The musical version of Clueless came with impeccable credentials. The original screenwriter Amy Heckerling adapted her own film, K T Tunstall wrote the score and Glenn Slater, the writer behind Tangled, Sister Act and School of Rock amongst many others, provided the lyrics. The film itself has proved to be a touchstone for three generations of teens as they watched and re-watched Alicia Silverstone et al. I had only seen the original film once, but I remembered enjoying it immensely, so I was expecting a really good evening.
The Story
Clueless is based on the novel Emma by Jane Austen. The central character Cher is a 17 year old high school student who lives with her widowed father who is a lawyer. Her stepbrother Josh, who also wants to be a lawyer, sees her as interfering and shallow while she sees him as dull and idealistic. Cher’s best friend Dionne is more than happy to go along with Cher’s schemes to match ‘suitable’ couples together. Her attempt to get her grades increased by the grumpy Mr Hall works when she sets him up with fellow teacher Miss Geist. So, when new girl Tai arrives she decides to turn her from a pink haired nerd into someone worthy of Elton, the narcissistic, shallow Elton, even though Tai and skateboarder Travis are far more compatible. Deciding to take advantage of her profile at the school, she sets her sights on fashion lover Christian, but she is in for a shock.
The Cast
Emma Flynn plays Cher, the central character with sweetness, determination, depth and humour. At no point do you see Cher as a figure of fun. Yes, she can be misguided and far too sure of her instincts, but she is genuinely sweet and kind. When something happens that she feels is wrong she is determined to make it right. She is the friend who will back you up to the hilt but only if you can keep up with her! By refusing to make her a caricature, Flynn centres the whole performance. Her acting and singing fizz with verve and energy and she has an absolutely fantastic voice. She has a fantastic stage presence and your eyes are drawn in her direction every time she is on stage, not just sporadically! Emma Flynn isn’t a star of the future, she is a star right now, and we were really lucky to see her as the perfect Cher.
Keelan McAuley is the perfect foil for Cher in his role as Josh. You completely buy into his earnest young intern who has a clear sense of right and wrong like Cher. The problem is that his sense of right and wrong often clashes with hers. In the song, Human Barbies he sets out his case for the prosecution, but in that song you sense that he is trying to help her out rather than criticise. When he feels that she is setting her sights on the wrong guy he is clear that his role is as her protector. Their spiky relationship is the centre of the story and thanks to Mcauley it rings completely true. His singing is powerful, and in the boyband influenced Reasonable Doubts he nails one of the absolute showstoppers.
Chyna-Rose Frederick is Cher’s best friend Dionne, whose easy friendship with her is in contrast to the fiery relationship she has with boyfriend Murray (Rabi Kondé) Despite their regular spats it is clear that they really love each other, and in that, if in little else, she is prepared to be quite independent of her friend. Like Cher, Dionne is completely driven by what she sees as the best for everyone else. Frederick is sassy, funny and completely watchable whenever she is on stage, keeping up with Flynn which is no mean feat.
Romona Lewis-Malley plays new girl Tai. Initially she has pink hair and unfashionable clothes and she is worried about coming to a new school. That is the reason that she allows Cher and Dionne to make her over, but it is clear that she is not really comfortable with her new image. She has more in common with Travis (Blake Jordan) who shares her love of cartoon characters and loves her artistic talent. Both characters are appealing and you definitely root for them as a couple even when Cher doesn’t.
Max Mirza and Isaac J Lewis play Elton and Christian respectively. They are both clothes horses, both inordinately vain and love to make an entrance. There the similarities end, because where Elton is calculated and selfish, Christian is ingenuous and open hearted. Both actors play their characters flaws to the hilt, but they also give performances that are nuanced and far from one note.
The Music
The best way to describe the music is as a 90s mixtape that takes you straight back into the decade. There were so many good songs that it seems almost wrong to pick any out for special praise. The music of K T Tunstall and the lyrics of Glenn Slater is so right and so familiar that you will feel as if you’ve heard these songs before. To get a feel of the music I can do no better than point you in the direction of K T Tunstall’s Clueless Mixtape which features six songs you will be playing again and again if you’re anything like me. My favourite was Reasonable Doubts sung by Josh and his fellow interns as he voices his distrust of Christian and his certainty that he is completely wrong for Cher. Any song that has the lines ‘This guy is thicker than a porpoise/He will try to habeus her corpus!’ is total genius and had me laughing out loud at the show and whenever I’ve listened to it since!
