I’m watching, (on catch-up!) Michael Portillo on his Channel 5 travel programme in Portugal. (I know, Tory etc but his travel programmes on various channels are really entertaining…).
He just met up with a cataplana making Coppersmith. My immediate thought was “He produced the Jam didn’t he?”
I’m doomed.
I don’t know if you’ve seen Only Connect but I thought your OP was veering towards one of Victoria Coren-Mitchell’s filthy innuendos regarding Portillo. They go something like this:
**
Next on BBC2, Michael Portillo immerses himself into the shady world of backstreet competitive rooster fighting – after having secured ownership of an impressive champion fighter. So join me in enjoying “Michael Portillo gets his massive cock out!”. Goodnight.
**
If VC-H and VC-M hooked up they’d be Vic and Vicky Coren-Coppersmith-Mitchell-Heaven.
Well, there is that. He did just utter “ Backs to the wall…”
But I do think he is a good egg on his various travel programmes and doesn’t take himself seriously.
Anyway …Vic Coppersmith-Heaven…
Closet Portaloo fan here too. I always enjoyed the Continental Railway Journeys more than the various other iterations, and his European travel programmes for Channel 5 have been even better. He’s never quite shaken off the grand manner of an ex-Tory politician but he’s been at his second career almost as long as his first one.
Victoria C-M’s Portillo innuendos are the funniest thing about Only Connect. Enjoy.
He was guest speaker at a couple of conferences I worked on, a few months apart. He had a story about Thatcher being like the dominant female meerkat and was visibly rattled when I asked him if he was doing his meerkat story again. He was quite good though, unlike Ken Clarke, who was pretty dull fare.
One episode of his show covered Aldeburgh to Cambridge and managed to make Brandon – the sort of place where you lock the car doors as you drive through it – look attractive. Quite the achievement.
With apologies to any AWers from Brandon. I’m sure it must have nice bits, but I have yet to find any, apart from the neighbouring Thetford Forest. I’ll be checking as I pass through on my way to the coast on Friday afternoon.
Long walk home?
Up to West Runton to give my stepdad’s memorial bench a coat of teak oil before people start sitting on it.
And to buy some records, I expect – the only time I went to Cromer and didn’t buy any records, was when the shop was shut.
Fish & chips at No1?
Under normal circumstances, yes, but my diseased intestines struggle with the oil. And nobody wants to share a caravan with a man who has severe flatulance, not least Mrs F.
If the sun is out, an ice cream from the place just down the road from No. 1 (a couple of doors down from Breakers cafe), and a stroll on the pier.
Is the lifeboat museum still shut? It was leaking last year.
Twas closed the other Sunday… the day the wind came off the sea straight from Siberia- brrrr!
Channel 5 have actually thrown up some good Documentaries recently on Weather Events (1976 heat wave, 1987 storm) and Social History (3 day week, Winter Of discontent).
They then let themselves down getting Rustie Lee to front a doc on the 1970s Kitchen.
Started watching the World’s Busiest Railways earlier, when Match Of The Day is done, I’ll watch the second half of it
(Saturday Night … Rock and Roll)
They do have some decent programmes but are particularly guilty of spinning 20 minutes of content over an hour once the intro, the ads, the sections telling you what’s coming up and the sections telling you what you’ve just seen are removed.
I didn’t pay attention to him when he was a politician, so have no view about his politics, but as a presenter I think he’s pretty good.
He’s carved a nice niche for himself thanks to what seems like a heartfelt and genuine passion for trains (or at least train journeys), and is able to pass on his knowledge in an interesting way.
Crucially, he seems to understand what a jolly, lucky wheeze it is to be paid to go trundling off to picturesque places and chatting to the locals. I’m sure there are many, many ex-politicians who would do a much worse and more po-faced job if given the chance to make TV shows about their pet subject.
Oh, I don’t know why Victoria has the running gag about him, but some of her lines can be very funny.
I think her portillo gags are based somewhat on Humph’s Samantha lines in ISIHAAC or at least as an homage to them.
We’ll know it is when she refers to him as a treetrunk in trunks.
This is Lionel Blair getting rinsed on ISIHAC which upset him so much he wrote to the BBC asking them to stop.
I saw the BBC 2 episode this week where he travelled from Sarajevo to Mostar.
I absolutely must do that train journey..
Don’t pay any attention to his politics this is very interesting tv.
We think his railway rambles are superbly done – good choice of stops along the way and a charming, self-deprecating manner as he travels.
Having left the UK 20+ years ago I haven’t witnessed his rebirth as a charming TV presenter so for me he’ll always be known for his glorious genre-founding ‘Portillo moment’. Also having lived in Spain for over 20 years I struggle big-time with the idea of someone whose father had to flee Franco’s Spain due to his political beliefs becoming a particularly unpleasant Conservative politician in his adopted country. Maybe he’s grown up a bit since 1997, hope so.
My MIL also escaped Franco (on a fishing boat from Galecia to London). A less empathic person would be hard to find. Were she still alive, she’d probably vote Reform because of the “furriners”. We used to refer to her bizarre thought processes “Spanish Logic”.
My MIL escaped Berlin two weeks before the airlift. She ended up in Scotland but was relieved she had food to eat.
She became a massive fan of the Royal Family and and was happy to wave the Union Jack to the Dambusters march at the night of the Proms.
Whenever she met her two sisters who remained in Berlin she would always speak in English.
She also would have almost likely voted reform. She referred to Portillo as old rubber lips.
I once saw him being filmed at Ipswich station as I arrived to get the train home. There are two entrance/ exit doors right next to each other; he walked in one and straight out the other, at a very brisk pace, and then left. Can’t say I blame him.
I sold him a book once at Waterstone’s on Taunton, not long after he lost his seat in Parliament. He was pleasant enough but his wife was terrifying. Oh, and I quite like Ipswich.
I worked there for about 18 years before retiring four years ago, it was getting pretty rundown then. I had to go the town centre in December for the first time since and had a good walk around. It has got much worse, it was depressing. It’s a shame but there’s not much reason to go there, it’s the county town but it’s been left far behind by Bury plus Norwich and Cambridge are much nicer for a day out, shopping etc. Although Cambridge is ridiculously busy.
I would imagine they were filming his arrival and departure at the same time and the bit in the middle was removed in the cutting room.
I’ve just seen him in a flat in Sarajevo where he meets a family but of course the cameraman was already there when he arrives.
A bit like this, do you mean?
I quite enjoy some of these, but they often tend not to be about railway journeys as such, but stuff he can “have a go at” in some place on the way. I find this rather contrived and tedious.
I went to Ipswich 3 times in my last two years of work which included overnight stays.
I stayed at the Salthouse which is a nice hotel on the quay but the rest of the town is extremely run down and has seen better days.
Funny how you should mention that. Grew up near Ipswich, Cavendish to be exact , but have only rarely been back. Last time, about 16 years ago and we stayed at the Salthouse and concur with what you’ve said.
Anyway, Vic Coppersmith-Heaven..,
My prime prejudice is – never trust a man in red trousers.
Or bright green, or yellow, or orange, or magenta, or…….