Committee asks BBC boss for view on ‘what went wrong' with Glastonbury coverage
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The Herald Scotland
44 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
TV review: River City: The one where Bob and Angus recall good times
Soaps need a delicate touch at times, and if you can put a dash of wry humour in the mix so much the better. The Hilda scene, for instance, was preceded by Vera and Ivy conceding that Hilda, for all her faults, was a decent sort. The lightest of touches was on display tonight in River City. Yes, that River City, the Glesga-set soap that's wall to wall gangsters if you listen to its detractors. The one that will be no more after autumn next year. The scene involved Angus and Bob sitting on a couch. Nothing special. The pair have been best pals since Adam was a customer in the Oyster Cafe. They are the Likely Lads of River City. For Bob and Terry read Bob and Angus. Usually to be found bickering in the garage, occasionally they get something a little different to do. Context: last summer, Bob's fiancée Kim died. It was possibly the least showy death in soap history. She sat on a bench, she closed her eyes, and she went. She did get engaged minutes before, mind you, and she had recently been in a horrific car accident. Viewers were genuinely upset. Bob was left a single dad. Angus and his partner Amber are expecting their first child, an event the normally easy-going mechanic is finding hard to handle. All he wanted to do was watch a daft movie with his mate, but fate and darts intervened. "No more spontaneous karaoke sessions or nights out on the town,' said Angus. We never did any of that anyway, said Bob. And having a kid is exciting. 'As exciting as watching people trying to stop a shark from causing nuclear Armageddon?' 'Is it a great white?' 'A massive white.' "I'd say it's on a par.' Written by Emma Lennox, produced by Deb Charles and directed by Meg Campbell, it's a small scene yet says so much about what makes River City tick. There's a shared history here, a sense of humour that's in with the bricks. It takes years to build this kind of atmosphere, yet it can disappear in the flourish of a BBC executive's pen. River City has to go because it is not passing the value for money test, says BBC Scotland management. Compared to big hitters such as Shetland - average audience 700,000 in Scotland - River City isn't cutting it with just 200,000 viewers. Tell that to the viewers, many elderly, who have stuck with it through months of crazy scheduling. Tell that to the cast and crew who will be out of a job. No more karaoke sessions or nights on the town, right enough. What a shame.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury results in U.S. visas revoked
The BBC issued a warning on screen for strong language while the set was being streamed online, but it acknowledged that it should have gone further. During Bob Vylan's set, he led the audience in chants including "death, death to the IDF, "referring to the Israel Defense Forces fighting a war in Gaza. Law enforcement is investigating "comments made on stage" for possible public order offenses, including hate crimes, after reviewing video footage and audio from their performances, the Avon and Somerset regional police force told Reuters. More: U.K. Culture Sec. condemns Bob Vylan Glastonbury performance, demands answers from BBC Bob Vylan, known for mixing grime and punk rock, tackles a range of issues including racism, homophobia, and the class divide in their songs and have previously voiced support for Palestinians. Their lead vocalist, who goes by the stage name Bobby Vylan, appeared to refer to the weekend performance in a post on Instagram, writing: "I said what I 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," he added. Bob Vylan was scheduled to kick off a U.S. tour on Oct. 24 in Spokane, Washington, with gigs in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, San Diego, San Antonio and Los Angeles, as first reported by NBC News. Reuters contributed to the reporting of this story.
Rhyl Journal
4 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
BBC director-general was at Glastonbury during Bob Vylan performance
It is understood Tim Davie was on a visit to meet staff at the Somerset music event on Saturday afternoon and was informed after Bobby Vylan, one half of the British rap punk duo, led his audience in chants that also included 'Free, free Palestine'. The performance at the West Holts Stage was livestreamed by the BBC but the organisation later expressed regret for not stopping its broadcast of the 'unacceptable' set. A BBC spokesperson said: 'The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.' The news of Mr Davie's presence at the festival comes as the Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis berated the BBC for what he called 'the airing of vile Jew-hatred' and the broadcaster's 'belated and mishandled response'. The corporation has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language. Broadcasting regulator Ofcom saying it was 'very concerned' by the decision and the Culture Secretary claimed the issue should have been foreseeable and constituted 'a problem of leadership' for the BBC. In a post on X, Sir Ephraim wrote: 'This is a time of national shame. 'The airing of vile Jew-hatred at Glastonbury and the BBC's belated and mishandled response, brings confidence in our national broadcaster's ability to treat antisemitism seriously to a new low. 'It should trouble all decent people that now, one need only couch their outright incitement to violence and hatred as edgy political commentary, for ordinary people to not only fail to see it for what it is, but also to cheer it, chant it and celebrate it. 'Toxic Jew-hatred is a threat to our entire society.' Irish rap trio Kneecap, including member Liam Og O hAnnaidh who appeared in court earlier this month charged with a terror offence, took to the stage directly after Bob Vylan and led chants of 'Free Palestine'. On Monday, Avon and Somerset Police said it had launched a probe into both performances after reviewing video footage and audio recordings, with a senior detective appointed to lead the investigation. A police spokesman said: 'This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our inquiries are at an early stage. 'The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.' In a statement on Monday, the BBC said: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive. 'The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. 'We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance. 'The performance was part of a livestream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. 'The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines. 'In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. '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.' US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau announced that Bob Vylan's US visas had been revoked due to 'their hateful tirade at Glastonbury', with the duo scheduled to tour in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia in October. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the Commons on Monday the Government was 'exasperated' with the 'lack of account from the leadership' at the BBC. Ms Nandy said the incident at Worthy Farm had raised 'very, very serious questions at the highest levels of the BBC about the operational oversight and the way in which editorial standards are understood', adding that she wanted to see 'rapid action' from the broadcaster. Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said the scenes at Glastonbury raised wider concerns about society. He told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'There are some lessons, I think, for broadcasters from this, but let's also not shy away from the issue, which is people in a crowd glorifying violence. 'I don't think it's something we'd associate with any music festival, but it's a wider societal problem.' He added:'It's possible, I think, to be completely concerned by the scenes in Gaza and not stray into the kind of behaviour and endorsement that we saw with that performance. 'And I'm deeply shocked to be honest, that people would even not realise what I think they're participating in when they do that.' Glastonbury Festival organisers also condemned Bob Vylan's chants, saying it was 'appalled' by what was said on stage, adding 'there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence'. Bob Vylan formed in Ipswich in 2017 and have released four albums addressing issues such as racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan is the stage name of Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. His bandmate drummer uses the alias Bobbie Vylan. In a statement posted to Instagram, he 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.'
