'A History of Modern Britain', broadcast on Tuesdays, 9pm BBC2, is Andrew Marr's next step on the road to becoming a Superdon. After heroically fighting flagging sales at 'The Independent', and withstanding the venom of the cruel Impersonator, he now displays his extraordinary gift as a TV historian, waging a personal vendetta against ignorance.
Marr knows he cannot join the elite Superdons without distinct enunciation. David Starkey has his cold consonants conveying intellectual menace, Simon Schama has a roller-coaster approach to stressing syllables and so Andrew Marr had goes for a slow, deliberate, head-nodding delivery.
It is an admirable achievement for Marr and it obviously helps him rein in his gesticulations. He is often seated, hands clasped, looking like he has just finished the 'how to' volume on gravitas. As a consequence of his restraint, sometimes his delivery begins to quicken, as he bubbles with excitement, but it serves to add to the wonderful whole.
The first programme dealt with the post-war years, with Atlee's newly elected government and its vision of a 'new Jerusalem'; but the history also covers cultural changes, with an applaudable nod to Ealing Studios and a focus on the emergence of a desire for non-conformist clothing. (A social development concisely covered by 'The Onion's' headline: MAN VENTURES OUTSIDE HATLESS)
It's well narrated and edited and I could have watched it all day. Well done Andrew Marr, the cape's in the post.
No comments:
Post a Comment