Eat your heart out, Samuel Pepys

Press, 10 January 1981, Page 13

Eat your heart out, Samuel Pepys

■ 1 Radio

Heath Lees

• Dear Diary, i 1 will, repeat will, keep I a diary going throughout I 1981. Unlike 1980, and ; 1979, and, in fact, 1978 . . . j Sunday, Jan. 4 ' Up early enough to hear ; the bird ’on YA morning 1 programme. Not bird — i bird. In this case goldfinch ; which had come into j Broadcasting House in ; Wellington, twittered in i front of microphone for a bit, picked up cheque and laughed all way to rivi erbank. Went out for a walk, passed whole flight of goldfinches. None sounded like one on radio. Maybe success changes . them. Maybe goldfinch -was doing impressions. YC, 7 p.m. Heard recording from Benson and Hedges Music Festival Programme. Who says we don’t advertise? Expected audience to cough more, but, ' no. Not surprising really; Hermann Prey singing Schubert riveting. Bet he doesn’t smoke. B and H had plenty of plugs in the credits. Smoking may damage health, but music will help soothe during said physical decay. Monday, Jan. 5 Heard Radio Avon. Elton John everywhere just now, but no-one knows what to call his song. Serves him right for

having ro many good lines in it. Record cover doesn't help, mis-spells “sartorial.” Avon’s newsreader made attempt to beat world newsreading time, made three mistakes, had to re-read two sentences. Just like the builders — get job done fast then spend rest of year on remedial work. Enjoyed YA’s 5 o’clock afternoon collision between “Granada” and the new . Immortal line appeared: "It still can be found in the hills all around as I’m afraid we haven’t time for any more of that, goodbye.” ' ome back, John Gordon. Tuesday, Jan. 6 3ZB don’t know what to call Elton’s record either. Smart though. They just say it’s Elton John. Evening announcer told us couldn’t contact anyone at railway station but no doubt Picton train would be in on time. Community

Radio at its best. Kept advertising “Time Warp” at 8-40 — year reviewed would be 1967. Time Warp arrived 8.41 (and the train from Picton'?), but year reviewed was 1966. Clearly a year of contradictions. Whole thing lasted two minutes and five seconds. Time Warp, indeed. Wednesday, Jan. 7 Heard goldfinch again. Wonder if he gets paid per appearance or flat rate for week? Ornithology continued with "Nightingale’s Defence” — amusing play from 8.8. C. Clever idea too, and Pauline Letts hilarious as Mum. Still, can’t seem to enjoy radio plays so much any more. Don’t they make them like they used to? Been reading radio plays from the fifties, by Giles Cooper. Marvellous. Where are today's radio playwrights — the 1980 s answers to Cooper, Orton, Grenfell? Maybe all in TV. If so, where?

Thursday, Jan. 8 Goldfinch getting tired. Repeating itself now. Probably been reading the “Listener” and sees Blackbacked Gull, billed for next week. 7 p.m. YC mentioned Wordsworth’s poem, “On Tintern Abbey.” Tut, tut. Wordsworth was clearly above it not on it. Take a few hundred Lines. “A Feeling and a Love” was innocent

enough. Too much like von Trapp story though. Kept expecting Julie Andrews with Her Favourite Things. Script stopped just short of saying hills were alive. Rosalind Shanks reads superbly. Pity to waste her. Friday, Jan. 9 Deadline for “Press.” No time to write column. Will have to give up time-con-suming 1981 diary after all. Style good though. Sounds like heavy, lowprofile 3ZM script. Must be some way I can use it. Perhaps return to it later, in year . . .