The British Seaside, BBC2

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The British Seaside, BBC2

Postby Graeme » 21 Dec 2003, 21:37

I thought some members might be interested in this programme:

Monday 22 December, 11.20pm, BBC2
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that seaside programme?

Postby Gary » 22 Dec 2003, 19:52

I certainly am Graeme....Thanks for pointing it out.

For me, much will depend on who has researched it / who is narrating it.

(Nick, are you listening?) :D

Hopefully it will be positive and document how seasides ARE trying to live up to their heydays and/or how they are reinventing themselves today.

Seaside = being who we really want to be away from our place of work.

:D
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Postby Nick » 22 Dec 2003, 20:44

Thanks for posting that, Graeme. I will definitely be watching (or at least, setting the video!).

By the way, did anybody else see that fantastic documentary on BBC1 a couple of weeks ago about photographer Martin Parr? He has had a long fascination with the seaside; it was a quite fascinating programme. His photographs really capture the essence of the British seaside better than anything I have yet seen.

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Postby Graeme » 23 Dec 2003, 23:36

My verdict? Disappointing, unfortunately. I didn't think the programme captured the true appeal of the seaside. It just didn't strike the right chord with me. I would have preferred a format that followed individuals at various seasides.

Also a shame there wasn't more old footage of amusement parks. I would love to have seen footage of the Steel Stella on Clacton Pier! Still, there was footage of Grand National and Roller Coaster, and was that a glimpse of the Virginia Reel I saw?

Unfortunately, I didn't see the Martin Parr programme. Do you know if his work is on display in a book or on a website?
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Postby Nick » 24 Dec 2003, 11:13

It was a little bit disappointing, but I still enjoyed it. (After my comments a couple of days ago, I noticed that they used Martin Parr for some of the 'talking heads' scenes!)

I had seen a lot of it before in other programmes. But for me, the best bit was that Broadstairs council meeting about the Peter Pan Railway. They thought it was the thin end of the wedge which would eventually expose Broadstairs to the horrors of a funfair and coconut shies!

Priceless!

I also enjoyed the brief footage of the Switchbak Railway (presumably at Blackpool).

There are books showing Martin Parr's photographs:

Martin Parr Postacards (2003)
The Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton (1997) - a genuine seaside classic.

Unfortunately, we don't sell any Martin Parr books on Joyland, although we do sell 'Our True Intent Is All For Your Delight' (a book about Butlins postcards) with a long introduction by Martin Parr.

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Postby Graeme » 24 Dec 2003, 19:42

Thanks, I'll check out those books.

My highlight of the programme was the same as yours, actually! It was also quite interesting to see the computer graphics of the casinos etc.

There was a documentary on quite a few years ago now, which featured a couple who liked to park near the Big One and watch it go down the drop. Now that's what I call capturing the appeal of the seaside. :)
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