I keep forgetting to post these, so I hope you’re not forgetting to read them! First off… the Doctor… Doctor Who fans angered by trailer for Over the Rainbow – BBC News Frankly an example of EVERYTHING that is wrong with modern broadcasting, and a prime example of EXACTLY the kind of thing the BBC SHOULD NOT be doing. EVER. This incident made me embarrassed and sad to be a BBC employee. BBC Complaints On an unrelated note, if you’ve ever wondered how to lodge a complaint to the BBC… Doctor Who: The Adventure Games: first episode, The City of the Daleks, revealed – guardian.co.uk And now a happier Doctor Who story. A fascinating insight into how the Doctor Who adventure games were built, showing how involved the TV team got in putting the games together. Elsewhere, trains seem to be a bit of a feature… Aslef to bid to run East Coast mainline for no profit – BBC News Apparently the train union Aslef wants to run the East Coast Mainline, which has not exactly had a good time of it of late thanks to GNER and National Express bidding too high and not being able to make it... View Article
Haven’t done one of these for a while, so some of this is a tad old… In the 6music news… If you've ever wondered what a Lego version of David Bowie would look like (and lets be honest here, who hasn't?) then this is the video to watch. Oh and it protests about the closure of 6music too. Meanwhile in the Guardian, they’re interviewing Andy Parfit and leading it with the headline, ‘I wish it hadn’t happened’. Sadly he's not talking about the proposed closure of 6music in that headline but an expenses scandal. However conspiracy theorists who have been wondering why 6music gets the chop but not the more expensive, less listened to 1xtra will have a field day with this interview which reveals that Radio 1 and 1xtra head Andy Parfaitt was one of those who wrote the review and proposed the closure. What I make of that… well I couldn't possibly comment. But one thing is sure – the constant trotting out of the argument that 6music is competing with commercial radio really is tiring when even commercial radio chiefs have proclaimed they wouldn't run a station like 6music…. Such things are why the music industry has... View Article
In the BBC Radio 6music news…. Spare 6 Music for us indie dads – The Guardian "The BBC says it has to show that the era of expansion is over. But closing 6 Music is hardly going to stop Sky and ITV from complaining." James Purnell MP, former Culture Secretary and (soon to be former) MP for Stalybridge and Hyde (up the Tameside Massive!) wades in to the debate. An open letter to BBC Director General Mark Thompson from MW editor Paul Williams – Music Week "Although we would agree the commercial sector is not in the fortunate position to finance a station like 6 in the way the BBC can do presently, it is also true the musical make-up of 6, in championing a range of acts that at least initially do not have mass-market appeal, does not make such a station commercially attractive to launch. But that is why we have public service broadcasting and why only the BBC can make a station like 6 properly work." Music Week wades in. Some Thoughts On The Demise Of BBC 6 Music – Carnival Saloon "The BBC are unwilling to try to increase 6 Music's reach because they believe commercial... View Article
Radio boss: Commercial sector will gain nothing from 6 Music closure – The Drum "Commercial radio can never replicate 6 Music’s cultural value – it’s not viable for us to do so. The commercial landscape has featured many fine rock music stations that have never made any real money – over time we water them down and gently shepherd them back towards the traditional commercial heartland. We will gain nothing from this closure yet the music industry will lose much." Lily Allen: Why we must save BBC 6 Music – The Guardian "If they close 6 Music, instead of acts like Seasick Steve and presenters like Lauren Laverne, it will be the Pussycat Dolls and Fearne Cotton on Radio 1." The BBC Strategy Review & BBC Radio – About the BBC Blog Tim Davie does a rather half-hearted defence of the closure of 6music by describing it as "distinctive, much loved and I too am passionate about it's output". The comments aren't exactly positive, raising a number of points – points the posters believe to be valid and want a response to. As one commenter is nor impressed…. "Will no one from the BBC engage with us in this discussion... View Article
When I lived in Ealing and wanted to go to the pub, the discussion between meself and Catherine usually went 'Pub?' 'Yeah. Go on then.' Then we'd leave the house. Near six years in Merton and the conversation still goes "'Pub?" "Yeah. Which one?'
London’s lighthouse and the story of Trinity Quay Wharf – BBC London London has a lighthouse. I never knew. Residents want answers over “hated” Colliers Wood tower – Wimbledon Guardian "At a public meeting last week more than 100 residents voiced their anger at the condition of the 17-storey structure – which they claim is crumbling dangerously and has become home to rough sleepers." Whether London's ugliest eyesore has or not become home to rough sleepers, I don't know. I do know that someone asked me for some spare change a couple of nights ago – and that's never happened in the six years I've lived in the area. UK Newspapers Want BBC Mobile Apps Blocked For ‘Undermining’ Them, BBC Disagrees – paidContent:UK "I wondered how long it would be before print media pointed at the BBC’s new smartphone apps plan as another example of expansion in to their commercial territory. The answer: just 24 hours…" How Time Lord Doctor Who took on Mrs Thatcher – BBC Newsnight "Doctor Who actor Sylvester McCoy has claimed that scriptwriters of the cult TV show wrote material in the 1980s which was designed to undermine Margaret Thatcher's government." BBC R&D Heritage Microphones On... View Article
If you've been following the Daily Links you'll know that there's been serious problems with the mail in Wimbledon thanks to Royal Mail deciding to "modernise".
I'm not sure what food you could find in Merton though. There's some elderflowers nearby but not many. You can buy Wimbledon honey at the Wimbledon Common windmill or at the National Trust shop at Morden Hall Park. Mind you there's the blackberries. Loads of them.
“Wimbledon households contribute the greater part of council tax paid in Merton borough. In mayoral terms, this is taxation without representation.” says councillor Ron Scott.