My entirely objective point of view
I have seen a number of musicals over the years, but not one of them has had me grinning and singing along (quietly) in the theatre like this one. It was a total blast and it was so refreshing to hear one that can stand alongside the best of the genre past or present. There are some really good modern musicals and make no mistake whatever, Clueless is right up there at the top of the pile. It would be remiss of me not to give a shout out to the incredible set design of Mikiko Suzuki Adams who made the most of every single inch of the stage with her innovative designs. Wait till you see how they introduce the cars! I was there on a Thursday night and it wasn’t a full theatre which was such a shame. Something this good deserves a full house every night. Everyone there had a marvellous time watching a show that transcended the generations with ease. Whether you saw the film version of Clueless first time round or caught up with it via streaming, I guarantee you will absolutely adore this fantastic piece of stage magic. Book those tickets now and support the huge talent on and behind the stage. As the final encore has it, ‘It’s all that/ and a bag of chips’!
Sisters: Annie Lennox and Friends Royal Albert Hall March 6 2025
This was a concert my wife in particular never expected to be able to see. A massive fan of Annie Lennox since her Tourists days, Janet has all of Annie’s solo recordings on CD, but with it having been 6 years since Annie last sang in public, we thought her concert days were over. When Sisters was announced, in aid of Annie’s own organisation The Circle our daughter stayed on Ticketmaster for an hour and a half, and finally secured two standing tickets which we were really happy with. Nearer the time I saw a competition run by For One Night Only events offering top price tickets plus exclusive access to Annie’s soundcheck. Well, that was my slightly (very) leftfield Valentine’s Day present for Janet, but as the money was going to charity and we had tickets anyway, I thought why not? You guessed it – we won! So, my review of the night starts with the soundcheck.
Annie Lennox Soundcheck
There were 30 of us with access to the soundcheck so it was pretty much as exclusive as you’re going to get. Annie watched us walk in, grinned and said ‘You’re all very quiet!’ As you can imagine that went some way to breaking the ice for fans suddenly in front of an icon who had been part of their lives for more than four decades. For someone who is as interested in music as I am, what really stood out was the way in which the soundcheck was carried out. It was relaxed with a fair amount of humour between the songs, in a way that was clearly very natural, not just Annie putting us at our ease, but once the songs started the fierce determination shone through. The vocals were excellent and the seriousness with which the dimensions of the stage and the positioning of instruments, seats and microphones were considered, showed how important it was to all concerned. We were not allowed any phones, cameras or recording equipment, quite rightly, so we could just concentrate on the music and the experience. I surprised myself by finding it such an emotional experience, with a sense of gratitude, excitement and awareness of how much a part of our lives Annie has been, combining to make this really special. We were treated to versions of classic songs that were just for us as a small incredibly lucky group of people. Annie couldn’t have been more welcoming or lovelier and I said to Janet that vocally she could definitely still produce the magic. It turned out that we hadn’t seen anything yet!
Part 1 The Friends
The second part of our prize were seats just seven rows from the front of the stage! It’s as near as we will probably ever get, so we were determined to enjoy every minute. Clara Amfo was our host for the evening and she was brilliant throughout. Clara’s introductions for each of the artists were beautifully judged and even those that we didn’t know came with an added sense of anticipation thanks to her. Rioghnach (pronounced Ri-uh-nah) Connolly, the BBC Folk Singer of the Year, sang three beautiful songs, Land of my Other, Carry Your Kin and Too Many Have Gone. Her stunning voice and incredible flute playing completely entranced the audience and no doubt sent many of us to Spotify and YouTube as I have no doubt that she won many more fans. Irish folk singing is something I have a natural affection for, and this was a particularly fine example of how good it can be. As a teacher I did appreciate the ‘teacher look’ she gave the late comers a few rows in front of us! The subtext of ‘What time do you call this?’ was abundantly clear! It certainly amused me.
