

Eleven Doctors, Torchwood and Wossy!

A work colleague, who knows I'm a big fan of the British science fiction series Doctor Who, and is a fan herself, recently sent me a link to this article in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. I was excited to read that a special fifteen-minute episode of Doctor Who was planned to be shown for Children in Need, a big TV charity event, similar to America's Telethon. Apparently, it was to feature David Tennant, the eleventh person to play the Doctor (part of the plot has The Doctor regenerating periodically) and all the Doctors' past. That includes parts from actors no longer with us, using clips from old shows. As a fan, this got me very excited! Doing a little more research, I found the article was based on this "exclusive" from another British newspaper, The Daily Mirror. The comments on this particular article are quite revealing! The Mirror piece, quoting unnamed sources, is almost identical to a story the newspaper ran when Christopher Eccleston, the previous actor who played The Doctor, was still playing the part. My guess is that the episode won't happen, but I can dream, can I not?

Seeing this story did remind me of some more tangible news for American fans of British shows, however. Torchwood, which is a spin-off of Doctor Who, is coming back to BBC America. This year, the BBC made a five-part mini-series version of the show, called Children of Earth, and it will be aired in the UK starting tonight. Here in the US, it will be shown on five consecutive evenings, starting on Monday, July 20th. BBC America is currently showing the previous season, which might help you catch up, if you are interested.

I was very pleased to see that Friday Night with Jonathan Ross has started showing on Friday nights on BBC America. It's one of the few shows on BBC America that airs pretty close to its original broadcast date (I think it's about two weeks behind the UK). The first episode that aired featured Dustin Hoffman, Hugh Laurie and soccer player turned actor, Eric Cantona. While you might think that would be a great lineup, unfortunately, all the guests were a little subdued on this occasion. Ross (or @wossy as he is known on Twitter) had a real struggle to keep the show going. That was such a shame for the introduction to the US of this show, and probably put some off. It is worth sticking with, though. Subsequent episodes have been excellent, featuring Jack Black, and Take That, among others. Like The Graham Norton Show, also on BBC America, Ross's show delivers chat with a good dose of British humor.

Do you have a favorite British TV show airing in the US? Do you have a favorite Brit show that you wish would come to America? Brits: what goodies are we missing? Make a comment and let us all know.

Rumpole of the Bailey

When I think of the British Justice system, I cannot help thinking of a TV show from my youth, Crown Court. This was a daytime show that showed the British courtroom in all its glory, wigs, gowns and all. I should imagine many other people think of the long-running TV series, Rumpole of the Bailey, when they think of British courts. That is no doubt true even in the US, where the series was shown on PBS (Public Broadcasting Service).

Rumpole started life in a BBC Play for Today in 1975. It evolved into a series, which ran from 1978 to 1992. Leo McKern played the part of Rumpole throughout. The screenwriter of that show, author and ex-barrister John Mortimer, died recently, as covered in my blog post John Mortimer - A Great British Treasure. I had only read a couple of Mortimer's non-Rumpole novels, and barely remember the TV series, so I thought it was about time I read one of the Rumpole books. The books were based on the TV series. I chose The First Rumpole Omnibus, which contains three books: Rumpole of the Bailey, The Trials of Rumpole and Rumpole's Return. These cover the first two series of the show, plus a special.

Horace Rumpole always acts for the Defense, and believes strongly in the foundation of British law that one is "innocent until proven guilty." He never pleads guilty. He prefers to appear at the most iconic of all courts, The Old Bailey, and wears a wig "bought second hand from a former Chief Justice of Tonga" in 1932. An older gentleman, he often mentions winning The Penge Bungalow Murder Case, in his heyday. He is an expert on bloodstains and typewriters. He often appears, much to his chagrin, before Judges Bullingham (who is usually sympathetic towards the prosecution) and Vosper. He frequently quotes passages from The Oxford Book of English Verse (The Arthur Quiller-Couch edition). He usually visits Pommeroy's Wine Bar for a glass or two of "Chateau Fleet Street," before heading home to his Wife, Hilda, who he refers to as, "She who must be obeyed."

