2986 Brian Sewell is back!

Thank you Francesca.

I didn't know about this programme - I'm sure it will be interesting.. not only because it is about Naples.. but because at long last I may get to see the only parts of Pompeii that I was interested in, but not allowed to see as a child.

I haven't returned to visit Pompeii since then, as it isn't really my thing and the main memory I have is that it was one of the hottest days on record - and I was in yet another strop.

I'm sure my Mum now agrees it wasn't such a good idea to drag a rebellious 11 year old there.. when all she wanted to do was to go to the beach..

Some things never change! :D

:) :)

Hi Aliena,

I try and watch as many programmes as possible about Italy, I don't mind which area ( although I do have a preference to Venice and surrounding area! ). The programmes shown on TV here are so few and far between and also it helps me to focus on the fact that I hope to be there myself one day ( have to keep the dream alive :) )

Ciao
Francesca

I'm a great believer in one good turn deserves another so here you are.. it's Italian Radio and streaming music videos.. not like being there, but at least you can keep up to date with a little part of Italy until you are!

Enjoy!

[url]http://www.allmusic.tv/streaming.asp[/url]

:) :)

Hi Aliena,

thanks for that. What a useful sight. It may also help me to improve my understanding of Italian language, as I am still very much a beginner!

Ciao
Francesca

[QUOTE=Francesca]Hi Aliena,

I try and watch as many programmes as possible about Italy, I don't mind which area ( although I do have a preference to Venice and surrounding area! ). The programmes shown on TV here are so few and far between and also it helps me to focus on the fact that I hope to be there myself one day ( have to keep the dream alive :) )

Ciao
Francesca[/QUOTE]

Fully agree with you, Francesca! As always... :)

I'm the same here, trying to catch as many different progs as possible. Even if it's a food or drink programme and some from the 80s (which I'd never seen before) can be a bit boring... :D

Anything just for a glimpse of Italy...

Thanks for sharing!

I apologise sincerely to those who made the same mistake I did by watching that programme. What a wasted opportunity!

I think Sewell should ride hard on one of the Pompeiian phallic symbols portrayed.. it was the only thing he showed any spark of interest in!

Give Aliena his production budget.. a cameraman.. set me free in Naples and catch me if you can!

Tally Ho!

:) :)

Isn't this George Sewell the man with the gorgeous vowels...........if he has such vowels does he need to ride hard on the.............I don't know if I should repeat this...........phallic symbols of Pompeii??

"Sing me not a sonnet................just Oh just make love" (Kurt Weill)

[quote=Aliena]I apologise sincerely to those who made the same mistake I did by watching that programme. What a wasted opportunity!

I think Sewell should ride hard on one of the Pompeiian phallic symbols portrayed.. it was the only thing he showed any spark of interest in!

Give Aliena his production budget.. a cameraman.. set me free in Naples and catch me if you can!

Tally Ho!

:) :)[/quote]

I don't even know the area like you and could have done a better job! Stopped watching after a while, complete waste of time but did watch BBC1 at 9pm.......;)

No Lax

Brian Sewell.. and he made nothing but a threepenny opera with this programme.

:) :)

Clearly I'm thinking of the wrong Sewell - mine is an art historian who must be at least seventy years old!!

Cheers

[QUOTE=Relaxed]Clearly I'm thinking of the wrong Sewell - mine is an art historian who must be at least seventy years old!!

Cheers[/QUOTE]

Yes, and he's very posh with his brollie in the sunshine ... ;)

I liked the views of the city & the Vesuvius bit... even though he didn't like it! Must admit he was a bit obsessed with the kind of life those young 'tourists' had had in the olden days...

... did they really have to film ladies of dubious pleasures in dodgy areas to get their message across?? The gals wouldn't have stood under concrete flyovers back then so why ... ?

I just enjoyed the views of the city & laughed about his dislike of anything 'dodgy'... ;)

By the way, what would people say if you indeed had one like those Pompeian door knockers??? :D

I wish he had shown more of the ladies in black roasting chestnuts.. who aren't really ladies at all.. at least it would have given more flavour to real Neopolitan life.

Such a waste.. all those bell' uomini Napoletan.. reduced to dating under flyovers.. instead of strolling in Piazza Plebscito!

