A choice of viewing…

I don’t think I shall ever want to pay money to get satellite television when there is more good stuff on the terrestrial channels than anyone could possibly watch.
One evening last week, for example, there was an exhilarating prom concert on BBC2 with Ashkenazi conducting The European Youth Orchestra in Shostakovitch’s Fourth Symphony, a Mozart Violin Concerto, and something fairly unexhilarating by Alfred Schnittke.
And if that didn’t appeal, over on Channel Four that old rascal Tony Benn, lively and shameless as ever at eighty-one, was interviewing (one at a time) the interviewers Jon Snow, John Humphreys. Nick Robinson and Jeremy Paxman. Actually he wasn’t particularly good at it and his interviewees more than held their own, but it was fascinating to watch five consummate broadcasters doing their thing.
Meanwhile on Five there was four hours of assorted moderately intelligent crime series: NCIS (twice), CSI and Law and Order.
So there was no need whatsoever to watch the programme on BBC1 that evening, where: “Abs grows increasingly jealous of Greg’s relationship with Nina, and is upset when his girlfriend organises a house party without telling him”. You would never guess from the synopsis that this is a soap about a hospital A&E Department, would you?