A wise head

The recent turmoil that has hit the BBC over fabricating everything from a polar bear giving birth to adding a cry over news footage of new born babies should have come as no surprise really. Back in 1977 when I was pottering about in secondary school I volunteered to go on an archaeological dig that was being filmed for Look North (BBC). So one freezing cold winters day a group of us arrived at a desolate field in the back of beyond, we were briefed and we were given a small roped off square to gently probe and scrape. Meanwhile the glamorous presenter was primped and preened and joined us for a while. To my amazement I found something and diligently told the site manager, before I could so much as prepare my enthusiastic smile for the camera I was hustled to a barren patch of soil whilst the glamour puss was filmed suddenly ‘discovering' the treasure. Disappointment hung heavy in the air for the rest of the day I went home older and wise to the ways of television. why did it take the rest of Britain 20 years to catch up?