What a fantastic programme. Why wasn't this amazing collection made public sooner? If only Albert Kahn's wish for greater understanding of other countries leading to a 'safer world' could have been realised. Bafta material.
Sandra Smith, Norwich

I found these programmes absolutely riveting. Any chance of a really high-quality book, or at least a DVD? The images of an astonishing, now-vanished world should be made available to the world of today. Every single one of the photographs seems like work of art - amazing!
Amethyst, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

I saw your documentary on Albert Kahn and developed a thirst for more! As I was going to Nogent-sur-Marne for a wedding, I made the one-hour trip to the Paris suburb of Bolougne to visit the Albert Kahn Museum and gardens. The latter are wonderful and the museum, while not displaying enough photography and almost no cinema, is still worth a trip. Its interactive exhibition is wonderful, but not available online - why doesn't the BBC partner the museum and put the interactive aspect of the Albert Kahn Museum's exhibition online?
Dr John S Partington, Reading

Beautiful, beautiful programme and absolutely fascinating. So good to see a history/art programme that isn't all about wars, battle tactics, kings and dictators. Even the programme on World War I was mostly about the effects on those not involved in the fighting. This was a celebration of life and cultures - an extremely original and well-balanced documentary. More please.
Simon W, King's Lynn, Norfolk

I have enjoyed the series terrifically. Albert Kahn's photos capturing the lives of ordinary people all over the world is fascinating. I hope the series will be repeated on BBC One or BBC Two as many friends here without satellite have been unable to view the programmes. The Freeview channels are still not available in our area even with a digibox.
Doreen Ashton, Perth, Scotland

I have enjoyed enormously the programmes on the Kahn collection, but the music is dreadful, terribly intrusive and quite unnecessary, especially in the programme about the French soldiers.
Mrs E Dobie, York

This time we're told, 'from a relatively modest background', other times it's 'it's a modest background'. For gawd's sake, how about clearly stating 'middle class' and 'wealthy middle class'? This kind of journalistic weaselling is disingenuous, contemptuous and patronising of normal working people, who presumably by the same tokens must all come from an 'immodest' background.
John Jardine, Yorkshire

I have just watched part two of the series on Albert Kahn and his Archive of the Planet. What a breathtaking collection of photographs and footage, at a time when the world was still deeply embedded in its tribal past, but on the cusp of breaking into the modern 20th century. How can such an amazing opus have remained hidden from the public for so long? I am relishing the next episodes and cannot wait to visit Kahn's museum in Paris.
Linda Kavanagh, London

What an inspiration it was to watch something that captured cultures on film before the world began to melt into one. Your programme has made me a fan of Albert Khan: his film and photos of travels to the Far East in the early part of the 20th century were extremely impressive. He was the first traveller of his day to record his adventures and encapsulate it on film. What joy!
Joe Mendonca, London

The Edwardians in Colour - what amazing images! Please, if it is at all possible, can you publish a book to accompany this wonderful programme? The photographs took my breath away.
Gill Self, London

Absolutely stunning - I watched the first instalment three times in two days - more please.
Maggie, Wolverhampton

Astonishing man, astonishing programme. I could watch this series forever. The man bequeathed a legacy to the world more valuable than gold, diamonds, great art or architecture.
Richard Alaoui, Woking, Surrey

A superb and fascinating collection of films and photos. Hope a DVD will be forthcoming soon.
Jean Evenden, Horsham, England

What a unique programme. Is there a DVD available? What a pity soaps get repeated but a programme of quality gets just a one shot deal.
Perry, Norfolk, England

BBC Four: BBC Arts has produced nine documentaries based on the archive. The final four episodes - which cover the photographers' work after the First World War - will be shown later in the year.

This is a gem of a series. The technical quality of the film is remarkable and scenes it unfurls from Brittany to Peking are spellbinding. I hope you repeat it as I'm sure a lot of people who would enjoy it missed it - it has been undersold!
Michael Rank, London

Congratulations on bringing this to us. I missed the first episode and I watched the second feeling like a delighted time traveller. I had never heard of Albert Kahn, but I look forward to more and hope that I will be able to buy it on DVD.
Sheila Nicholas, Midhurst

It was a masterpiece! Please repeat it.
Lucia Clark, London

I really enjoyed this fascinating programme. How has the archive of Albert Kahn managed to stay so well hidden in our current information age? A DVD release would be a well-deserved tribute!
Tanya Weber, London

I must write again. My misgivings about the series were fully dispelled by last night's programme: I watched open-mouthed. The talking heads were knowledgeable and what each had to say was enlightening and enriched the presentation of the wonderful pictures.
Sheila Davies, Kettering

A very focused and engaging programme which conveyed vividly how Albert Kahn's photographers were able to capture the spirit of their subject matter. It had my whole family gripped from start to finish. Given Albert Kahn's aim to promote more understanding between different people, its timely message deserves to come out on DVD.
Yvonne Shorrocks, Leamington Spa

What an excellent documentary, I'm looking forward to part two. Strange how colour changes everything. They were as we are. Shouldn't this Kahn guy get a posthumous Nobel?
Chris Mullin, Newcastle

Congratulations for bringing this to us. I missed the first episode. I watched the second feeling like a delighted time traveller. I had never heard of Albert Kahn. I look forward to more and hope that I will be able to buy on DVD to view at my leisure and even as a gift.
Sheila, Midhurst

A wonderful programme - the photographs of Albert Kahn are a superb discovery, and the contributions of the experts greatly added to the enjoyment.
Patrick Cooper, Bracknell, Berkshire

This programme is amazing. The original charter of the BBC has been fulfilled - to educate, inform and entertain. The amazing archive of Kahn has been opened to a wider audience. Is there going to be more BBC programmes on this archive? What about the BBC making a modern archive? I have to say despite the continued carping of falling standards and the rise in the licence fee, programmes like this are gems. The BBC One and BBC Three diet of trashy 'real life' programmes are a necessary evil if they help support the making of programmes such as this one. We truly must be the envy of the world to produce high quality programmes. It certainly restores your faith in Aunty and gives a hope that when all is said and done, there is a dedicated team of decision makers who have the greater good at heart!
A Vye, Bristol

Thank you very much for making such a brilliant series. It sheds a different light on the East, which is quite a rarity because of the Oriental approach towards the East found in Western literature. I have only one request. Can you please air the entire series again without the BBC Four logo? Kahn's archive footages would keep their pristine significance without the logo. In my humble opinion, the logo is also distracting to a higher degree than usual.
Mohammad, Nottingham

Tremendous, but are his images available on the internet?
Geoff Knight, Bedford

BBC Four: We're delighted you're enjoying the series. We have a gallery of Khan's images here on the BBC Four website.

