Last night's second of episode of Jimmy McGovern's Accused was compelling. But I didn't realise quite how good it was until I turned on the radio this morning to hear General Sir Richard Dannatt arguing that it bore no resemblance to reality and should never have been broadcast whilst 'our boys' were fighting out there.
The bully Corporal Buckley was played superbly by Mackenzie Crook. In fact, he was so good he reminded me (in gesture, attitude, body language and actions) of a prefect at my boarding school who made my life a misery when I was 12 or 13 and he (the prefect) was 17 or 18.
He too had institutional backing for his viciousness. Other prefects, the housemaster and headmaster were in awe of him: he was, after all, captain of the XV. Those of us who were a few years younger were scared shitless merely at the sound of his voice. He had total control over our lives and our happiness, and he knew it, and abused it. To this day, I loathe him.
I've just googled the name. I expected him to be in the army, a Brigadier perhaps by now; or a senior civil servant; or running his own business.
It turns out he's a solicitor in a small practice in a provincial town. He specialises in wills. Seems like it's all been downhill since 1962. Good.
Today's listening: Grateful Dead, 1981-05-22, with John Kahn. A great acoustic set with a kick-ass Friend of the Devil and a cool Cassidy.
The bully Corporal Buckley was played superbly by Mackenzie Crook. In fact, he was so good he reminded me (in gesture, attitude, body language and actions) of a prefect at my boarding school who made my life a misery when I was 12 or 13 and he (the prefect) was 17 or 18.
He too had institutional backing for his viciousness. Other prefects, the housemaster and headmaster were in awe of him: he was, after all, captain of the XV. Those of us who were a few years younger were scared shitless merely at the sound of his voice. He had total control over our lives and our happiness, and he knew it, and abused it. To this day, I loathe him.
I've just googled the name. I expected him to be in the army, a Brigadier perhaps by now; or a senior civil servant; or running his own business.
It turns out he's a solicitor in a small practice in a provincial town. He specialises in wills. Seems like it's all been downhill since 1962. Good.
Today's listening: Grateful Dead, 1981-05-22, with John Kahn. A great acoustic set with a kick-ass Friend of the Devil and a cool Cassidy.
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