The first part of the anthology, Rumpole of the Bailey, contains short stories, each describing a case. Some cases Rumpole wins, some he loses. The same is true of the second book, The Trials of Rumpole. However, the second book comes to a climax with Rumpole, seemingly railroaded into retiring by his family and colleagues. The third book, Rumpole's Return, sees Rumpole and his Wife living with his son, a professor at the University of Miami, Florida. This follows an unlucky run of ten losses before Justice Bullingham, and a decision to retire. After receiving a letter from one of his ex-colleagues, Rumpole decides to return to his old chambers, where he takes on a seemingly unwinnable murder case. The accused and the victim were seen on a platform on the London Underground, and the accused was found in the possession of a note seemingly written in the victim's blood.

The book is a tremendous read. Rumpole is a very sympathetic character, and the wonderful stories are written very well. Clive James, writing in The Observer, is quoted as saying, "I thank heaven for small mercies. The first of these is Rumpole." I could not agree more!

Do you remember Rumpole? Are you familiar with the books? Please post a comment and let me know what you think.

British Y-Front Sales Boosted by Recession

How timely! After talking about pants/underwear/underpants/trousers in my last blog post, the latest news from the BBC is that sales of Y-fronts have increased by 35%, according to British store Debenhams. In fact, sales of Y-fronts have overtaken sales of boxer shorts for the first time since early 1990, interestingly, the last time Britain was in a recession. A spokesman from Debenhams said,"They provide a much greater sense of security than loose-fitting boxers, and perhaps, in these troubled times, that's what men need to feel."

And with that brief (hah!) newsflash, which will no doubt thrill my friend Sheila, who for some reason is fascinated by Y-fronts, I wish you a great weekend!

Susan Boyle - Scottish Singing Sensation Shows 'Em!

Last Saturday, on British TV talent show Britain's Got Talent, an unassuming 47-year-old-woman with a frumpy figure, unruly hair, bushy eyebrows and wearing a fairly unattractive dress, was laughed at as she strutted out on stage for an audition. As she answered the judges' questions before her performance (with some degree of sassiness, I might add), they pulled faces, the audience giggled and muttered and hosts Ant and Dec mugged from the wings. Before she had finished her first line (she was singing I Dreamed A Dream from Les Misérables), everyone had stopped laughing, and many were gasping, cheering and clapping. If you have not seen it yourself already, please check out the YouTube video (I don't do this usually with links, but if you select this link, it'll open the video in a new window, so you can keep on reading).

If you are anything like me, you may have had shivers running up your spine when Ms. Boyle started singing. At the time of writing this, close to 14 Million people have watched the above YouTube clip. From surprising a panel of cocky judges on a talent show, that unassuming 47-year-old woman from a small town in Scotland has progressed to wowing the World. Apparently, she is already in talks with Judge Simon Cowell's Sony BMG record label. Even celebrity couple Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher got in on the act, when it was widely reported that the two had sent the following messages to each other on Twitter:

Kutcher: This just made my night.
Moore: You saw it made me teary.

So where has Susan Boyle been all these years? According to the Daily Mirror, she was bullied as a child, due to her fuzzy hair, and a learning difficulty caused by being starved of oxygen during birth. She found comfort in singing. After taking part in choirs and concerts while at school, she graduated to playing clubs and pubs. She is well-known locally for singing karaoke. A spell at Edinburgh Acting School in the 90's was cut short when she had to look after her sick Mother (her Father died ten years ago). It was her Mother who wanted Susan to enter Britain's Got Talent. Ms. Boyle has eight older siblings, and still lives in the same house as she grew up in, with a ten year old cat named Pebbles. Although things are likely to change very soon, she was unemployed and volunteered for her church. She claims never to have been kissed.

I think that what has captured the world's imagination is not just her voice, which is fantastic, but the fact that it comes from such an unlikely source. Mark Smith, in Scottish Newspaper The Herald says that people like Susan "stand out because everyone on television now has the same face, the same hair and the same teeth. Someone on the programme might make this point one day, but it's unlikely anyone would hear them over the tearjerking violin music being played over slow-motion clips of Susan smiling."

