Alan Connor's Blog, page 8
August 25, 2016
Nigel Farage Gets His Life Back | BBC2
Kevin Bishop is Nigel Farage, in a programme imagining his life after resigning. Blurb:
“On the 23rd June, Britain voted to leave the European Union,” added the BBC. “Then, on the 4th July, Nigel Farage, the man who had made it all possible, resigned saying he wanted his life back. But what sort of life has he gone back to, and how does a man forever in the spotlight fill his days now he has nothing to do?”
BBC2, 10pm, Sun 30 October
Script: Alan Connor, Shaun Pye
Director: Ben Palmer
Producer: Kate Daughton
Executive producer: Peter Holmes
Commissioned: Shane Allen, Alex Moody
A Zeppotron production
See also: The Rack Pack
I Want My Life Back | BBC2
Kevin Bishop is Nigel Farage, in a programme following his life after resigning:
“On the 23rd June, Britain voted to leave the European Union,” added the BBC. “Then, on the 4th July, Nigel Farage, the man who had made it all possible, resigned saying he wanted his life back. But what sort of life has he gone back to, and how does a man forever in the spotlight fill his days now he has nothing to do?”
BBC2, transmission date TBA
Script: Alan Connor and Shaun Pye
Producer: Kate Daughton
Executive producer: Peter Holmes
Commissioned: Shane Allen and Alex Moody
A Zeppotron production
See also: The Rack Pack
July 11, 2016
Only Connect | BBC2
Series 12 of Only Connect, with me in the question-editor chair, begins tonight on BBC Two at 8.30pm.
“It’s a safe space, where a very specifically talented group of people get to show off in their own understated way for an audience of their peers. And this is what makes it so brilliant.” – Stuart Heritage, Guardian
“…that will surely be the highlight of the week for all lovers of uncompromisingly smart television” – James Walton, Telegraph
“What is the link between these numbers? 285,000, 684,000, 1.1m, 2.9m. The answer is they are soaring viewers figures for Only Connect, the toughest quiz on television, which began as a BBC4 obscurity and has now overtaken BBC1 in the ratings.” – Adam Sherwin, Independent
“Only Connect: the best quiz on TV?” – Radio Times
“Victoria Coren Mitchell on nerd pride and finding Only Connect’s niche”
May 17, 2016
The Joy of Quiz | Penguin
My next book, The Joy of Quiz, is due for release on 3 November 2016. Here’s the blurb:
A jaunty journey into the world of the quiz, from the question editor of BBC2’s Only Connect, sometimes in the form of 300 excellent quiz questions
In 1938 Britain started to quiz. Since then, quizzes have become ubiquitous entertainment from pubs to primetime, suffered major criminal investigations, created unlikely folk heroes and been subjected to the rigours of question checkers.
The Joy of Quiz tells the history of quiz and its makers, wonders how we came to make a game out of remembering scraps of information, looks at the tactics of professional quizzers and reveals the shadowy worlds of setters and checkers.
Along the way, it asks questions such as ‘What is a fact, anyway?’ and ‘Whatever happened to prizes like sandwich toasters?’
You can pre-order from your local bookshop, or from Penguin, Waterstones, Amazon, on Kindle, Google Play etc…
Hardcover, c256 pages
Particular Books, a Penguin imprint
ISBN: 1846148685 and 978-1846148682
March 15, 2016
The One Show | BBC1
I’m on The One Show this evening, discussing spying and crosswords with Gyles Brandreth.
1900, Tue 15 Mar, BBC1
January 10, 2016
The Rack Pack | BBC iPlayer
The “first drama feature film” for iPlayer is out on Sunday [trailer]. It’s about Alex Higgins, Steve Davis and this man:
Just been to the premiere of Rack Pack. It's out on Bbc I player on 17 th January Whatever you do don't miss this it's totally brilliant.
— Barry Hearn (@BarryHearn) December 17, 2015
From the press release:
This rip roaring romp through the snooker scene of Eighties Britain is a celebration of the huge personalities of the time and an affectionate look at a gloriously nostalgic period of this very British sport.
In 1985, the climax of the world snooker final broadcast on the BBC in the early hours of a Monday morning was watched by 18.5 million people in the UK, which remains a record for a post-midnight audience for any channel in the country. This year is the 30th anniversary of that final and The Rack Pack celebrates this by bringing the party to BBC iPlayer.
A film by Brian Welsh
Luke Treadaway, Will Merrick, Kevin Bishop, Nichola Burley, James Bailey
Created and written by Shaun Pye, Mark Chappell, Alan Connor
Producer Barney Reisz
Executive Producer Peter Holmes
Executive Producers Shane Allen, Victoria Jaye, Gregor Sharp
BBC iPlayer, 9pm, 17 January 2015
December 29, 2015
Motörhead’s Ace of Spades | BBC News
Here‘s a quickie Smashed Hits for the BBC News Magazine about Motörhead’s Ace of Spades:
Never mind what Lemmy said – with respect, Ace of Spades can be viewed as a metaphor. You could look at it as the Lemmy philosophy of living just how you want, in the full knowledge of the inevitable consequences.
Quotes from episode three of series five of Classic Albums
Since meeting , I have never heard Ace of Spades without hearing “eight of spades”
Ace of Spades picture hosted at my Flickr account
December 17, 2015
November 14, 2015
On Stage: Live From Television Centre | BBC4
Tomorrow night, Live From Television Centre, a four-play theatrical collaboration with Battersea Arts Centre, is on BBC4.
I am proud to have made a contribution to the last part, Jess Thom‘s Broadcast from Biscuit Land, which also features Jess Mabel Jones and, fleetingly, me.
9pm, Sunday 15 November 2015, BBC Four
Battersea Arts Centre blog post | BBC press release
