I’d like to propose an educational model. The first few times you introduce a child to film, you should only show them really great, undisputed masterpieces. You know, Citizen Kane, Metropolis, The Godfather, that sort of thing. When you get them into literature, think about the greats – perhaps Tolstoy
I’ve just spent a jolly weekend in Birmingham with some old friends, and as part of our activities this afternoon we went off to raid a fine array of charity shops in the part of town where they live. Amongst the truly baffling range of furniture items on offer, the
On Thursday morning this week, I woke up to a horror familiar to many. I had run out of things to read. Having spent the previous couple of days attracting curious and mistrustful glances on London transport as I shook and wept with laughter through Francis Plug. How to be
This week, I was lucky enough to be invited back to the school I attended from the ages of 10 to 17, to work with senior students across a number of partner schools on a day of public speaking and debating. Back in the dark ages, when I was there,
I went to a fantastic musical in Chichester on Saturday. It’s called Flowers for Mrs Harris, based on a novel by Paul Gallico, with the book and music by Rachel Wagstaff and Richard Taylor. It tells the tale of London charwoman Ada Harris, who falls in love with… no, not
Over the past four years (I can’t quite believe it’s been that long already!), the principal behind the production of this blog has been quite simple. Each week, I would choose the thing during that week which had been the most exciting or interesting – a concert, a teaching moment,
It’s been a while. Missed me? I’ve missed me – or rather, I’ve missed the me that hasn’t been dragged down by a seemingly never-ending cold virus which showed up just before my holiday (of course it did) and then hung around for weeks making me feel like a sort
In the third and final of my City Lit ‘taster’ sessions this week, one of my students regarded me with raised eyebrows after some point I’d made about Lieder. ‘You’re one of those tutors who tells jokes, aren’t you?’ she declared. ‘Good.’ As you might expect, I get quite a
Let’s try a little experiment. First up, picture any of the following scenarios. Standing in the queue at the supermarket. Travelling in a train carriage. Buckled into a translatlantic flight (you choose the class) Sitting in the cinema, popcorn on your lap Driving along the A1 Everyone got their scenario
OK, I’ll be honest. Sometimes I sit here on a Sunday morning, wondering what on earth I’m going to write about, and end up with something fairly speedily prepared and whimsical; and other times, I have a thought in my head from the middle of the week, which gradually bobs