The Kahn Archive is a truly wonderful historical source, and the autochrome pictures are quite beautiful. The programme was disappointing, even as an introduction to a series, because the commentary was repetitive and often unnecessary; and there were too many talking heads. I hope the content of the four programmes which follow has a much higher proportion of photographs and film and less time spent on showing us people talking about them.
Sheila Davies, Kettering

I have loved this series and many of the other aspects of the Edwardian season. Let's have more of this sort of thing. On a slightly pedantic note, the lovely series of photos on this site showing scenes of London and Ireland are great, but the last one is not in modern day 'north' Vietnam, but northern or just Vietnam - or has a CIA infiltrated the BBC! Keep up the good work.
Nick, Eastbourne

Congratulations on The Edwardians in Colour. I had never heard of Albert Khan and the autochrome process. What beautiful photographs and a fascinating story. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series - well done!
Stuart Neville, Scotland

Thanks for this outstandingly interesting programme about the Albert Kahn archive!
Peter Holttum, Ferndown, Dorset

 The Edwardians in Colour Homepage

I was fascinated by the programme How the Edwardians Spoke with Joan Washington. It was one of the most interesting programmes I have seen in a long time. I typed her name into Google and found out that she is married to Richard E Grant. I looked to see if she had written a book about accents and her ideas of landscape influencing the voice. I could not find any books by her, but this led me to Withnail and I by Richard E Grant, which I thoroughly enjoyed (I did not know he had been in so many films - I only knew him from Posh Nosh with Arabella Weir as Simon and Minty Marchmont. Our son lent us Withnail and I and it was excellent). Anyway, this all led from watching How the Edwardians Spoke. I really hope that the BBC will discuss with Joan Washington about making some programmes about regional accents and how they have changed over the years. And more about her theories on landscape and coastal accents and major and minor keys - she was very good. And how about a series of Richard E Grant films on the BBC?
Trish Shuker, Southsea

This programme was of the highest quality. Joan Washington is a truly remarkable lady. She has such presence and dignity. I just wanted to cuddle her and listen more to her superb accents. An absolutely terrific programme. I hope you feature Joan every week. I want to hear all of her 350 dialects because they are so truly accurate. Very moving indeed.
Alan Swinburne, Devizes, Wiltshire

I'm quite surprised that you didn't have a more recent recording of Lord Denning, who never lost his Sussex accent.
Jim Delaney, London

Outstanding TV. It was a thoughtful, sensitive, beautifully presented and evocative programme that is miles removed from the diet of popularist bunkum that passes for mainstream TV.
LKD Sullivan, Rugby

What does Joan Washington mean about East Anglian dialects being 'flat'? Our 'singing Suffolk' (as it has been called) is full of delightful musical inflections which vary from one end of the county to the other. Nor is the land flat except for some patches. The hills near here are challenging for cyclists.
Ben Gosling, Lavenham, England

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Edwardians season. Listening to examples of how English was spoken 100 years ago and noting the rate of change in Glasgow. Now I am wondering where we will be 2107.
Gerard Clark, Glasgow

Joan Washinton's fascinating account of accents spoke of the Macclesfield accent as an entity. Here, four miles north we clearly distinguish the accent of Sutton, three miles south of Macclesfield. Joan, like many people, is adopting US English - she says "speak with" instead of the English "speak to".
Robert Beech, Bollington, England

This was an excellent piece of television. I've always wanted to see a programme about accents and dialects and it was fascinating to watch Joan Washington switch expertly between them while explaining about them. Can we have a series on accents or another one-off like this one, please?
Gabrielle, London

An excellent programme. Joan Washington was remarkable in her sensitivity to dialect/accents even to the point of reading the environment of the speaker from them. One general comment - now we have additional channels and focused specialist programming, there is an opportunity to expand into greater detail.

For instance, details of the mechanics and technology of recording and replay of the shellac discs, more detail about regional dialect, more detail about the evolution of the study of this discipline, more detail about the phonetic elements relating to environment - for example, how were elements of dialect being influenced by environment recognised in a wider variety of contexts.

This could be achieved by making a series on one topic (rather than one programme), or extending the programme length - 90 minutes, 120 minutes no problem - even additional footage on the website. There are two-hour drama programmes and films on television. Yes we do have a long enough concentration span to cope!
Jon Smith, Nottingham

Joan Washington is a gem. I seem to remember her in a programme Howard Jacobson did called 'Yo, Mrs Askew' about 10 years ago. Come On BBC, use her again soon. How about issuing a DVD/CD of British accents with links by Ms Washington?
John Winn, York

I believe that BBC Four has achieved the traditional aim of television which is to give us a window into things we would not otherwise see or hear. This programme was brilliant and I loved the presenter. The whole Edwardians series has restored my tired enthusiasm for watching television and paying my licence fee.
Ruth Kirkpatrick, Edinburgh

Fascinating programme! Several of my colleagues agreed that a series on the subject would be very interesting. Joan Washington is a marvel tripping through accents the way she does!
Irene Brown, Scotland

This was one of the most fascinating, engaging and moving programmes I've seen for a long time. A particular thank you to Joan Washington for her insight into linguistics... a dull subject which she transformed into riveting TV. I do hope she turns up again in other programmes.
John Roberts, Cheshire, England

I'm Canadian with backgrounds in England, Ireland and Scotland. I met some of my relatives years ago and was fascinated with voices and accents as a child. I loved this programme and wish that I could contact Joan Washington to ask about some of these accents. I love BBC TV and this programme was one of my favourites. Thank you.
Kevin Pollard, Toronto, Canada

What a compelling and moving programme this was to watch. It was crafted with such empathy for the unfortunate soldiers. The gentleman from Londonderry whose comments here suggested that it was merely some sentimental study of the presenter's emotions. The programme was about people's lives and emotions, both present and past, not just the hard facts of what was going on at that time. The people concerned were 'blubbing' over the haunting recording of a long dead relative who was held captive during the war who was most certainly scared and frightened out of his wits. The voices in the programme have stayed with me and have enforced the idea that we should do everything to highlight accent variation in some hope to encourage people today to want to retain and preserve them.
James Smith, Cardiff, South Wales

This was an extremely interesting programme and I thought that Joan Washington's theory of landscape influencing accent was inspired, though difficult to prove. It was very moving not only to hear the voices but to see the reactions of the relatives of these men. I was surprised at how 'West Country' the soldier from Wiltshire sounded, and it made me a little sad we've lost that accent here.
Laura Jane Moore, Salisbury, Wiltshire

