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18 September 1997 Edition

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Television: Talkback on the TV

It was always going to be a good night's crack when the BBC finally worked out how to transfer the superb Radio Ulster phone-in programme, Talkback, to the television. Talkback is listened to by every shade of opinion and has the enviable distinction of being seen as fair by everyone except the deepest weird fringes. In fact, Talkback is the most democratic thing in the Irish media.

Presenter David Dunseith may be a former member of the RUC but he is the best radio phone-in host the Six Counties could hope for.

The BBC tried to transfer Talkback to TV by retaining the phone-in element and it was a quiet disaster. A bit more thinking produced Let's Talk (Tuesday, BBC 1 10.30pm) which, at first glance, is just another studio-based discussion programme. But somehow, the spirit of Talkback has infected it. Maybe it's Dunseith - no-one else could handle this sort of thing without the audience degenerating to screaming and shouting. Dunseith not only gently shuts up the ranters and ravers but he gets his own opinion in and has the trust of everyone.

The audience also had the crazy Talkback mix. Born-again Christians popped up beside republicans while besuited young Unionists told us that Sinn Féin were not human. DUP rednecks went round in circles under Dunseith's questioning and a squad of Alliance types wondered why ``our wee province'' couldn't be a happy place. I even noticed a few people I know, one of them looking very smart, and very uncomfortable, in a bright orange tie.

Lots of what was said was unadulterated nonsense but there were occasional gems of wisdom, all leavened by Dunseith's middle of the road reasonableness which is straight out of a Hollywood (Co Down) dinner party - comforting and unrealistic.

It works and no doubt it is a much-needed distraction from Stormont. Swap Mitchell for Dunseith and who knows what might happen.

 


BBC came up with another excellent drama for their autumn schedule with The Lakes (Sunday 9.05pm BBC1). It is described as semi-autobiographical and is superbly handled by writer Jimmy McGovern. A young Liverpool lad, Danny Kavanagh (John Simm) takes off for the Lake District to find work in an hotel. Amid much drinking and drugs and seemingly endless bonking, he meets and falls in love with a local girl. She becomes pregnant, they marry and move to Liverpool. He, addicted to gambling, turns to thieving and finds himself in the nick. She leaves, goes back to her family and he follows when he is released. Mix in a large dose of Catholic guilt and scenery to die for and you have a drama to keep you gripped.

McGovern handles the life of a young Scouse scally with great skill and he is entirely believeable and sympathetic. Some of the jokes are so well signposted that they only serve to give the audience a smug feeling for having seen them coming. It is an expensive production which looks well and judging by the tragic ending to the first episode, the action will continue to zip along.

If The Lakes really is semi-autobiographical, we are lucky that a character like McGovern survived to tell us about it.

Something like The Lakes makes Irish viewers ponder the oft-repeated question: why can't RTE make something like that? It is a legitimate question. The answer lies somewhere within the culture of RTE. There are some things - comedy, drama, investigative journalism - which the station simply cannot do. That is a bit of a letdown, a station that can't be funny, dramatic or look behind the news. Changes needed, methinks.

By Brian Campbell

An Phoblacht
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