Blasted BBC Again!
Blasted BBC stupidity once more!
There are few things that can reduce me in moments to sheer, gibbering rage, but this one’s got me. Worked in a nanosecond.
No, not one of the usual ones. Not politicians claiming their food allowances, not even politicians lying through their teeth. No, this was much, much worse.
It’s the BBC.
All right, yes, I know the Beeb has its detractors. And yes, I am one of them, actually. There are some glorious heroes and heroines in the BBC, such as Jeremy Paxman (and Clarkson), but apart from them it seems to be full of very biased reporters and presenters. Much though I adore some BBC efforts, their reporting is too often sloppy and very distorted.
And they are enthusiasts for the nanny state.
I was watching a glorious programme last week. It must have been glorious because it had Hugh Dennis in it, and it was about Devon and Cornwall (with a chunk on Dartmoor). Superb.
Early in the programme, I sat up with excitement . . . well, not really, but you know what I mean. The delicious Julia Bradbury was on the programme, talking to a man I know well. Professor Nick Groom. They were discussing some old Dartmoor legends.
I know Nick. He’s a stalwart of our Morris side.
Nick Groom. Not his usual work clothes!
This is him. Sadly he wishes he was King Richard the Lionheart.
Anyway, Nick has long been interested in the Dartmoor legends. And there are many of them: I’ve made use of a few myself.
There is the tale of the “Hairy Hands” which grab the hands of the driver of cars down past Postbridge and invariably make cars crash. Yes, really. And there are headless horsemen, ghost carriages, tales of the Devil and his Wish Hounds searching out souls (which is probably where the House of the Baskervilles came from), amongst many others.
So did the BBC use these?
No. Having asked for scary stories about the moors, the producer (who is clearly only just out of kindergarten) refused to use them. He thought they would be too alarming for a BBC audience. So Nick was only allowed to use a little non-terrifying story.
I told my son (7 years). He agreed with me. After all, none of the stories are as scary as him.
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