I think the danger is that some "image expert" will try to change Ms. Boyle, and that will spoil the magic. To a degree this process may already be starting. Apparently, judge Piers Morgan ordered a film crew to film in a neighboring town rather than Boyle's hometown Blackburn, which Morgan branded "a dump," according to newspaper The Scotsman.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Susan Boyle, her amazing performance, and her future. Please do post a comment.

What a Load Of...Colin?

It was reported last week that UK Supermarket chain Sainsbury's announced that they were going to rename the white fish pollack with a French name, "colin." Apparently, they believed that flagging sales were due to Brits being embarrassed to ask for pollack, because of its similarity to the British word "Bollocks," which is slang for testicles. I don't buy that explanation, especially when the renaming comes (in some stores) with special packaging designed by Wayne Hemingway, but clearly inspired by artist Jackson Pollock.

Yes, I said packaging. Sainsbury's sells pollack prepackaged. So it's not as if customers have to ask out loud for the fish in stores. I think this is all an attempt to use the media for a bit of free publicity.

Because of its mild flavor, pollack, caught in British waters, is a good substitute for cod, whose numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years. It is a more popular fish in France than in the UK. It is also cheaper than cod.

To add a further level of complexity to this tale, the French word "colin" actually means "hake," rather than pollack. The French for pollack is actually "lieu jaune," which could unfortunately be pronounced "loo john." In addition, "colin" is actually pronounced "coh-lan," so as columnist Marcel Berlins rightly points out in the Guardian, "the supermarket took a decision to deal with a nonsensical problem by using a difficult-to-pronounce foreign word that is wrongly translated from the English."

My interest in all this? My Father's name is Colin!

Real problem or just a marketing ploy? Please post a comment and let me know what you think.

Michelle O - Behind Every Successful Man...

From Our London Correspondent:

Michelle Obama has come across as the real heroine of the G20 summit. She has come across so well to us over here. The British TV media has lavished HUGE praise on her and the students at this largely ethnic school, treated her like a film star, screaming upon her appearance. She was clearly very emotional about their welcome for her.

This bodes very well.

I received this e-mail from my brother who was excited (He entitled his e-mail "Michelle, OUR Belle") about media coverage of Michelle Obama's visit to a school in London. I've included the video from the BBC here. She did get a remarkable reception, and it is quite amusing watching the security people appear to be wondering what to do if the First Lady gets pulled into the crowd.





The Obamas were in London so President Barack Obama could attend the G20 Economic Summit. Recently, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the US. Much of the media reported Brown as being snubbed by Barack Obama during that trip. There were stories, for example, of a bust of Winston Churchill, given to President Bush by previous PM Tony Blair after 9/11, being returned to Britain. Unfortunately, a gift to Gordon Brown of 20 DVDs of American movies was unplayable in the UK, because of differences in the format.

During this visit, The President seemed to be going out of his way to make up with Britain. The technology-loving President did better with gifts this time. He presented The Queen with an engraved iPod containing recordings of famous American show-tunes. This was to accompany a gift of a a rare songbook signed by American composer Richard Rogers. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the iPod also contained "photos of her White House visit; photos and video of her stop in Richmond, Va.; video of her 2007 and 1957 trips to Jamestown, Va.; photos of the president’s January inauguration, as well as mp3s of Obama’s inaugural address and his 2004 speech to the Democratic National Convention." In return, The Queen gave The President the traditional gift of a silver-framed photograph of the Queen and Prince Phillip.

Again, Michelle Obama clearly went down well with the British Monarch. The Queen even went so far as putting her arm around Mrs. Obama, after the two joked about their significant height difference.

Did you follow the G20 Summit or the Obama's visit to Britain? Please let us know your thoughts.