Following Rioghnach was the poet Rakaya Fetuga whose powerful and timely poem Quietly reminded us in no uncertain terms why we were here. The situation for women worldwide needs to be improved in so many ways, health wise, jobwise and opportunity wise. If we were able to do this across the globe, our countries and the relationships between them would, I think, be greatly improved, but this requires women to ascend to power in countries that routinely shut them out from exercising that power in every possible way. All of these things were addressed in this marvellous piece of performance poetry.
Celeste was the next artist, a BRIT award winner and Oscar nominee. Her three tracks Women of Faces, Time Will Tell and Strange were delivered with an ethereal beauty that made them extremely powerful. She was clearly unfamiliar to a number of the crowd, but the purity of her voice won over many of the uninitiated. Her three tracks were a really good introduction to this rising star of the music scene.
Nadine Shah revelled in the opportunity to perform in front of the Royal Albert Hall audience and she electrified us with Topless Mother and a Nirvana cover, All Apologies, delivered with real power. She mentioned how grateful she was to be able to do what she does as a career, and she warmed the audience up ready for the delights to follow.
The final artist of the first half was the most well known of the quintet, . A soul singer, actress, campaigner, fundraiser and musical theatre veteran, Beverley Knight OBE. Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda got the first singalong of the night as she filled the Hall with her amazing voice. Her next track was the very appropriate Sisters, Sisters and she finished her trio of tracks with the positive Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, a message that needs to be held on to in these dark times. She brought the first half to an uplifting close and set the stage for the second half with the legend herself, Annie Lennox
Part 2 Annie Lennox
Misan Harriman, the photographer spoke eloquently about the work of The Circle but, perhaps mindful of what was about to happen, he kept it concise and effective. Here was the moment the entire hall had been waiting for. Annie came on stage resplendent in a sequined jacket which was a statement of intent from the start. She was here to entertain. She started with the haunting Dark Road that was delivered with beauty and depth, but that was perhaps the least familiar song of her entire set. Pretty much everything else demonstrated, if it needed demonstrating, that she has been a massive part of the musical life of this country since the early 1980s. Next was Little Bird which got the first of many audience singalongs going, but then she got one of the big guns out. Walking on Broken Glass is a song that is recognisable from the first few notes. It would have been great in Name That Tune back in the day! As soon as it started the audience jumped to their feet and began singing and dancing. The pure joy radiating to and from the stage just summed up how loved Annie and her songs are. She sang it with a voice as powerful and true as if it had been two or three years ago she recorded it, not more than 30 years ago. It is still my favourite song of her solo career and when I heard it here it just reminded me that it is a truly great pop song that stands with any song from any era.
From there she went back to the early Eurythmics days with the beautiful yet disquieting Love is a Stranger given a new freshness and verve. No More I Love Yous was a single that I never knew was a cover version until I was researching this post. Originally recorded by The Lover Speaks in 1986 it barely scraped into the Top 60 which is totally baffling. Annie decided it deserved more and rerecorded it, taking it Number 2 in the UK charts and narrowly missing the Top 20 in the US. It was her biggest solo single and deservedly so, because it is a piece of genius in its original form and in Annie’s version. There Must Be an Angel was the most emotional song of the night for me. She sang it as a duet with her daughter, Lola, a marvellous singer in her own right, and the way Annie looked at her daughter throughout with such a powerful and abiding love in her eyes brought tears to mine. Here Comes the Rain Again was beautifully rearranged for piano and gave a freshness to a song that I have always liked ever since I first heard it.
