Tag Archives: BBC

But it’s news… Some questions about Woolwich coverage

Posted on May 23, 2013 by samiraahmed

 I’ll be discussing questions about BBC TV’s news coverage of the horrific Woolwich street murder of a young soldier on Newswatch with the head of the BBC Newsroom, Mary Hockaday on Friday May 24th. This blog post lays out some … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, journalism, Media, TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 36 Comments

Only connect: Charles Correa and the power of the empty centre

Posted on May 15, 2013 by samiraahmed

I interviewed Charles Correa, India’s Greatest living architect  at RIBA yesterday, which is holding a retrospective of his remarkable career till September 4th. He’s just given them his archive of papers which you can explore online below. His story is … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Design, Radio, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

From avenger to screamer: How Dr Who assistants remain trapped in time

Posted on April 9, 2013 by samiraahmed

The Reunion programme for Radio 4, produced by Peter Curran, recently brought together some of the original cast and crew of the first episode of Doctor Who. The first Dr Who team was notable for its diversity — Waris Hussein … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Culture, Science Fiction/Fantasy, TV, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A child-sized gap in the TV schedules?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by samiraahmed

Children’s TV is on my mind this week as I’m chairing an event at the BFI Southbank on Saturday Feb 2nd with the original creator of Playschool,Jackanory and producer of Catweazle Joy Whitby. They’re screening several of her programmes and … Continue reading →

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That Was Then, This Is Now – Satire from JFK to Savile

Posted on November 28, 2012 by samiraahmed

Last night I went to the British Film Institute’s celebration of 50 years of the breakthrough TV satire programme, That Was The Week That Was. (TW3). It featured many of the original cast, writers and modern satirists, and clips including … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy, Media, Politics, TV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Politics of Spin: Beware the bland bomb

Posted on September 23, 2012 by samiraahmed

Image copyright & courtesy of www.barrydbulsara.com “I’m not sure it says government is crap,” said Armando Iannucci recently, of his political satire The Thick of It. “I think it says the people in government are crap.” Nowadays politicians and their … Continue reading →

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BBC Bush: The House at the Centre of the Globe

Posted on July 12, 2012 by samiraahmed

To mark the closing of BBC’s Bush House, which sends out its final broadcast today, this is an updated memoir of growing up there in the 70s. Bush House, Aldwych: The centre of the universe My mother, Lalita Ahmed, used to freelance … Continue reading →

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My secret playground in the Bush House Hindi section

Posted on February 2, 2011 by samiraahmed

News that the BBC is closing the shortwave service of the Hindi section to India has a special relevance for me. This is not a post about the decision.  The service will continue to be available on FM and via … Continue reading →

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