[CENTER][ATTACH]213[/ATTACH][/CENTER]

I must get to Naples to sort it out as soon as possible! :D

:) :)

watched the first of his earlier shows about piedmont.....and that was
enough for me..... that and driving a 80s merc!

Taped the Brian Sewell show & watched it today. I agree with all those who said it was completely boring. He could have made it so much more interesting but just droned on & on & on. I had really been looking forward to watching but oh what a disappoiontment. Ma non importa.

[QUOTE=Rina]Taped the Brian Sewell show & watched it today ... oh what a disappoiontment. [/QUOTE]

I think I must be the only person who likes this. I saw the first run of the series and, until then, I had never liked Brian Sewell. However, there is such a lot of humour in his delivery that I enjoy it immensely. It's a marvellous look back at the travels of the grand tourists.

Calum

Ciao,

I was out last night and forgot to tape it:rolleyes:

Did they say where Sewell will be on his travels next week? I am determined to stay in and watch it, come what may.

Francesca

Ciao tutti,

just thought that I would pen a few words about this week's programme. Sewell started off in Paestum, where he talked about various wines and said that he thought that Orvieto and Montepulcciano were among the best (I must admit to liking them myself).
He then travelled on to Todi, where there was a Church he called "The Pepperpot Church", which apparently every time he has visited over the last 50 years, has always been closed. To his great delight this time it was open, but alas no cameras were allowed in. I must admit the view on reaching Todi, looked absolutely magnificent. One of many that I would love to visit, perhaps one day!
Eventually, Sewell landed up in Urbino, where we were shown some magnificent Renaissance cupboard doors, which may not sound very interesting, but the 3D effect was amazing.
I must admit there was plenty of scenery to admire while he drove himself from place to place.
I thoroughly enjoyed the programme,as it showed me a little more of Italy that I have never seen. Also was quite educational for me.
Did anyone else see the programme, and if so what did you think of it. I would be intrigued to know. Grazie.

A presto
Francesca

[QUOTE=Francesca]I must admit there was plenty of scenery to admire while he drove himself from place to place.[/QUOTE]

We watched it & had a giggle; he's an old fruit who (when taken with a pinch of salt) is no less irritating that any other presenter!

We chucked when we recounted about having to share a bed with severa lother young men (as "women hadn't been invented then" or something similar!). Forget the plummy voice & dry humour, he's no worse than any other & if nothing more, helps us get a fix of Italia on cold, rainy Tuesdays.

Hello Kim and Dave,

exactly, he can have a very dry sense of humour. I also laughed when he sat down to have his impromptu picnic, and saw a beautiful peacock. He then tried to imitate the noise that peacocks make!! It was worth watching just to see the beautiful plumage of the peacock.

A presto
Francesca

[QUOTE=tuscanhills]We watched it & had a giggle; he's an old fruit who (when taken with a pinch of salt) is no less irritating that any other presenter!

We chucked when we recounted about having to share a bed with severa lother young men (as "women hadn't been invented then" or something similar!). Forget the plummy voice & dry humour, he's no worse than any other & if nothing more, helps us get a fix of Italia on cold, rainy Tuesdays.[/QUOTE]

Woops!! Got my quote in the wrong place. :D

[QUOTE=Francesca]Woops!! Got my quote in the wrong place. :D[/QUOTE]

You're just being experimental, Francesca ... ;)

Sadly missed it this week... if not for his comments, then at least for the scenery!

Well, I must confess it! I love Brian Sewell! I think he is a national treasure. He has the most wonderful vowel sounds. Instead of being full of urgent desire to entertain he takes his time to give us his views, which, while often crotchety, are full of wisdom and are reflected through a well-informed mind.

The last episode had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I loved his account of how James 3 of Scotland found Urbino mind-numbingly boring and how they occupied their time "clacking". I shall not attempt to explain this term! Brian Sewell did so nicely.

Ivan.

Hello Ivan,

yes, I forgot about that part of the show (less said the better!)

Like you, I just love the way Sewell pronounces his vowels, at least you can understand what he is saying.

By the way, I am sending you a PM.

a presto
Francesca

....he's also on a film review programme as a film critic & they always make him watch teen-horror movies.....he never holds back!

