Let's talk about Control, George...

[blue_condition]

Buried in the announcement that ISIHAC will return (something I'm ambivalent about - how do you replace Humph? - the only person who could do that mix of charm and bewilderment is Bill Bailey) the BBC also announced that that there'll be a new radio adaptation of all of John le Carré's George Smiley novels, 20 hours long

Comments

[steer]

For ISIHAC it depends whether you wanted someone as close as possible or a complete change. The whole thing is so shambolic that it helped to have someone sarcastic and grounded in between rounds which would really make Bill Bailey not quite right if you wanted to get a similar feel.

Humph's position in a presenter was that he at least pretended he was the straight man (even though he usually had the best lines).

[blue_condition]

A lot of people are saying Stephen Fry should do ISIHAC, but I think he's too cogent. As you say it needs to be someone who seems to be going along with the chaos but occasionally snaps back to sanity.

Actually, Eddie Izzard might be the right man for it - although he couldn't show off his outfits ;)

[ms_siobhan]

What about Mark Watson?

[steer]

It's funny how two people can listen to the same show intently and draw different conclusions

For me the thing is that Humph never did seem to be actually "going along with" the chaos. He was there unmoved going "get on with it and then we can go home". Even when he had hilarious lines he delivered them in a way that pretended they were quite straight and ordinary. Except in the Christmas special stuff he was never part of the surreal humour.

As a chairman he was aloof and contemptuous without participating while the panel were doing flights of fancy or simply being very strange. So to me I think Stephen Fry would be quite close in approach (especially if he were being curmudgeonly). Fry though is a more sympathetic character. I wonder how David Mitchell would work out? He can be incredibly surly and ranty (in a funny way).

[smtfhw]

Buried in the announcement that ISIHAC will return (something I'm ambivalent about - how do you replace Humph? - the only person who could do that mix of charm and bewilderment is Bill Bailey) the BBC also announced that that there'll be a new radio adaptation of all of John le Carré's George Smiley novels, 20 hours long.

Cor! That's possibly very good news and certainly gives me the excuse to re-read all of them yet again.

[blue_condition]

great reading on flights to the Far East, I got through the Karla Trilogy on the way to Japan once -- possibly something to do on the Macau trip ;)

(I'm jealous. REALLY jealous. Macau's been on my 'hit list' of places to watch racing ever since I was aware of it!r

(Do you have Philip Newsome's brilliant book about the Macau GP - Colour and Noise - covers it from when it was a sports car race for locals in the 50s up to the early 90s... some smashing pics in it. Well worth getting hold of.)

Rentaghost

[loveandgarbage]

Bring back the Myrka.

Re: Rentaghost

[mrsoverall]

Only if we can bring back Ingrid Pitt to karate-kick it too.

Re: Rentaghost

[loveandgarbage]

Well, as long as they don't use the Thunderbird puppet that played the base commander I think that should be okay.

And finally le Carre

[loveandgarbage]

I'm really looking forward to The Looking Glass War (which is an underrated entry in the le Carre works i think), and will be interested to see how they adapt the two that Hepton starred in before. The last radio adaptation of Smiley's People uses Mendel as a vehicle to have someone chuntering away to someone to explain what he's doing early on - but it is a bit of a cheat. Also the previous adaptation of The Spy who came in from the cold on Radio 4 was bloody good.

Casting will be fascinating. Jacobi is a good call. Or how about Hugh Bonneville? and will we get Marc Warren as Ricky?

Re: And finally le Carre

[blue_condition]

Yes, The Looking-Glass War is possibly the bleakest thing JleC's ever written. It'll make an interesting serial.

Hugh Bonneville is too young for Smiley, but he'd make a splendid Guillam. Marc Warren is just right for Ricki Tarr.

Stephen Fry would make an interesting Bill Haydon, and Michael Jayston's old enough to graduate from Guillam to Control ;)

And, reusing actors who've played in JleC adaptations, perhaps Bill Paterson could move up from Lauder Strickland to Percy Alleline...

Re: And finally le Carre

[blue_condition]

...but who could remove the memory of Barry Foster's.... eccentric portrayal of Enderby on the telly Smiley's People? ;)

Re: And finally le Carre

[loveandgarbage]

John Hurt?