What a delicious Dad's Army episode it would have made. Nazis find World War I recordings of British POWs, imperfectly train a group of spies to speak various dialects, land one of them at Warmington-on-Sea trained for somewhere quite different and dressed as a country yokel straight out of a Victorian photo album - leading to some hilarious situations. For example, German spy to local child "Vimble along and vetch thee faythur!" Or in the greengrocer's "Two kilos of they taturs!" And so on. Or perhaps the idea could be backtracked to WW1 in a similar vein, with Joan Washington as consultant, of course.
David Holt, Manchester

I have just watched a most fascinating and quite moving hour of television. It was so interesting to hear the recordings from so many years ago, and to consider how our regional accents have changed in what is a relatively short period of time. Many thanks for television that makes us think again.
Alison, Worcester

I have been waiting for years to watch a programme about regional accents! It was brilliant. It reminds me of a BBC series, The Story of English, shown about 20-plus years ago. Can we have a series on this subject?
Val, Liverpool

Joan Washington, a linguistic expert, stated her belief that the contours of a landscape influence speech - for example the flat tones of East Anglia contrasting with the sing-song accents of the Welsh valleys. It would not be difficult to test this hypothesis by looking at pitch variation versus terrain worldwide. Not that I am advocating such a study - it would be as rational as spending money researching whether the moon is made of cheese. The problem always with the media is that 'fancy that' or superficially plausible ideas are given priority over hard facts, but it should not be difficult to make programmes which are both entertaining and accurate.
J R King, Redditch, UK

Many congratulations to the makers of this, the most fascinating programme I've seen in years. A real gem. More please! As someone fascinated by regional accents, I was more than a little awestruck at the depth of knowledge of Ms Washington and the other experts interviewed. But her knowledge plus her infectious enthusiasm for her subject makes her an obvious natural to front more programmes like this. Could the BBC manage a series with her marching through the country, analysing dialects county by county, city by city? This stuff really should be done before many of our surviving dialects disappear or soften to the point where they can't be distinguished. But a brilliant programme. Thank you!
Bernie, Corsham, Wiltshire

What a wonderful programme! The presenter Joan Washington was a natural - compelling, professional, funny, very watchable. Can we have more of her, please?
Holly Regan-Jones, Wellington, Somersetd

Ms Washington presented a fantastic programme. For people who study the Great War, such as members of The Western Front Association, this was a godsend. And to have a local lad from Macclesfield! Excellent.
Terry Jackson, Stockport

This was an extremely interesting programme, but sadly I think a little flawed. As a Maxionan, from a family of Maxonians going back several generations, I'm sorry to have to inform Joan Washington that the accent she heard of the soldier from Macclesfield was more like the modern equivalent of a 'phone voice' rather than the everyday spoken dialect of this town, indeed with the exception of the pronunciation of the word 'father' my dad described it as sounding more like an impression of George Formby than a true Macclesfield accent. Indeed, it is certainly not the accent I recall hearing the older generations speak when I was a child which, it is fair to say, is now all but gone. However, that having been said the programme was a wonderful snapshot of the everyday people of the Edwardian era, and an interesting revelation of World War I espionage - hosted by an intelligent and clearly enthusiastic presenter - thank you to all concerned.
Nikki, Macclesfield

A truly excellent programme about rare recordings of World War I prisoners' voices and accents. I would like to know one thing: the presenter whose name I forget expounded a theory that the characteristics of local dialects are in some way influenced by the geography of the area of origin. Is this widely accepted?
Arburton, Alcester, UK

The opinion, that the purported recording of a Dorset Man was of somebody originating from further west, is incorrect. I was brought up familiar with that dialect/accent. Unfortunately, since the late 1950s the Dorset dialect has been heavily diluted by the influx of 'posh' people from the Home Counties. There is an academic record of the original Dorset dialect, in Thomas Hardy's poetry. He was an aficionado of the Brahd Darzet.
Wolgrumpfy, Gosport, Hants

This was a wonderful and fascinating programme. Joan Washington is a star. Can you get her to do something more on dialects and accents? Her expertise deserves a high profile.
Michael Henesy, Edinburgh

A fascinating programme excellently presented by Joan Washington. She showed empathy towards her interviewees, flirtatiousness and experience of accents. I do hope the BBC will be using her again, perhaps in a more modern-day setting.
Dave Hodgkinson, Sheffield

This programme was advertised as being about how the Edwardians spoke. Instead, it was about a Ms Joan Washington, an emotional woman, who got upset when listening to one of the Berlin recordings. She then went to a Macclesfield family, where another woman started blubbing for some incomprehensible reason. We heard very little of the recordings, and far too much of Ms Washington. A disappointing, bizarre, and frustrating programme, misleadingly described.
Paul Rowlandson, Londonderry

My mother - born 1903 in Hornsey/Stroud Green, North London and therefore an Edwardian - always used the word 'bodge' instead of 'trug' (boat-shaped wooden basket with handle for carrying garden produce). I had never heard anyone else use this word until I recently heard it said by my friend Dr Richard Hills. The connection being that on her marriage my mother went to live at the Manse, Eynslord, Kent, between the years 1929 and 1939. Dr Hills was born and lived his early life in Kent, so is this a Kentish word?
Robert Steeds, Prestwich, Manchester

How the Edwardians Spoke with Joan Washington was by far the best programme I have seen this year and indeed in recent years. It was so emotive and sad. Historically and educationally it was immense. To bring the humanity to the black and white 'fast speed' images of World War I was so powerful. Well done BBC: fantastic, and so entertaining. Keep up the good work.
Stuart Mathewson, Scotland

What a remarkable programme made all the more enthralling by the wonderful Joan Washington. Her emotional connection to the material made great television. It captured the sound of a bygone age and brought the recorded soldiers' voices to life.
David Evans, Inverness

What a pity that in a programme that was so empathetic with the people whose voices were recorded, there was the same old denigration of London accents (hours and hours). Quite unnecessary. It would have been good to have actually heard a recording of how London people were speaking at the time. After all, it is the capital.
Linda Kaucher, Stepney, London

I have just seen this programme about the accents and dialects of British soldiers from the Edwardian era. Not only was it fascinating and informative, but I also found it to be extremely moving. Thank you to everyone involved in producing such an interesting and poignant documentary.
D Bloom, Southport, Merseyside

The opinion, that the purported recording of a Dorset Man was of somebody originating from further west, is incorrect. I was brought up familiar with that dialect/accent. Unfortunately, since the late 1950s the Dorset dialect has been heavily diluted by the influx of 'posh' people from the Home Counties. There is an academic record of the original Dorset dialect, in Thomas Hardy's poetry. He was an aficionado of the Brahd Darzet.
Wolgrumpfy, Gosport, Hants

Hilarious. The Nicholas Craig - Mark Lawson was equally so. More please from Nigel Planer.
Gerard Clark, Glasgow

