RED NOSE DAY 2011 (BBC ONE AND BBC TWO)

Every second year since 1989, Comic Relief organizes Red Nose Day. This charity event is always the occasion of great television moments for great causes. Red Nose Day 2011 took place on Friday 18th March from 7.00pm till 1.00am, on BBC One and BBC Two.

Lenny Henry attended the King's Speech and Outnumbered ruined Andy Murray's day. The awaited (and absolutely brilliant) Doctor Who two-part minisode, written by the great Steven Moffat, gave us Amy Pond flirting with herself - no one will dare to label the series "kid material" after that (« Pond, put some trousers on. ») Ruby Wax, Claudia Winkleman and Miranda Hart cooked for Prime Minister David Cameron in a Masterchef special. Comic genius Peter Kay as Geraldine McQueen (his character from Britain's Got the Pop Factor...) and Susan Boyle covered I know him so well in a subtly hilarious parody of the 1985 Barbara Dickson and Elaine Paige duet video - "him" being now... Sir Trevor McDonald.

Take That sung Happy now and met their "clones", a band called Fake That: Alan Carr, James Corden, David Walliams, John Bishop and... Catherine Tate. Corden came back as Gavin & Stacey's Smithy in what was certainly the summit of the evening, one of funniest things in the genre seen in years. In Smithy saves Red Nose Day 2011, Lenny Henry asked the plumber for help and Smithy left his friend George Michael waiting in the car to chair a meeting with Lord Coe, Dermot O'Leary, Rupert Grint, JLS, Sir Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, etc. Regrettably nobody thought to call Smithy to save the Autumnwatch sequence hosted by Harry Hill, or the Downton Abbey spoof directed by Adrian Edmonson and starring Jennifer Saunders, Kim Cattrall, Joanna Lumley, Harry Enfield and Simon Callow (as Julian Fellowes!) among others.

There were also some truly moving stories and the powerful ten-minute conclusion of an EastEnders storyline about the issue of sexual exploitation. Producers and writers of EastEnders ensured the story reflected the reality of young people caught up in sexual exploitation. They worked with advice from charities funded by Comic Relief and consulted with teenage girls who have experienced this form of abuse (1). David Tennant going to Africa, Helen Skelton walking on a wire across Battersea Power Station and Lenny Henry walking on fire (literally) were some of the many actions for this formidable star-studded night which raised more than £74 million.

Red Nose Day 2011 was hosted by Claudia Winkleman, Michael McIntyre, Graham Norton, Davina McCall, Lenny Henry, Dermot O'Leary, Fearne Cotton and Jonathan Ross (with a guest appearance by Matt Smith as The Doctor).

(1) http://www.rednoseday.com/whats-on/news/eastenders-and-comic-relief-join-forces

http://www.rednoseday.com/ (Official site)
http://www.rednoseday.com/sponsor-donate (Donate)
http://www.comicrelief.com/

NEWSCASTER JOHN SUCHET TALKS ABOUT HIS WIFE'S BATTLE WITH DEMENTIA

[18.04 - French Time] Journalist and newscaster John Suchet talks about his wife Bonnie's battle with dementia in a moving must-read article for Mail on Sunday.

Our readers may remember that John Suchet appeared in the essential Kevin Whately on Dementia, a documentary aired in ITV's Tonight on March 2009 and reviewed in this blog.

John Suchet's book, My Bonnie - How dementia stole the love of my life, is published by HarperCollins and will be available on tuesday (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/Titles/49847/my-bonnie-john-suchet-9780007328420).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1280490/The-thief-stole-Bonnie-Newsman-John-Suchet-reveals-wifes-battle-dementia.html

Kevin Whately on Dementia:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2009/03/tonight-kevin-whately-on-dementia-itv1.html

Alzheimer's Society:

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/

SOMETIMES YOU HEAR THE BULLET

[Updated][April 10th, 9.50 - French Time ] Controversial Scottish comedian and TV personality Frankie Boyle has had a confrontation with the mother of a Down’s syndrome child during a show of his I Would Happily Punch Every One of You In the Face stand-up tour.

