I watched The Culture Show on BBC 2 a couple of weeks ago and was displeased to see that the Kate Williams school of presenting (http://capeldunn.blogspot.com/2008/10/kate-williams-historian.html) has now spread and is currently polluting The Culture Show. Almost all the presenters felt obliged to walk purposefully and, I have to say, menacingly about at all times, thus making life exceedingly trying for the viewer, not to mention the poor cameraman. Andrew Graham-Dixon, last seen (by me) striding meaningfully around the Middle East and displaying an exciting selection of clothes (http://capeldunn.blogspot.com/2008/04/back-in-real-world.html), this time expanded his repertoire to include some careful lounging against pillars and such.
As to the actual content of the programme, there was an interesting account of Horace Walpole's pad at Strawberry Hill. Towards the end of his visit, the presenter said: It is hard to underestimate the influence of Strawberry Hill on 18th century architecture". I can't believe that is what he meant...
One of the most interesting items, linked to The Language Show 2010, showed how the English language has become less declamatory with the decline of "received pronunciation". I think this is true. RP, after all, was the accent of the establishment and thus of unbounded self-confidence. Nowadays it is more difficult to assert authority or superiority simply by virtue of one's accent.
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