A story that I think Ian Hislop might enjoy… An elderly friend of mine (he would have been 106 if still alive) told me about his sister who claimed to have been engaged to Baden-Powell in her youth. In old age she indulged in spiritualism and turned up in my friend's flat on one occasion and claimed to have been speaking to BP who had told her that he didn't like the statue of himself in Queen's Gate one bit!
Mary Follett, Lymington, UK

An enjoyable watch but a very one-sided picture of Baden-Powell during his time in South Africa. No mention of the fact that this was a man who boasted in his own book The Matabele Campaign of beating the Boers in what he called the "sport of nigger hunts" (see Thomas Pakenham's definitive work The Boer War - p400.) How utterly lamentable and predictable in today's politically correct age that historical accuracy is glossed over like this.
James Barrett, London

Superbly made, fascinating programme - well done Ian Hislop. I'm 25, and have never been in the Scouts, but I very much enjoyed this programme, and particularly appreciated the way Mr Hislop showed how many of the issues touched upon by Mr Baden-Powell are very relevant today. Thanks.
Jake Newman, London

I so enjoyed this programme. Particularly the picture of Christ standing behind a boy scout standing in front of a globe - as though Christ pointing out the British Empire to the scout. Peter Ustinov in one of his monologues describes this picture hanging in his school. I always thought Peter must have made up this story. So thanks Ian for including this.
Sally Moyes, Oxford

I have great respect for Ian Hislop, Scouting and the BBC. However, I was disappointed that in his history of Scouting, Hislop omits the influence and example of The Boys' Brigade. Smith held a camp in 1886, long before Powell's in 1907. It is widely understood that Smith's BB was an inspiration to Powell.
Mr Clifford Grimason, England

Fantastic! Brilliant! After another anarchic Scout Troop night where we were all trying to prepare equipment for our Centenary camp, I watched the documentary on Thursday night. You've hit right on the button what has meant so much to so many Scout Leaders over the years. Yes, there was lots missed out, including the Boys Brigade's influence and present day activities, but in one hour it summed up 100 years. Thanks Ian.
Hugh C Somerville, Edinburgh

To echo previous comments, the failure to acknowledge The Boys' Brigade in the development of Scouting is a severe let down. Without the BB, there would be no such group as the Scouts. For the BBC, and/or the producers of this programme, to ignore this fact suggests either poor production and research or a concerted attempt to avoid acknowledging the work of the BB during this show.
G McQueen, Glasgow

Any chance Ian could give us an update on Scouting in the 21st century, or perhaps a view of how Scouting spread around the world?
David O'Hagan, Wirral

What a fantastic programme! The way Ian presented the programme shows Scouting for what it was (and in many ways still is), and he was genuinely impressed with the whole thing. This showed in his positive attitude to all aspects of the history and the book. Please thank everyone involved in this programme.
David Patrick, Eastleigh, Hampshire

I would very much like Ian Hislop to hear just how grateful I am to him for having made this programme. It did my heart good to watch the programme last night. My late father (born 1921 in Edinburgh) was a Cub, Scout, Rover, Scout Leader, Group Scout Leader and eventually became a District Commissioner. He attended a Jamboree in Holland in about 1937 where he actually shook hands with Baden-Powell. He was thoroughly committed to the movement and truly believed in its maxim.

He was widowed at the age of 49 and raised three girls on his own without ever seeming to sink under the strain. His advice was that if you took the Scout Laws and promise as your personal code of conduct you wouldn't go far wrong in life, and that if only more people would stop viewing the Scouts as unfashionable and goody-goody and join in the fun, then the world could be a better place. Obviously he wasn't perfect, but I do sometimes wonder if his grounding in the Scout Movement gave him the necessary 'backbone' to be a strong person in very trying circumstances.

It would bewilder him when politicians would come up with newer and more expensive schemes to try to get the youth of the country on the right tracks. He thought more support ought to be given to the Scout and Guide Movements (and other existing youth organisations, even the BBs!) to make them attractive to a larger number of youngsters. Thank you for a very interesting and positive programme which I am sure my dad would have approved of.
Julie Ross, Edinburgh

You mention that girls were allowed into the Gang Show in 1968, but I appeared in one in 1952 as a Girl Guide. We were rehearsing for it in West Derby, Liverpool, when the King died. The Bishop of Warrington came to see us to say that we could carry on rehearsing but that we were expected to wear black arm bands. I still have the special badge which was issued in 1953 for the Queen's coronation. This was a very memorable time for me as a 12 to 13 year old. Guiding gave me many pleasures and taught me lots of skills which I have employed throughout my life.
Irene Page, UK

I tuned in to this programme, hoping to be entertained by the memories of others and the celebration of Scouting's centenary. Having just watched it, I was disappointed to be left with the feeling that the programme portrayed Scouting as an outmoded, slightly embarrassing movement. All of the celebrities said they had positive experiences of being part of the scout and guide movement as children, and had gained a sense of community, camaraderie and belonging to take into adulthood. In the current climate of 2007, when young people are seen as lacking social responsibility and respect, as well as the lack of resources to provide youth services, surely the BBC could do better than to deride an organisation which offers all young people the chance to expand their horizons and challenge themselves?

As the Scout association is entirely voluntary, regular meetings and trips, even holidays, are within the budget of the poorest parents. Scouting has moved on from its early days, to keep up with a changing world, yet still retains traditions of having fun, respect for self and others, and duty to society. It also has millions of members worldwide. That is something to celebrate!
A Burnham, Swindon, Wiltshire

Rather an ambiguous and somewhat dangerous title but that's not the point I am trying to make. I am quite frankly getting sick and tired of seeing Ian Hislop's face on BBC television. He's a decent enough fellow, but do you not have any fresh talent in the stable? Apart from anything else, he must earn a small fortune from the Beeb and is it not in the Beeb's best interest to spread the payroll around a little bit as well as bring on new talent? Despite what he may have told you, Hislop is not an expert on absolutely everything and yet you appear to believe that he is judging by the variety and number of programmes that he appears on? Some new talent, please.
Roger Marsh, England

You mention that girls were allowed into the Gang Show in 1968, but I appeared in one in 1952 as a Girl Guide. We were rehearsing for it in West Derby, Liverpool, when the King died. The Bishop of Warrington came to see us to say that we could carry on rehearsing but that we were expected to wear black arm bands. I still have the special badge which was issued in 1953 for the Queen's coronation. This was a very memorable time for me as a 12 to 13 year old. Guiding gave me many pleasures and taught me lots of skills which I have employed throughout my life.
Irene Page, UK