The Trouble with Religion and Buses

A storm has been brewing in Britain, and it is starting to spread. Last month, in response to a newspaper article by comedy writer Ariane Sherine, the British Humanist Association raised £140,000 (a little over $200,000 US) and launched a poster campaign on the sides of buses. The posters read, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." This slogan cleverly used the same "probably" device Carlsberg beer used years ago in its "Probably the best beer in the world" campaign, avoiding litigation. The Advertising Standards Authority immediately received complaints from Christians, and a story about a Christian bus driver refusing to drive an "atheist bus" made the headlines. The driver eventually agreed to drive the bus if there was no other available, and complaints about the campaign were recently overruled.

Just a few days ago, the campaign ended, and several religious groups have stepped up with their own campaigns. The Christian Party (who are planning to run in June's European Parliamentary elections) have "There definitely is a God; so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life." They also aim to raise money by encouraging people, for a $2 fee, to text "Amen." The Trinitarian Bible Society has "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." (from Psalm 53.2), and the Russian Orthodox Church plans ads that read, "There IS a God, BELIEVE. Don't worry and enjoy your life." In addition, several weeks ago, the British press featured a story about a nurse in North Somerset who had offered to pray for a patient during a home visit. The patient had complained, and the nurse was suspended from duty pending a review. Atheist organization The National Secular Society supported the decision to suspend her. The nurse, who was previously asked to go on a diversity and equality course after a similar incident, was just reinstated.

Three out of four people in the world consider themselves religious. Nevertheless, atheism and agnosticism has gained ground in richer countries, especially in Europe. Some say this is a reaction to the increase in religious fanaticism and faith-inspired terrorism.

Now I see that Humanist organizations want to try the bus campaign in other countries, most notably Canada. Vancouver nixed the idea.

As I noted in my blog article about his inauguration speech, President Barack Obama mentioned non-believers together with Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus. Now, religious groups are angry that President Obama has been reaching out to atheists.

The issue of atheism and religion is not going away. In the USA, where the First amendment to The Constitution supports a separation of Church and State, it is notable that non-religious Presidential candidates stand little chance of being elected. Contrast this with Britain, where Tony Blair very publicly embraced Catholicism only after his term as Prime Minister had ended.

Where do you stand on this issue? Please do post your comments.

The Graham Norton Headache Cure

A week or so ago, I had a rather painful tension headache. I asked on Twitter and Facebook for some ideas to get rid of it. An old school friend of mine from England first suggested (in true English fashion) that I should try poking my finger in my eye, because that would distract me from the pain in my head. Then he came up with a fantastic suggestion: laughter and some gentle exercise.

For the exercise, I walked up and down a step while watching TV. To make me laugh, I chose Graham Norton. My headache soon cleared.

The Graham Norton Show is the most recent and, in my opinion, most consistently funny of Graham's TV series. I have seen most of his series, and I have to say that it seems to have taken a while for him to hit his stride. It loosely follows the chat-show format - more on that later. It's shown on BBC America. That means that I can watch it legitimately on DirecTV, as opposed to watching 8-minute snippets on YouTube, as some people (a-hem!) apparently do with other British shows that they cannot watch otherwise in the States.

The flamboyantly gay host starts, as is customary in the chat show format, with an opening monologue. This is usually a comedic look at some of the week's news, gossip, TV and movie happenings. Then he brings on two guests. Finally, he brings on a musical act. Because of the show's American audience, Norton ensures that American stars appear alongside popular British stars. Having the two guests appear together is a stroke of genius, because not only do you get the conversation between the host and guest, but also between the two guests. It's funny watching American stars trying to get a handle on what the show is about. It sometimes takes a little while for them to understand the laid-back style, being allowed to swear (On BBC America, the swearing is bleeped out) and drink alcohol. Some never quite get it, but it is very entertaining to see a show where a guest relaxes very quickly, and some seem to love it.

Of course, with Norton's background as a comedian, the humor is always front and center. However, he evidently has some very good researchers, as his guests are frequently surprised with some of the information Graham has about them. Not only that, but he often uses the computer by his side to show funny stories from the Internet, gossip about a guest, and so on. Very often, audience members and guests will be invited to play some kind of game (often role-playing) related to one of the guests.

