I saw Alan Bennett’s play The History Boys at the National last night. Twas exceptional – very funny, great characters and a thoughtful message. And I kept seeing my own History teachers mixed into the different characters which was interesting\disturbing.
However.
I think Bennett is wrong.
Well not ‘wrong’ as such. But I don’t agree with his mouthpiece in the play, the lovable (if mild child-abuser) Hector. He is contrasted against Irwin, the sophist, the liar, the government aide of the future who twists and spins our liberties away and then presents Simon Schamaish TV programmes with sensation over fact. He gears the students towards passing exams and getting into Oxbridge by trying to ‘stand out’ and be special instead of nice and truthful and scholarly. And of course he’s a fake – he lied about going to Oxbridge! Oh the shame! What a bastard. He’s a journalist!
Except the trouble is that his history lessons were much more interesting that Hector’s versions. I actually wanted to be in them. He would take an argument and turn it on its head – trying to find a new angle. But I like that. Our perspective on historical events changes and there’s nothing wrong with arguing something novel because you might end up with a deeper truth.
And then there’s the obvious critique of the education system. Oh, to have gone from the days when slightly mad teachers could be free to inspire their students with French and Latin and memorising poetry instead of trying to pass ghastly exams. When you didn’t need to coach people on how to present themselves in university interviews because that was somehow beneath you. Where did it all go wrong?
This is where it all went wrong: Bennett’s idealised classroom (and it was certainly idealised) was built on a lie itself. It was built on the grammar school model of discarding 90% of the population because they couldn’t pass a test at age 11. That’s right, a test! Hector didn’t need to exam-school his students because it had already been done, only in a bitter, divisive way. I simply can’t get nostalgic about a system which preached ‘education for education’s sake’ and then denied that education to the masses because they couldn’t jump through a hoop.
But the most important thing to take away from The History Boys is that it’s the biggest advert for mixed-sex education I’ve ever seen 
However, certainly a great play. I’d give it a grade A for achievement but I think Hector would disapprove.
Well it took a few days 
but eventually I did it – I won Captain Suave. Phew… now you try it! 
Fittingly (you’ll see why after you play the game) I also saw King Kong today. Not a bad film, not bad at all. I personally didn’t get all emotional at the end (no, seriously) although many in our party did. The rest just enjoyed the comedic moments – some very funny running-away-from-dinosaur-action to enjoy. And the whole thing is, of course, fantastically well made as you’d expect from Peter Jackson.
The Wasp Factory
Got lots and lots of work to do over the holidays sadly. It’s all planned in Outlook and as long as I stick roughly to schedule I’ll be OK… got thrown off course by the long film today though 
Oh and finally – a personal pledge to Josie: new nickname each day. And that’s a promise.
David Tennant
Somehow I neglected to mention that this is a Four Day Weekend for me, as we’re having a double whammy of INSETs. Which is great, cause it means you can curl up in bed to avoid the cold cold weather!
Babbleblog
Ofcom
Well, me and 64 others who waited 10 months to be told we were right. Still, at least the system works. Albeit slowly.
The Programme Code states that commercial products must not be promoted in programmes. The initial banner message inviting viewers to find out how to obtain extra channels appeared on screen simultaneously with programming. While accepting that it may be necessary from time to time to inform DTT customers of new ‘free-to-air’ channels they can view by resetting their boxes, the purpose of this message was clearly to promote Top Up TV – an additional service which requires a subscription fee to view the extra channels offered. It was not transparent to viewers that the message formed part of an advertising communication until after they had clicked the red button. We consider that the banner message indirectly promoted a commercial service within programming and was therefore in breach of the Programme Code.
The inclusion of the banner advertisement during programmes was in breach of Section 8.1 of the (ex-ITC) Programme Code.
Captain Jack
Captain Jack to get his own series in new Russell T Davies drama for BBC THREE
Russell T Davies is to write a sci-fi paranoid thriller in a major new drama commission for BBC THREE, it was announced today by Stuart Murphy, Controller of BBC THREE.
Torchwood is a 13-part drama series aimed at a post-watershed audience and has an organic link to Doctor Who.
“Torchwood is a British sci-fi paranoid thriller, a cop show with a sense of humour,” says Davies.
So Captin Jack gets his own TV show, in an anagram of Doctor Who 
Wonderful!
Hmm… 26 weeks of Doctor Who-related material… that’s half a year’s worth!
More from BBC News and The Independent and hear all about it straight from Russell T Davies himself in mp3.
Jeff DuBowe on Haarlem globetrotters: “One of our favorite spots. Super walking city. I think we were the ones who told your In-Laws about it…” Oct 14, 15:15
