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Christmassy stuff
By Will last year, at the end of December, 1 Comment »
Happy Christmas.
Sometimes, there’s something worth watching on TV over Christmas. Not often, unless you class Victoria Wood and Catherine Tate as quality entertainment. Oh – and the Queen of course. She gets top billing for the 52nd consecutive year. Top effort from the uppercase Q; she’s rarely offered much flair or dynamism, apart from the 1992 season’s round-up (“Annus horribilis”), but she’s provided annual consistency when those around her simply cannot be relied upon.
Sorry. Been on the port.
Anyway, thought I’d mention a couple of radio shows I’ve listened to which are worth your time. The first is written by Ian Hislop and stars Jack Dee and Peter Capaldi – the fuck-man of The Thick Of It – along with Chris Addison, called The News At Bedtime. It wasn’t groundbreaking but still enjoyable, though it did make me think of Chris Morris’s On The Hour which really was breaking new ground.
The second is Andy Zaltzman’s History of the Third Millennium, though I’m slightly biased as I was the pest who lured the big AZ to Cricinfo. It’s bloody good, though.
The Zaltzmans are conquering the world of podcasts. Long before I met Andy and even listened to The Bugle, I was a big fan of Helen and Olly’s Answer Me This. It only occurred to me after I’d met Andy that Helen was his sister. Anyway, Helen and Olly are on Five Live next Thursday, which is a pretty cool gig, so keep your ears peeled for that.
And of course, there’s TMS for Boxing Day.
Listened to anything good yourself lately?
1 Comment »Cricket on the radio; and tombstones
By Will last year, mid-July, No Comments; be the first!
Not sure what Zoe Williams is on about here, but I like sporadic thoughts appearing out of nowhere. My brain operates in a very similar fashion. For example, this evening, I’d just finished cooking a delectable meal of jacket potatoe and tuna, when I thought it was about time I told my flat mate about where my descendants came from, and that last year I took a stroll around a Cornish village where they all lived in the seventeenth century and found tombstones bearing not only my surname, but several with my first too. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen your name on a tombstone.
No Comments »The technical words and phrases in cricket are not, as I previously averred, totally self-explanatory, even to people who don’t know what colour grass was. Some of it is genuinely obscure. A person who can listen to ball-by-ball commentary and actually picture what’s going on has accrued some expertise over the course of his life, not just wasted days and days feeling tense and staring at a wall. I think it’s pretty clear that there’s something up with my ears, but for a large part of the last Ashes test I couldn’t even work out which side was supposed to be cheating, and which side had been so ungentlemanly as to mention it.
Andy Zaltzman’s BBC show, “Yes It’s The Ashes”
By Will last year, at the start of July, 2 Comments »
Andy Zaltzman – comic, Bugler, cricket blogger – starts his own BBC radio show tomorrow, at 11am on BBC Radio Five Live. It’s called either “Yes It’s The Ashes” or “Andy Zaltzman’s Alternative Ashes”, I’m not sure which.
He’s slightly lining his underwear about it, but I’m sure it’ll be sharp, different and entertaining – so lend your ears tomorrow morning, or download the podcast shortly afterwards.
Update: Here’s the MP3:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/fivelive/altashes/altashes_20090704-1313a.mp3
2 Comments »TMS: analog in a digital age
By Will last year, at the end of May, 7 Comments »
I listened to bits of yesterday’s one-day international on the radio, perched high on the cliffs in a little nook carved into the rocks, sheltered from the wind on a nearly-summery day in south Devon. There was no phone reception, and therefore no temptation for me to check Cricinfo for the scores, or the myriad of other alternate online distractions.
Test Match Special doesn’t need to move with the times, and I don’t even think radio as a medium needs to either. There is talk of DAB productions becoming more “visual”, which is a witty oxymoron, but there’s little that necessitates having pictures/video alongside audio on the radio. That is its charm and appeal, after all; being immersed in the spoken word and allowing your mind to conjure up the images. It’s far more enjoyable, what we produce in our own heads. Paul Collingwood, in my own mind, bats much less crabbily than his real-life persona and Chris Gayle even smiles at first slip.
Yesterday was the first time in months, possibly a year or more, that I listened to an international on the radio and I’ve not enjoyed a match so much for years. Cutting off one or more senses can heighten the others: less really can be more.
7 Comments »I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue back in April
By Will last year, at the end of February, 14 Comments »
(nothing to do with cricket)
If you appreciate any form of comedy, then chances are it has its roots on the radio. Failing that, its inspiration probably came from someone who themselves drew inspiration from radio satire or comedy. The list is too long to mention (Mitchell & Webb, Alan Partridge, The Day Today and Dead Ringers are some contemporary ones who arrived on TV from radio. Oh, and Flight of the Conchords too I think) and I’ve always been hooked on witty radio shows.
