BBC 3

So Auntie Beeb is going to move BBC 3 to the internet to save money and to indicate to the government that our public broadcaster needs more funding.  I for one rarely watch that channel and it should not affect me much in any way. It did introduce such stellar programmes such as the original version of Being Human, and this move to the internet may stem the flow of original edgy drama and comedy.

All i hope is that leave BBC 4 well alone for it still remains the best channel for documentaries , be it historical, science or music.

Delia Deerbyshire

On a related subject concerning Auntie Beeb , i found a great documentary on Delia Derbyshire, a pioneer of electronic sound at the Radiophonic Workshop , best remembered for the swoopy noises of the Ron Grainer penned original Dr. Who theme music.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00rl2ky

Here is the synopsis of the documentary from the Radio 4 Archives -

"The broadcaster and Doctor Who fan MATTHEW SWEET travels to The University of Manchester - home of Delia Derbyshire's private collection of audio recordings - to learn more about the wider career and working methods of the woman who realised Ron Grainer's original theme to Doctor Who.
Delia's collection of tapes was, until recently, in the safekeeping of MARK AYRES, archivist for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Matthew meets up at Manchester University with Mark, along with Delia's former colleagues from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, BRIAN HODGSON and DICK MILLS - plus former 'White Noise' band member DAVID VORHAUS - to hear extracts from the archive, discuss their memories of Delia and the creative process behind some of her material.
Her realisation of the Doctor Who theme is just one small example of her genius and we'll demonstrate how the music was originally created as well as hearing individual tracks from Delia's aborted 70's version. We'll also feature the make up tapes for her celebrated piece 'Blue Veils and Golden Sands', and hear Delia being interviewed on a previously 'lost' BBC recording from the 1960s.
Matthew's journey of discovery will take in work with the influential poet Barry Bermange, as well as her 1971 piece marking the centenary of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.
This Archive on 4 is brought up to date with an individual track from 'The Dance' from the children's programme 'Noah'. Recorded in the late 1960s this remarkable tape sounds like a contemporary dance track which wouldn't be out of place in today's most 'happening' trance clubs."

I also think that the BBC should make such archives available to the world , not just those who live in the UK with the BBC iPlayer.

My tweets

• Thu, 22:00: Wow, what a lot of books. Makes my coleection look puny. http://t.co/kXEqKaad9f
• Thu, 22:45: Book 17 - Spike Milligan "Gunner Who?" http://t.co/z0Y9P8d5nG
• Fri, 00:48: @brightonbulldog had a pint of craft beer after my walk lol
• Fri, 00:49: Another evening siesta and now wide awake again
• Fri, 00:57: Great archive on Delia Derbyshire http://t.co/hLiWHUloxD
• Fri, 01:48: RT @_BiffHuxtable_: The desired effect is what you get when you improve your interplanetary funksmanship. - George Clinton
• Fri, 08:42: BBC 3 http://t.co/MMp3mV4QP5
• Fri, 08:47: Delia Deerbyshire http://t.co/v2CWFyjslX
• Fri, 09:31: Moving in the right direction , now numero 2435 in LJ chart
• Fri, 09:33: #ff @brightonbulldog top gent, brother , blogger, whisky imbiber, real ale lover etc

( Read more... )

Free Books Revisited

These are some of the free books i got in Faversham from the charity shop Bits N' Bobs, which was moving a few doors up the road, that weekend when my cousin wanted to visit the town. The one on Milton Creek is on Amazon.com for $68 amazingly enough. The book on Chaucer is worth six quid at Abe Books website, whilst the Smuggling is also around twenty quid on the same website.

This hardback which i found for fifty pence in a charity shop  is worth around forty quid in similar condition according to the Abe Book website.

The Cool Scene

Another slice of fifties cool jazz downloaded from the Trunk Records website for fifty pence. Twelve tracks of groovy in flight jazz tunes. Listening to it right now -