What are you watching on TV? Page 2,176

On the basis of Detectorists, this Worzel lured me in. I was extremely interested in it as soon as it was announced. A few minor issues with pacing (in both acting and writing) aside, I almost took to the keyboard after episode one to ooze. Mackenzie's done it again. Now that we have had both episodes, I can happily confirm that yes he indeed has but not only that but once again I want to accentuate the man because, if anyone still doubts it, he is one of the few greats of our age. Talent wise the man is pure gold. I really love him as an artist. One of the things that elevates him above most of his peers is his ability with characterisation. It is in the best of traditions (see 1960s-1990s) down to every last quirk. Some of it goes even earlier - The Wizard of Oz was not planets removed here - while a few darker aspects were suited to the zeitgeist. But mostly for me it is the packaging. There is now an identifiable Crook brand (at least in part for he may wish to veer from it) with the most life enhancing English landscapes and the use of unsettling yet complimentary music (hey, anything with the Unthanks is utterly brilliant) and a rich slightly pagan ordinariness. Who at Christmas could want for anything more?

In this light, anyone of my persuasion could not in all inclination expect an absolute confirmation of being a merely passive and uninvolved television viewer. Consequently, the lengthy fart joke (with its nod to global warming) was the first typical challenge towards dialogue. So what will you think of this? I weathered it just as was anticipated and designed. But the later reference to "the swears" was beyond wonder. Oh my God, What have they scrawled on those cows? The wonderful use of drama in which the words on being seen were designed to reassure. But it was the very final word on the final cow that really did it for me. The one which said "Horse". Don't believe for one moment that if you operate on a less than linear plane you can't get the best form of interaction of all. Thanks Mac. To complement the favour, I am now going to throw in a googlie which may or may not go down well. I hope it will be received in the spirit that it is intended. Brexit.

The politicians may make a success of it. They may bugger it up and all of us with it. But I think what we all are coming to realise is that there is a need to stake out some kind of new brand. It involves trying - trying - to talk up the best of this country rather than focussing on the worst. I've now sat through the very good Paddington 1 and 2. I think that the arts as usual are ahead of the game here. And to my mind Crook's Gummidge with its beautiful landscapes and quintessentially eccentric Englishness equally sits at the heart of it. I have a very clear vision about this matter. It ain't gonna work unless more liberal types embrace it and are fundamental in shaping it. Both products are unequivocally for ethnic inclusion and Gummidge hit hard in its latter stages on climate. Great. This is exactly what we want. Well, it is what I want and I don't think I am alone. MPs can try to catch up later. F**kin' 'ell, currently MC can't do anything wrong as far as I am seeing it. Thank you to him and everyone concerned for making a man of 57 as happy as he can be in all these circumstances,

Some Nice Relevant Tunes

A

XTC - Green Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdmZwm_5occ

Judy Garland - Follow The Yellow Brick Road

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3DD3vDyuog

The Copper Family at the Queen Vic at Rottingdean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nSucoOzecw

Van Morrison - Summertime in England

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZVhtT1D4U

B

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDzHhqWZMD0

The Waterboys - Corn Circles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K-yS6LbKBI

The Farmers Boys - In The Country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy_47WBfI1Y

And the best group (and three of the most beautiful women) this country has celebrated in the last 20 years

The Unthanks - Magpie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6EIFD80f90

The Unthanks song was beautiful too.They are new to me.
A nice folk voice reminds me of Pentangle.

Quote: john tregorran @ 27th December 2019, 10:30 PM

The Unthanks song was beautiful too.They are new to me.
A nice folk voice reminds me of Pentangle.