Regular readers will know this, and they’ll also know my love of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, the ridiculously stupid panel show whose long-serving chairman, Humphrey Lyttelton, died last April. Anyway. No one can replace Humph who still possessed comic timing to beat the best, weeks before his death. But the show is returning, according to its producer, Jon Naismith, and well done everyone for that.
Like Have I Got News For You, when Angus Deayton was sacked for shagging around and being very un-BBC (though I’m not comparing Humph to Deayton), ISIHAC will have guest-chairman. The first will be Stephen Fry but others, such as Jack Dee, have agreed to do it.
It’s brilliant. Listen to it. Buy the DVD. Listen to the old ones with John Cleese. Listen to the new ones with Graeme Garden. Half-an-hour of stupendous silliness and satire and nonsensical humour.
The first recording with Stephen Fry is on Sunday April 26 at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, London
14 Comments »CMJ corpses
By Will 2 years ago, mid-May, 3 Comments »
It’s not quite as side-splitting as Aggers’ moment with Brian Johnston, but Christopher Martin-Jenkins corpsing live on air is still too precious a thing to ignore. Have a listen, and here’s the run of events:
During the 52nd over New Zealand captain Dan Vettori faced England paceman Stuart Broad.
“Broad’s in, he bowls, this time Vettori lets it go outside the off stump, good length, inviting him to fish,” CMJ told listeners.
But then the trouble started. CMJ went on “But Vettori stays on the bank… and keeps his rod down, so to speak.”
At this point I am afraid to admit the laughter started amongst those of us in the box. And I can’t just blame new recruit Phil Tufnell, we were all guilty. Bill Frindall helpfully exclaimed “good luck” and after a few seconds CMJ managed to speak again.
“I don’t know if he is a fisherman, is he?” … the laughter continued but to be fair to CMJ he just went on regardless.At such a moment there is, to be honest, not much a producer can do – and I cannot lie, I know it was childish but I was laughing along as well. Anyway – you have a listen and I dare you not to laugh as well!
There was another great blooper from Radio 4’s institutional announcer, Charlotte Green, a couple of months back.
3 Comments »Listening to Australia v India
By Will 2 years ago, mid-January, 14 Comments »
For those without TV or radio, here’s ABC’s stream. They claim it doesn’t work for those outside Australia, but I’m hearing it loud and clear:
http://abc.net.au/streaming/cricket/cricket.ram
14 Comments »I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue
By Will 3 years ago, mid-November, No Comments; be the first!
Don’t worry. I haven’t turned into Cricket365 with their Addiction To Capitilaising Every Word In Headlines. I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue is my favourite show, on TV or radio, and returns for its fiftieth series on Monday at 6.30pm on BBC Radio 4. It is brilliantly stupid and gets better and better. If you’ve never heard it before, try to catch it tomorrow. You’ll thank me.
This from the Guardian’s Leader tomorrow:
Mrs Trellis of north Wales will no doubt be sitting by her wireless at 6.30pm this evening when the start of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue’s 50th series is announced by the show’s bumbling brass theme (based on a tune by Haydn). What follows is guaranteed to be brilliant. It always is. Listening is like being welcomed back into a comfortable club on a wet winter’s night, a cheerful refuge from a dour, serious world outside. There may be people who are tired of its routines, its in-jokes and innuendo – but they are the sort of humourless listeners who write in to the BBC asking for the rules of Mornington Crescent to be explained (200 do every series), who wonder why Samantha hasn’t read out the score in years and probably question the need for the licence fee to fund Humph’s expensive laser display board, too. Everyone else appreciates the show’s relaxed brilliance. Many things contribute to this, starting with Humphrey Littleton, who has chaired the show since it began in 1972, getting funnier and bolder through the years. He does deadpan gags better than anybody else in broadcasting and gets more smut past the BBC, too. Without him the show would not have made it through 10 series, let alone 50, a magnificent score matched only by the even longer-lived Just A Minute. By rights Clue should have stopped being funny years ago. But there is nothing dusty or exhausted about a programme that still asks silly people to do silly things, and gets away with it every time.
And a very late arrival at pharmacists’ ball, would you please welcome Mr and Mrs Bollock-Steroids and their charming – if well-built – daughter Anna.
No Comments »Test Match Special at 50
By Will 3 years ago, mid-May, 6 Comments »
Is it not time for more female voices on TMS? “I hoped Claire Connor might be the one, but I don’t worry too much about not having a female,” said Baxter.
