The Great British television thread

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 04 Nov 2013, 19:18

Strictly had some top tunes this weekend, some I'd not heard for years and years. I used to LOVE Hall and Oates as a teenager and they featured Maneater. Plus 'I Put A Spell On You' just as Screaming Jay Hawkins belted it out, trained concert pianist Lady Ga-Ga and The Animals to finish off Sunday's show. I've never known anything that adventurous on there before.

Then I look in the Guardian Guide and see that he is back tonight at 2100 on BBC2. Gareth Malone. He always has a pianist following behind him in tow for rehearsals....and he never gives the poor old b*gger any credit on camera.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 11 Nov 2013, 18:59

Gareth Malone is setting up a choir in the Corporation of the Second City of the UK. See how he does it on BBC2 tonight (11.11.13) at 2100.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 12 Nov 2013, 16:21

I thought it was good - but i wish those bloody tenors had done some practice!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 12 Nov 2013, 16:45

Gill the Piano wrote:I thought it was good - but i wish those bloody tenors had done some practice!

My fitness instructor was on there doing one of her classes at Cocksmoors Woods leisure centre, well her back was anyway. I spotted her right away and I mentioned it to her at class this morning. She even played 'The Only Way Is Up' during her routine this morning. I thought it was 'Essex' but never mind, what do I know?

Her boss was Steve Mason, who works at Cocksmoors and was in Gareth's choir (tallish 30something white male in bright pink top and shorts!) But the class I go to isn't on Council property, it's on Church of Britain ground!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 18 Nov 2013, 07:42

Good piece on Countryfile last night about Britten and the coast and countryside that inspired his works, such as 'Curlew River'. I've always wanted to go to Aldeburgh and see the museum of Britten and Pears since I saw it a few years back on an episode of Escape to the Country. Quite a trek from Birmingham though.

One of my old piano books had music history bits in it and it said the Tallis Canon (featured tutorial) was also a part in Noye's Fludde. I've been on the lookout for both in the Library.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 18 Nov 2013, 18:00

I saw Steve, I remember him in it...
Church of Britain? What on earth is that????
I saw the end of the Britten bit but I never liked his stuff. I thought she was saying 'Curly River'!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 18 Nov 2013, 22:24

Or Church of England/Wales/Scotland/Ireland as appropriate....

Mr.Malone is at Sainsburys in east London tonight doing his magic. They're doing a Spice Girls song...and I've just seen Old Spice.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 19 Nov 2013, 18:32

I thought it was excellent...but thought laddo from the Stores section should've done the solo.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 19 Nov 2013, 19:09

Paul Mealor seemed quite critical of them. Had to snigger at the name of the pub in Central London where they went for their bonding section.

Still think our choir has the edge, not that I'm biased as a City of Birmingham council tax payer. Fitness instructor told me this morning Stephen Masonthe fitness instructor cannot sing and was not actually filmed singing, unlike Lee, Ido, Siobhan etc.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 20 Nov 2013, 16:12

I think Mealor sometimes forgets he is critiquing amateurs who have (mostly) never sung before, certainly not in a choir. He can be a bit unforgiving.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 20 Nov 2013, 17:42

Yes, a little like Craig Revel Horwood. His music being used at royal weddings certainly hasn't made him a modest person....

Because of his army wives choir work with Gareth Malone, he would have to be the obvious choice for a judge, really I guess. I don't think Britten would have done such a thing had he been alive nowadays.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 21 Nov 2013, 18:00

...unless it was Army Husbands.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 21 Nov 2013, 21:19

Wives singing, husbands warring.....

Nigel Slater's new series on BBC1 last night with Adam Henson was enlightening. I never knew 75 sirloins, 55 rumps and 10 silversides come from a single cow/Bull. But what was more thought provoking was exactly how supermarkets hold us to ransom, and convenience ready meals as a case in point. A rubbish lasagne with hardly any beef, and maybe some of Princess Anne's favourite meat for 75p/portion, or a lovely home cooked tasting lasagne with ample succulent beef and tasty cheese for £3.50/portion (from the same supermarket). Mr.Slater then proceeded to make a lasagne as tasty as the £3.50 meal for £1/portion. Supermarkets would rather you not know how to mix quality with economy.....

