Wifi Waspe
There is balance and balance, as the admirable Allan Hargreaves — of the London commercial station, Capital Radio — has been demonstrating to the IBA. Learning that he was to do a series of broadcasts with politicians on the subject of the Common Market, the Independent Broadcasting Authority, always touchy, told him that the series must be strictly balanced — that is, he must take a Marketeer one week, an anti-Marketeer the next, and so on. Hargreaves pondered and produced for approval a list of a dozen London MPs, balanced exactly as the IBA required. Only one snag — the list cannot tactfully accord with another of the IBA's desirable balances, that between the Government and the Opposition. For it happens that there are no anti-Marketeers among London's Tory MPs, and all the 'antis' are therefore from the Labour Party. The Government is said to be not amused, and the IBA is believed to be wishing it had kept its big mouth shut.
Try on
In the precarious, uncertain world, actors used once to regard the straight dealing and no unseemingly haggling of the BBC as a shining constant. But this, it seems, now that there are economy measures from the top brass of the Corporation, is no longer the case. One small-part actor I know was surprised to be offered a television appearance fee at least £20 below the figure that had been long established "Special Low Fee," the BBC Bookings Department called it, vouchsafing no explanation of either the 'special' or the 'low.' The actor, pitifully willing to be taken advantage of in his eagerness to work, might have accepted, but his agent feared that a nasty precedent might thereby be set and turned it down. Whereupon he was promptly offered the proper fee: "We always have to try it on," confided a cheerfully loose-tongued character in 'Bookings.'
Snag
It is not money trouble, I hear, that is holding up the start of the multi-million-pound television serial of The Life of Christ, which Sir Lew Grade of ATV is doing in collaboration with the American company, NBC. Most of the cast are contracted and already standing by for shooting to commence — but there is a fierce disagreement over whether Tom Courtenay is the right actor to play Jesus. I suspect the objections to Courtenay will be overcome in the end, even though the actor is said to be holding out against shaving his armpits.
Star turn
Speaking of the ebullient Sir Lew, I'm told that ATV has signed up the British television rights to coverage of the 'Emmy' awards dinner in New York. It may be that ATV expect to collect one or two `Emmys' (television's `Oscars'), or it may be just that Sir Lew is to be the guest of honour of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that hands them out.
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