I enjoyed Ian Hislop's appreciative programme on Baden-Powell and the Scout Movement, but towards the end, while talking about Scouting worldwide, he implied, wrongly, that the Scouts aren't bothered about what God you worship. Indeed they are - if you don't have a God you needn't apply, and they are quite intransigent about this: atheists aren't welcome.
Barry Thorpe, Cheadle, Cheshire

Could you please repeat When We Were Scouts, for example, on BBC Four at a very early hour of the morning? I came across it by chance halfway through and would love to be able to record it!
Dr C Knight, England

I watched Ian Hislop's Scouting for Boys and just wanted to say what an absolutely fantastic and insightful programme it was. I am a leader in the Scouting movement and it was great to be able to see the roots of the greatest youth movement in the world. I know you are repeating this on BBC Four again, but I wondered whether you would be able to show it on BBC Two at some point for all those people who don't get BBC Four. I think it would be very well received and give Scouting even wider coverage and perhaps encourage many new members to join us.
Ms Louise Prior, England

Yet again during last night's Scouting for Boys on BBC Four was there any acknowledgement of The Boys' Brigade (whom Baden-Powell was an Honorary Vice President of). Extracts from the book The History of The Boys' Brigade reveal how Sir William Alexander Smith, (Founder of The Boys' Brigade in 1883) had invited Baden-Powell to write Scouting for Boys to appear in the BB Gazette and a 'Scouting badge' was awarded to BB members. The badge was the fleur-de-lys which later became the Scout's own emblem and a significant number of BB boys gained this award.

Ian Hislop mentioned that the first Scout camp at Brownsea Island was attended by public school boys and 'boys from church clubs', whereas in fact at least half were made up of members of The Boys' Brigade, who are also attending the Centenary Camp this year! Baden-Powell did communicate with William Smith with a view to joining the two organisations but Smith refused and Scouts overtook the BB. Is it the fact that The Boys' Brigade is a Christian single-sex organisation that the BBC cannot focus on Sir William Alexander Smith? Are the Boys' Brigade to expect the same exposure during 2008 for their 125th Anniversary - I suspect not!
Julian Farrar, Leeds

 Ian Hislop's Scouting for Boys Homepage

I was totally captivated by this gem of a musical drama. Jessie Wallace was a treat and her recreation of long gone performances felt authentic. I loved her sauciness. The supporting cast, the production values, the direction, score, look and feel were all first class.

But thumbs down to the moron BBC executives who insist on squashing up the tiny 70 mile an hour credits at the end of every programme in order to have a VO shouting about the next thing. This is BBC Four, surely the least commercial of all channels. With digital TV, we have a full list of what's on and when and we don't need you ruining the emotional ending of everything and insulting the real talent by treating their credits as of no interest.
Tom Moncrieff, London

Although I'm not a fan of Jessie Wallace, I really enjoyed this show. It gave a real flavour of what music hall life must have been like. I'd also like to commend the performance of Richard Armitage as Marie's first husband Percy. He managed to convey just with looks and gestures that, just possibly, Percy would not have gone off the rails quite so easily had Marie Lloyd not been so self-obsessed.
June Young, Burnley, Lancashire

I haven't been so captivated by anything for a long, long while. Jessie Wallace's portrayal of Marie Lloyd was simply fantastic. More of the same, please!
Susie Smith, Plymouth, Devon

I watched this programme in the dead of night, but I couldn't turn it off, excellent show, thank you.
Pat, Bishop Auckland, UK

I cannot describe the sheer brilliance of this programme. The acting from Jessie Wallace was outstanding as usual, and this programme brilliantly showed that she can adopt any role given to her with ease. The treatment of Marie and her actions throughout really show Jessie's life, with the programme showing some bad press of Marie, as Jessie has received in the past.

If no other part, I thought that the scripting of Marie's interview over her 'inappropriate' song lyrics was exceptional, and I loved the way in which Marie's responses were shown to the audience. I must also mention the great editing incorporated into this programme. The variety of lighting levels while Marie was on stage was good, and I loved the variation in shot angles, as well. Her time on the swing, especially, was shown in a great way, and that part of the show, in particular, really maximised use of its running time.

This programme really deserved to be longer, and superb acting and singing from Jessie really helped the audience to relate to Marie, and to feel sympathy for her during the later stages. The only other thing I can say is that the programme really could have used some more captions, as there were only the ones at the end, and the Hoxton one at the beginning. I also felt that the marriages were rushed, and that Bernard and the child were put to one side too quickly.
Kim Smith, Wiltshire

As one of the many living relatives of the late Bernard Dillon, I think it would have been nice to be able to give a better portrayal of how he and Marie behaved together. He was shown as a complete prat and she as the total victim (not completely true) Very misleading.
Kerry Bevan, Pembrokeshire

Thank you BBC Four for this programme. Thoroughly enjoyed it; it was brilliant. All the cast was superb, especially Jessie Wallace and Richard Armitage. I hope you will bring out a CD of the music with the original cast. I gathered it had a small budget but you wouldn't guess it as the whole production had a lavish feel. Excellent - can we have more please?
Sue Collins, Reigate, Surrey

This was a brilliant programme! Jessie Wallace was superb. I was particularly keen to watch as Alex Hurley was a direct relative from my husband's family. I thought her portrayal was very believable. She sang really well and I watched the programme twice. Please release this on DVD. Is it going to be shown on TV again? If so, when? Well done for such a great programme. One criticism - it was too short. This could be expanded into a series.
Jen Twydell, Guildford

Well done the BBC, this programme was absolute entertainment at its best. Well done Jessie Wallace, your performance was flawless (I hope you get an award). There is only one other actress that could pull of the part of Marie, her name is Kerryann White. Please BBC can you find Kerryann White and put her in one of your programmes? Thank you.
Dan James, London

Wonderful! What a fantastic programme. Jessie Wallace was superb - we need to see more of her! We smiled throughout - what a change. For me, it was a totally unexpected joy!
Jayne Wilkinson, Bexleyheath, Kent

What a fantastic performance by Jessie Wallace. One of this year's best programmes. And she can actually sing!
Phil Shuker, Manchester

Jessie played a great part. It was very special to me because Marie was a great relation to me on my father's side. Thanks for showing a piece of my family history.
Fiona Wood, Derby

Because I now live in Canada, I couldn't see the programme. Will it be available on DVD soon? Marie Lloyd was my grandfather's cousin. His name was James Wood and he lived in Hoxton for some time.
Peter Scott, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Your show was a total disappointment. You did not tell the story of your subject. Rather, you used Marie Lloyd as the stepping off point for a very poorly constructed story based slightly round her. There was much to tell, but you chose to dwell on sex and drink. What about her touring America? And much, much more. What you showed was an off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all story of sex and alcohol, which could have been anyone's. It could with little change be adapted and retold as the George Best story. As for the music, I could hear 1930s swing jazz creeping into the horn arrangements. The nearest music hall music got to jazz was stilted English ragtime. The music was not played as it was in its time. All in all (and not excepting the continued and annoying appearance of the irrelevant black fellow to underscore the poorness of writing and conception with arch camping) it was a let-down and ultimately stunk. A waste of money. Shame, because Jessie was the right person for the part. Sack your writers.
M Berry

