The Spring issue of Source is out now, including my article on Starsparkles entrepreneur Pauline Clifford. There's also a ten minutes with Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell included too. If you attend a high school in Scotland, lucky you, a free copy should be at your fingertips!
The next issue of Scotcampus will be out early April and for which I've written a round up of Scottish telly and the conitinung problem of there not being enough original programming, emanating from our region and then being shown on the network.
Got feedback on my play, and I'm chuffed to say the things I was concerned about were flagged up by my mentor. Which means I am on the right track and calling myself out on the right issues. Therefore, if I'm clued in as to what needs improved or changed, that means I'm in the best position to improve my writing. I continue on, and daydream of transfers to New York, which might never come unless I write something good.
Interesting things to note in popular culture this week. Russell T Davies calling for lotto cash to help fund children's drama. Over the past few few years, children's programming has shrunk on the terrestrial channels quite noticeably. Citv disappeared from its afternoon slot to take up a digital presence, and CBBC occupies less airtime than it used to. The defence is that with the digital arms children's progamming has a continual presence, but children's programmes all day on a digital channel isn't the same as a dedicated afternoon slot shaped to satisfy that post school hunger for cartoons, laughs and drama.
I think shifting the Aussie soaps to Five is partly to blame. Do you remember when Home and Away left its post Citv slot? It just felt... wrong somehow, it upset the schedules. When Neighbours said goodbye to the BBC and G'day to Five, The Weakest Link came in as a replacement in the slot, causing the schedules to shift and programmes like Sarah Jane Adventures to lose their original slot. Newsround at Five doesn't ring quite so well as Newsround at 5.25 for some reason. Blue Peter at half 4 instead of 5? It's all wrong wrong wrong. But then I would say that, having grown up with a schedule that worked and was around my whole childhood. Bye bye Byker Grove. Bye bye Grange Hill. It wouldn't be so bad if there was something comparable to replace them. Where does the North East get a shout out in children's programming now? I've caught Half Moon Investigations and thought it was a great addition, and SJA should stay. It's of such quality that it'll have kids growing up expecting great things from TV. But then excellence is rare, isn't that the point. Not everyone is a genius with a concept and a script. It's why programmes like Life on Mars and Who are the jewels, precisely because they're in amongst the rough.
The programmes that stood out when I was a child I remember till now. Adolescents and young adults frequently have conversations about the programmes they watched when they were young. It can't be underestimated the lasting impact they can have. If those programmes are neglected there will be a whole generation growing up with nothing to either enjoy at the time or look back on fondly at 2 in the morning with their fellow students. It's absurd to think such programming is under threat in the first place.
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