mostly david ephgrave

There was a woman on yesterday’s Pointless who said she wasn't sure who the Rolling Stones were; I'd argue that if you don’t know that, you shouldn’t go on a game show. I mean we’re not exactly talking niche information here; we're talking about The Rolling Stones: one of the most successful bands of all time, who’ve been together since rock's year dot , and whose front man Mick Jagger (no-one needs that reminder) is regularly in the news for dating someone who usually hasn’t been born yet. It’s not as if he’s got a face it’s hard to call to mind, particularly when his massive pout-mouth is the band’s logo. I wouldn’t be shocked if this contestant - who was in her twenties at most - owned an item of clothing with this iconic image emblazoned on it (such is its prevalence) without knowing what it represents. As far as I’m concerned, the Stones are filed under the most general of General Knowledge, regarding popular music at least. I ...

Over the last few days I’ve been rediscovering Phil Cornwell and John Sessions’ low-fi filmed-on-a-camcorder BBC2 comedy series Stella Street. I came across the programme when it first aired, thanks to the recommendation of the lead guitarist of my then band. We become friends through a mutual love of Police Squad, which we’d discuss a lot at school, so when he pointed me toward Stella Street, I was likely to enjoy it. The basic premise, if you haven’t seen it, is that a handful of celebrities have moved into a street in Surbiton, and are adapting to a more sedate pedestrian life. Most of the humour comes from seeing these people - who are mostly Hollywood A-listers - in incongruous mundane situations. The famous people are brought to life by just Cornwell and Sessions, who play most of the incidental characters as well. It’s a brave choice which pays off, though filming the series must have been a time-consuming affair, when you consider how many ...