The Mob Speak Out

Telly wise tonight was half and half.

Further proof that the BBC are stuck in a timewarp when it comes to light entertainment was shown by the Amanda Holden lead sitcom "Big Top",
which has to be the most open name for a dismissive pun I've known.

I was shocked to see Tony Robinson lending a hand to this shambles proving that he may have become a real life version of the character in Blackadder that made him famous.

I feel sorry for Amanda Holden lending herself into this, but then again she's no stranger to unsuccessful sitcoms.

"Mad About Alice" anyone?

As much as I adore Amanda, I am praying that this show will be one of Jonathan Ross's punchlines at the Comedy Awards on Saturday.

It's not too late at all.

I'll rant about that later as there's an even bigger debate on Twitter with many current second year students who aren't afraid to vent their spleen on how bad the magazine module is they're doing.

I've mentioned it in my biog, but I'll more than happily admit that the magazine module I did in late 2006, was fucking awful.

No one's heart was in it, very few radio stations do those sort of programmes nowadays, especially not in commercial radio, and as Chris Chilvers pointed out, it was more than evident that Matthew was (and still is by the sounds of things) stuck in 1993 with a BBC Local Radio point of view.

If you want a career in either that, or Radio 4 or World Service, then this module would be your cup of tea.

Most undergraduates don't have those sort of visions.

I'll reiterate that my main reason for hating the module was that I was working with a load of amateurs and all but luckily I didn't have to work with them in my final year, and instead I worked with the gems that were Chilvers, Sami, Landers, Sirin, and everyone else whose names I can't rememeber at this time of writing.

To give an example;

In the debriefing of the Magazine module, Ricky criticised me for when I went wrong and I felt rather hurt by that. Matthew didn't seem to care.

Thinking it was OK, I did the same to Caroline in the first advanced lecture,
a woman who I'd never think of slating but it was in the work mind of things.

However others were worried and even Dave Sharp was concerned and I got slated for it.

We got over it quickly, and myself and Caz can laugh about it now, but it was more than evident that the year I graduated in wouldn't have any bitchy behaviour.

And I'll always be grateful for my "blessing in disguise" as it allowed me to study and graduate with the loveliest people I've ever known at Uni.

With regards to being stuck in 1993 I'm more the same, but in a commercial radio perspective judging by the amount of Joey Negro records and remixes I'm listening to.

But I wouldn't impose those principals upon others like gospel.

Well apart from my radio show and audio downloads but that's different and just a bit of escapism.

But no, I've rarely heard a positive word about the magazine module from anyone studying it, save from the "City Life" programme that Sarah Thompson and Paul Calvert presented from the other group in my old year, and "FAB" hosted by Steven and Sirin, masterminded by Chris Chilvers the year later.

Although I've finished my degree, I can for the life of me say, that the Magazine Module was a waste of my fucking time.

I understand that Matthew's teaching this year instead of Dave Sharp which I can fully understand why everyone's so pissed off.

One such individual who I won't mention on here, but he knows I know it was him etc, actually referred to the said lecturer by a word that I only print out in full if I'm writing about the Daily Mail.

Or Kelvin McKenzie.

It elaborates why unlike the open minded Dave Sharp, the senior lecturer has to be so anal about his dated principals.

If anyone should be brought on to teach that module it would be
Peter Stewart, author of the best book about radio "Essential Radio Skills"
or as Pete Cooper refers to it "The radio bible".

However an even better comment that again I've been too thick to work out myself came from Spike Godding who dismissed the podcast module as just another module involving a series of features.

I must admit I didn't enjoy that module either, and the stress of it resulted in me going home to Canterbury for a weekend.

If Smoke Radio hadn't had existed, then my radio course would have been an unmotivating waste of my time.

No wonder the current state of radio is fucked up.

I was chatting to Chris about 20 minutes ago about how his mate Joe Rudd, part of the duo Adam and Ruddy was losing his drive for radio after their show was dropped from BRMB after only four months, despite a great following.

Their drivetime show had more content and fun features, than anything else on commercial radio in that timeslot, and the men it suits at Orion Media decide to dismiss it.

Honestly, there are several people with bags full of great ideas and inspring content who want to get into radio, or have worked in radio in the past but have been dismissed after takeovers and in some cases have changed career directions by a long way.

One ex Invicta FM breakfast presenter now works as a paramedic and another I beleive now runs a mobile phone business, yet they were miles better than the uninspiring drivel that James Heming has been churining out for the last nearly 10 years he's been there now, even surviving the Heart rebrand.

Doesn't time fly by when you're having fun?

Yes it does provided your radio isn't switched to 103.1 or 102.8 in the morning.

Anyway I really hope that the current second year lot will pull through the stresses, and get that bastard of a module out of the way, in order to continue enjoying the more positive parts of their time.

And they'll be a lot more of them to come, I'll give you that.

Although it's normally a case of said individuals making it that way which can be done.

Even if the degree itself is a joke, the experience of Uni and London living cannot be beaten.

With Twitter and Facebook being pivotal points of life, I feel like I'm still living in that lovely city.