RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The BBC says it ‘regrets' beaming a pig-ignorant tattooed moron preaching death to Jews into millions of living rooms. That's big of them
The BBC has sort of apologised for broadcasting the disgusting anti-Semitic hatred of a halfwit rapper at Glastonbury.
In a statement written by a standing committee of weasel-wordsmiths, the corporation says it 'regrets' beaming a pig-ignorant, pigtailed tattooed moron preaching death to Jews into millions of living rooms. That's big of them.
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Sky News
12 minutes ago
- Sky News
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy hits out at BBC over Glastonbury controversy
Why you can trust Sky News The culture secretary has claimed there is "a problem of leadership" at the BBC, as the controversy over Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance deepens. Lisa Nandy criticised the corporation over its decision not to pull the livestream after the band's frontman shouted "death, death to the IDF" - referring to the Israel Defence Forces - on Saturday. A criminal investigation has been launched into the Glastonbury performances of both Bob Vylan and Kneecap after the police reviewed footage. Ms Nandy condemned the "appalling and unacceptable scenes" at Glastonbury and said the government would not tolerate antisemitism. She said she had called BBC director-general Tim Davie after the broadcast of Bob Vylan's set to find out why it had aired, and why the feed had not been cut. "I expect answers to these questions without delay," she said. Later, when asked in the Commons about the BBC's editorial processes and who would be held accountable, Ms Nandy replied: "When you have one editorial failure, it's something that must be gripped. When you have several, it becomes a problem of leadership." Ms Nandy said she had spoken to members of the Jewish community, including attendees at Glastonbury, who said they were concerned by imagery and slogans and ended up creating their own "safe space". Mr Davie has been facing calls for his resignation. Yesterday, drummer Bobbie Vylan released a video statement on Instagram - saying politicians who have spent time criticising the band should be "utterly ashamed" for giving "room" to this over other issues. The punk rap duo have had their US visas revoked and been dropped by their US representative, United Talent Agency. He also addressed what was said on stage, saying: "Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don't let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people." Shortly after it was posted, the video was no longer available to view. Israel denies targeting civilians in its war in Gaza. During Kneecap's set, one member suggested on stage starting a "riot" outside his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance, before clarifying he meant "support". In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said that after reviewing footage of the performances of Kneecap and Bob Vylan, further enquiries are required and a criminal investigation is now being undertaken. "A senior detective has been appointed to lead this investigation," a spokesperson said. "This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage." The force said the investigation will be "evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes". "We have received a large amount of contact in relation to these events from people across the world and recognise the strength of public feeling," it added. "There is absolutely no place in society for hate." What happened? During Bob Vylan's set, the duo performed in front of a screen that showed several messages, including one that said Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide". Bobby Vylan also led chants of "death to the IDF". The set was live streamed by the BBC as part of its Glastonbury coverage, but has not been made available on demand. Politicians including the prime minister have criticised the performance. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said the chants "crossed a line" and that there was no place at the festival for "antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence". A BBC spokesperson said the broadcaster respected freedom of expression "but stands firmly against incitement to violence". They added: "The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves... "The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen." 2:32 Media watchdog Ofcom said it was in talks with the BBC and that the broadcaster "clearly has questions to answer" over the stream. Irish-language rap trio Kneecap were on stage afterwards. Before their appearance at the festival, there had been calls for Glastonbury to remove them from the bill - as rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh (who performs as Mo Chara) is facing a terror charge, accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed group Hezbollah at a gig in London last November. Glastonbury organisers kept them on the line-up, but the BBC chose not to stream their set live. An edited version was later made available on demand. On stage, the band led chants of "f*** Keir Starmer". O hAnnaidh's bandmate Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap) said they would "start a riot outside the courts" for O hAnnaidh's next appearance, before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine." Hundreds of people turned out in protest for his first court appearance earlier this month. Bob Vylan were set to perform in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the autumn. They are due to perform at Radar Festival in Manchester on Saturday and Boardmasters, a surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August. Sharing a statement on Instagram after the Glastonbury set, Bobby Vylan said: "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. "As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us." The war in Gaza started after Hamas militants launched attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. More than 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, more than 400 of them during the fighting in Gaza. Israel's offensive in Gaza has devastated the enclave and killed around 56,500 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
Scottish Sun
22 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Donald MacDonald dead aged 86: BBC children's TV star dies after cancer battle as family pay tribute to ‘true gentleman'