The former Mock The Week panelist made fun of the voices, haircuts and clothes of people with Down’s syndrome. Then Boyle spotted Sharon Smith and her husband looking uncomfortable in the audience and asked why they were talking during his show. When they told him about their five-year daughter, who has Down's, the comedian tried to laugh off his remarks, asking: « But it's all true, isn't it? Everything I have said is true, isn't it? » (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a213391/boyle-blasted-for-downs-syndrome-gags.html).

After the incident, Sharon Smith wrote a calm, balanced and moving post on her blog about it (http://k3tten.blogspot.com/2010/04/punching-me-in-face-would-have-been.html), which received a lot of support on social networking sites such as Twitter - with celebrities like comic actor Mathew Horne backing her. And The Down's Syndrome Association has issued a statement regarding Frankie Boyle's gig (http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/news-and-media/dsa-news/711-response-from-the-downs-syndrome-association--frankie-boyle.html).

We will not discuss of Boyle's comic merits, we'll just humbly recall that to be born with a disability is not a laughing matter. Especially in these hard times that we share which can easily make a health issue worse, whatever its degree is.

Update (7.21 - French Time): Interesting reaction from 18-year old college student and blogger Jayne Burnett, who has Down's syndrome and is a self-advocate with ENABLE Scotland (http://www.enable.org.uk/campaigns.php?sid=37&ssid=0&id=44).

http://blogs.sundaymail.co.uk/jayneburnett/2010/04/frankie-boyle-needs-to-watch-w.html

See:

http://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/
http://k3tten.blogspot.com/
http://www.enable.org.uk/index.php
http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/04/09/10805/did_frankie_go_too_far_this_time%3F

En Français: http://thierryattard.blogspot.com/2010/04/parfois-on-entend-le-bruit-de-la-balle.html

BREAKING NEWS: ANTI-BNP PROTESTERS ENTER BBC TELEVISION CENTRE

[17.54 -French Time] Protesters against British National Party breach security and enter BBC Television Centre (West London) in the wake of BNP leader Nick Griffin appearance on Question Time, the famous political programme, tonight on BBC One.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/broadcasting/news/a183224/anti-fascist-protesters-break-in-to-bbc.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2009/oct/22/bnp-question-time-live-buildup

KNIGHT OF THE HEART

Sir Roger Moore gives his support to a campaign called Know Your Pulse - linked to this year's Arrhythmia Awareness Week (8-14 June). This campaign is encouraging the public to learn how to take their pulse on a regular basis, as it is one of the most effective ways of identifying a potential cardiac arrhythmia.

A cardiac arrhythmia is caused by a heartbeat that is too fast, too slow, or irregular. Sir Roger Moore, having experienced such a problem himself in 2003, has joined forces with Arrhythmia Alliance (http://www.heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/) to help raise awareness of cardiac arrhythmia with this video where he demonstrates how to take your pulse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0dAlo0MEEA

See also:

http://www.knowyourpulse.org/
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=118403
http://thierryattard.blogspot.com/2008/12/les-memoires-de-roger-moore-amicalement.html + http://thierryattard.blogspot.com/2008/12/les-memoires-de-roger-moore-amicalement_12.html (My Word is my Bond - review in French)

TONIGHT: KEVIN WHATELY ON DEMENTIA (ITV1)

Kevin Whately is one of the most appreciated actors of British television for his roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Inspector Morse, Peak Practice and of course, Lewis. But with this episode of ITV1's current affairs programme Tonight produced and directed by Linsey Wynton, Whately shares with us a personal concern in an inspired documentary about dementia. A subject the actor knows too well: his mother, Mary (aged 83) was diagnosed with the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's disease, eight years ago.

The term "dementia" is used to describe the symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, stroke and many other rarer conditions (http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200131). Kevin Whately believes passionately that it is important to raise awareness about dementia and its potential effects on society. But also to ensure that people suffering with dementia get much better treatment and care. In the UK 700 000 people live with dementia. Probably about 400 000 to 450 000 of these people have Alzheimer's disease. One in three people over the age of 65 will die with the disease and by 2025 more than a million will have dementia.

Alzheimer's disease results from a build-up of toxic proteines on the brain that causes nerve cells to die and the brain to shrink. Stroke related dementia - sometimes called vascular dementia, the second most common cause of dementia, occurs when nerve cells die because of the lack of oxygen. It is often following a stroke. Both provoke memory loss, particularly of the short-term memory, and confusion.