[i]"...I just don't see the point of it, it's utter rubbish, I mean who would go down in the cellar in a middle of a thunderstorm & more importantly, who cares?"[/i] ..etc

[QUOTE=tuscanhills]....he's also on a film review programme as a film critic & they always make him watch teen-horror movies.....he never holds back!

[i]"...I just don't see the point of it, it's utter rubbish, I mean who would go down in the cellar in a middle of a thunderstorm & more importantly, who cares?"[/i] ..etc[/QUOTE]

Hello Kim and David,

I can just picture him saying that. The thought alone is making me smile lol:)

Do you know when he does these reviews? Must try and catch one!

A presto
Francesca

..it's UK C5, sometime on a Thursday/Friday (it's called [url=http://movielounge.five.tv]the movie lounge[/url] & has an equally annoying/enjoyable front man)

Hello Kim and David,

thanks for the link. I have found the programme in my TV mag and will look out for it on Wednesday at 7.15p.m.

A presto
Francesca:)

As for the Grand Tour... it continued with a trip from Rimini to Mantua... where his dinner there was not to his liking ... "rather boring" is, I think, what he had to whisper about the Osso Bucco... ;)

Lovely views again of cities and places... oh, and he knows alot about old cars too... he seemed like a 5 year old when watching the 1000 Miglia cars go past him.

Still in two minds about him ...but as I like watching anything on Italy, the programme suits me just fine... :)

Hi Iona,

yes, this week seemed to be more about his likes and dislikes of food and that he found it boring.
When in Mantua, he mentioned that 50 years ago, he had eaten for breakfast frogs, newts and fish!! ( Fish I can deal with, but I do not know about frogs and newts ) Has anyone tried them? :eek:

I also agree that he certainly enjoyed the vintage car race and I think he said and I quote:- "Gosh it's time I grew up".

At least Sewell is refreshingly honest in his programmes, which certainly stops him from being boring and he makes me chuckle, which can't be bad.:)

A presto
Francesca

....he gave some amusing lines about sex, Italian's views on sex & the general proclivities of the ruling classes.

He still makes every form of sex sound sordid!

[QUOTE=Francesca]Ciao,

I was out last night and forgot to tape it:rolleyes:

Did they say where Sewell will be on his travels next week? I am determined to stay in and watch it, come what may.

Francesca[/QUOTE]

I noticed at the end of this week's it was mentioned that the entire series is on a double DVD now. I'll definitely be buying it.

The listings for next week's show says:
"Art critic and historian Brian Sewell traces the young 18th century gentleman's grand tour of Italy. He pauses in Vicenza - Palladio's home town - to feast on some of the architect Andreas Palladio's finest work. Further north in Padua he ponders the ravages of VD on the Grand Tourist as he visits one of the very first anatomical theatres in the world. A leisurely cruise down the Brenta Canal prepares him for the very last leg of his journey."

regards,
Calum

I was watching this week's series & started to get a but uncomfortable.

I felt that BS (hmmmm, maybe that's an appropriate name for him!?!?) has derived an impression of Italy that was based upon how Italy was presented to a Brit; if the Grand Toursit felt it was a bit of an odd place (you know, if it was just a bit [b][i]too[/b][/i] foreign!) then the town/region was written off & not explored further.

In 18C, were 'we' not just an series of early English louts (sorry, British louts!) who today we'd sniff at? Are we judging Italy as 'foreign' as it's not like Britain, rather than discovering, empathising etc....

I know I'm making the point in a slightly clumsy manner, but if Sewell were to go to Italy today & complain that the locals ate the wrong thing or did things in an unfamiliar manner, would we watch?

What does everyone else think; is he presenting bigotry in a more digestible manner or is he re-enforcing bigotry?

Hi there,

did anyone watch last night's episode of Brian Sewell's Grand Tour?
Unfortunately I was late getting home from work and missed it yet again!
If anyone did manage to catch it, could you please let me know what happened?
Thanking you in advance

Francesca:)

Hi there,
just to let anyone interested out there know that tonight is the last episode of Brian Sewell's Grand Tour. Tonight he finishes up in Venice.

