Has anyone grown tired of the Apprentice, the BBC reality television series? I know I have. I used to enjoy it and viewed the first and second series, when it began on BBC Two.
The Lord Sugar, as he now calls himself, irritates me every time I see him; especially the pomposity and arrogance when he climbs out of that monstrous black Rolls-Royce.
Of course one must admire the man for his commercial prowess and acumen.
I also miss the excellent Margaret Mountford, originally from Northern Ireland.
Top fishing schools
2 hours ago
12 comments :
Yes, bring back Margaret Mountford. I particlularly enjoyed her 'Edinburgh isn't what it used to be...' comment. VC
I wonder if you could help me with some of my family history. My Mother,Amy Blakemore nee Anderson who died earlier this month used to teach at Rockport School, and certainly mentioned that Lady Caroline was there. Did Perditta also attend Rockport? She also talked of a boy being taken by pony and trap from way down the Ards Peninsula to Rockport every morning, and collected by the same method every evening!! My Mother was a governess before Rockport to a Colonel's daughter, Anne Brownlow, but I think she may have been a governess to others too. The Marquis of D and Ava used to be mentioned as well as the Blackwoods. Any help you can give me would be wonderful. I am doing a 2nd Eulogy at her Thanksgiving Service at Ballygilbert next week (the 1st was at her funeral last Monday). You may have also come on my brother at Campbell - Neil Blakemore. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes, Helen Cousins
Hi Tim,
I don't watch anything on TV any more - just Seinfeld DVDs and movies - can't bear to see ordinary people jumping through hoops to be famous - it's humiliating for them.
I can't seem to leave comments on my own blog, by the way.
Sharon.
Hello Helen,
The UAHS Clandeboye booklet is excellent. I seem to recall that the three Dufferin children were sent there (the period must have been close to WW2: Sheridan (5th & last Marquess); Lady Perdita and Lady What's-her-name!).
If you enter "Blackwood" in the white box at the top of my blog, all the Blackwood entries should pop up.
Now there's a tip! ;-) Best of luck next week.
Tim
The whole show has turned from being broadly business based to pure entertainment, a bit of a tend at the BBC.
It is arguable, however, that it now borders on the distasteful Victorian practice of viewing the lunatics at the asylum.
Tim,
Thankyou very much for that. The Clandeboye booklet you mentioned is out of print, but I have fired off an email in the hope of being able to get a photocopy. Was Sheridan a 'sickly' child? And where was the family home at this time? I just wish I had been able to retain all the stories that my Mother told me on our many drives out down the Ards Peninsula.
Many thanks,
Helen
As far as I can recall, they lived at Clandeboye. Sheridan, 5th Marquess: his father, the 4th Marquess, died during the war, I think. Tragic.
I don't recall Sheridan being particularly sickly, though he had many horrid experiences with a stream of cruel nannies.
Lady Dufferin - Lindy Guinness - would know lots and lots, though sadly I haven't her email.
Tim
Tim,
I have tracked down a copy of the book and am having it sent to my Mother's address. It should get there before me! I will now have a try at contacting Lady Dufferin. Does Perdita still live at Clandeboye?
helen
I presume you know how Sheridan died, Tim?
W.
Lady Perdita lives at, I think, Cavello Farm, near Clandeboye.
W, indeed I do know how he died. Most regrettable; and no heirs.
I agree with Sandy's comment in one respect - that The Apprentice is very much an entertainment show - but I think this has always been the case. Sugar makes out that he does it because it raises the profile of business and entrepreneurship, but I don't really think it does. A bunch of twentysomething preening blowhards achieving a degree of competence some level below Laurel and Hardy is hardly an advertisement for business skills.
I must admit that Mrs S and I continue to enjoy it very much, though it is quite predictable these days. One unalloyed good continues to come from it (other than the splendidly splenetic rejoinders of Nick Hewer), which is that Sugar donates his fee for the programme to Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, so much good must have been done with that money over the last half dozen years.
Very good point. I didn't realize he donated his fee to Gt Ormond St. Indeed that's commendable.
He deserves credit for that.
Post a Comment