I make a lasagne that costs me a fortune......but it goes six ways and it tastes great!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 23 Nov 2013, 15:53

I hate cooking and often/always use the ready meals. But much as i hate cooking, I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE watching Nigel S - he's so restful and practical and doesn't say things 'And I'm sure everybody has a packet of sun-dried bats' ears in their larder...'

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 23 Nov 2013, 17:39

Yes, Nigel S is not in your face or smug, so that is what is so refreshing about watching his programmes. I don't have any bats ears but I'm sure Paul Hollywood can make some sort of pie or pud with them.....

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 24 Nov 2013, 21:36

Nah, I'd rather watch Nige; he should be on the NHS for stressed people. Just watching his programmes on a loop would make anyone relax. Even those of us wot hate cooking...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 25 Nov 2013, 07:36

Me too, if truth be told. Bit awkward when you're married to a fan of Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. But for me, Delia is tops. Her Cookery Course in the 70s was classed by the BBC not as entertainment but education. That's saying something. I used to watch Robert Carrier back in the day and I used to think he was quite smug, so it's quite a relief to watch Hollywood and Berry and think there's some people less smug.

Do you remember a couple of guys from NZ called Hudson and Halls in the 80s?? Food comedy, used to love them.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 25 Nov 2013, 16:17

I remember Graham Kerr, the oz Galloping Gourmet but not H&H; the old memory's not what it's worth! I have (and treasure) Delia's Cheat's Cookbook.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 25 Nov 2013, 16:46

I remember Delia writing a book of dishes for one person, entitled One Is Fun. Ray Moore, ex-Radio 2 once remarked that he thought two sausages were rather more fun than just one.....

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 26 Nov 2013, 15:27

We bought one sausage at the deli counter in Waitrose once, for our elderly cat who was partial to sausages. The lady serving us wrapped up the single sausage carefully, labelled it, then with a straight face passed it over the counter to us with the words 'Won the lottery, 'ave we?'

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 26 Nov 2013, 15:53

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip was compulsive viewing last night, not because one of the UK's best TV talents Michaela Strachan (who I used to really fancy as a teenager watching Wide Awake club) was on, she bought this old chapel organ from an antique dealer in the South West which she attempted to pump and play in the shop. She has nice hands too - she'd make a great pianist/organist!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 26 Nov 2013, 18:26

I vaguely registered the noise of the organ, but at that precise moment our visitors arrived and we had to turn the telly off...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 26 Nov 2013, 18:46

Yes, Michaela's one of the happiest people on British TV, I believe. We should all be like her

Yes, we don't get visitors and the door to door sales personnel we get never seem to want to come in and watch some telly with us, so we enjoy unlimited TV whenever wife is in residence.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 27 Nov 2013, 15:13

We don't get door-to-door people either, living up a 300 yard footpath as we do. But we don't get the free newspaper either as the paperboys from the roads each end of the footpath swear it's the other one's job, not theirs!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 28 Nov 2013, 13:23

I didn't think there was such a thing as 'turf wars' in Buckinghamshire!

And Michaela's organ and piano accordion made a heavy loss for poor old Mark Stacey....aaaah! Mind you, talking of antique dealers, I saw Philip Serrell walking through Worcester at the Christmas fayre last year looking like a Mafia don, robed up in his heavy trenchcoat at the back of Reindeer Court!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 28 Nov 2013, 18:21

I used to like him until I found out that he used to be a....a....(I can hardly bear to type it)....a....GAMES TEACHER.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 28 Nov 2013, 21:04

I read that too about Philip Serrell though he's not my favourite. That has to be Marky Stacey. He's like a big teddy bear and every time I see him I just want to give him a darn good CUDDLE!!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 29 Nov 2013, 16:04

I like Mark as well. David Harper annoys me with his over-competitiveness!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Nov 2013, 17:09

Paul Martin on Flog It is another one of my faves too. They were doing Flog It in Hereford at the Courtyard Theatre when we went to their cafe for a cuppa. Anyway I went to the Gents and someone came along and stood beside me. On the way out it suddenly dawned on me who it was, 'twas Paul!

Funny thing about Flog It, the show has been everywhere in the British Isles and to every major UK city, but I've never ever seen it done in Birmingham. Wonder why???

