brightlywoven: Pickwick the dodo, one of a kind, hand made by my stepmum (grrr)
brightlywoven ([personal profile] brightlywoven) wrote2008-11-01 03:05 pm

Give me smut and nothing but!

 OK, so most of the BBC Ross/Brand commentary is exceedingly boring. Stupid idea, and not funny. But how many of the people complaining would actually ever have been listening to the show? Essentially the whole storm seems to have been brewed up in order
a) for boring people to have something to whine about (see http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/ for the long history of this)
b) for the conservatives to undermine public broadcasting on the flimsiest of pretexts.
c) both

I was unimpressed to hear the chairman of the BBC trust complaining about programs on the beeb sailing close to the wind (in general) around 'young and impressionable' listeners, and declaring this must stop. Thinking about the level of (albeit clever) smut on radio 4 programs like ISIHAC, it's clear that the debate about censorship hasn't advanced much since the obscenity trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover, where the prosecuting QC asked the jury 'would you allow your wife or even your servants to read this book'. That is to say, no of course such material doesn't corrupt *me* but won't you *please* think of the children???

[identity profile] half-of-monty.livejournal.com 2008-11-01 07:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I reckon John Humpfries and the Today Show team have been following this story so viciously because of radio 2 / radio 4 rivalry and jealousy over how much Brand and Ross got paid. I can't imagine why they'd think we (good middle aged liberal minded Today Show listeners) would be remotely interested in the story.

[identity profile] dr-biscuit.livejournal.com 2008-11-01 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Middle aged? Speak for yourself ;) (Looks nervously at calendar and calculates how many years till 30..)

[identity profile] half-of-monty.livejournal.com 2008-11-02 08:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Was doing. I'm addicted to radio 4, tea and museli.

[identity profile] dr-biscuit.livejournal.com 2008-11-02 08:51 pm (UTC)(link)
all you need is a subscription to the Guardian and an allotment...

[identity profile] half-of-monty.livejournal.com 2008-11-02 08:53 pm (UTC)(link)
I've got a subscription to the Economist and I've just bought a bay tree and some rosemary in a pot. Will that do?

[identity profile] dr-biscuit.livejournal.com 2008-11-02 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Good lord! Can I offer you some anti-hypertensives and a daily aspirin?