Television
Woman-people
Richard Ingrams
When the Gay News trial was re-enacted last month I was not over-impressed by the showing of the defending counsel Johli Mortimer Q.C.,who made rather a waffh final speech about prostitutes dancing in the streets when Oscar Wilde was convicted `We have come a long way since' etc. (The dancing prostitutes were, I think, in 811,Y case an invention of Frank Harris's). Perhaps Old Mortimer did not have his heart in his briefs on this occasion. He IS int much better form however with his fictions' barrister Rum pole of the Old Bailey Wh made his debut on Monday (Thames,)* Rumpole is a wheezy overweight cigar Pt fing boozer, somewhat reminiscent of 11 Spectator's erstwhile Press Columnist, 0" Grundy. Brilliantly played by Leo McKern he quotes Wordsworth and has a Pater nalistic feeling towards the criminal frater' nity, which results in his being looked down1t on by more wordly colleagues at the Bar., is always a pleasure to see a live charade; on the screen for a change and to hear pot' dialogue, after all the plastic imitations. One could therefore forgive Mortimer f°,?, his lack of any real plot — an hour is probahu too long for each episode — and the rather blatant bits of padding which he inserted t° fill the thing out. I was delighted to sec Richard Murdoch playing a bit part as i elderly lawyer and hope he will be give' more to do subsequently. I shall be making a rare television appearance myself next week being inter; viewed on Mavis Nicholson's prograntni,, Afternoon (Thames). This is television ' Woman's Hour, or half-hour to be Oree precise, and it has all the good qualities would expect of women who are left to their own thing rather than compete, Wife the male entrants in the television s 'A,1 race. Mavis herself, a warm hearted 10, from Wales, has the rare capacity in a tneu' person to be amused by what she is r1011185i She gives the impression of regarding 01°05 of her interviews as essentially hun19r°0f exercises and to be always on the porn I laughter. Now launched into a more serious 18!cei; I night slot called Wanting to Know in' people talk about the things that really 11/"-te, ter i.e. sex, euthanasia, the Revolution e Mavis still seems to look on the whole thth: quite rightly, as a bit of a laugh. Mind Y,cled last week's discussion on the emanctO'by woman, was made particularly amusing the presence in the studio of a ninety1,3,4e-year old birth control pioneer Dr oelena Wright. Mavis had to shout a bit to make her hear but otherwise the old lady seemed to be all there. 'No sensible woman trusts a man with a sheath,' she declaimed in arobust tone of voice, of the type one would II(Pect from a headmistress on Speech Day. Was not altogether sure what the disc,ussion which also featured the professional woman-person' Anna Raeburn was supPosed to be about and besides, when people tal.k about sex and marriage I cannot help thinking about their own private lives. The old lady had some crazy scheme about Y°1ing couples going off for six months 'in v!rY bad conditions' before they could be allowed to get married. k There was a good moment on the paper'Jack programme when Ronald Harwood wias interviewing the Poet Laureate about ;Lis book on London Railway Stations.
What is it Sir John' he asked, looking affectedly op into the air 'that attracts you to
:unways? Is it the appeal of an era of great Industrial expansion that has variished?' The old boy peered at him in a rather dazed ‘tY and then said with a little grin 'Its much 'te most comfortable way to travel'.
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