Banks TV

[peteryoung]

Hardly surprising he wins Celebrity Mastermind with a subject he also wrote a book about (malt whiskey) when at the other extreme we have Myleen Klass, whose specialist subject 'Sex and the City series 3' is so narrow she can't fail to win the first round but then crashes with an embarrassing solitary point on general knowledge... it's so unsurprising it begs the question why she put herself up for it (oh hang on, her last album tanked and she needs the appearance fees).

Then Banks's team has an impressive win on University Challenge, though this time around he had a few very lucky guesses.

Good on the guy, I'm pleased for him.

Rather better television was the useful new series Balderdash and Piffle on etymology and the OED. The exploration of Polari slang was good... now knowing where 'naff' comes from and what its old Polari meaning was I shall probably be rather less liberal with it...

Comments

[ramtops.livejournal.com]

my daughter, kalunina, went to school with Myleen Klass. Not a lot of people know that.

Myleen wasn't very bright then, and she couldn't sing then either. But my word, she was hungry ...

[frandowdsofa.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the section on the Ploughman's Lunch. But yes, I knew some polari but hadn't heard that explanation before, and I would have spelt toile K-H-A-Z-I not C-A-R-S-E-Y.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

The Ploughman's lunch bit was fascinating.

[pigeonhed.livejournal.com]

I thought Myleen Klass seemed to get a couple of questions wrong that she knew she should have known and then panicked.

Syd Waddell on the other hand looked terrified from the start.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

Balderdash and Piffle was a lot better than I expected. The insight in the workings of the OED was fascinating "Yes, they are using the word gay but there's no evidence it's in the modern meaning." I shall be watching it again.

[ianmcdonald.livejournal.com]

The Polari was tremendous fun --always good to hear Julian and Sandy again --I never realised they were that 'out': but I alternated with 'People who Ate Themselves to Death' on Five, which was truly mind-(and eye-) buggering

[ianmcdonald.livejournal.com]

furthermore, is the Bible in Polari. What I liked about Balderdash and Piffle was how they took something that could very easily have been radio-on-the-TV and made it televisual...

[peteyoung.livejournal.com]

The Bible in Polari... Now that is what I call mind-buggering...