The silly season's started then. The BBC news had a feature about Dover Castle being tarted up to look like it did in Henry II's day, complete with a slightly startled looking actor dressed up to look like our Henry (picture reference presumably from a coin, which would explain why the actor looked startled - now that's true method, give this man a film career). Our Dustin Hoffmanesque medieval monarch was shown running round welcoming everyone to his castle, where roast swan and potted lampreys (or whatever) were on the menu and someone from some heritage organisation told us how great it was to be able to show the castle just as it was in Henry's day.
Now I love a day out to a medieval castle as much as the next serf, but was it really News? (Don't worry about that; it's August; of course it's news. Only technically August, of course; have you looked out of the window?) Anyway, cut away to the newsreader saying how colourful, rich and sumptuous everything was in Henry's day - 'as long as you weren't poor', he added patronisingly. Yes, we know, BBC, you can't run an article about a king or a baron or an MP without pointing out that 'other types of class are also available'.
Meanwhile, one of the headlines on Wales Today (cue the urgent bassline, staccato Someone-internationally-famous-has-just-died boom boom cha cha boom) was that some embroidered quilts were going on display. Bloody hell, none of my 76 RSS feeds alerted me to that one, nor, inexplicably, is anyone making a fuss about it on Twitter either.
The more cynical amongst us might even observe that it was extremely sporting - as you would expect - of Sir Bobby Robson to die on a day that was otherwise so spectacularly, chasm-yawningly devoid of anything that might even loosely be termed News (albeit still well within the parameters adopted by Five). As a result, Sir Bobby had the respectful coverage he deserved. Imagine if he had died in the hours after Michael Jackson left us. He'd have been relegated to an 'and finally'.
Has Jacko's brain turned up yet? If anyone sees it, please ring the BBC urgently. Otherwise tonight's news will be more exclusives about the man in Doncaster whose wing mirror fell off this morning. With all the latest pictures, it's back to you, Hugh.
Now I love a day out to a medieval castle as much as the next serf, but was it really News? (Don't worry about that; it's August; of course it's news. Only technically August, of course; have you looked out of the window?) Anyway, cut away to the newsreader saying how colourful, rich and sumptuous everything was in Henry's day - 'as long as you weren't poor', he added patronisingly. Yes, we know, BBC, you can't run an article about a king or a baron or an MP without pointing out that 'other types of class are also available'.
Meanwhile, one of the headlines on Wales Today (cue the urgent bassline, staccato Someone-internationally-famous-has-just-died boom boom cha cha boom) was that some embroidered quilts were going on display. Bloody hell, none of my 76 RSS feeds alerted me to that one, nor, inexplicably, is anyone making a fuss about it on Twitter either.
The more cynical amongst us might even observe that it was extremely sporting - as you would expect - of Sir Bobby Robson to die on a day that was otherwise so spectacularly, chasm-yawningly devoid of anything that might even loosely be termed News (albeit still well within the parameters adopted by Five). As a result, Sir Bobby had the respectful coverage he deserved. Imagine if he had died in the hours after Michael Jackson left us. He'd have been relegated to an 'and finally'.
Has Jacko's brain turned up yet? If anyone sees it, please ring the BBC urgently. Otherwise tonight's news will be more exclusives about the man in Doncaster whose wing mirror fell off this morning. With all the latest pictures, it's back to you, Hugh.