The first of two surprise guests was introduced for the next song. Hozier, a massive presence both vocally and physically, was introduced to sing a duet with Annie on one of my favourite songs of the 2010s, the immense Take Me to Church. It was an absolutely stunning meeting of two great voices that blended together perfectly on a version of the song that could really do well if it was rereleased. It was definitely one of the absolute highlights of the set. Their second duet was seamlessly blended into the first, this time I Put a Spell on You. The classic song recorded by Screaming Jay Hawkins, Nina Simone and Creedence Clearwater Revival could not have been sung any better on any of those versions. It was Annie Lennox at her absolute best and the audience loved it. The next song, Missionary Man, showed the strength of Annie’s catalogue because it was not a standout. For many other artists it would have been one of the strongest songs of the night. The final two songs of the set were a fantastic finish by any standards. Why is one of the most memorable songs of her solo career and here it was delivered with power and beauty that just stilled and mesmerised the audience who had previously been on their feet and singing along. It was a perfect example of an artist with the power over an audience like very few others. The finale was a duet with Paloma Faith on a song that summed up the message of the entire night. It was of course Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves which led to a huge Royal Albert Hall singalong. That was nothing compared to the singalong for the encore, the timeless and brilliant Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This). The perfect end to a perfect night in the company of the ageless and indefatigable Annie Lennox.
Commander Starkie, my old Headmaster
Back in 2011 I was asked to help plan a 60th anniversary reunion day for my old Primary School, St. Andrew’s in Rochester. Despite having been there nearly 40 years before, my love for my old school had grown over the years and I couldn’t wait to get started. I had a number of ideas, some of which were agreed by the reunion committee. One was to create an oral archive for the school using a series of questions which former pupils would answer as a way of giving voice to their thoughts and feelings about the school. Students from across the school’s history took part and there were some fascinating reminiscences.
The other idea was my main task, in terms of the day, which was to theme the classrooms for each of the decades since St. Andrew’s had been founded in 1951. There were two main elements to these themes, memorabilia and music. I sourced pictures and magazines, while the school searched through its own archives to find magazines, photographs and newspaper articles. It made every single classroom a time capsule, an impression strengthened by CDs playing the hits of the time. This was right up my street as I attempted to put together music that would have been popular with pupils at the time. Two considerations governed my choices, the relative familiarity and ongoing popularity of the songs and the ‘mix’. As any good DJ and anyone who has created playlists from the days of cassette onwards knows, the mix of songs creates the mood. Sudden changes in tempo and style take people by surprise, and are generally extremely unwelcome, and choosing the wrong song in the wrong place can kill an atmosphere stone dead! Actually there was a third, that my playlist could be contained on a CD-R disc of just over 75 minutes long! That third requirement led to a number of issues with songs I would otherwise have loved to include not fitting on the CD and being replaced by songs that reduced the overall running time to the required timescale. I eventually ended up with discs for each of the 6 decades which I felt best reflected the type of music that would best jog the memories of those involved. I felt I did pretty well overall, and below I share a brief review, the full track list and my newly constructed Spotify Playlists for each of the decades. I hope you enjoy them and that they bring back memories for you.
The 1950’s Mix
This was quite an easy one to put together, partly because of my abiding affection for the music of the era, and partly because the songs were more easily fitted into the mix than other decades tended to be. The relative strength of the genres, where there were clear similarities between the the tracks, made it easier to group and I am still very pleased with the result.
- Rock around the Clock – Bill Haley and the Comets
- Say Mama – Gene Vincent
- Great Balls of Fire – Jerry Lee Lewis
- Jailhouse Rock – Elvis Presley
- Shakin’ All Over – Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
- See You Later Alligator – Bill Haley and the Comets
- C’mon Everybody – Eddie Cochran
- Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
- Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly and the Crickets
- Move It – Cliff Richard
- Livin’ Doll – Cliff Richard
- Red River Rock – Johnny and the Hurricanes
- Heartbeat – Buddy Holly and the Crickets
- Crazy – Patsy Cline
- Diana – Paul Anka
- Duke of Earl – Gene Chandler
- Mr. Sandman – The Chordettes
- When I Fall in Love – Nat King Cole
- Puppy Love – Paul Anka
- All I Have to do is Dream – The Everly Brothers
- True Love Ways – Buddy Holly and the Crickets
The 1960s Mix
With the wealth of popular music across the decade, the main task was to try to include as many of the key artists of the time. I didn’t do too badly, although for every artist I included there was at least one other I could and perhaps should have done. That said, it was perhaps the most popular mix of the day and the final song, In My Life just summed up the event perfectly.
