Ruby Wax

[Nurse Duckett]

Great programme, we thought.



Loved the accent. Reminded me of someone.

[Craise Finton Kirk]

nurseduckett said:

Great programme, we thought.


Loved the accent. Reminded me of someone.

Thought it was dull and boring, with uninteresting musical choices. How many times have we heard similar stories about Jewish families? O.K., it's funny if you're Jewish, but not for anyone else.

The depression issue was the last straw. Dreadful radio. Time to get rid of DID.

[Nurse Duckett]

Craise said:

Thought it was dull and boring, with uninteresting musical choices.

Horses for courses. I cannot STAND it when the guest chooses show tunes exclusively, myself. Or, in fact, any other genre exclusively. Now that makes me mad and shout at the radio that they should have a dry-run or some sort of form to fill in before they commit. A Day in the Life is one of the Beatles' better ones. I'd have chosen Lady Madonna, or For the Benefit of Mr. Kite (or whatever it's called), or Doctor Robert. At least she didn't choose that dirge Hey Jude.

How many times have we heard similar stories about Jewish families? O.K., it's funny if you're Jewish, but not for anyone else.

Nah. I thought the accent of her mother was great. As I said, it reminded me of someone in particular. It's not only Jewish families which specialise in guilt and emotional blackmail.

The depression issue was the last straw. Dreadful radio. Time to get rid of DID.

Nope again. It was handled without making us feel depressed. I've been a Ruby fan for some time, ever since that documentary when she went to Russia and was served Cucumber And Tomato salad at every single meal. Eventually she shouted:

Havn't you people heard of the word "OR?"

;D

[Luxury Yacht]

I missed all but the first five or ten minutes of this, up to just after the first record (had to go out, and car radio is tuned to long wave) and it sounded promising, though I got the impression it was going to be another good interviewee spoiled by interruption and bland questions by the interviewer. Did I imagine it, or did I hear Ms Lawley ask Ms Wax the same question twice?

I'll listen to it on Friday if I can, because I've got rather fond of Ruby over the years after initial loathing.

[Luxury Yacht]

nurseduckett said:

I cannot STAND it when the guest chooses show tunes exclusively, myself. Or, in fact, any other genre exclusively. Now that makes me mad and shout at the radio that they should have a dry-run or some sort of form to fill in before they commit.

Perhaps they do? Was it not John Fowles (CMIIW) who refused to go on DID because they wouldn't let him have the whole of the Goldberg Variations? And yet they let Enoch Powell have nothing but excerpts from The Ring Cycle.

The guest I dread is Ned Sherrin. Or have they done him already, and I was lucky enough to miss it or wipe it from my memory?

[Craise Finton Kirk]

LY, I think my initial loathing of Ms. Wax did skew my objectivity somewhat, but Ms. Lawley’s style of interviewing is just so bland and she always sounds so distant from her guests. I’m afraid, though, that I felt as if Ruby Wax could in fact have been Joan Rivers. The programme still left me with the impression that she was cashing in on depression and almost wishing it on her kids.

One of the problems with R4 is that presenters never get sacked and once they’ve been there for about 20 years regard themselves as icons which is total rubbish. There are quite a few people at R4 who should have moved on years ago. I can even recall the days when they used to bin naff programmes.

The guest I dread is Ned Sherrin. Or have they done him already, and I was lucky enough to miss it or wipe it from my memory?

I’m pretty certain that Ned Sherrin has been on, but share your views about him. Loose Ends just gets worse and worse and if ever there was an old boys’/girls’ club at R4, then this is it. My sister saw him when ‘Loose Ends’ was recorded in Liverpool last year and she said that he looked as though he was bored out of his mind and didn’t interact with the audience.

Also struggled through Miss Mapp last week – surprise, surprise, dramatised by Ned Sherrin! And R4 claims that it doesn’t have an Oxbridge or southern bias!

Thought Enoch Powell was most interesting when he appeared on DID. He was also a great guest on Any Questions. Professors of Greek are often interesting people.

[Benbow]

luxuryyacht said:

...yet they let Enoch Powell have nothing but excerpts from The Ring Cycle.

