Episode 16 Points of View

Good afternoon, and welcome to Points of View.

Welcome to the set of Strictly Come Dancing,

one of the BBC's most successful programmes.

They're busy in here getting everything ready. See the seats?

630 of them in here.

When they asked who wanted tickets, how many applications did they get?

One million. We'll talk about Strictly later.

Meanwhile, somebody who has been tripping the light fantastic,

twirling her way through a documentary about Leonardo da Vinci

is Fiona Bruce, leaving some viewers to ask, "Where are the paintings?"

There's something about the bars, the glamour, the excitement.

But nothing prepares you for seeing it in the flesh.

Apparently if we want to see how things should be done,

we should have been watching the BBC Two documentary Secret Pakistan.

In the 1990s, Pakistan helped create the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan

falling under the influence of India, Pakistan's enduring enemy.

And for tips on how to bring personality into a programme

but not at the expense of the subject matter, Frank Gardner -

whose guilty pleasure is the cult cartoon strip

and soon-to-be Hollywood blockbuster Tintin.

'This original page from Tintin In The Land Of The Soviets

'is so valuable, it has to be brought out of a bank vault.'

Wow.

You were right to spot, Sidpickle, that Frank's usual home is

the news bulletin, but it's not just a serious mode that news operates.

According to viewer Duncan Yates, bulletin producers

go out of their way to find a negative spin for nearly every issue.

I know the economy at the moment is particularly bad,

but I wish the BBC would just present the facts as they are

without trying to put a negative slant on them.

We're going to get the latest growth figures for the UK economy.

-Simon is here.

-It's not great.

The UK's economy is still growing, but not by much.

We are looking at the weakest pace of recovery in nearly 100 years.

If it's bad news, it gets emphasised as being particularly bad.

If it's good news, there's always a "but" at the end.

The economy is turning over, but only just.

With third quarter figures due in the next couple of weeks,

the forecast is the UK's economy has grown faster than predicted.

But will it be a case of the glass being half-empty for BBC News?

Yes, we're not expecting much growth.

If we get any at all, it'll be a bonus.

If the news was just factual, negative but factual,

if that's how it is,

then maybe the whole country wouldn't feel quite so depressed.

So, there is a responsibility on the BBC not to talk it down too much,

cos it affects us all.

So, the jury is out on whether BBC News doom-mongers on purpose.

And it is a hung jury on the solicitor drama Hidden as well.

Initial feedback to us mainly concerned the wobbly camera work.

Where have we heard that before? Now the series has finished,

you've got another target in your sights.

Oi, what's going on?

Hello, Harry.

What are you doing here?

Think I'm going to sit there and watch them bang you up?

Oh, so that was the point of the title.

And they weren't teasing us for season two,

as it was only commissioned as a four-part serial.

But BBC daytime court drama The Case has secured itself a season two,

after comments to us claiming it was good enough for a primetime slot.

It has not migrated to peak yet,

but you've had a lot to say about its lunchtime reappearance.

..when there isn't a shred of evidence against him.

He knew about the contents of the will, no evidence.

The suicide was his idea, no evidence.

-He carried out the injection?

-No evidence.

I've nipped back to the Strictly set,

and I'm on the edge of my seat as we're about to discuss

the unsung heroes of this whole Strictly extravaganza.

I say "unsung", that's the one thing they do really rather well.

# Oh, baby, I'm a love man

# Take your hand Let me holler one time, aaaw!

# I'm a love man. #

Led by musical director Dave Arch,

the singers and musicians of the Strictly house band

provides sterling support

to the celebrities and professional dancers.

And that crucial support has been noted.

# I got your e-mails You just don't get females

# Well, do you? #

Well, it's fantastic that people are writing in.

It's wonderful to know that people are listening

and, I mean, we just try our best every week.

MUSIC PLAYS

With so many musical styles to cover, their repertoire is huge, so who decides on which songs to play?

The songs are chosen each week between production and pro dancers,

so if it's a tango, they'll find something that's a certain tempo

and we take it from there, really.

We have no say in it.

If you're suddenly thrown a Lady Gaga song,

if you don't really listen to that, it can be a shock to the system

but it's always fun and it's always a challenge.

# ..And I want it now. #

We only do rehearse on the actual show days.

It's a common misconception that we rehearse all week.

-I wish we did.

-Yeah.

-So, it's a very long day.

-Dave always knows everything.

-Yeah, we can't get away with it!

-"No! No! Bar 13 should be a B-flat, not a B."

-What was that?!

And you're like, "Oh, no."

Being the unsung heroes of the programme is a lovely badge to wear.

BRUCE FORSYTH: Dave Arch and his wonderful, wonderful orchestra!

CHEERING

Strictly Come Dancing still going strong after nine series.

Its Saturday night dance partner Casualty has an even longer pedigree

but we have recently covered calls for no further resuscitation

because it's past its best.

But apparently the scriptwriting crash team has performed a miracle

and brought it back from the brink.

# ..Then sings my soul

# My saviour God, to me

# How great thou art

# How great thou art. #

Now, I'd always imagined National Parks to be serene locations

where you can relax and enjoy the beauty of nature.

But if the rumpus triggered by Tales From The National Parks is anything to go by,

the Peak District is far from peaceful.

We have to try and take the middle ground

and we sometimes get a bit of a bashing for it, but hey-ho.

When you've got opposing views, you'll always be on the wrong side of one view, whatever you do.

Well, the programme-maker, Richard Macer,

strongly refutes any claims of lack of balance.

The film was not about whether off-roaders or anti-off-roaders are right, he says,

but who should decide who these landscapes are for.

Now, I know Countryfile is one programme that constantly covers

the issue of the competing needs of walkers and vehicles

in areas of natural beauty,

but it is the wearing of Remembrance poppies on Countryfile

that attracted attention last week.

It is true.

Indeed those poppies are exactly where Bob told us they'd be.

But Bob suspected wearing them was BBC company policy

and did not reflect the wearers' individual position.

This issue also triggered a long thread on our messageboard,

which included the BBC stance, and it is this.

So, there is no dictat. It's optional.

But dates are set in line with the Royal British Legion's own launch.

There will, of course, be some Remembrance programming in the coming weeks.

If you have any feedback on that, or any other topic, please write to us.

Here's the address:

Or if you have a question, e-mail us, like Mike.

Mike, the answer is there will be a tribute called Sir Jimmy Savile As It Happened on Friday.

Jump on the messageboard to get in touch. Join the lively discussions.

Or phone us. Calls are charged at a local rate from a landline

and here is the number for you.

Or even send us in a video, like this one from Jill Gearing.

I got a new digital TV

and now there's nothing on for me.

All my friends say the same.

Can you tell me who is to blame?

There's nothing nice on any more

and humour has gone out the door.

There's plenty of doom and gloom.

Any chance things will get better soon?

Goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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