Radio review - light programme

Published Monday 28 April 2008 at 14:10 by Lisa Martland

It is the late seventies and British film director Harold Baim is looking for the perfect voice to narrate a trio of travelogues celebrating all that is positive about Birmingham, Aberdeen and Portsmouth. So who does he plump for? American film and TV star Telly Savalas.

Surely this has got to be one of the most bizarre and fascinating pairings in British movie history, suggested Laurie Taylor in Telly Savalas and the Quota Quickies. These ‘quickies’ were homegrown films made as an antidote to the ever-growing dominance of big budget Hollywood blockbusters. Tongue in cheek, Taylor did a wonderful job of creating what the cinema atmosphere must have been like when the supporting feature popped up and TV detective Kojak described Birmingham as “my kind of town”.

As an amusing experiment within the programme, 200 Brummies were invited to watch the piece from a contemporary perspective. The recording of their reaction was punctuated with screams of laugher as Savalas waxed lyrical about the city’s revolutionary road systems and outstanding architecture. All comments that become more surreal on discovering that Savalas never once visited any of the cities featured.

What was interesting though was that while the Birmingham audience found the project hilarious, many of them also saw its charm and felt compelled by the images of their city filmed more than 25 years earlier.

This was a pertinent point that Taylor also made as he toured the three cities (unlike the films’ narrator). Baim may not have been setting out to create a little bit of movie history, but by shooting Birmingham, Aberdeen and Portsmouth in all their ordinary, everyday glory, he did just that.

The atmosphere was not so light-hearted during Who Knows Where the Time Goes - The Sandy Denny Story, a fine profile of the life and work of the folk/rock artist, broadcast to coincide with the 30th anniversary of her death.

These are the kind of radio documentaries that are great to find, for they flesh out the career details of artists who, though incredibly talented, have perhaps not won the attention they deserve. According to host Bob Harris, there is more interest in the back catalogue of this singer/songwriter now than there has ever been before and he is hopeful that both her solo albums and those with bands like Fairport Convention will be properly rediscovered in the same way Nick Drake’s work has been.

One of the most talked about issues in the programme mentioned by the majority of those who contributed was the huge contradiction between Denny’s confident stage persona and the deep insecurity and vulnerability she felt when not singing. These characteristics, of course, added to the timeless and poetic quality of her lyrics. Those who worked with her still ponder what she could have achieved if she had not died at such a young age. I for one will be seeking out the pile of recordings she left behind.

Recordings by both the musical theatre performers who currently dominate Sunday brunch and lunch-times on Radio 2 already feature in my collection, but how are they faring on the airwaves? By now Elaine Paige probably has quite a following in the later slot, all helped by a reasonable selection of material from film and stage musicals, as well as some very high profile guests.

One such personality was Liza Minnelli, who recently chatted to Paige about her forthcoming UK tour and some of her favourite musicals. Minnelli had some entertaining anecdotes up her sleeve as usual although the interview did turn into something of a mutual appreciation society at times, which made for uncomfortable listening. I just wish Paige would sharpen up her interview technique, it remains one-dimensional and scripted with any ad-libbing almost non-existent.

In comparison, Michael Ball seems to have had little trouble settling into Michael Parkinson’s old slot, easily shifting from covering newspaper and TV/radio reviews to personality interviews. He, too, could work on his delivery in between the tracks played, but the omens look good already.

One man who made radio presenting look easy for 40 years was the great Humphrey Lyttelton who died last week at the age of 86. A great jazz musician and the host, of course, of Radio 2’s The Best of Jazz and Radio 4’s classic panel show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, ‘Humph’ was a genuine treasure on and off air and will be greatly missed.

DETAILS

Telly Savalas and the Quota Quickies - R4, Saturday, April 26

Who Knows Where the Time Goes - The Sandy Denny Story - R2, Tuesday, April 22

Elaine Paige on Sunday - Liza Minnelli - R2, Sunday, April 20

Michael Ball - R2, Sundays, from April 6