Book #69 The A.B.C. Murders

The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read The A.B.C. Murders back in the 70s. Last week I watched the BBC TV adaptation starring John Malkovich as Hercule Poirot - Poirot, but not as you know him! I had to read the book again just to confirm what a travesty the BBC airing was! The book for the most part is narrated by Poirot's old friend Captain Arthur Hastings, O.B.E. who has returned in June 1935 from his ranch in South America to see to various affairs at home. He looks up his old friend who is now retired but still practiced his profession on occasion. The BBC for reasons best known to themselves completely omit Hastings from the cast list! DCI Japp figures prominently in Poirot's previous investigations and he plays his usual rôle in the book - BBC have him retired and bump him off with a heart attack in the first scene... And Malkovich? Well - he is not David Suchet!

Despite all of this, reading the book again so soon after the TV show was very rewarding. It did not spoil my enjoyment in the slightest. I won't go into the details of the plot as I am sure most of you will be familiar with it. The book really is Agatha Christie at her best. And those little grey cells? Don't get a mention on the BBC!





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Book #24 Trains And Buttered Toast

Trains And Buttered Toast by John Betjeman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This wonderful book is a record of most of the best of John Betjeman’s radio talks for the BBC - most of them broadcast in the 40s and 50s, the golden age of wireless. Betjeman had a boundless capacity to delight and inspire and is undoubtedly one of our best-loved poets. His great passion was for architecture, particularly churches and he is reckoned to have visited more than 5,000 in his time. Eccentric, enthusiastic, whimsical and often belligerent he is at home here with his tales of trains, buttered toast, hymn-writing vicars and Regency terraces.

For me this is a book full of nostalgia (a word that Betjeman disliked, said it reminded him of neuralgia! He preferred the word sentimentality). Nevertheless, in these pages I am reminded so much of my own carefree childhood, spent in Kent in the period following the end of the 2nd World War. Here are a few lines taken from ’Coming Home, Or England Revisited’, broadcast on Thursday 25th February 1943:

’For me, at any rate, England stands for the Church of England, eccentric incumbents, oil-lit churches, Women’s Institutes, modest village inns, arguments about cow parsley on the altar, the noise of mowing machines on Saturday afternoons, local newspapers, local auctions, the poetry of Tennyson, Crabbe, Hardy and Matthew Arnold, local talent, local concerts, a visit to the cinema, branch-line trains, light railways, leaning on gates and looking across fields….’

These talks are a fitting memorial to what set Betjeman’s pulses racing and what he feared the loss of and are no longer of course a guide to what can be seen today. But as a picture, a snapshot of past times in the country I love, this is nostalgia (sorry, sentimentality) at its best.

Thank you Sir John. I loved it.

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Shetland Series 3 on BBC

I am just one of many fans of the Shetland series of books written by the author Ann Cleeves. Of the six books that so far comprise this series, four have been adapted for television by BBC scriptwriters. These episodes that made up series 1 and 2 loosely followed the plots in Ann's books, although on one occasion they decided to change the identity of the murderer. Only scriptwriters in their infinite wisdom get away with this. For all that the first two series were enjoyable; the main characters known to all readers were there: DI Jimmy Perez, DS Alison McIntosh, DC Sandy Wilson, Sgt Billy McBride and Fiscal Rhona Kelly. Two books have not been adapted for TV and Ann is in the throes of writing book #7 entitled 'Earth to Earth'. She herself has said: "The TV adaptations are very often very different from the books - the scriptwriters cut some characters and add others, cut big chunks of plot and sometimes they even change the murderer!" 

So, I have watched Shetland series 3 to its conclusion with both dismay and anger. This series is only based on characters created by Ann Cleeves. It is not remotely based on any book. It created plot lines that are irreversible and clearly pay no heed to the fact that Ann is writing a 7th book. The programme includes the gratuitous and totally unnecessary rape of DS Tosh McIntosh, who come the end hands in a transfer request, to leave Lerwick (Shetland). This single act will have a cataclysmic affect on the 7th book that Cleeves is writing. You cannot undo something that has appeared on TV and will remain in the minds of all her fans who have read her books and await the next with great anticipation. Did the scriptwriters consult with Cleeves over the outcome of TV series 3? Would she have agreed to this horrible development? I think not. How can any reader now look forward to book #7 with great anticipation having watched this travesty of television? Can Cleeves' 7th book in the series adopt the happenings of this latest TV series or will she just ignore them?

I can only wait now until October when book #7 is expected to be published. But this latest TV airing has left a bad taste....

  

N or M?

N or M? by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this quickly in anticipation of the next episodes of Partners In Crime airing on BBC TV starting on Sunday. Mind you, the first three episodes covered The Secret Adversary, which bore little resemblance to the book, save perhaps the names of the characters. N or M is another delightful romp through the thrills of espionage during the 2nd World War. Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are appointed by the Intelligence Service as two unlikely spies to seek out a man and a woman among the guests at a seaside hotel, suspected of being Fifth Columnists. It's fun, it's fast paced and full of quaint language as one would expect being first published in 1941. And it has a nice surprise finish. A gem from the pen of Agatha Christie.