- Do Wah Diddy Diddy – Manfred Mann
- Help – The Beatles
- Congratulations – Cliff Richard
- Delilah – Tom Jones
- Young Girl – Gary Puckett and the Union Gap
- Pretty Woman – Roy Orbison
- The Young Ones – Cliff Richard
- Baby Love – The Supremes
- Fun Fun Fun – The Beach Boys
- Foot Tapper – The Shadows
- Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen – Neil Sedaka
- Daydream Believer – The Monkees
- Happy Together – The Turtles
- You’ve lost that Lovin’ Feeling – The Righteous Brothers
- He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies
- Those Were the Days – Mary Hopkin
- You don’t have to say you love me – Dusty Springfield
- You’ll Never Walk Alone – Gerry and the Pacemakers
- The Sound of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
- Are You Lonesome Tonight – Elvis Presley
- In my Life – The Beatles
The 1970s Mix
What a difficult one this was! I initially overdosed on glam rock as it was my era at St Andrew’s and reminded me so much of my time there. However, I needed to rein that enthusiasm in otherwise the entire playlist would have been 73 – 76! Looking at it now after 13 years, I missed out 70 – 72 almost entirely and I needed to replace a certain bacofoil clad singer with another artist on the grounds of taste when I transferred it to Spotify! Luckily the swap not only goes unnoticed in terms of the mix, but in many ways makes it better. I seem to remember making a second 70s mix just for me, so I would be interested to see what was included on that.
- Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
- Crazy Horses – The Osmonds
- Blockbuster – Sweet
- Tiger Feet – Mud
- Cum on Feel the Noize – Slade
- Under the Moon of Love – Showaddywaddy
- Summer Nights – John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
- Puppy Love – Donny Osmond
- Daydreamer – David Cassidy
- Bye Bye Baby – The Bay City Rollers
- Don’t Give Up on Us – David Soul
- Vincent –Don McLean
- Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks
- When Will I See You Again – The Three Degrees
- Dancing Queen – Abba
- Beach Baby – First Class
- Hold Me Close – David Essex
- Cool for Cats – Squeeze
- I Don’t Like Mondays – Boomtown Rats
- My Perfect Cousin – The Undertones
- Message in a Bottle – The Police
The 1980s Mix
I ended up with no less than four CDs of music for this decade! It was definitely my most difficult set of choices for the day itself as my musical identity was very much formed from 1980 – 1984 in particular. When I finished each CD I was left with the feeling of ‘How could I have left this one out?’! Looking at my Spotify list, I had to transfer out Tom Hark by The Piranhas as, incredibly, that does not exist anywhere on Spotify. Its replacement, Modern Romance’s Best Years of Our Lives, actually fits the feeling of the day more effectively.
- Best Years of Our Lives – Modern Romance
- I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) – The Proclaimers
- Baggy Trousers – Madness
- Echo Beach – Martha and the Muffins
- Stand and Deliver – Adam and the Ants
- Going Underground – The Jam
- Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police
- Locomotion – OMD
- Girls on Film – Duran Duran
- Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
- Freedom – Wham
- Never Gonna Give You Up – Rick Astley
- Perfect – Fairground Attraction
- Tainted Love – Soft Cell
- Take On Me – Aha
- Ghost Town – The Specials
- See You – Depeche Mode
- Crazy for You – Madonna
- The Winner Takes it All – Abba
- Lady in Red – Chris De Burgh
- Will You? – Hazel O’Connor
The 1990’s Mix
This set of songs, I think, gives a fairly good picture of the decade, although the absence of big hitters Blur, Pulp and Oasis would definitely need to be fixed if I revisited it. There are Britpop classics by Boo Radleys and Supergrass, but there needs to be more. The big miss though was staring me in the face. How could I have left Wannabe by the Spice Girls off the original playlist? Well, from memory, it just didn’t fit and it was easier to omit it than completely rejig the playlist. Well, it’s back in its rightful place thanks to Spotify! As to the second last song, it’s just as perfect as the final song in the 60s mix.
