BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus

Subject: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 02:10 PM

BBC radio 4 this morning broadcast "A Festschrift for Lucky Jim", introduced by Prof Laurie Taylor, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kingsley Amis's novel. Various academics and literary luminaries, including Howard Jacobsen, Melvin Bragg and Norman Stone, recalled their memories of Jim Dixon. Prof John Carey even recalled Jim's morris dancing phase, when Jim would arrive/ be delivered back home sloshed from an evening's morris tour, and refuse to take his bells off before he had been carried up to bed. (Mind you, I can remember morris tours like that in Oxford when I was a student and went to hear John Carey lecturing on Charles Dickens and women....)

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 05 Jun 04 - 04:07 PM

God bless Radio 4, I missed it as I can't get FM up here in the outreaches of the empire, but I shall look for it on Listen Again on the web site.
How did Melvyn Bragg pass himself off as an academic, or even a literary luminary?
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: The Shambles
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 02:24 AM

With the 'build -up' he was given in his introduction, it was not neccesary for Lord Bragg to pass himself off as anything. I got the impression that those contrbuting, did not really see that the joke of the whole thing, was rather on them.

Or that they may have some idea but were trying very hard not to see this or to deflect it somewhere else - by taking part.

It was slightly ammusing but almost totally, a self-indulgent middle-class in-joke.

A bit like Radio 4 itself.

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 06:12 AM

Radio 4 can only be truly described as middle class in light of its failure to pander to popular culture, and as such it does not appeal to a mass audience, [although it has tried]. Attracting thereby an audience with an attention span of more than 2 minutes. In the era of the soundbite it is refreshing to hear programmes like The Learning Curve, From our own Correspondant, and especially the late lamented Alistair Cook. In the main it celebrates all that is good in Britain, and is a joy to listen to almost always, if it were to dumb down, I for one would emigrate.
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: The Shambles
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 06:31 AM

You can listen to it on the follwing link (at least for the next week). When you get there, look under the letter F.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/progs/listenagain.shtml

I agree that there are indeed some fine things on BBC Radio 4 and this is largely a matter of personal taste. However, there are still some truly terrible (middle class) dinosaurs to be found, like 'Women's Hour' for example.

It is difficult to see where many of Radio 4's stalwarts like Laurie Taylor could go, without it, but perhaps we would not notice that they were gone?

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 06:01 PM

That'll be "f" for "festschrift", I take it?   

Maybe I'm a dinosaur, but I have radio 4 on all the time at home, when I'm home.

I like Women's Hour, even though I only get to hear it when I'm not at work. Sometimes, you get really interesting stuff like Sandra Kerr singing with Nancy.

Last night on radio 4 we had Roy Hudd singing the D-day dodgers (on Loose Ends).

Kitty

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 06:36 PM

emeritus sounds like arthritis (for those that often mispronounce it).

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: The Shambles
Date: 06 Jun 04 - 07:52 PM

I am a bit of dinosaur too but I can't really see that much of a case can be made for Women's Hour, in 2004. The show really stuggles to fit interesting things in the format and are the items chosen, only supposed to be of interest to women? If not, what is the point of this hour?

I can't see that a case for a Men's Hour could really be made. Although I accept that some existing shows could be described as this, although these would be of much interest to me as Women's Hour currently is.

I would like to hear Sandra and Nancy Kerr on any show and would I have heard Roy Hudd singing on Women's Hour?

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: fat B****rd
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 03:18 AM

Radio 4 is sacred and has the best comedy on radio (or TV) with The News Quiz and I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue. So there !!

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 09:34 AM

I feel that Woman's Hour needs something doing to revive what is a tired old format. It is sometimes so relentlessly single issue, and the tenuous links used to make a subject female are sometimes laughable. I think Jenny[i] Murray should go as she has lost any sparkle she may have had, and sounds tired. Maddy Prior did it a couple of times but has gone again, it needs someone with a less aggressive feminist slant like Anne MacKenzie or Libby Purves. Or completely from left field, Lesley Riddoch!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Jun 04 - 09:55 AM

Or Roy Hudd?

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:09 AM

Graham Norton, Dale Winton?
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Lucky Jim Dixon, prof emeritus
From: fat B****rd
Date: 08 Jun 04 - 03:14 AM

Giok, don't be silly !!