Donald 'dazzled on London's West End' across his 40-year career 'SHOWBIZ GREAT' Donald MacDonald dead aged 86: BBC children's TV star dies after cancer battle as family pay tribute to 'true gentleman' A LEGENDARY TV presenter hailed for hosting a beloved children's' show has died aged 86. Donald Macdonald, best known for lighting up the screen on Play School, passed away on Monday after a brave battle with cancer. Across his stellar 40-year career, Donald starred in stage productions and TV dramas. His credits include John McKellar's A Cup of Tea, a Bex and a Good Lie Down. News of the star's death was confirmed by journalist Craig Bennett. He penned a moving tribute on Donald's social media which read: "One of our showbiz greats left us at 12:45am today. "Donald Macdonald was a stalwart of stage and screen, who'd written smash-hit plays like Caravan, dazzled on London's West End, and delighted millions over the decades with his starring turns on TV series like Play School where he was a presenter from 1966 to 1969. "He guested on shows from Certain Women, The Box, Cop Shop and Skyways, to the raunchy Alvin Purple, and in movies like Superman Returns. Donald was a dapper delight and always great company." He added: "On Saturday we turned his hospital room into a party, laughs and smiles a-plenty, as Donald enjoyed some bubbly and lemon meringue pie. "Blue was always his colour, even in a hospital gown! He gave his permission to post his last photo, saying 'what the heck!' Vale to a true gentleman." Tributes have since poured in for the much-loved presenter. One fan, and fellow actor, wrote: "Honoured to have appeared in two of his plays. The consummate gentleman. And, no one played a High Court Judge like Donald. RIP." Another said: "We were VERY LUCKY to meet Donald through you both, get to know him, and be entertained by his lovely demeanor, sharp wit and of course his writing skills. What a lovely, gentle man." 1 Donald Macdonald died of cancer on Monday More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
The Guardian
28 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood invites us to laugh at ourselves – I wanted my music to do the same
In October 1953, Dylan Thomas took part in a symposium on poetry and film in New York. A recording of the event captures the Welsh writer's speaking voice in what would be one of his last public appearances before his death 12 days later at the age of 39. Amid the pops, ticks and crackles of the tape, we hear Thomas on sparkling form, telling the audience about an experimental play he had been to see 'in a cellar or a sewer or somewhere', accompanied by the US playwright Arthur Miller. In the middle of the performance, he recounts, Miller turned to him and remarked, 'Good god, this is avant garde. In a moment the hero's going to take his clothes off.' Roars of laughter follow this anecdote, before questions turn to Thomas's radio play Under Milk Wood, which had enjoyed a number of public readings in New York City that year, billed as a 'new comedy'. Under Milk Wood is quite a different sort of play to the avant garde production Miller and Thomas had attended. Set in the fictional Welsh town of Llareggub ('Bugger all' backwards), it documents the dreams, digressions and foibles of the town's inhabitants in a blaze of poetic beauty and vibrant satire. It is a 'play for voices', borne out of the world of the mid-20th-century BBC radio feature – a fluid, experimental genre in which narration, acting, song, verse, music and sound effects were mixed together often without the constraint of a dramatic plot. Thomas himself was a gifted radio actor and had taken part in a number of BBC radio features, including The Dark Tower by Louis MacNiece and In Parenthesis by David Jones. When Milk Wood was first broadcast in 1954 on the BBC's Third Programme, the cast was led by his friend and acting companion, Richard Burton. I was only dimly aware of Thomas's radio play when I was first approached about adapting it. I knew that the script contained extensive passages of memorable narration and this, alone, was enough of a draw for me. The proposition – from Nova Music Opera, Presteigne festival and Spitalfields music festival – was to compose a music-theatre adaptation of Thomas's radio play in an abridged form combining narration, acting and singing, in the vein of Stravinsky's l'Histoire du Soldat. I was both curious and cautious. Since its first broadcast, Milk Wood has been through all sorts of transformations – from staged theatrical productions to feature films, an animated version, a ballet, a contemporary classical opera and even a jazz suite. The question of what it means to 'stage' a radio play has been debated vigorously. Then there is the challenge of setting Thomas's words to music, given that his language already possesses such a distinctive music, shape and rhythm of its own. Exploring relationships between words and music has marked much of my work to date. I have created musical settings of poetry, fragments of prose and private letters by figures such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Don Paterson, Joseph Roth and Aubrey Beardsley. Setting words to music can be a minefield for composers. As Virginia Woolf remarked in her 1937 broadcast On Craftsmanship: 'Words, English words, are full of echoes, of memories, of associations – naturally. They have been out and about on people's lips, in their houses, in the streets, in the fields, for so many centuries.' Words are living entities, but composers attempt to capture them, to fix them in a foreign structure as a jeweller would a precious stone in a metal setting. My first task was to cut 90 minutes of material down to just under an hour. I shrunk it by degrees until I arrived at a shortened version of Milk Wood that preserved Thomas's temporal arc stretching from dawn to dusk. Many of Llareggub's most notorious residents remain in my text: Captain Cat with his seafaring memories, Mr Pugh who studies a book titled Lives of the Great Poisoners as he prepares to murder his wife, Willy Nilly the postman who reads other people's letters, Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard and the ghosts of her two henpecked husbands, Polly Garter pursuing endless liaisons, Mr Waldo singing drunkenly in the pub, and the dead lovers who surface to haunt the living. Scenes from Under Milk Wood is written for a small mixed instrumental ensemble and a cast of one narrator, two singers and two actors who perform multiple roles. Like a fox in a hen house, I've enjoyed running riot with the music, devising a score that includes atmospheric underscoring for narration and spoken poetry, lyrical and declamatory operatic singing, and my attempt at a kind of modern folksong. The hybrid form of the piece connects back to the experimental radio feature world that first gave rise to Milk Wood, and the decision by our director Harvey Evans to return the production to a semi-staged radio studio is therefore fitting. Our cast turn up in the mid-1950s for a live recording session and endeavour, with scripts in hand, to bring Thomas's eccentric characters to life, just as the original broadcasting group did over 70 years ago. For today's audiences, the radio studio staging of Scenes from Under Milk Wood also provides an opportunity to be transported, in the same manner as the listeners of the 1954 broadcast, into what Evans describes as the 'living mosaic' of Llareggub. The music seeks to celebrate the comedic aspects of Thomas's loving and humorous portrait of human imperfection, bringing back into focus his subtle invitation to audiences to learn to laugh at themselves. For, as one famous jester in another age memorably put it, 'Foolery, sir, does walk about the orb like the sun, it shines everywhere'. The world premiere of Scenes from Under Milk Wood is at Spitalfields festival, London, on 2 July. More about Ninfea Cruttewell-Reader here.