Next time you have a headache, or just fancy a laugh, try a dose of Graham Norton.

Are you a Graham Norton fan? Are you into any other current British shows? What British shows would you recommend for the American viewer? Please post a comment.

Only in America

It's like arriving late for a party, I know, but I am so naive that I've only relatively recently discovered that with a little common-sense and a bit of searching I can find (not always legitimate copies, of course) British TV shows available on the web. I was very happy to find a copy of the return of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross that aired on the BBC last week. For those who don't know, The BBC suspended Ross for three months following a stunt when he was a guest on a BBC radio show. Jonathan returned with a great line-up - and an apology for the prank. Tom Cruise, British comedian Lee Evans and one of my favorite Brits, Stephen Fry were his guests.

Stephen is always an interesting guest. He and Jonathan talked about Twitter (Fry and Ross are both Twitterholics), and how Fry had been trying to lose weight by walking long distances (his recommendation: walk while listening to audiobooks). They joked about what it would be like if Stephen had played Tom Cruise's part in Jerry Maguire: "Would you be kind enough to exhibit the money?" Perhaps the most interesting things I thought he had to say this time, however, were about America and Americans.

Fry recently made a series, Stephen Fry in America, where he visited each of the fifty states. He explained to Ross how he loved America, visiting often, and even having an apartment (flat) in New York City for a while. He said that, generally speaking, he had found Americans to be "honorable, polite, kindly, well-intentioned, thoughtful" and that any ideas of the British that Americans were a "morass of pig-ignorant fools" said much about a British superiority complex (ultimately an inferiority complex). He contrasted the American attitude, "Let's try it!" with the British attitude, "Oh, no...no...no."

I had a moment of recognition when he talked about the phrase "Only in America." He explained how in the US, the phrase was often used to describe something extraordinary happening. It's an optimistic phrase. He said that if there was a phrase "Only in Britain", it would bring to mind things like queues, rain, incompetency - "no, no you can't!" Of course, he omitted another use of the phrase "Only in America", oft used by Brits when they see some of the outrageous stories about America and Americans in the news. Things like frivolous lawsuits, someone leaving their entire estate to a cat, and so on. I find it fascinating how, depending on where it is used, one phrase can mean completely different things.

Can you think of any similar phrases that have different meanings like this? Please do post a comment and let me know.

Previous post about Stephen Fry

Welcome President Obama!

Not one normally for pomp and ceremony, I was prepared to quietly welcome incoming US President Barack Obama without watching the Inauguration. But my Wife asked me to record the ceremony for her to watch later, and I realized that BBC America was also covering the day's event.

So, I had the pleasure of watching the momentous American occasion live, together with British commentary - perfect! I got to see a largely black audience at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in North London, excitedly preparing to watch the historic proceedings. It's interesting watching British commentary on American politics, since they not only talk about the international effects and implications, but also are able to be a little less restricted by the need to be completely unbiased in their reporting. So they were talking quite a bit about how unpopular outgoing President George W. Bush was, and seemed a little surprised at the fact that any booing when he appeared was fairly muted.

I noticed that the BBC did not pass any comment when Obama stumbled a little over the oath of office (the error was, I believe, the fault of the Chief Justice). After his inaugural speech, they observed that although it did contain some soaring oratory, it had a businesslike tone. As if he wanted to prove that he wasn't just a good speaker; that he knew there was serious business to attend to immediately. And I agree with that observation.

Some wonderful moments for me were the mention of "non-believers" and "...know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy."

One BBC commentator mentioned how similar the speech was to John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech in terms of theme. They talked about America dusting itself off and rebuilding, and restoring the right balance between liberty and security. A correspondent spoke from Kogelo, Kenya, mentioning the excitement about "their son."

Controversial author and commentator Christopher Hitchens was invited to say something, but I have to say it was instantly forgettable. Coverage after the inauguration included Bush arriving by helicopter at Andrews Air Force Base - commentary of this included comparisons to a departing Richard Nixon and how unpopular Bush was.