Pentangle were great, John, although for an aged whipper-snapper like me they will inevitably be associated just with the commercial hit "Light Flight" which while not a huge hit had big airplay as it was used for the TV series "Take Three Girls". I am sorry that the Unthanks are new to you but also excited that you have their delights to hear afresh. Magpie was used in Detectorists. The Unthanks are also in Worzel. This in my humble opinion - and I am biased towards the North East - really is the best British group in the 2000s and it saved me from fading away from music altogether although I have faded properly since. They are absolute quality. Many critics agree. As for the US, the Fleet Foxes were in my opinion the huge saviours there although they are not everyone's cup of tea. I'm wading through large numbers of 2019 Best Ofs. I will post but I am finding it in general a depressing affair. Even the good stuff is depressive. And I do have a clear view on these things. The Unthanks aren't exactly party party. Nor were the Smiths. But they were able to bring some big uplift with it.

I'm watching a Christmas clip show.

Apparently, 21 million people tuned in to watch the 1977 Christmas episode of The Good Life. :O

I came here to rave about Worzel Gummidge only to find that Horseradish had beaten me to it. I can only endorse what he said - apart from the Brexit bit, I'm sure Mackenzie is a Remainer - and urge everyone to watch this marvellous new imagining of Worzel. It's very similar in feel to The Detectorists, a beautiful evocation of the British countryside, with great acting from everyone. An unalloyed joy in our difficult times.

On the negative side, I watched Love Actually, to see if it's as bad as they say. Well, it is. Corny, schmaltzy and sexist, like a turd coated in honey.

I'll have to look out for Worzel.Hopefully the ABC will show it. We had all of the Detectorists.

I'm watching cricket from the G.
It's nearly 30c so soporific is all I can manage.
How long have Test players had their number and name on their shirts?It looks very naff.
Surely one or the other would do if they must.

Quote: beaky @ 28th December 2019, 12:31 AM

I came here to rave about Worzel Gummidge only to find that Horseradish had beaten me to it. I can only endorse what he said - apart from the Brexit bit, I'm sure Mackenzie is a Remainer - and urge everyone to watch this marvellous new imagining of Worzel. It's very similar in feel to The Detectorists, a beautiful evocation of the British countryside, with great acting from everyone. An unalloyed joy in our difficult times.

On the negative side, I watched Love Actually, to see if it's as bad as they say. Well, it is. Corny, schmaltzy and sexist, like a turd coated in honey.

Excellent, thanks - but you might be slightly misreading my Brexit point. I start with the assumption that the vast majority of people in the arts are/were Remainers and that MC is probably no exception. Yet - and I wouldn't wish to overstate what was a postscript in my contribution - I feel that I am picking up on themes in recent productions, perhaps especially those mainly designed for young people, of a more positive angle on England than we have seen for many years. I'm not excluding Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from this observation but they have all been fairly positive about themselves for a very long while whereas England has been in an identity crisis of self-loathing.

My interpretation is that the changes are Brexit linked but without being an "isn't Brexit great, kids". Rather it is the Remainy side slowly accepting the reality of it just as it is accepting the reality of climate change and plastics in the ocean, then trying to be as optimistic with it as possible rather than merely oppositional. That is a sea change and it is ahead of many in the political field. Key to the examples I gave is inclusiveness. What you get with the "we accept this" is the addition of "on our terms". ie If this is to be a positive vision going forward, then it has to be positive towards diversity. That should have been a given all round but it wasn't throughout all of the polarised arguments.

Hope this helps - and I'm so pleased you enjoyed the programme.

What the Hell is all this anti-Semitism? Are these bastards some sort of weird Christians who want to kill folk who pre-lived the alleged Jesus? Have to say, the baby in tne manger is a loveky wee story, but that's all it is - a nice wee fairy tale.

Heathen!

What do you expect? She's from North of the border.

Most of my religious knowledge comes from Charlton Heston films and to a lesser extent the works of Victor Mature and Tyrone Power.

Quote: Chappers @ 30th December 2019, 2:07 PM

What do you expect? She's from North of the border.

Aye, well the Romans didn't get too far up here.

Quote: Briosaid @ 30th December 2019, 12:09 AM

What the Hell is all this anti-Semitism?

Ask Jeremy Corbyn?

Quote: Briosaid @ 30th December 2019, 5:02 PM

Aye, well the Romans didn't get too far up here.

There was probably an Old Firm match going on.