My wife and I watched this excellent production totally enthralled. I would certainly buy the DVD if one were made available. Please repeat on BBC Two.
Edward Shepperd, Minehead, Somerset

What a fantastic programme. Terrific acting and very, very entertaining. Congratulations to all concerned. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Susan Spencer, Birmingham, England

Well I have to disagree with Mr Tonks on the comments he said about the BBC plus about the performances of the artistes. I cannot think of a better actress for the role of Marie Lloyd than Jessie Wallace, she has shown us that her acting just gets better. Her performance with Richard Armitage as estranged husband Percy was just marvellous. I have to admit I do not like paying the ridiculous prices for the TV licence, but more programmes like this I might change my mind. Thank you BBC once again.
Rebekkah Sarah Payne, Southampton

I had to write to congratulate Jessie Wallace on an excellent performance. We enjoyed the programme and we were singing along with all the songs. I want to add that the series of Edwardians has inspired me to make a 'music hall' afternoon for my elderly clients in the day centre where I work in Stamford Hill. I look forward to other programmes in this series.
Denise Kaye, Ilford

A both gripping and stunning performance by Jessie Wallace. When will a DVD version of this be released? Why wasn't this shown on prime time TV? Well done.
Malcolm Stobbs, Glasgow

The third showing of this marvellous drama, along with the brilliant actress Jessie Wallace, was as good as the previous two. Maybe the fourth showing will equal them all.
Peter Newman, Ramsgate, Kent

Costume drama at its best, just what the BBC is famed for. As for Jessie Wallace, she was wasted in EastEnders. Absolutely brilliant all round. Congratulations for a good evening's entertainment.
Barbara Chapman, Worcester, UK

Excellent dramatisation, brilliant acting. I did not know of Jessie Wallace before this but she was truly outstanding. Please, please release it on DVD.
Michelle Barlow, UK

Excellent programme. Jessie Wallace was fantastic as Marie Lloyd - more please! When is this coming out on DVD?
Eileen Reid, Hayle, Cornwall

When my Mum went into service in London as a very young girl (she'll be 100 soon) she saw Marie Lloyd and other big stars of the time on stage. I've always been envious that I missed the whole Music Hall scene (for want of a better word) but Jessie Wallace's magic portrayal of Marie made me realise in a small way just what I missed. What sad people those who criticised the programme must be. Maybe it wasn't 'totally accurate' - does that matter so much when it was entertaining - would they prefer to watch something like Celebrity Big Brother - which isn't? It had everything - music, comedy, pathos, costumes, and such a sad (true) ending that I don't think I was the only one who wept at the end. More Jessie Wallace, more productions like this, and how about a regular Old Time Music Hall programme? Who knows - you might even find viewing figures climbing more than you expect!
Dee Collins, Ashford, Kent

What a fantastic programme and what a total star Miss Jessie Wallace is - I doubt anyone else could have played the part so well. Well done to all involved - how about a repeat on BBC One - it certainly deserves it.
KathyC, NE London

I have loved the BBC Four Edwardian season and Jessie Wallace as Marie Lloyd was fabulous. The rest of the cast were pretty good too. It's such a pleasure to watch TV programmes that you don't want to end. More please, BBC Four.
Zoey Bennett, Shoreham-By-Sea, Sussex

I watched Miss Marie Lloyd with avid interest because my grandfather and my mother, who was a child music hall artiste from 1910, knew her and often spoke of her, and my impression of the programme was that it reflected what I had always been told. My mother (and my grandfather who was her pianist) appeared frequently on the same bill as Marie and this was how they got to know the great lady. My mother who was under a seven-year contract to Moss Empires was at some time billed as 'the future Marie Lloyd' - she was very proud of that! And rightly so!
Patricia Charman, Lee-on-the-Solent, England

The Edwardian Season is marvellous, but what should have been a highlight was very disappointing. It was a sorry waste of an opportunity to introduce a new generation to the magic of Marie Lloyd. As the pre-publicity said, Lloyd was a superstar, and her private life was scandalous. You'd never understand why from this insipid telling of the story. I think that the drama-doc format was the fundamental mistake. It is asking a lot of any actors to recreate the essence of an historical place and time, and if those actors are young enough to look the part (Marie was first married at 17), they necessarily have no personal insight, even from their grandparents' reminiscences. So to get the right performances, the writer and director need to be extraordinarily well-attuned to the period. Evidently not so in this case. Jessie Wallace was quite miscast, in my opinion. Her lack of live theatre experience shone through. Unfortunately, if Jessie went back in time and tried to hold, let alone conquer, a Music Hall audience, she would get the bird before she even opened her mouth
Beverley Davies, London

I absolutely loved this programme. Although I doubted whether Jessie Wallace was up to the role, I was delighted to be proved wrong - she was excellent! OK, so there were some embellishments and historical inaccuracies, but it was very entertaining and it piqued your interest to find out more about the real Marie Lloyd. Well done BBC Four!
Jo M, Andover, UK

This was a most amazing programme that was so evocative of the era due to the way it was in a sense viewed from a perspective of our own time, which totally brought it to life. I had a grandfather who supported Marie Lloyd (The Montague Brothers). I remember talking to my grandmother about Marie Lloyd and I really feel that Jessie Wallace was Marie Lloyd! She was absolutely superb. Brilliant casting! My grandfather was part of such a unique act it would be worth a programme on its own. Their act was called 'the artist's dream' and involved three men virtually nude, painted white to depict ancient Greek statues. They then came alive and showed of their amazing physique. The fitness method they founded is still followed today!
Julia King, Brighton

Bravo, bravo and encore! This is what I pay my licence fee for. Jessie Wallace's candid yet sensitive portrayal of Marie Lloyd was utterly brilliant. What a star Jessie is. I sang along and laughed and cried at this marvellous, colourful production and my 15-year-old daughter was captivated too. The use of the 'showman' as narrator and link man was a clever device that gave the whole thing an authentic music-hall feel. More, more, more like this, please!
Adele Kain, Sale, UK