The BBC America team, stationed outdoors at Washington DC, did give their audience a laugh when they had the camera pull back to reveal how they were all covered up in blankets!

At Noon precisely, the White House website was given a make-over: http://www.whitehouse.gov - it now has a blog!

Here's the complete text of the inaugural speech.

Let's hope that the positive change that the new President wishes to achieve is achievable. It's a momentous day in history, the day the first black president took office. But it's also the first day of a long haul. Now there are some major bridges to rebuild.

What did you think of the ceremony and coverage in the media? Please do leave comments.

TV Artist Tony Hart Dies aged 83

Just recently, following the deaths of Patrick McGoohan and Dai Llewellyn, I referred to the world being a slightly less colorful place. Hearing the news today of the death of Tony Hart at the age of 83, brings that phrase to mind again, quite literally this time.

When asking most people for the name of artists, TV artists Rolf Harris and Tony Hart are most likely to be mentioned. Tony was best known for his role on children's show Vision On and later in his own series Take Hart and Hartbeat. He was well known for inviting viewers to send in their own artwork, and some of his methods were employed by school art departments. Most people will also remember him in association with Morph, an early creation of Aardman Animations, who appeared on Take Hart, getting in the way of Tony's art projects. In fact, Tony wrote what amounted to an Obituary for Morph, when Aardman Animations' storage warehouse was destroyed by fire in 2005.

Unable to join the Air Force when he left school because of poor eyesight, he went to India to join the Gurkhas. Always having a love of art, after finishing his service, he went to art school. A chance meeting with a TV producer at a party, drawing a fish on a napkin, led to his employment in TV, where he worked until his retirement in 2001. He would work in his Garden studio "until 4pm when I would change my shoes and set forth on a four-mile Gurkha-pace jog through the Surrey hills".

He continued to work on his art until two strokes resulted in him not being able to use his hands. He said "Not being able to draw is the greatest cross that I have to bear, for it has been my lifetime passion. But I endeavour to stay cheerful, as there is nothing to be done about my condition." Even though unable to sign autographs, he frequently made public appearances.

Farewell Patrick McGoohan and Dai Llewellyn

We hear news today of the deaths of two characters, the loss of whom leaves the world slightly less colorful.

Firstly, Patrick McGoohan, who died at the age of 80 after a brief illness in Los Angeles. I first remember McGoohan in the British series Danger Man, known in the US as Secret Agent, but it was as "Number 6" in the cult TV series The Prisoner, for which he became most famous. Produced by McGoohan, who later contributed to the writing and directing of the series, and filmed in the Welsh village of Portmeirion, The Prisoner was thought to be "too philosophical and difficult" by many critics. The final episode, deliberately ambiguous, and containing a lengthy section completely without dialog, was considered so controversial that McGoohan and his family left Britain for the US and relative anonymity for more than 20 years. He continued to appear in movies, famously appearing as King Longshanks in Mel Gibson's Braveheart, but turned down many parts recently due to ill health. Here's a treat for those who have never seen The Prisoner, or those who dearly remember it, for whom this clip will bring back many memories:



Known primarily as a "Bon Viveur", Dai Llewellyn has also died aged 62. I find the contrast between the obits from British newspaper The Daily Telegraph and the BBC to be rather interesting, "The Torygraph" presenting rather a heroic story, while the Beeb seems to be less sympathetic somehow. Sir Dai (sometimes referred to as "Dirty Dai" by the tabloid press) was certainly notorious for chasing women, and for drinking a huge amount. Talking about his huge appetite for alcohol, he once said: "I do recall one particularly heavy night on my own when I consumed eight bottles of wine, one bottle of vodka, one bottle of rum and one bottle of port. People look unconvinced when I say this, but at 6am I was totally lucid." He became most well-known for revealing to the press his brother Roddy's affair with Princess Margaret.

Although aware that it was probably his own excesses that resulted in his recent ill-health, he nevertheless said that he had "no regrets" about the life he led.

Secret Identities Revealed?

The British press has been buzzing with possible revelations of "secret" identities.

