Dear Chief Secretary to the Treasury,
I'm afraid to tell you there's no money left.
Signed, Liam Byrne

(Outgoing Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury. May 2010)
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Sunday 14 February 2010

Valentine's Day television.

Valentine's Day 2010 on the television (quoting Radio Times) -
10:15pm - 11:15pm
ITV
"Tony Blair was interviewed by Fern Britton, erstwhile giggling matron of This Morning, and that turned out to be explosive. So perhaps we can expect similar fireworks here as Prime Minister Gordon Brown gives his first big election-on-the-way interview to chortling Piers Morgan, a man more noted for asking pneumatic celebs about their boob jobs. What will they talk about, considering Brown has never had breast implants? The Chilcot Inquiry? What he thinks about Katie and Peter's marriage split? It's quite a coup for Morgan, someone who has never knowingly picked up a name without dropping it. (His diaries are packed with gleeful details of his cosy relationship with the Blairs: 22 lunches, six dinners, six interviews, 24 one-to-ones over tea and biscuits.) He says, "I have known Gordon Brown for 15 years... I have been trying to secure a Life Stories interview with [him] since the series was first devised, because he is an absolutely perfect subject for the show."


Radio Times reviewer - Alison Graham 
There have been so many 'leaks' about the content of this programme that many people won't bother because they think they've already seen, and read about, the 'juicy bits'.

It's doubtful that this programme, and indeed others in the same series, will have been unrehearsed. The questions will have been carefully chosen, the responses carefully worded for maximum impact on both the studio audience and television viewers - with the cameras helping out too, to prove and demonstrate empathy.

All television interviews are designed to do something - that 'something' will have been decided in advance, so if this is indeed an "election-on-the-way interview" then everybody involved will have been tasked with showing the interviewee in the best possible light - both visually and emotionally.

They will, no doubt, have been asked to help portray Mr Brown as a nice man, the message might  be, "Vote for me because I'm a nice person who has had tough times, and I'm much nicer than any of the others".

Then there will be the advertising breaks, perhaps these too will be 'on task', in the same way as teachers are advised to intersperse their "talk" with practical activities or diversions that reinforce "the message" of a particular lesson. Perhaps some of those government-sponsored , taxpayer-funded, global warming 'adverts', or something about drinking too much, or even something by a children's charity would help a bit.

All that effort, and all that planning, to make a programme that will be aired on the evening of St. Valentine's Day, when those not engaged in typical 'Valentine' activity might prefer something more to do with relationships - Jeremy Kyle for instance.

Ooh, now there's a thought!
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Haven't watched it but the main point of the interview seems to be Gordon sobbing over his dead baby while his 'beard' Sarah watches with tear ducts brimming. Meant to show that Gordon is just 'one of us', gain sympathy for him & get us to forget what a completely useless c*** he has been as British PM & vote for him again. Call me hard hearted but personally I'd rather be publically disembowelled than vote for him & his totally corrupt Party. And using his dead baby as political propaganda just demonstrates what a complete piece of s**** he is, without morals or ethics.