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 30 Nov 2013, 16:43

Perhaps there's no suitable - cheap - venue? I think it's been filmed in Woolvramptin... Goggling it, it was filmed at Brum Museum & Art Gallery in Jan 2012.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 30 Nov 2013, 17:22

Maybe it's because apart from the Edwardian (I think) Museum and Art Gallery in Chamberlain Square, most of the citys' grandiose old buildings were taken out in the Blitz and replaced in the 60s by cheap concrete mistakes that decayed quickly. However the carbuncles are being demolished one by one and replaced with grandiose new buildings.

I'll have to look out for that Flog It...also play the DVD of Nigel Slater's 12 days of Christmas wot I taped last year. (I've owned a DVD recorder for the best part of 10 years and I still refer to recording TV programmes on disc as 'taping' them!)

One old festive chestnut I've had a chance to give an airing to is the Fresh Fields special from 1985 with Julia McKenzie and the late Anton Rodgers...the show that gave the world the catchphrase 'It's only Sonia!!' (Barratt, the demanding neighbour). Sonia Stevens in our class at school got teased something rotten about that (not from me, you understand!)

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 07 Dec 2013, 21:30

Look out on BBC1 for a Christmas trailer featuring Sir Tom Jones singing with Huw Edwards the newsreader playing the piano...and he is playing and not pretending to play!!!!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 08 Dec 2013, 19:35

I saw Huw Edwards playing a harmonium on something once - can't remember what, though! Glad he's getting a bit more playing in...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 08 Dec 2013, 20:05

I had no idea that he was having piano lessons as a bachgen/hogyn back home in Llangennech. Possibly he may have had them in Welsh, you never know.

There's another BBC Christmas trailer featuring will.i.am Christmas (w)rapping. Sorry Will, The Waitresses have already beaten you to it by 30+ years. To be truthful, I've seen much better Christmas themes on the BBC in previous years. I suppose they think that the spirit of the austere, hard-up 2013 Britain of which they represent should be captured, so they've gone for something cheap and basic. However BBC2's artwork is much more creative without the big spending (though I'm sure the rightist press will not be amused...)

And Birds Of A Feather.....on 'Associated Rediffusion '???

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 13 Dec 2013, 20:33

There's an advert for Boots doing the rounds that features Jimmy Somerville singing on the Bronski Beat track. For such a small bloke Jimmy has one hell of an amazing voice.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 22 Dec 2013, 22:13

The more I see Paul Mealor on television the more I think he comes across as a smug cocky and narcissistic little rich kid. Gareth Malone is all of those but at least he's quite lovable in his way.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 23 Dec 2013, 18:34

He reminds me of Alan Carr for some reason! I thought the song dreadful; trite and schmaltzy. Glad the bankers didn't win though...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 23 Dec 2013, 20:29

I couldn't watch it. I was watching Lesley Anne Goode (17 year old rock/roll/boogiewoogie pianist from Liverpool) and Harriet Jane Marsland (around the same age singer pianist also from Liverpool) both of whom were playing at the Tickle The Ivories festivals in 12 and 13 at Liverpool ONE.

www.tickletheivories.org

Hope there's one in 2014, Liverpool's much much easier to get to from here than Leeds Piano Compo...and it's all completely buck shee.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 25 Dec 2013, 12:55

Good news, Birds Of A Feather is back in January. Bad news, it's on the 'dimwits channel'

And yet I can remember a time when ITV was rather quite watchable. Yet I was glancing through the schedule and it just seemed so bland, cheap drama serial followed by trivialised documentary followed by cheap drama serial followed by yet another cheap drama serial followed by popular but no good period drama followed by slick, over trivialised news bulletin. For a commercial broadcaster, Channel 4 is streets ahead of what was Englands' original one of it's type and even Channel 5, does show some tentative signs of diversity and even quality, in a highly subtle form.

David Cameron's right, Broken Britain does exist, it reads 'The (Tory) Sun' and watches ITV.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 26 Dec 2013, 14:35

You should be more lowbrow, possum; I'm watching The Curse Of The Were Rabbit and enjoying every second of it...