Firstly, just days after announcing the identity of the actor to play the eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who, the Sun reports that singer-songwriter Lily Allen is a front-runner to play the Doctor's companion. The writer of BBC America's Anglophenia blog doesn't seem to think that's terribly likely. The Stuff On TV blog not only thinks that the rumor is a publicity stunt, but comes up with its own list of possibles to play the assistant. Still, Allen's name was linked to the part some years back, before it was given to Catherine Tate.

The Daily Mail revealed that that the "hunk" recently pictured cavorting on a beach in the Caribbean with self-destructive singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse was 21 Year old aspiring actor Joshua Bowman, a friend of rugby international Danny Cipriani.

And finally, this is bristol.co.uk reported that photographers at a Bristol, UK company learned the secret identity of the helmeted driver known as The Stig who is the "tame racing driver" for the British show Top Gear, but were sworn to secrecy. Apparently, the person in question came to them for a set of publicity photos. The article mentions that one rumor is that The Stig is really Bristol stunt-driver and racer Ben Collins.

Who?

Following on from my last entry in this blog, the BBC announced on Saturday that the eleventh Doctor in the series Doctor Who would be played by 26 year old Matt Smith. As far as I'm aware, Smith had not been mentioned at all as a possible contender for the part. Here are two great BBC news articles about the announcement:

New Doctor actor is youngest ever
Who on earth is Matt Smith?

The Doctor Will See You....Tomorrow

Just a quick entry today, since I'm getting ready to leave this evening for a quick road-trip to Maryland, where my nephew is having his Bar Mitzvah. I just saw a BBC Article that mentions that the name of the new Doctor will be revealed tomorrow (Saturday).

What on earth am I talking about, you ask?

Well, as a long-time fan of the Doctor Who series, I'm eager to find out who will be replacing David Tennant to be the 11th Doctor. For those who don't know, Doctor Who is a long-running (it started in 1963, the year I was born) science fiction series featuring "The Doctor", a "Time-Lord" who travels time and space. Russell T. Davies revived the series after it had been off air for a few years, and the new version was just superb.

Davies recently announced that he was stepping down as producer and main writer, handing the baton to Steven Moffat, who has written some of the strangest and most compelling past episodes. David Tennant is stepping down to pursue other acting opportunities. Fortunately, the show long ago got around the problem of actors leaving by creating a plot device of the Doctor regenerating every so often.

There have been rumors of a black Doctor, or even a woman Doctor (GASP!) - we'll know after the BBC airs its special "Doctor Who Confidential" episode on Saturday.

Sci Fi seems to be have been getting first dibs on new Doctor Who episodes here in the US, then BBC America has been showing past episodes. As far as I'm aware, Sci Fi has not yet made an announcement about showing the special episode that aired at Christmas in the UK.

Update Friday January 2nd 2009 1:45pm ET: This article shows some of the favorites to play the new Doctor, as of October 30th, 2008.

Waiting For The Other Ball To Drop

Anyone with family in a different time-zone will be familiar with my situation last night, New Year's Eve. I ended up celebrating New Year twice, firstly at 7pm Eastern Time, which is the equivalent of Midnight in England, then at Midnight Eastern Time. At 7pm I attempted to call my parents. International calls, especially using a calling card (which I use to reduce costs) can often be tricky at major holidays, because of the sheer volume of people attempting to call at the same time. My call was certainly a little confusing, because while I was attempting to call my Father, my Father was trying to call me. So, I got a busy tone (we call it "engaged" in England) and my Dad was leaving me a New Year message on my voicemail as I was trying to call back. Eventually I got through and my Dad picked up immediately, since he was right by the phone. Dad has sometimes been so sweet as to wait until 5am his time to call us to wish us Happy New Year also, but last night he said he was exhausted, so wouldn't be doing that.

Shortly after the call, I headed off to my computer to check on New Year stories from the BBC. I discovered that it had been very cold across Britain, but frozen revellers in many parts of the British Isles still went out to party. In London, there were fireworks, Elton John performing in the O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome), and actor Michael Caine said that while he would usually wish for a "prosperous" New Year, "This year I think what we really need is luck, so good luck everybody."