What an engaging programme this was, and superbly acted and sung by Miss Wallace. Perhaps she could release an album of Music Hall hits, but the market for that may be too specialised. She ought to release an album of some sort, as her voice was superb. However, I digress. I have always had an interest in Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley, the Music Hall and the Edwardian era in general. My great grandfather knew Marie Lloyd quite well and, according to my mother, spoke of her with real affection, and referred to her approachability and generosity, again captured by Miss Wallace. He also told my mother that she was insecure and self-doubting in private. Does anyone else have any insight into this aspect of her character? Thank you for a superb series, which has been well researched.
Alexander Nixon, Durham

Jessie Wallace's portrayal of the colourful Marie Lloyd was outstanding! She gripped the essence of the character brilliantly and I loved every moment of the turbulent drama that was Marie's life! Jessie really stole the show - what a talented actress/singer/dancer. She had me laughing and crying along with her! Let's have more of her on the BBC. Don't waste an obvious talent!
Livvy, Scotland

What a well-produced programme telling the life story of Marie Lloyd. I was captured from start to finish and Jessie Wallace acted the part superbly. Well done.
Barbara Prichard, Stamford

Jessie Wallace was excellent as Marie Lloyd. I really enjoyed watching the programme. Absolutely excellent. I can't stop talking about it.
Paula Gale, Walthamstow, London

I really enjoyed this programme and thought that Jessie Wallace did a wonderful job as Marie. Her supporting cast were strong too, particularly Richard Armitage who conveyed the charming but caddish Percy Courtney perfectly. The cast could have been served by stronger writing, but within the confines they were given they did brilliantly. I don't think I can have been watching the same production as some of your viewers, but those friends I have spoken to enjoyed the programme very much, and hope it will be repeated on BBC Two, perhaps.
Maggie Spiers, Verwood, Dorset

Congratulations to Jessie Wallace and cast for wonderful, entertaining and brilliant performances.
Doreen and Eillis Ginn, South Nutfield, Surrey

What a fantastic programme! Loved every minute of it! Jessie Wallace was perfect casting in the role of Marie Lloyd and she put on a fantastic performance. I really hope this swiftly makes it way to BBC One, so that more people get the chance to enjoy it.
Liz, Hull

Great show, well-written and well-acted. Jessie was born to play the part of Miss Lloyd. She shook off the character of Kat Slater and came into her own as Miss Lloyd. The programme could have been longer, though, and shown more of Marie's struggles with making her name. But overall it was very good viewing. Well done to everyone connected and let's see more of Jessie on the box.
Rob, Hackney, London

Having greatly enjoyed a very well-made drama with many excellent performances, especially a superb one by Jessie Wallace, I was disappointed that just a little research showed the production to be littered with historical inaccuracies. As the life of Marie Lloyd was packed with more than enough incident and drama already, what on earth was the point?
Richard Banister, Purley, Surrey

I watched Marie Lloyd and was glued to it. Jessie Wallace was brilliant as usual. Well done, Jessie.
Sally, London

What a fantastic programme. You could not have picked a better actress to play the part, Ms Wallace was brilliant. This should be shown on BBC One so that everyone can have the opportunity to view it and it should be made into a musical with Ms Wallace continuing to play the part. Really brilliant.
Karen Cartwright, Wombourne, South Staffordshire

Fabulous. Jessie Wallace was stunning, use her again soon. The staging was beautiful. Many thanks.
Jen Diffey, Rochester. Kent

A fantastic performance from Jessie Wallace; she was great as Marie Lloyd. Her acting was amazing, as was her voice. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Well done, Jessie!
Sofia, Prestatyn, Wales

Congratulations to Jessie Wallace as Marie Lloyd. She did marvellously well, what talent! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Joanne Aldous, St Albans

I have to say how well Jessica Wallace did in her portrayal of Marie Lloyd. She did a fantastic job. Who says there's no life after EastEnders?
Vicky Williams, West Bromwich

Thank you, BBC Four for this wonderful drama depicting the life of Marie Lloyd, the Queen of the Music Hall. I studied the phenomenon of the music halls while at university and found them fascinating. Your drama helped to give me a better insight into Marie's life. Jessie Wallace was fantastic as the wonderful Ms Lloyd. Thanks!
Elizabeth Smith, Hamilton, Scotland

Fantastic programme. Brilliant actress. More of her.
Peter Newman, Ramsgate, Kent

I have just watched with mounting horror this programme, which managed to dumb down any sense of historical perspective to a dreary soulless piece that failed to entertain on any level. Does BBC Four think we need the lyrics of well-known songs updating or the tunes given some kind of 'treatment'? What we were left with failed to interest anyone who knew anything about Music Hall and was surely too bland to appeal to anyone else. This programme was such a disappointment given the overall high standard of The Edwardians season.
Michael Barry, Birmingham

Great programme - good to see her portrayed so sympathetically and her most famous songs done so well. My grandmother knew her and appeared on Music Hall stage with her. I remember her singing Marie Lloyd songs in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
Colin Charman, Tenterden Kent

I thought this programme was outstanding. Jessie's portrayal of Marie Lloyd was excellent and I would like to congratulate all concerned.
Janet Hall, Isle of Mull

What a brilliant piece of drama. And who would have thought that Kat from EastEnders could pull it off? Well done, Jessie, you were great.
Allan Beard, Worcester

It beggars belief how Hatrick Productions, with so much readily available research on every hand, could get this programme so wrong, completely falsifying events in a life so full of incident and drama. From the original audition with its spurious inclusion of Little Titch to an over-imaginative stage scene that has Marie jumping on the back of Dillon. From crediting Marie with so many songs made famous by others and relying on a gay dresser. From completely ignoring the fact that all the stage dresses were made and maintained (I own three) by Marie's mother. In fact, for ridiculing a woman who can be seen only as a great star in the only working class art, apart from perhaps the brass band and the bagpipes. The BBC has again laid a rotten egg. In closing, did no one think to tell the star to ask her friend Barbara Windsor for some tips on how to get it right?
Ken Westell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex

I have always been a fan of both Marie Lloyd and Jessie Wallace and no one could have been a better choice than Jessie. She was absolutely fantastic. I haven't seen anything as spellbinding. The costumes, the acting, just everything. I want to watch it again and again. I hadn't realised what a wonderful feisty woman Lloyd was. Thank you so much BBC Four. I also enjoyed the Scott of Antarctica drama - The Worst Journey in the World - very harrowing.
Wendy Hemsley, Brighton

I have just had the pleasure of having the drama about Miss Marie Lloyd spoiled by some dim-witted announcer talking over the end of the film informing us what is on tomorrow! Will you please stop this irritating practice, viewers are quite capable of planning ahead for programmes to watch on whatever channel they choose without this stupid advice.
Peter Wasmuth, Coventry