- Wannabe – Spice Girls
- Go West – Pet Shop Boys
- Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
- Bring It All Back – S Club 7
- Tragedy – Steps
- I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred
- Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega
- Could It Be Magic – Take That
- Three Lions – Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds
- Wake Up Boo – The Boo Radleys
- Alright – Supergrass
- Walking on Broken Glass – Annie Lennox
- All That She Wants – Ace of Base
- It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
- Song for Whoever – The Beautiful South
- Nothing Compares 2 You – Sinead O’Connor
- Back for Good – Take That
- When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating
- Don’t Be a Stranger – Dina Carroll
- These Are Days of our Lives – Queen
- Angels – Robbie Williams
The 2000s Mix
Pop all the way with this one! I loved getting back into the charts during this decade with my children. It is in some ways my most pleasing list, because I can’t think of anything I would replace.
- Amarillo – Tony Christie
- Can’t Get You Out of My Head – Kylie Minogue
- I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas
- Price Tag – Jessie J
- Paparazzi – Lady Gaga
- Hot N Cold – Katy Perry
- She’s So Lovely – Scouting for Girls
- Reach – S Club
- Up – The Saturdays
- Sex Bomb – Tom Jones
- Bad Day – Daniel Powter
- The Lazy Song – Bruno Mars
- Stop and Stare – One Republic
- Viva La Vida – Coldplay
- Rule the World – Take That
- Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
- All About You – McFly
- Whole Again – Atomic Kitten
- Something Stupid – Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
- Someone Like You – Adele
- You’re Beautiful – James Blunt
So there you have it. 6 decades, 6 playlists, 126 songs. A school history in music no less. As I have admitted there are things I would do differently, but I am very pleased and somewhat proud of the part I played in the day with my flair for mixing together memories and music, not to mention my oral archive. If anyone from St Andrew’s is reading this, I am definitely available for the 75th Anniversary in November 2026!!
Month by month I intend to post up my reading record here together with pen portraits of the books themselves and their front covers if I remember to take a picture! So here is January. The two hours of reading four days a week is my escape from the commute, as long as I am still awake after my long days!
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
I started this book in the middle of December, having bought it in the Red Cross Charity Shop in Cronulla Australia and finally finished it on January 13! I have never found a book that took more of my mental energy to read. The writing was magnificent and the sense of time and place incredible, but as a book for a commute it really took some effort at times. The effort was totally worth it, but I think I will wait for a while before tackling the sequel!
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Started on January 13. Finished on January 15. This was far shorter and far more readable. The Booker Prize winner was a book unlike any I have read before. The setting of the space station and the 16 sunrises and sunsets the astronauts see in a day was utterly mesmerising. It blended the cosmic with the everyday, the profound with the commonplace and managed to make both elements completely complementary. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. You will be taken on a journey of the mind as you follow this day in the life of those who see the earth from a different perspective.
Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks
Started on January 15. Finished on January 20. Set in the near future, this book features a clandestine experiment that introduces Neanderthal DNA into the Homo Sapiens gene pool. We follow the result of that experiment from the start of his life as he is born to a surrogate mother then presented to an infertile couple. It is fascinating, and extremely well written but unremittingly bleak. With no humour to leaven proceedings and the most downbeat ending imaginable it leaves the reader with no faith in humanity!
1983 by Tom Cox
Started on January 20. Finished on January 22. Tom Cox is one of the most original writers around and I love his books. After my previous depressing read this was a novel to lift the spirits. Set in Nottinghamshire in 1983, we explore the life of Benji and the people around him. The 1983 we are taken to bears a striking similarity to the 1983 the then 8 year old Tom Cox inhabited, but he places the fantastical, with aliens and people who are not what they seem, next to the everyday in a way similar to Orbital. It reminded me that there was good in the human experience and I was glad to be reminded of that!
