John Copper on Rural Rides

Subject: John Copper on Rural Rides
From: GUEST,Henryp
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 09:05 AM

In his BBC2 programme last night, Nicholas Crane followed the path of William Cobbett's Rural Rides. The programme was distinguished by the appearance of John Copper to sing verses from two contemporary songs. The programme is repeated tomorrow evening at 7 o'clock.

19:00 Thursday 6 September 2007
Great British Journeys - William Cobbett's Rural Rides
A farmer's son and one-time ploughman, William Cobbett was born in 1763, in Farnham, Surrey. A highly politicised writer and champion of Radicalism, Cobbett loved the countryside, and his Rural Rides are one of the best known elegies to rustic southern England. He cared passionately about the plight of humble farm labourers, and he understood that the agricultural crisis of the early 19th century would eventually lead to outright rebellion. He railed against corrupt statesmen and dodgy middlemen, and celebrated the intrinsic worth of old-fashioned farming practices. Nicholas Crane sets off to discover whether Cobbett's tirade was justified and whether today it's still possible to find anything of Cobbett Country. >>

Subject: RE: John Copper on Rural Rides
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 09:58 AM

I'm in two minds about this programme. Like many modern documentaries it tends to be more about the presenter than the subject matter. Some of it was just absurd - like the sequence in which Mr Crane tried desperately to avoid breaking his neck whilst allowing his bike to carry him down a very steep hill (why?).

I thought that John Copper sang two very appropriate songs but he sounded a bit nervous to me (still, I suppose it's better than not having John Copper on the programme).

I know that this is damning with faint praise but I'd rather watch a documentary (however flawed) about subject matter like William Cobbett's Rural Rides than I would yet another sodding "reality" show about cooking or gardening or whatever!

Subject: RE: John Copper on Rural Rides
From: PMB
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 10:24 AM

Yes, John Copper sounded as though the thing had been rather sprung on him, with no idea of who the audience was or chance to engage with them. I find Crane intensely irritating, trying far too hard to be a "character", but as Shimrod says, a durn sight better than 99% of the stuff that TV does these days.

One bit that really got my goat was when he went to Beaulieu- some local had apparently told Cobbett that the 'real' Beaullieu was a few miles further on. Crane went to find it, but didn't tell us what it was, or if it was Beaulieu what the other one was!

Subject: RE: John Copper on Rural Rides
From: Mark Dowding
Date: 05 Sep 07 - 11:25 AM

They shot the performance of the songs twice to get a different angle on John singing (assuming it was a one camera crew) but it resulted in the second half of the verses being sung in a slightly different key for his second performance! Good to see the BBC using folk singers though.

Cheers
Mark