I enjoyed Andrew Billen’s appreciation of Jeremy Beadle in the Times (page 11) today. He quoted Beadle’s warning at the Edinburgh TV Festival to those new to the game never to respond to the reporter who promises you the chance to “give your side of the story”. He said: “That means, ‘Kiss me because I am going to rape you anyway’.”
Good advice, but a bit rich coming from Beadle, who never asked the people he set up and there was no right of reply when he’d made a wally of them.
Did you watch Monarchy on BBC1 before Christmas. Fascinating. It was a brave decision of the Royals to let the cameras in. And it worked despite getting off to a very dodgy start which even resulted in the Controller BBC1 resigning (see below).
But there was one priceless moment when Prince Andrew all but lost his cool (>> 0:58 to 2:00) Watch his hands as he says one thing (through gritted teeth) but is so patently thinking something completely different. The camera never lies.
News Analysis: Gazing into the industry crystal ball 11 January 2008 From taking action to combat climate change to spotting the next agency to be snapped up and preparing for a shake-up in the recruitment industry - PRWeek readers predict what 2008 has in store for them. JOHN STONBOROUGH, founder, John Stonborough & Co ‘I guarantee that despite spending over half a million quid of licence payers’ money to send 16,500 employees on a Truth Recognition course, the BBC will be engulfed in another fact fiddling scandal in 2008.’
