1/11/2005|||110544472304570941||||||SPRINGER LATEST
Melanie Phillips has no time for the tactics used by some of the religious campaigners. Stephen Pollard also supports the BBC's decision to give the show air-time:
"This, it seems to me, is one of the rare recent instances of the BBC doing exactly what a public broadcaster should be doing. It is precisely because the BBC is a public service broadcaster that it should show West End hits, and challenging programmes, rather than bland ratings-chasing schedules which we are used to seeing on its channels."
One point troubles me about Melanie's argument that Jerry Springer's "loathsome" TV show is the real target of the satire. When I saw the show at the National I was struck that the programme notes went out of their way to fawn over Springer himself, and seemed very proud of the fact that he had given the production his blessing. Was this just another layer of post-modern irony? Were the producers covering their backs against a law-suit? I don't know, but it seemed odd then and it still seems odd now.
UPDATE: A free-market view - and lively responses - on the Adam Smith Institute blog.
|||Clive|||http://clivedavis.blogspot.com/2005/01/springer-latest-melanie-phillips-has.html|||1/11/2005 11:39:00 am||||||
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