Sunday
Aug282011
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Brian Cox on the BBC
Aug 28, 2011 BBC Brian Cox has been speaking at the Edinburgh Festival on the subject of the BBC. He is in favour:
Prof Cox said the BBC had put science centre stage and had been rewarded with high ratings and huge interest.
The Wonders of the Universe presenter said public service broadcasting had a "very important" role to play in changing the direction of society.
The idea of members of society being forced to pay for a BBC that views their remit as "changing the direction" taken by those same members of society is problematic, IMHO.
Reader Comments (57)
Thanks Alex Cull for confirming that CAFOD's Dr Mike Edwards (climate change advisor and didgeridoo player) pontificating on climate change in Songs of Praise was not a figment of my imagination. I was beginning to think that I took one of those dodgy Nurofen tablets by mistake.
It is worth watching because it was both funny and surreal.
Oops forgot to add the link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0144tvx/Songs_of_Praise_The_Weather/
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nptDP35Tb0&feature=related"
Harry Hill's assessment of Cox seems spot-on to me!
wonder of the universe was pants. For example Cox holds a picture of a galaxy and says this is like our galaxy. Fine you would think but how is it done. Well, of course you need a long segment of Cox climbing a snowy mountain, lots of close-ups, and an expensive helicopter taking whirling shots from above, then the cut to Cox holding the photo whilst on the mountain...
It is totally ridiculous and hides the vacuous content of the series.
and because of this, reading words that someone else has written, we are expected to hear and take seriously his thoughts on the media and tv because he is an 'expert'
again ridiculous.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8716438/Professor-Brian-Cox-on-Higgs-particles-Mars-exploration-and-inventing-new-TV-cliches.html
Here he is again.
Anybody remember Raymond Baxter and Tomorrow's World; or Most Secret War with R.V.Jones. These were science and engineering programmes. If I remember right RB turned up in the latter as a fighter pilot who tried to shoot down a V2 on take off.
Well said, Roger. "The Ascent of Man" is the gold standard of documentaries (although Bronowski was careful to title it "a personal view"). I watched it again recently and it's not dated at all.
There's a "making of" style doco on the series itself (produced fairly recently, certainly after his death) that's well worth watching if you can find it.