I
In today's Daily Telegraph journalist Michael Henderson launches a tirade of negative comments about the author and playwright, Alan Bennett, who has produced works of sheer genius such as The madness of King George lll, The History Boys and Talking Heads.
In what I consider to be an appalling piece of journalism, his article is peppered with comments such as'He used to be the wittiest of chaps, Alan Bennett. Beyond The Fringe, the alternative variety show that propelled the diffident Oxford historian into showbiz in 1960, may now belong to a different world, and was probably not quite so funny as people would have us believe...'
and
'The Government that has legalised homosexual marriage is dismissed by this grumpy homosexual as “this contemptible administration”. Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Clarkson are rounded up as “seemingly jokey demagogues” who are granted an excursion on Have I Got News For You to prove that “their opinions are not really as pernicious as their opponents pretend”. This is the stuff of fantasy. It’s light entertainment, Mr B, not high table at All Souls'
and
'The truth is that Alan Bennett, superb playwright, outstanding essayist, first-rate wit, famous homosexual, has become a bore.'
No, the truth is Mr Henderson, that your article indicates you were short of material for your column and the result was imbalanced, and at times confused, rhetoric.
Alan Bennett's works still entertain and amuse us, and will do so long after Mr Henderson comes to the end of his term as a Daily Telegraph columnist.
No comments:
Post a Comment