“The audience have to be comfortable with the commentators and most female voices need to be pitched a bit lower. You need an alto, not a soprano. Clare Balding has a perfect voice for radio.” And what advice would he have for his successor?
“I hope he (Baxter presumes it will be a man) doesn’t lose sight of the fact the commentary is the main thing,” he said.
So says Peter Baxter, Test Match Special’s producer since time began. Interesting comments, and not something I’d ever considered. Personally, I find Balding’s voice almost indistinguishable from a man’s. Indeed, listening to her and Willie Carson speaking, it’s difficult to determine who exactly wears the trousers. So to speak.
Anyway, well done TMS. I don’t listen to it these days as we’re glued to the screen, for obvious reasons, but it remains the best of British. But for how long? With Baxter hanging up his microphone, he sounds an ominous warning note to his successor
“Five Live have people who are in charge of things called “station sound†and that rings a few alarm bells. The whole point of TMS is that it doesn’t sound like other commentaries.”
Station sound? I shudder at the thought. There’s every chance that some shallow-sighted media freaks could ruin a British institution, turning it into a brash (and by proxy, dull) service. Come on BBC: leave it alone. Change is not always for the best. There will be quite a few TMS pieces on Cricinfo tomorrow and over the week, starting with Andrew Miller’s interview with Baxter, so keep your mince pies peeled.
Who were your favourite commentators? What do you make of the current crop? Favourite TMS moment? etc. Not that I listen nearly as much as I’d like, but I think Mike Selvey is particularly brilliant and works well with Vic Marks.
6 Comments »Online radio stations covering the World Cup
By Will 3 years ago, mid-February, 53 Comments »
Adrian pleads:
This may have been addressed previously, however I have noticed that there is
no mention of world cup coverage on the BBC, have TMS lost the radio rights ?
And, if so, who has them in the UK, Talk Sport (lord’elp us!)Before the last Ashes series you were kind enough to post my suggested thread
asking if anyone knew of non UK radio stations that broadcast commentary on the
net; any chance of doing the same again. I am a huge fan of All India Radio’s
coverage, stemming from an enjoyable couple of months there last year, and
recommend it wholeheartedly.
BBC’s TMS site says their next coverage will be the World Cup but, as yet, their schedule hasn’t been published. So if you know of any online radio stations covering it, leave a comment and rock on.
53 Comments »Tufnell and Gooch at Adelaide
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of December, 3 Comments »
Good shot of Phil Tufnell and Graham Gooch commentating for the BBC in Adelaide
Interview with Billy Birmingham
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of December, 1 Comment »
Rod’s in Adelaide pretending to work and spotted Billy Birmingham on the radio which you can download at his blog. Superb. Birmingham’s new 12th Man album is out today.
1 Comment »Online radio commentary for the Ashes
By Will 4 years ago, at the start of November, 347 Comments »
Adrian emailed with a good suggestion that we draw up a list of online radio stations who will be covering the Ashes. In his words…
How about a thread detailing where we can listen to cricket on-line. I believe
that ABC in Australia broadcast on the internet occasionally.Naturally, we’ll be following the ball by ball on cricinfo, but it’s always
interesting to listen to other equivalents to TMS, I spent a couple of months
in India and All India radio’s commentary was addictive.
Over to you lot.
347 Comments »Apologies to Warwickshire residents
By Will 4 years ago, mid-September, 1 Comment »
If you were driving home at about 17.50 on Tuesday and were tuned to BBC Radio Warwickshire, then my apologies for the inane, caustic screeching coming from your speakers. It was me. Fortunately for all involved, my second foray into radio interviews was a marked improvement on the first waffling attempt – but I still wheeled out the cliches (worryingly, without realising). Thanks to Stew and Jo for sorting it out – it was good fun.
The presenter, Jo, was a bit downbeat about England’s chances in the Ashes and I surprised myself by forcefully disagreeing. It made me realise that while England have had a difficult, testing year, it’s far from doom and gloom. A lot rests on Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff and the opening batsmen – but what’s new? They pulled it off last year, so to speak, and could pull it off again this year.
Might as well end this with one of Alec Stewart’s finest cliches: whoever plays the best cricket on the day will win. Talking of Stewart…
1 Comment »Rediscovering Test Match Special
By Will 4 years ago, mid-August, 8 Comments »
At work we obviously have to watch every ball, not simply listen to it. And down here in Devon, without Sky for some reason, I’ve just turned on the radio for the past hour which has brought memories back of listening to TMS in my youth. It really is a brilliant way of following a Test. You miss the pictures of course, but somehow feel even closer to the action.
One thing I can’t work out is who the heavy-breather is. It’s not Boycott or Agnew…anyone else hear it?
Here’s Salcombe this afternoon where I’ve been supping pints overlooking the sea