What a splendid evocation of the spirit of Music Hall. Congratulations to Jessie Wallace for bringing Marie Lloyd so vividly to life again. My grandmother had seen Marie Lloyd several times and used to say how marvellous she was. I would have loved to see Jessie Wallace doing a real Music Hall turn on stage in the West End. Well done, BBC - the TV licence is worth every penny when you make programmes like this.
Jane Moran, Enfield

Congratulations to Jessie Wallace on her portrayal of Marie Lloyd - an absolutely fantastic performance. Wonderful production - and the showman was a lovely touch. What a wonderful programme!
Debra Gosling, London

A wonderful production - Jessie Wallace was perfect casting. Thank you for an excellent programme.
Miss Heather Shepherd, Leeds

Fantastic show, Jessie Wallace was fantastic.
Peter Iason, London

Watched the first and second showing of Marie Lloyd - Queen of the Music Hall. Will the third and fourth showings, and the great Jessie Wallace, be as good in the Sunday's two showings? She's the best.
Peter Newman, Ramsgate, Kent

Marvellous stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed the show from start to finish - great cast, great visuals, great direction and Jessie Wallace was fabulous... kudos to all involved - I loved this show.
Gavin, Brixton, London

The best bit of television I have seen in many years. Jessie Wallace was perfectly cast and I laughed and cried with her. Bravo Jessie.
Kathy Taylor, Plaistow, East London

One of the best programmes I've seen in 50 years of watching television. Jessie Wallace was a wonder. She brought my little house down.
David Randall, Purley, Surrey

That was really, really, really dreadful. One of the worst programmes I have ever seen. Badly cast with poor performances, especially the leading role, in a programme done on the cheap. BBC you should be ashamed of yourself for putting out such garbage.
Ralph Tonks, Loughborough

I am very pleased to see a programme about Miss Marie Lloyd. She is my great, great aunt and I am very much looking forward to learning more about her.
Thomas Thurgood, Kent

 Miss Marie Lloyd - Queen of the Music Hall Homepage

Brilliant exposition that I found convincing. The same people are perpetrating the same elitist trick today. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Edwardian series and regard BBC Four as my natural home these days. Keep on keeping on. Oh, and by the way, apropos of a previous post on your music coverage, I love its wide range and found the Matt Monroe programme very interesting. My wife went out and bought a CD!
John Andrews, Shrewsbury

In this documentary, John Carey recycles the generalised intellectual shoddy which he presented in his book, The Intellectuals and the Masses in 1992, without altering those areas he was roundly criticised for at that time. Carey attacks Edwardian intellectuals and their (in his reading) blood-lust for the masses by identifying individual character weaknesses in half a dozen writers and artists, and presenting them in one documentary as though an intellectual bloc. One is left thinking that HG Wells (for example) was an intellectual Bloomsbury snob who hated the masses, hated mass education, believed in eugenics, advocated a class holocaust, advocated abstract art, and hated Arnold Bennett because Bennett portrayed the lower middle classes and became wealthy through selling books to the lower middle classes.

In fact, Wells was marginalised (rather like Bennett) by the Edwardian highbrows and the later Bloomsbury artists, he was an advocate of mass education, and made a living (again like Bennett) through presenting lower-middle class characters and their struggles against the social obstructions present in Edwardian times, and Wells wrote for (and thus sold to) the lower-middle classes (the class from which Wells himself emerged). Wells did briefly advocate eugenics, but subsequently publicly rejected it, growing more concerned about its possibilities through the 1920s and 1930s, until in 1940 he drafted a Rights of Man charter expressly forbidding it and other abuses of human rights. Carey's presentation is an example of the emeritus professor continuing to eke out a living through generalisation and all round intellectual laziness.
Dr John S Partington, Reading

I thought this was an important programme; I also disliked it intensely. The smear by association (eg Hitler as fulfilling the dreams of the intelligentsia, when he saw himself as embodying the masses), the indiscriminate use of a concept like 'the masses' (it wasn't the masses who rioted when Stravinsky's Rite of Spring was performed, nor did the masses read Bennett) and the elision of different writers into saying the same thing could be criticised.

However, this programme seemed important to me as a symbol of what has happened to intellectual life in Britain today. Where the intelligentsia of 100 years ago (like the skilled artisans of the same period) felt their experimentalism threatened by commercial culture, and determined to strike out in new and challenging ways, today's intelligentsia is becoming quite happy to be absorbed in commercialism. Where 'high culture' challenged people to understand, and in that challenge created a new sensibility, today the intelligentsia are happy to equate EastEnders with Shakespeare, and to accept a TV culture which discourages any new Dennis Potters from emerging as they are unlikely to get the ratings. After all, isn't it so obvious to John Carey and today's intelligentsia that anyone who doesn't accept commercial culture must be a snob? Meanwhile, the real 'masses' still wait to be heard.
Geoff Foote, Darlington

Just as when he first published it 15 years ago, Carey's argument is undermined by his reckless lumping together of everyone he dislikes - modernists, misogynists, anti-democrats, anti-suburbanites, eugenicists etc - as if they were all the same people, when in fact hardly anyone belonged in all these categories at once. For example, the anti-democratic Wells was also anti-modernist, Woolf was a feminist etc. He is also reckless about historical context. In fact, most people could read before the 1870 Education Act, and the new popular papers were not aimed at the working class but the lower middle class - those suburbanites, who, encouraged by the Daily Mail, feared more than anyone the rise of the 'masses'. As for his favourite Arnold Bennett - popular, yes, and writing about 'ordinary' people, but no more so than Wells, and hardly read by the working class. If Carey's populism is sincere, let him try, say, Edgar Wallace on for size.
John Baxendale, Sheffield

Professor John Carey's programme was very enlightening and uplifting in the sense that he seems to be an advocate of education for all unlike some members of that elite who seems to be keen on distancing themselves from the masses. May I humbly point at a slight factual error in the programme. The author Franz Kafka was not a supporter of the anthroposophical movement - he once went to a lecture by Rudolf Steiner to enquire how to combine literary inspiration when holding a fulltime job as he worked for an insurance company - the archetypal clerk these literati elite were keen to dismiss. Steiner did not provide Kafka with a satisfying answer and his friend Max Brod writes in Streitbares Leben that Kafka had no further contact with the Anthroposophical society. Thank you for screening such a documentary. It made my day watching an intelligently-made programme.
Dominique Hoffman, Belfast

This programme confuses education with schooling. What those property-owners of social position feared made every sense in respect of education. But the masses did not get education. They got schooling - end directed mental conditioning as socialisation and vocational training.
Len Burch, Nottingham

A great programme very well presented (a blessed sigh of relief after having had to endure so many BBC 'entertainers') on a very worthwhile subject.
M, London

John Carey, take a bow - an excellent programme.
Tom Farrelly, Tralee, Ireland

 The Menace of the Masses Homepage