Frankie Dettori

[Lawrence Jones]

I tried and tried…..and tried to like this, since Mr. Dettori seemed such an agreeable and friendly person. However his musical choices were so uninspiring – with the exception of AC/DC’s Back In Black and Faithless (1) – that I just wanted to switch off. Oh dear…. and when Amazing Grace came on, with those tuneless bagpipes.

His mother’s background as a trapeze artist was interesting and I liked the way he saved the life of one of his horses. However it was more suited to an ‘Elaine Paige On Sunday’ audience which is why I believe the programme should be moved to Radio 2. Perhaps Eddie Mair or Susan Rae should be invited to host a new Sunday DID-type Sunday programme on R4?

Very depressing and Radio 4 really has got to pull its socks up in terms of Sunday listening. If Private Passions can be made interesting, then why not the same with DID?

Notes

(1) I noticed that AC/DC received about 10 seconds of air time! Further evidence that R4 personnel comprise plenty of Schulas and Alistairs!!!! There was an important letter in the RT a few weeks ago, pointing out the class polarization that exists within Ambridge: the Officer class and ‘Other Ranks’. I get the impression these days that R4 simply comprises ‘The Officer Class’.

[Crusoe]

I have to agree with you, Lawrence: this programme would have been better suited to Radio 2.

The choice of music really wasn’t the sort of thing which appealed to me and the interview seemed quite shallow and gave me no greater empathy with Mr Dettori. Like you, I wanted to like the programme, since he is quite a jaunty character but I feel I know no more about him now than I did before the programme.

A bit of a disappointment, I’m afraid.

[rosalie]

Agree with you both. A nice enough bloke but very middle of the road listening.


Prof John Sutherland might be more interesting on Sunday