Three years ago, Kevin Whately's mother became very ill and, after a stay in hospital, the family had to move her to a nursing home because she was no longer able to cope with living on her own. Sadly she's now in an advanced condition and could not take part in the ITV programme. For the Tonight doc, Kevin Whately's brother Frank remembers when he first noticed that their mother was losing her memory, and the brothers discuss how they had to face the progression of her condition on a daily basis.

It took a few years to get Mary Whately diagnosed but about two-thirds of those having dementia have no diagnosis. British Government has launched in February a National Dementia Strategy backed by £150 million over the first two years, and wants to set up a Memory Clinic in every town. Kevin Whately visits one of these clinics, Newbury Memory Service in Berkshire, where a woman has her memory tested with a series of 19 questions after evaluation by a doctor and a clinical psychologist. Unfortunately, she's diagnosed with both Alzheimer's and Lewy Bodies dementia - the third most common form of Dementia, which bears some similarities to Parkinson’s disease.

Diagnosis is primordial. There's no cure for dementia but anti-dementia drugs Aricept, Exelon and Reminyl can improve or stabilize the symptoms of the disease in about 50% of cases. But since November 2006 NHS doctors have been banned from prescribing these drugs to thousands of patients newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's by the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) because "benefits don't justify costs". Kevin Whately meets a patient with Alzheimer's, Keith Turner, who got prescribed Aricept prior to the ban and so receives it free on the NHS (£900 a year/£2,50 a day). His wife and him are now campaigning for others to have the same access (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/transcripts_2006_23_mon_02.shtml). Later this year NICE will review its cost calculations and consider whether to review its guidance.

During the filming of the Tonight programme, Whately discovered that there is a therapy called SPECAL (Specialised Early Care for Alzheimer's) which carers can use to make communication easier with patients with dementia (http://www.specal.co.uk/). Admiral Nurses, specialist dementia nurses, can also be of a great source of help and support (http://www.fordementia.org.uk/admiral.htm). Journalist and broadcaster John Suchet (David Suchet's brother) tells Kevin Whately about the precious help he has from Ian Weatherhead, an Admiral Nurse, in caring for his wife Bonnie for dementia. There's only 60 Admiral Nurses in the UK, funded by the NHS and local councils.

The documentary also introduces us to Music therapy, which calls to the part of the brain not yet deteriorated, and the work of Singing for the Brain (http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/singingforthebrain). Reminiscence Therapy, recalling memories ("the good old days") can have therapeutic benefits for people with dementia. And Kevin Whately talks about the importance of finding a decent care home when comes the time, and the illogism that people with dementia has to pay themselves for their care.

Kevin Whately on Dementia is a programme which is the honour of every person involved in its conception, or interviewed, for its clarity and its constructive approach of one of the main health issues of the century. Kevin Whately, who is ambassador for the Alzheimer's Society, shares his concerns and his experience with humility, generosity, and empathy. The programme and its production team deserve to be awarded and it is not unreasonable to believe that Mr Whately should have his own current affairs series.

http://www.itv.com/News/tonight/episodes/KevinWhatelyondementia/default.html
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1163677/KEVIN-WHATELY-I-wouldnt-worst-enemy-care-homes-looked-Mum.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/4684841/John-Suchet-in-tears-as-he-describes-wifes-Alzheimerss-Disease.html

NOW, SERIOUSLY...

Normally this is not strictly speaking in my usual professional field of interest (although this blog covers television) and I try not to react on "emotion mode". But I read on the always excellent Digital Spy website that Cerrie Burnell, a disabled presenter of the CBeebies channel (the BBC channel for children) is victim of a campaign because some parents have suggested that the young woman - born without the lower right arm - may [God, how can I even be obliged to write what follows...] "scare children" (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a147553/disabled-bbc-presenter-scaring-children.html).

What scares me, for my part, is that some people can think that sort of things. Fortunately, the boss of CBeebies, Michael Carrington, and the Beeb, have expressed their support to Miss Burnell (http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a147613/bbc-defends-disabled-presenter.html). May I remind that when I was younger, the BBC was the home of Vision On, a funny, clever and bold program for deaf children (and the others too, it was one of my favourite shows...)

Like the Beeb, and many others, your humble French servant would like to express his support to Cerrie Burnell.