Craise said:

Thought Enoch Powell was most interesting when he appeared on DID. He was also a great guest on Any Questions. Professors of Greek are often interesting people.

But obviously not big on interesting music. Call me an uneducated Philistine, but to be marooned on a desert island and having nothing but Wagner's Ring Cycle to listen to... Thanks, but no thanks. With the exception of "The Ride of the Valkyries" , it would be as bad as having to listen to nothing but rap, as far as I'm concerned. Give me a few tunes that I can whistle (albeit just off-key) any day.

Does anyone else get the idea that occasionally DID guests often pick music that they would like people to believe is their preference, rather than admit that they like the same old carp that the rest of us enjoy?

[Captain Nudnick]

Craise said:

Also struggled through Miss Mapp last week – surprise, surprise, dramatised by Ned Sherrin!

Ooh! Missed that... and I love the Lucia novels...

Some years ago I worked on a theatre musical produced by Ned - he was great. Age must have withered him...

[Crusoe]

luxuryyacht said:

I missed all but the first five or ten minutes of this…car radio is tuned to long wave

198 Long Wave, home of TMS: an admirable choice, Lux. As it happens, I missed Ms Wax because of listening to Long Wave (but there’s no surprise there).

Actually, I say I missed Ms Wax but I’m not sure if I did, I can’t help feeling that I’ve heard her on DID before. Similarly Alexander McCall-Smith and Betsy Blair: I wonder if we’re in the summer repeats season? This is a question that probably needs one Suzi, two places, to be answered authoritatively.

luxuryyacht said:

another good interviewee spoiled by interruption and bland questions by the interviewer

No surprise there, then, either.

[Crusoe]

Craise said:

Also struggled through Miss Mapp last week – surprise, surprise, dramatised by Ned Sherrin! And R4 claims that it doesn’t have an Oxbridge or southern bias!

I only heard a couple of episodes of this and was rather disappointed. I hadn’t realised that it was produced by Ned Sherrin but perhaps that explains a lot. It’s a shame because I actually rather enjoy E.F. Benson’s books: the fact that they actually ridicule a lot of pretension and snobbery really doesn’t come across particularly well at all in these programmes.

[Crusoe]

benbow said:

Does anyone else get the idea that occasionally DID guests often pick music that they would like people to believe is their preference, rather than admit that they like the same old carp that the rest of us enjoy?

Without doubt, Vice Admiral. Many of the guests (particularly the politicians) seem to choose records which, they think, will present the right “image”. In particular they seem keen to project a sense of erudition and education though their choices. Why choosing a tune by Wagner should demonstrate greater learning than a tune by The Sex Pistols, I don’t know but that seems to be the received wisdom.

[Nurse Duckett]

And whenever someone chooses six show tunes in a row, or six Bing Crosby genre or six scratchy old 78rpm quavery voice genre, we always look at each other say say "looks like they're not going to choose any Madness then".

And there was some bloke years ago (whom no one had ever heard of), it was later revealed (syntax slipping sorry in a hurry) that he'd got his secretary to choose them for him! Flipping Heck! What a waste of an opportunity!

It never ceases to amaze me, either, how few people choose the Pipes and Drums. Essential. Top of the list.

[Crusoe]

nurseduckett said:

It never ceases to amaze me, either, how few people choose the Pipes and Drums.

But shouldn’t they be luxuries, Nursie?

Just for you:

[Nurse Duckett]

webb said:

But shouldn’t they be luxuries, Nursie?

Just for you:

[Nurse Duckett]

Craise said:

One of the problems with R4 is that presenters never get sacked and once they’ve been there for about 20 years regard themselves as icons which is total rubbish. There are quite a few people at R4 who should have moved on years ago. I can even recall the days when they used to bin naff programmes.

Oh I agree I so agree agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I never ever listen to that Libby Purves on Wednesdays. They should have axed the programme years ago. She just will not SHUT UP! I run, RUN to slam the radio off when Vegtalk comes on ditto the adverts for it. And why oh why is The Archers still on, pray? You can go an entire year without listening to it and still catch up within minutes if it strays across your horizon, accidentally, later.

Don't get me started. Oh. You just did