TUESDAY 30 AUGUST
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Don't Get Me Started!
7:15pm - 8:00pm
Five
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Subtitled
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2/6 - Rosie Boycott on False Grief
"We live in an age of conspicuous compassion," argues Rosie Boycott at the start of this shrewd essay on false grief. Hence the busloads of complete strangers flocking to Soham to grieve for Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. Hence the exasperating £25 million we spent on flowers in the fortnight after Princess Diana's death. So why has a nation once known for stoic reserve taken to wearing its heart on its sleeve? Boycott pins the blame on TV (naturally) and the cult of celebrity: we live vicariously. We are all voyeurs hooked on the tragedies of others, from Ken Bigley to Jill Dando. We wear charity ribbons and wristbands rather than give time or money. It's not a pretty picture, but it's a timely and thoughtful film that captures the spirit of our sentimental times.
David Butcher