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Snookered

I am rather short on blog-posts this week. I am totally absorbed in watching the World Snooker Championship on BBC TV. Today saw the start of the semi-finals, 33 frames in each of two matches. Each semi is split into up to four sessions, all played on just one table at the Crucible Centre in Sheffield. (I would love to be there, maybe next year).

The first session of the first semi-final saw Sean Murphy head Barry Hawkins by 6 frames to 2. In the second my favourite, Stuart Bingham, heads odds-on favourite Judd Trump, by 5 frames to 3. It's all compelling viewing and coverage will begin again tomorrow at 1:00pm.

Time to get some more beers in....

The Missing

I don't get much time for TV at the moment but there are certain programmes that I list in my 'must watch live' calendar. "The Missing' just aired its final (8th) episode tonight on BBC television. For seven episodes I have been totally enthralled. My wife and I have discussed every episode and had our own theories, one of which came close to the truth But no-one could have predicted the outcome of the final episode.

The lead cast in this compelling series are utterly convincing: Julien (TCHEKY KARYO), Emily (FRANCES O’CONNOR) and Tony (JAMES NESBITT). It is difficult to discuss the series without giving away the plot and, ultimately, the outcome.

SPOILER ALERT

During a holiday to the continent, the Hughes’ family car breaks down, forcing them to take an unscheduled stay in a small French town. After taking an evening swim with his father, five-year-old Olly suddenly vanishes, quickly triggering a major search. Written by Jack and Harry Williams, this 2014 thriller takes viewers inside the mind of a man desperate and determined to find his lost son. When the police and even his wife Emily appear resigned to never seeing the child again, Tony refuses to give up, enlisting the help of retired detective Julien Baptiste. Is it now too late, or does hope still remain for an eventual reunion with Oliver?

I hope that this series is broadcast on US TV because it is a spellbinding and compelling programme. Probably one of the best dramas aired by BBC TV in 2014.

Cuckoo Clocking

A cuckoo named after the BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham has clocked up 60,000 miles of air travel between the UK and Africa. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has tagged a number of cuckoos with satellite-tracking devices to learn about migration patterns. Here is how some of them have fared:

Chris Class of 2011

Status: Active

Chris has made seven trips between the UK and Africa, visiting 22 countries and is currently in the Congo rainforest.

Lyster Class of 2011

Status: Inactive - missing presumed dead

Lyster was last traced to barren desert in Mauritania in 2012 on his second journey from Norfolk to Africa.

Clement Class of 2011

Status: inactive - deceased

Clement made it to his wintering grounds, travelling via Spain, but died in Cameroon on the return journey to Britain in 2012.

Hennah Class of 2014

Status: Active

Hennah was tagged in the New Forest, Hampshire in May this year. She left the UK in June and was tracked in the Central African Republic in October.

Dudley Class of 2014

Status: Active

Tagged in Sherwood Pines, Nottinghamshire this year, Dudley's transmitter indicated in July that he had cut across to Niger from his location in Spain.

International Birdfair 2014

I have been spending a lot of time watching the Commonwealth Games on BBC television and have just watched the breathtaking final of the Ladies 4 x 100m Medley Final in which England took the silver medal and then the final final in the pool of the Mens 4 x 100m Medley Final in which England took the gold medal in thrilling style. And then I realised that the Birdfair 2014 is just two weeks away....

I will be attending for the fourth year in a row with my good friend Graeme. We will be driving from Brighton to Uppingham in Rutland on Friday 15th August and staying at one of our favourite Inns anywhere: The Crown Inn an 18th century pub that serves the finest ales, wonderful pub grub and offers fantastic hospitality.

We will visit the Birdfair on Saturday 16th August, no doubt nursing mild hangovers...

Birdfair encompasses the whole spectrum of the birdwatching industry whilst at the same time supporting global bird conservation. This is the event of the year if you’re into birds and wildlife. It is a fabulous event not to be missed.

The case against gassing badgers – by Dr Chris Cheeseman

Like me, many people in the UK watch 'Countryfile' on BBC television. And, like me, many of the viewing public were incensed over the interview last Sunday with Princess Anne and her unedifying comments about killing badgers by gassing them. And moreover as has become so typical of Countryfile's biased reporting, no counter arguments were aired. Well, now Dr Chris Cheeseman has been given the opportunity to present the case against gassing on the Countryfile website. How ingratiating, how totally underwhelming, how typical of the BBC. Why not give Dr Cheeseman 10 minutes airtime on the next TV broadcast of 'Countryfile'? Let the viewing public decide who is right instead of promoting biased views from just one side of the argument. I for one feel disinclined to watch any further 'Countryfile' programmes as I know what to expect. Shame on you, BBC.

For the record, here is a link to the report by Dr Chris Cheeseman on the website: http://www.countryfile.com/news/case-against-gassing-badgers