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Talking head Terry

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André Coutanche

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Oct 24, 2005, 5:06:26 AM10/24/05
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For UK television viewers - or others who can get BBC4, perhaps by
satellite - there is a programme tomorrow, Tuesday 25th October 2005,
on BBC4 from 19:00 to 20:00 (British Summer Time) called 'Reading the
Decades'. The programme synopsis, according to the deeply wonderful
DigiGuide, is as follows: "A series which takes a journey through 40
years of inspirational books. This edition focuses on the biggest
reads of the 1950s, a decade of postwar austerity and teenage
rebellion. Books such as The Kon-Tiki Expedition and The Cruel Sea
offered a exhilarating blend of adventure and romance. With
contributions from Ken Follett, Joanna Trollope, Terry Pratchett,
Quentin Blake, Melvyn Bragg and Jilly Cooper."

André Coutanche


Richard Eney

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Oct 26, 2005, 3:28:50 AM10/26/05
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In article <435ca436$0$73588$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net>,

Did anybody see this? Any good books suggested?

=Tamar

André Coutanche

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Oct 26, 2005, 11:35:17 AM10/26/05
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Richard Eney wrote:
> In article <435ca436$0$73588$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net>,
> André Coutanche <and...@andrec.plus.com> wrote:
>> For UK television viewers - or others who can get BBC4, perhaps by
>> satellite - there is a programme tomorrow, Tuesday 25th October
>> 2005, on BBC4 from 19:00 to 20:00 (British Summer Time) called
>> 'Reading the Decades'.

> Did anybody see this? Any good books suggested?

*****

They covered about 14 books in the context of 1950s post-war Britain,
and the talking head celebs commented on one or more or them. There
were also lots of period (i.e black and white) interviews and reports
(and some good social commentary courtesy of Tony Hancock clips). The
books were: The Kon Tiki Expedition; The Cruel Sea; The Dam Busters;
The Day of the Triffids; Casino Royale and the other James Bond books;
the Georgette Heyer books; the Hank Janson books; the Guinness Book of
Records; Down with Skool and the other Nigel Molesworth books; the
Doctor in the House books; Lucky Jim; Saturday Night and Sunday
Morning; Doctor Zhivago; and Lolita.

The commentators included Brian Aldiss, Claire Rayner, David
Attenborough, Sue Townsend, Clive James, Andrew Davies (screenwriter),
Alan Sillitoe, Adam Faith [who was very good, IMHO], Jilly Cooper,
George Melly, Paul Johnson, Germaine Greer, Melvyn Bragg, Joanna
Trollope - and, of course, our very own Terry Pratchett. The excellent
voice-over was by Stephen Fry.

Terry came up three or four times, speaking about 'The Day of the
Triffids' (in a suitably menacing conservatory) and the Nigel
Molesworth books, which had obviously had a profound formative effect
on him ;-) .

If you are British and of a certain age, it was a very well done trip
down memory lane, and/or a useful reminder of things you had
half-forgotten or never fully knew. If you don't fall into that
category but are not totally averse to British culture (a non-British
Discworld reader, for instance ;-) ) you might well have found it
educational and interesting in an anthropological sort of way ...

André Coutanche


William Black

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Oct 26, 2005, 1:10:01 PM10/26/05
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"André Coutanche" <and...@andrec.plus.com> wrote in message
news:435fa23e$0$73618$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...


> Terry came up three or four times, speaking about 'The Day of the
> Triffids' (in a suitably menacing conservatory) and the Nigel
> Molesworth books, which had obviously had a profound formative effect
> on him ;-) .

Some of which was obviously used in the writing of Pyramids.

--
William Black

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.


Richard Eney

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Oct 26, 2005, 11:07:42 PM10/26/05
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In article <435fa23e$0$73618$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net>,
André Coutanche <and...@andrec.plus.com> wrote:

>Richard Eney wrote:
>> André Coutanche <and...@andrec.plus.com> wrote:
>>> For UK television viewers - or others who can get BBC4, perhaps by
>>> satellite - there is a programme tomorrow, Tuesday 25th October
>>> 2005, on BBC4 from 19:00 to 20:00 (British Summer Time) called
>>> 'Reading the Decades'.
>
>> Did anybody see this? Any good books suggested?
>
>*****
>
>They covered about 14 books in the context of 1950s post-war Britain,
>and the talking head celebs commented on one or more or them. There
>were also lots of period (i.e black and white) interviews and reports
>(and some good social commentary courtesy of Tony Hancock clips). The
>books were: The Kon Tiki Expedition; The Cruel Sea; The Dam Busters;
>The Day of the Triffids; Casino Royale and the other James Bond books;
>the Georgette Heyer books; the Hank Janson books; the Guinness Book of
>Records; Down with Skool and the other Nigel Molesworth books; the
>Doctor in the House books; Lucky Jim; Saturday Night and Sunday
>Morning; Doctor Zhivago; and Lolita.
<snip>