Our Holiday by Louise Candlish
Started on January 22. Finished on January 27. Louise Candlish is a brilliant page turning writer. Her books have you racing through them eager to find out what will happen next and Our Holiday is no exception. We are taken to a resort in Dorset where two families own second homes next to each other. Their lives are well ordered and apparently privileged, but each of them has secrets that come out gradually. Pitched against the holiday home owners are locals waging a guerrilla war against people who have made their own town impossible to afford. The two groups become deeply involved with each other over the summer and the explosive events are something no one could have expected.
You Are Here by David Nicholls
Started on January 27. Finished on January 29. An author I can pretty much guarantee to enjoy delivers once again. David Nicholls is the master of bittersweet romance and with You Are Here, it is the story of Marnie who is stuck in life and Michael who can’t get over his previous love. The pair meet on a walking holiday courtesy of a mutual friend who has decided to do some match making. Initially unsure, Marnie and Michael start to open up to each other, but will that be enough? It has Nicholls’ usual mix of humour, pathos and insight. One of our very best novelists has yet another modern classic on his hands.
As a regular reader of Tim Worthington’s blog It’s Good Except it Sucks I had his latest book on my Christmas list as soon as it was released. Luckily enough someone bought it for me, so it was with a sense of anticipation that I settled down to read it on my daily commute.
For those who are not acquainted with Tim’s online presence, he is the foremost expert on Children’s TV of the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the familiar, the obscure and the shows that literally no one else seems to have heard of. Combining a scholar’s research with a crowd pleasing writing style that draws you in straight away, he is by turns, enthusiastic, witty, irreverent and opinionated, but never dismissive. He has his own viewpoint on these shows, but he wears these opinions with a sureness and lightness of touch that makes even shows you have never heard of or didn’t like fascinating. These qualities that light up his online writing are even more in evidence in this excellent book. The book is thematic rather than chronological and individual chapters cover genres such as Saturday morning television, Comedy and Imports alongside specific studios such as Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Century 21 and Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate’s Smallfilms.
If we look at Saturday morning television, I get the impression, perhaps wrongly, that he was a TISWAS fan, whereas I was 100% in the Multi Coloured Swap Shop corner and would not watch its competitor for love nor money. Despite this, I found his explanation of the genesis of TISWAS absolutely fascinating and it gave me a new appreciation of the ground breaking nature of the show. I still wouldn’t watch it, but there you go! What I didn’t realise was the sheer number of Saturday morning shows that were tried over the years. From The Saturday Show, apparently starring my teen crush Isla St Clair, to Number 73 with Sandi Toksvig, and The Saturday Banana with Bill Oddie the search for long term successors to Swap Shop and TISWAS made unlikely use of a number of famous faces. The policy of wiping videotapes has probably consigned every episode of a number of these shows to oblivion, but, thanks to Worthington, they now stand more of a chance of staying in the folk memory of fans of popular culture.
The output of the Andersons was far more extensive than I had realised with pretty much everything before and after Stingray, Thunderbirds, Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet being a closed book to me. Even those shows I thought I was so familiar with were given new life by the facts and anecdotes that were unearthed by this book. Smallfilms in many ways defined a huge part of my primary school childhood, but once again I found new details and insights to fascinate and delight.
With the whole gamut of Children’s programming coming under his gaze, Worthington mentions hundreds upon hundreds of shows. Some of the more obscure ones, for example Pardon My Genie, were accompanied by a thrill of recognition despite not having thought of them in 50 years. Others didn’t even raise a glimmer of recognition. Sorry, Tim, I’m still not sure you didn’t dream Rubovia! When time allows I will flick through the book and type multiple titles into YouTube in the hope that I will be able to acquaint or reacquaint myself with some of the shows that have piqued my interest. It is a treasure trove of gems, both real and fake, but we are lucky to be guided by a jeweller who can polish them up to make them shine like new, or to regretfully explain why they are flawed.
If you remember the Golden Age of Children’s TV, and as Worthington makes clear it really was golden, this book is for you. If you don’t but would like to find out about it, this book is for you. If you are interested in culture in its widest sense and feel that TV shows of the past should not be consigned to oblivion this book is for you. If you were ever a child, this book is for you. Zebedee might say it’s time for bed, but you have a torch so you can read this book under the covers. Just remember to switch it off if your bedroom door creaks!
David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 