Jolly Saturday Morn

I must say I found this Saturday morning's Radio 4 programmes most enjoyable.  I know that sounds awful - middle-class, Home Counties, etc.  Well, tough, is my considered reply - I still enjoyed it.

Firstly the new Honours list.  And in my view this is nothing about Brenda or any other member of the Royal family, nor about empire (despite the awful names for some of the Homours).  It is just about recognition.  So you can still be pleased when people you like or know get recognised.

Thus, I was happy that the morning News bothered to highlight the two Goodies (Garden and Brooke-Taylor).  Billoddie has one already (for Wildlife stuff) - but this was either for ISIHAC or The Goodies.  I'm pleased with either.  

Bruce Forsyth I can take or leave, and also Jenny Murray.  But a large Hurrah! for the Bernard Cribbins OBE (for services to Drama - presumably that can encompass everything, including The Wombles, Right Said Fred!, the Railway Children and Doctor Who).

Today and the News was followed by 'Your Desert Island Discs' - so I'm already cheered up there was no Saturday Live this week.  A top eight of discs chosen by listeners to DID: self-selecting and unrepresentative, of course. 

I tried to predict what would be in the list, but mis-read almost all of the winners, which were:

1 Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
2 Sir Edward Elgar - Enigma Variations
3 Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No 9 in D minor 'Choral'
4 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
5 Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
6 Sir Edward Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor
7 George Frideric Handel - Messiah
8 Gustav Holst - The Planets

OK - I worked out Bo Rap, Ode to Joy and the Planets.  But The Lark Ascending? Comfortably Numb? (sounds like a write-in campaign), the Elgar Cello?

The Beatles weren't there because there were just too many choose from (it seemed they were easily the most popular artists but spread too thinly).  But as the list was slowly unveiled, and it became clear that there was a bias towards the English, and to what I would call 'Big Sounds', I guessed the number one would be Jerusalem.  Hopelessly wrong of course.  Probably over-influenced by my walk around Bunhill Fields earlier in the week.

But it was good fun, even if only two of the choices would have been in my top eight.  (Actually that is not a bad average - your personal choice is meant to be exactly that, personal, so it'd be surprising and rather sad if too many overlapped with the most popular, common denominator choices).

One complaint: I wish the BBC DID Website showed more detail - the top 100 say?
And finally, Lenny Henry explored Chaucer as part of his 'What's So Great About...' series.  I have to admit I was surprised. He normally chooses a topic with a little more general popular presence (if I can call it that).  Not that I was at all displeased, of course.

It was a fun listen, including an excerpt from Neville Coghill, Terry Jones being himself (discussing the colloquialism and the jokes), and many others.  And of course, in addition to Canterbury, it had to be set in South London, mostly on the site of the Tabard and then round the corner in (I think) The George. Absolutely fantastic.

And then I had to get up...