Those of us Brits of a certain age will remember New Year's Eve on TV used to consist of Andy "Donald Where's Yer Troosers?" Stewart with a traditional Scottish Hogmanay show. The last time we were in England, I greatly enjoyed Jools Holland's "Hootenanny" New Year's Eve show. Not a kilt in sight.

Of course, here in the States, we have dear old "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." Dick Clark, who for years has hosted this live show watching the giant illuminated ball drop in New York's Times Square, had a stroke in 2004. Regaining his speech and movement somewhat, he's returned to the show, although his slurred speech does unfortunately give him the delivery of a drunkard, which I guess is somewhat appropriate for the occasion.

But I can't leave this subject without talking about The Ball. This huge illuminated orb, built from Waterford Crystal, has been redesigned using Light-Emitting-Diode technology designed by Philips to use 20% less electricity. Let's hear it for green technology! In fact, instead of turning the ball off once it's done its job, let's leave the ball illuminated all year round so that people can see how green we are! It's the American way.

Happy New Year!

Lusardi calls 999 to get to panto

I'm sure I'm not alone amongst ex-pat Brits in wanting to keep abreast of news from home. The BBC is one prime source for this, and I monitor the news headlines regularly. When I saw the headline above, I just knew there was a quintessentially British story to share. Here's the story in its entirety.

Let's start with Linda Lusardi. Ms. Lusardi started her career as a "page 3 model." "Page 3" is somewhat of a British institution, albeit a rather dubious one. The Sun, a British tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, has for many years featured a photograph of a topless model on page three of the newspaper. Linda Lusardi was one of the most popular page 3 girls ever, appearing for eleven years. She also appeared fully nude in various men's magazines.

More recently she's been appearing in various shows as an actress, most notably in Emmerdale, the third most popular soap-opera on TV in Britain. Again, pretty much an institution, Emmerdale, originally called "Emmerdale Farm" started out as a story set on a farm. In more recent years, the show has focused more on the goings-on in the local village. The show is also well-known for having more than its fair share of disasters, such as plane crashes, explosions, fires and shootings.

But back to Linda Lusardi. Linda has recently been appearing in Pantomime with her husband, British actor Sam Cane. Pantomime, often shortened to "Panto" is another British tradition. Presented at theatres (we have to use the British spelling, as opposed to the American "theater" here, darling!) around the country during the Christmas season, the stage shows usually feature music, comedy, audience participation for the kids ("Behind you!", "Oh no it isn't!" "Oh yes it is!"), some sexual innuendo for the parents, and cross-dressing. The lead male character is most often played by a woman, and an older "pantomime dame" is usually played by a man. Popular shows are Aladdin, Cinderella, Mother Goose, and similar.

So, Linda Lusardi (who's now 50 - that makes me feel old!), on her way to playing Queen Lucretia in a panto performance of "Snow White", is driving on the M25, a motorway that completely circles London, notorious for high volumes of traffic, when she encounters a traffic-jam. She proceeds to call 999 (The British equivalent of 911, reserved for emergency services), where she requests permission to use the hard-shoulder so she can get to the show on time. Her request was, of course, denied. A police spokesperson said "Being late for work is not a reason to call 999, contact the police or use emergency measures. Use of the hard shoulder is restricted for emergency service vehicles only."

Oh no, she didn't! - Oh yes she did!

The British Are Coming!

The BBC recently reported the findings of a report compiled by ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents) and the UK Foreign Office. Apparently the falling value of the UK Pound against the Euro is likely to result in fewer Brits taking their holidays (vacations) in previously popular destinations in Europe in 2009. Amongst the destinations likely to be visited instead is the United States, with 13% more Britons coming here than in 2008.

Apparently, this is partially due to excitement over the historic election of Barack Obama as President; low fuel prices and a low cost of living are also given as possible reasons.

Reports of a stealth invasion in retaliation for dumping British tea in Boston Harbor are being strongly denied, sources say.