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 26 Dec 2013, 15:00

Well I have an intelligence. ITV will not stimulate it, just insult it. It's the age old adage really, just because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean that it's any good! Wallace and Gromit are much less braindead than Coronation Street or 'Let's Do Lunch With Onebody And Twobody' - even one second of that confrontative little yobbo that graces the airwaves at half nine every morning with sensationalised tales of his viewers' dirty laundry they should be sorting out like mature adults either at home or in the counsellors' office, obviously.

But BBC4, You can learn so much about such a catholic range of subject matter from watching that channel, like a visual abstract library. It is after all part of the Royal Charter that the BBC serves to 'educate and entertain'.

Unfortunately I am devoid of even Wallace and Gromit as there's rich celebrity hooliganism on GPO Sports 1...and 'Gangsta Gran' will be iPlayed tomorrow. Just me and Máire Brennan this afternoon.....possibly followed by a soupcon of Steeleye.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 26 Dec 2013, 20:43

Gill the Piano wrote:You should be more lowbrow, possum;

(CHARLES HAWTREY) Whats a nice girl like you doing with an old cow??

(GIRL) I'm taking her to the bull.

(CH) Couldn't your father do that??

(GIRL) No, it has to be the bull.

That's lowbrow enough for me.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 27 Dec 2013, 16:52

Of the top ten most popular programmes this Christmas, I've only watched one - Open All Hours. Which was average and certainly not as good as Ronnie Barker's day - i never laughed out loud once. Mind you, not much to laugh at this Crimbo as I was given...a dental abscess.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 27 Dec 2013, 18:03

Ive just realised, as this year we joined the growing anti-Christmas brigade, that I did not do any taping from the TV whatsoever. My entertainment has been watching pianists, both classical and popular on Youtube. Most of the 111 recorded DVD's I have are bits and bobs like Royle Family and big films, however in the past twelve months it's been mainly Culture Show, Countryfile and news reports - and absolutely anything to do with pianos and music (bit thin on the ground this year apart from a couple of things about Joyce Hatto and Mrs Mills respectively).

The latter one featured some live footage of a piano singalong at a pub in London called The Wonder, led by Kate Garner, daughter of Chas Hodges (Chas'n'Dave). Chip off the old block, she is.....

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 27 Dec 2013, 19:54

Gill the Piano wrote:Of the top ten most popular programmes this Christmas, I've only watched one - Open All Hours. Which was average and certainly not as good as Ronnie Barker's day - i never laughed out loud once. Mind you, not much to laugh at this Crimbo as I was given...a dental abscess.

They tried to do likewise with To The Manor Born a few years ago. Not the same. I knew Open All Hours wouldnt be the same without watching a second of it as the whole thing revolved around the character of Arkwright and Ronnie B's portrayal of him. Just shows a lack of originality amongst TV bosses - Birds Of A Feather still has its 3 main characters Sharon, Tracey and Dorien, but one wonders whether that would have the same magic as it did when it was on in the Nineties?

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 28 Dec 2013, 18:18

I love Chas 'n' Dave. Didn't know there was a piano playing daughter though!

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 28 Dec 2013, 18:26

Yeah, it's old Cockney Kate!! Look out for her on a BBC4 portrait of Mrs.Mills, on which she sings and plays piano in a stride style.

http://www.kategarner.net/

and if you like Chas Hodges' style, check out this wonderful teen queen of the keys Lesley Anne Goode. She also has a YT channel:

http://www.lesley-anne.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/malgoode

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 28 Dec 2013, 19:01

The televisual offer this winter break has been uninspiring, and it's always my wife that's drawn to it. Thank goodness I can just stick on my cans, log into Youtube and watch as many pianists and piano teachers as I like. I must have watched dozens of 'em from all four corners of the globe!

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 29 Dec 2013, 14:53

I'd love to be able to play stride piano. I have a 1930s book on How To Vamp but it's a bit mathematical for me poor ole brane.

dave brum · Post by **dave brum** » 29 Dec 2013, 16:11

Gill the Piano wrote:I'd love to be able to play stride piano.

Ditto, omitting the penultimate word. There is a book How To Play Stride Piano in the music section of the LoB, I've seen it. And it's in the catalogue.

https://library-opac.birmingham.gov.uk/ ... /2800334,7