>Terry came up three or four times, speaking about 'The Day of the
>Triffids' (in a suitably menacing conservatory) and the Nigel
>Molesworth books, which had obviously had a profound formative effect
>on him ;-) .

Thank you. I seem to have covered close to 50% of the categories
so far, maybe more (with a few I'm not sure whether I read them or just
heard a lot about them).

=Tamar

MadCow

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Oct 29, 2005, 5:07:35 PM10/29/05
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In message <djod7v$oau$1...@news.freedom2surf.net>, William Black
<willia...@hotmail.co.uk> writes

>
>> Terry came up three or four times, speaking about 'The Day of the
>> Triffids' (in a suitably menacing conservatory) and the Nigel
>> Molesworth books, which had obviously had a profound formative effect
>> on him ;-) .
>
>Some of which was obviously used in the writing of Pyramids.
>

I think that owed more to "Tom Brown's Schooldays".
I can't remember a mention of religion in the Molesworth books.

--
Sue ]:(:)

Not your cow!

Sofia

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Oct 30, 2005, 3:44:39 PM10/30/05
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On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 22:07:35 +0100, MadCow wrote:

>
> I think that owed more to "Tom Brown's Schooldays".
> I can't remember a mention of religion in the Molesworth books.


But, I reckon if Molesworth was a real-life, "skoolboy", so to speak, he
would certainly have been tortured by the ghastly, gruesome and terribly
boring RI lessons, with their slave-driving teachers that the rest of us
had to suffer with at skool too.

Maybe Geoffrey Willans just didn't mention religion in his books, because
he was just too frightened that one of his satanic teachers would come out
of Hell just to turn him over his knee and spank his bottom!:)


All the best


Sofie

--
Please visit my deviantART page: http://sofen.deviantart.com/

Mrs Cake

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Oct 31, 2005, 6:37:31 AM10/31/05
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Orwell throws a lot of light on British "school days" books, as does
C.S. Lewis in some of his writings. A question for Brit abp-ers --
what's the school system like now?

Mrs Cake

http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/suchwerethejoys.htm
http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/boysweeklies1.htm

It's Him

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Oct 31, 2005, 8:25:35 AM10/31/05
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<snip>

>> But, I reckon if Molesworth was a real-life, "skoolboy", so to speak, he
>> would certainly have been tortured by the ghastly, gruesome and terribly
>> boring RI lessons, with their slave-driving teachers that the rest of us
>> had to suffer with at skool too.
>>
>> Maybe Geoffrey Willans just didn't mention religion in his books, because
>> he was just too frightened that one of his satanic teachers would come
>> out
>> of Hell just to turn him over his knee and spank his bottom!:)
>>
>>
>> All the best
>>
>>
>> Sofie
>
> Orwell throws a lot of light on British "school days" books, as does
> C.S. Lewis in some of his writings. A question for Brit abp-ers --
> what's the school system like now?
>
> Mrs Cake
>
The answer to that is, it all depends! For a start it depends if it is state
or public school, and even if it is a state school it depends on the
enviroment. Never having taught in a public school but listening to people
who have gone through the system it seems like life hasn't changed that
much. Some of the British city schools however, don't appear to be that
different to some of the worst US schools.

Other people with other viewpoints may believe differently.

Nigel


André Coutanche

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Oct 31, 2005, 9:56:41 AM10/31/05
to
It's Him wrote:

>> A question for Brit abp-ers -- what's the school system like now?
>>
>> Mrs Cake
>>
> The answer to that is, it all depends! For a start it depends if it
> is state or public school, and even if it is a state school it
> depends on the enviroment. Never having taught in a public school
> but listening to people who have gone through the system it seems
> like life hasn't changed that much. Some of the British city schools
> however, don't appear to be that different to some of the worst US
> schools.

*****

Two points:

(1) Americans should read 'public school' as if it was 'private
school'.

(2) This won't be [R] unless people try *very, very* hard ;-) .

André Coutanche

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