[Spoonman]

Yeah, grifting isn't likely the right word. Certainly elements of a messiah complex against the "upstarts" whilst self-labelling themselves as the rebels.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Whoever they get will have to play second fiddle to Farage.

What credible presenter would stoop to that - Carole Malone?

They'll struggle to get anyone more credible than Alistair Stewart, and he was already doing Crash Bang Wallop in the mid nineties.

Is there a Reggie Bosanquet out there? I've just discovered he wished Anna Ford's dead mum a happy birthday on News at Ten.

[Boiler]

Is there a Reggie Bosanquet out there? I've just discovered he wished Anna Ford's dead mum a happy birthday on News at Ten.

Rumour has it that there were occasions where Reggie went on camera with a broom pushed up through his jacket to keep him upright when he'd had a skinful.

[davidjay]

Reply of the day:

[Andy McDandy]

In a newspaper column he did in the 80s, Stephen Fry wrote about the constant call from the right of "Why are all the clever people on the left?". He said that while the people who ran TV, radio etc were by no means economically on the left, they were certainly socially liberal. They sensed which way the wind was blowing and went with it.

That seems to be the issue with GB News. They seem to be intent on appealing to a narrow band of people who basically think there's nothing wrong with calling people by offensive names, and that the gays, blacks and women should shut up and be grateful they're not being lynched any more. That's a demographic that while they may well be comfortably off (in places), aren't exactly big spenders or technological first adopters. In other words, the people advertisers really like.

Also, as hinted above regarding the motivations of some working for GBeebies, the media is full of a lot of fragile egos. How many sidelong glances, giggles when you walk into bars and restaurants, invitations drying up etc will they withstand before throwing in the towel? All they really can do is adopt an "I'm a grumpy twat and it's all water off a duck's back" protest-too-much hardness, rather fragile in its belligerence, while the rest of the world moves on.

[Crabcakes]

Whoever they get will have to play second fiddle to Farage.

What credible presenter would stoop to that - Carole Malone?

"credible" here is being used in the sense that she's a human who can talk, but I bet Katie Hopkins is probably hoping for a phone call. And that's probably only because even the likes of Hartley-Brewer probably wouldn't touch GB News with a bargepole now.

I do think it has served an excellent purpose though as some sort of unintentional karma machine - it's yoinked a load of bigoted tossers off of mainstream channels, revealed their unpleasant natures to all and sundry, and fucked their future careers outside of the crank sector. No more lovely coastal walks or cushy roles as National Trust chair for Neil Oliver, for example.

[Andy McDandy]

Posted in the Grauniad page as well, so sorry for the light spamming. But once again Marina Hyde knocks it out of the park with her brilliant evisceration of GBeebies:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ew-neil-tv

[Youngian]

First Biggins now the Bucks Fizz Brexit woman. And move over Littlejohn, Walford’s Nasty Nick Cotton has a BBC woke anecdote from 35 years ago

[Bones McCoy]

So Cancelled now means "I refused to follow the script and they threatened to drop me".

The thing about these classical liberals is they're always changing the meaning of perfectly good words.

[kreuzberger]

Posted in the Grauniad page as well, so sorry for the light spamming. But once again Marina Hyde knocks it out of the park with her brilliant evisceration of GBeebies:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ew-neil-tv

Gotta love the way she is always one step ahead of herself. The punchlines are invisible to the naked eye but, when they land, you wonder how you didn't see them coming. Quite the scribe.

[MisterMuncher]

So Cancelled now means "I refused to follow the script and they threatened to drop me".

The thing about these classical liberals is they're always changing the meaning of perfectly good words.

Weird how they supposedly cancelled him, them had him back for the role several times since. Also weird how he's so vexed about it that he's broken all association with the role and never mentions it.

[Andy McDandy]

Given that his career appears to be mainly (aside from Eastenders) reality TV, DTV Essex gangster films, and walk-ons essentially riffing on his Nick Cotton character (Noel's House Party for example), I get that he's miffed. I also get that soaps can be a career dead end, as people get so associated with an actor in one role that they have trouble seeing them as anything else. But plenty of people have broken out of that dead end, so this does appear to be just sour grapes at his own life choices.

[Boiler]

He's also nearly 70.

[MisterMuncher]

Given that his career appears to be mainly (aside from Eastenders) reality TV, DTV Essex gangster films, and walk-ons essentially riffing on his Nick Cotton character (Noel's House Party for example), I get that he's miffed. I also get that soaps can be a career dead end, as people get so associated with an actor in one role that they have trouble seeing them as anything else. But plenty of people have broken out of that dead end, so this does appear to be just sour grapes at his own life choices.

'Enders never did have the greatest record in breakout stars*, though. Even when he started he must have known it was something of a poisoned chalice.


*British soaps in general, tbh. Compared to Aussie and USAian soaps, their alumini ain't doing much.

[Andy McDandy]

There was once a letter in Viz referring to one EE actor calling a colleague "the best actor I've ever worked with", pointing out that that was pretty faint praise. You're right though - it's more likely you'll see some faded star of yesteryear in the square than someone using it as a stepping stone to better things.

[The All New KevS]

So Cancelled now means "I refused to follow the script and they threatened to drop me".

The thing about these classical liberals is they're always changing the meaning of perfectly good words.

"But Francis, I just don't think the line makes sense. What if he does refuse the offer I'll make him? It's pointless. I won't say it".

"Fine, you're history then. Someone get me Brando's number!"

[Andy McDandy]

And Altman's still bitter about that moment.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Is this the first time Altman's mentioned any of this? I suppose he wouldn't want to do a Jason Donovan "I will fight this slur" thing, but I'm surprised we haven't heard it from some source. Maybe he was ready anyway- he would have been 62 or 63, and 30 years on and off is enough for anyone. Would he have walked if he were 35?

Still, great we've got a news channel that tackles the big issues.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Given that his career appears to be mainly (aside from Eastenders) reality TV, DTV Essex gangster films, and walk-ons essentially riffing on his Nick Cotton character (Noel's House Party for example), I get that he's miffed. I also get that soaps can be a career dead end, as people get so associated with an actor in one role that they have trouble seeing them as anything else. But plenty of people have broken out of that dead end, so this does appear to be just sour grapes at his own life choices.

He hasn't done as many Essex gangster films as one might expect. He was a very competent soap villain, but nowadays he's not going to terrify anybody like Craig Fairbrass can, nor do the Billy Murray boss.

[Youngian]

Altman’s an underused baddie if anything. Played George Harrison in a film the Beatles didn’t like but was pretty good.