Betjeman's
West Country
BETJEMAN'S WEST COUNTRY - ITV1
Sunday 20th August (6pm) UK -
Crusader
John Nettles presents a journey
through the life and times of John Betjeman, to mark the centenary of his
birth. This week Nettles looks at how the poet rallied against the way
automobiles and modern developments were marring the British landscape, and
then cast his sarcastic tongue over the avarice and egotism that was becoming
commonplace in society.
Sunday 06th August (6pm) UK -
Breaking Free
John Nettles presents a journey through the
life and times of John Betjeman, to mark the centenary of his birth.
Betjeman's alienation from his father was to haunt him throughout his life. It
drove him as a young man out into the Cornish lanes on his bike, where he was
to discover the beauty of Blisland, which became one of his favourite haunts.
The programme also looks at a charming film the poet made in Malmesbury and
revisits his footsteps on a visit to Devizes in Wiltshire.
Sunday 30th July (6pm) UK -
Seaside Dreams
John Nettles presents a journey through the
life and times of John Betjeman, to mark the centenary of his birth. In 1964,
Betjeman visited Weston Super-Mare to take a look at the English working
classes on holiday. Today, John Nettles returns to the same resort to see if
things have changed much over the last forty years. And in Cornwall, he takes
tea with a circle of friends who all have childhood memories of the great poet
and explores the origins of Betjeman's love of churches.
Sunday 23rd July (6pm) UK - The Journey
Begins
John Nettles presents a journey through the
life and times of John Betjeman, the much loved Peoples' Poet, to mark the
centenary of his birth. Starting out from Waterloo, this first episode
clatters through the West Country to Cornwall, to Trebetherick and the
sounding sea' which was to become so important to Betjeman throughout his
life. The poet's own films of Swindon, Northlew and Marlborough contribute to
a glimpse of this eccentric Englishman.
Filming of 'Betjeman's West
Country' started in April 2006:
John braved the crowds at
Devizes market last week to film a sequence for a television series about one
of his idols, former Poet Laureate John Betjeman, recording a sequence for the
seven-part series marking the centenary of Sir John's birth.
Director John Lovelace, who
previously worked with John on the TV programme Animal Passions, said the
series would follow in the footsteps of the TV films that Sir John made about
West Country towns in the 1960s, including Devizes.
John has been a Betjeman
enthusiast ever since being asked to read one of his poems by Sir Harry
Secombe on the religious programme Highway many years ago.
He said: "I can't
remember the name of the poem, but it's about Christmas and it contains the
lines, "and is it true? And is it true?" It is simple, direct and
moving and I fell in love with Sir John's poetry after that."
Although a West Countryman
by birth, it was John's first visit to Devizes.
He said: "It's a
lovely town. I especially love the market square but it is almost impossible
to find a parking space!"
He was filmed in St James'
Church and around the Shambles market hall, which is always crowded on market
day.
Local artist David Inshaw
has also been interviewed. The series is due to be broadcast on ITV1 in July.
John Nettles
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