GIVE the BBC a decent anniversary, and it licks its lips in
expectation. Give it a centenary, and joy is unconfined. On 4
August, the anniversary of the outbreak of the Great War, all the
stops were pulled out, and the result was nearly seven hours of
live television. A vast audience experienced a once-in-a-lifetime
event almost entirely through the TV camera.
Each World War One Remembered - Glasgow Cathedral in
the morning (BBC1); St Symphorien military cemetery, near Mons,
Belgium, in the late afternoon; and the evening vigil from
Westminster Abbey (both BBC2) - was invested with enormous
emotional and historical significance.
The service in Glasgow highlighted the involvement of the
Commonwealth nations in the Great War, and was colourful, human,
and positive. The Belgian event was set in a cemetery where
soldiers from both sides of this conflict lay side by side. The
music was beautiful, and the words were often inspiring - none more
so, to my surprise, than those of David Cameron, calling us to be
stewards of the world that the next generation will inherit.
Westminster Abbey spoke for itself, of course - much more the
Establishment at prayer, but a suitably solemn end to the day as
the lights were extinguished in the abbey and in homes across the
land. Whatever we mean by "British values" was laid out before us
in an unforgettable day of commemoration.
Who Do You Think You Are? (BBC1, Thursday) returned
last week, and its provocative question was addressed this time to
Julie Walters. The answer seemed simple: one of the greatest
British comedy actors of our generation, legend of stage, screen,
and television.
Unfortunately, the format of this series requires someone in the
family history whose story can be revealed as the ghostly star of
the show. They can be sinners or saints, rogues or reformers; what
matters is the impact that their story will have on the (apparently
unsuspecting) celebrity. Shock, surprise, and some obligatory tears
are the essential by-products.
Ms Walters's great-grandfather could not quite provide the
necessary spark. His unsuccessful campaign in Co. Mayo to reform
the Land Laws lacked glamour. It might have helped if he had
punched a landowner, and been locked up for his troubles.
It is a terrible thing to say about anything with Ms Walters in
it, but it was a bit boring. Nothing much happened, and, although
she employed all the appropriate emotions, it did not entirely ring
true.
There will be joy up and down the land that the Great
British Bake Off now has a partner programme, An Extra
Slice (BBC2, Fridays), in which Jo Brand pokes gentle fun at
the whole business of cookery competitions. It was good to see
clips of the cup-cake brigade doing what the rest of us do all the
time: drop food, try to rectify culinary disasters, and make a
mess.
The television audience has an apparently insatiable appetite
for cookery. We are not, of course, cooking or eating ourselves,
just watching someone else cook; and then a "judge" stuffs forkfuls
of food into his or her open mouth. It is pornography for
gourmands.