Ciao
Francesca

[QUOTE=Francesca]Hi there,
just to let anyone interested out there know that tonight is the last episode of Brian Sewell's Grand Tour. Tonight he finishes up in Venice.

Ciao
Francesca[/QUOTE]

Thank you, Francesca!! I missed last week's too so I'm glad that you reminded me of tonight's episode! One can never see enough of Venice, can one?? ;)

Enjoy - even if it's for the city's treasures only!

Stephanie

[QUOTE=Francesca]Hi there,
just to let anyone interested out there know that tonight is the last episode of Brian Sewell's Grand Tour. Tonight he finishes up in Venice.

Ciao
Francesca[/QUOTE]

Here's what the Daily Telegraph has to say by way of preview:
"As nigh-perfect a blend of art and architecture, history and whoring, reminiscence and mockery, as you could wish for. Sewell's pungent odyssey finally reaches journey's end. He's in Venice: Canaletto, Titian, the laws and ordure of the 18th century republic, a Proustian moment with a cup of hot chocolate and much more. And in amongst the intriguing reflections on city and self, there's Sewell at his most scornful, confronting the >hideous nonsense< that is Venice's contemporary version of its infamous carnival. >It's a freak show.<

I shall certainly be watching tho' I know a man who won't!!

Ivan.

LOL Ivan - you were spot on with your quote!! :D

I just melted away watching Venice. Must return one day...

Well, at least now we know why he's obsessed with sex - yes, the same topic appeared again, when he talked about how those Tourists must have enjoyed the carneval parties. To explain in his own words - once a Catholic, always a Catholic! (No offence intended, I'm one too...hmmm ... I'm not obsessed, though!!) ;);)

BS put his foot in when chatting to an Austrian lady about a horribly boring ball he attended the night before, assuming it was at her house - and to discover that it hadn't been her ball at all...

He got very sentimental towards the end of the programme when asked if he thought he'd be back - and he didn't think so due to his age! Quite moving.

Whether you like his snootyness or not... the programme has shown me some sights I hadn't seen before and made me even more curious about places I haven't been to... yet ... and 'homesick' for the places I've seen and want to visit again!! :)

I have to admit that this was Sewell at his best (or maybe most arrogant/ opinionated/ ars*y!) & had a real chortle when he slagged off the masked ball! The image of him sitting at the back, bottom lip pushed out like a petulant 6 year old trying not to enjoy it.

It also made me chuckle when he was providing an overview of the Titan.... the ruffled lion cloth etc..... with the gushing tones he was using, I thought he'd (ahem!) explode.

[QUOTE=Iona]I
He got very sentimental towards the end of the programme when asked if he thought he'd be back - and he didn't think so due to his age! Quite moving.

Whether you like his snootyness or not... the programme has shown me some sights I hadn't seen before and made me even more curious about places I haven't been to... yet ... and 'homesick' for the places I've seen and want to visit again!! :)[/QUOTE]

I thought I detected a tear in the Sewell eye as he drank his final cup of chocolate and mused about his body falling to bits at the age of 72 and being very unlikely ever to return to Venice. I was moved!!

In the course of the episode he waxed eloquent about the lack of sanitation in 18th century Venice and the primitive methods for the disposal of sewage and the diseases rife because of the polluted canals. Do we have any list members living in Venice today? How clean are the canals now? Unfortunately, I suppose you have to be pretty rich to buy property there. What about the outlying islands?

Ivan.

[QUOTE=Ivan]......Unfortunately, I suppose you have to be pretty rich to buy property there. What about the outlying islands?

Ivan.[/QUOTE]

I suspect you have to be [i]even richer[/i] for those (or dead as the cemetary is a haunting sight!)

Well, I think everybody has said it all about the last episode. At the end, Sewell even seemed to shed a tear, realising that he may never go back to Venice again and who can blame him.
On a cheery note, he made me chuckle when he flounced out of the ball and slammed the door behind him, like a petulant child!
I will have to keep a lookout for when the DVD will be released of the series, as I know that more than one viewing is required of the various programmes.

Oh well, so now what do I watch on a Tuesday evening at 7.15??:(
I shall be needing another Italian fix!:p

Francesca