With special guests Amelia Ayres and Dave Horner from Diagonal View
After much anticipation, the John Lewis Christmas advert has finally been unveiled, starring Moz the Monster. But the creative offering, from award-winning film director Michel Gondry, has had a mixed response. Is it a touching tale of one little boy’s vivid imagination and the impact the right Christmas gift can have, or is it a confusing and decidedly un-festive offering?
Tesco’s Christmas advert features the message ‘Everyone’s welcome at Tesco’. But it was not welcomed by everyone. Some viewers took umbrage at the inclusion of a Muslim family in the montage of people celebrating. Was this a creative misstep by the UK‘s largest supermarket, or have we become a nation of complainers, who are actively looking for anything to moan about?
Facebook has put out a carefully crafted statement, which seems to suggest for the first time that Russian linked accounts may have used the site to attempt to sway public opinion on the EU referendum. Are we being influenced by an online army of bots? Or are we overestimating the power of fake posts?
It seems no matter what you are in the middle of, the lure of the camera is impossible to resist. Eric Rivers, a bank robber in Georgia, took time out between heists to film an interview with a local traffic reporter. His local media appearance, which led to his arrest, is currently trending on YouTube. But what is it that makes a video trend? And does Eric regret taking a break from his crime spree to give an interview?
In Los Angles, thousands of people marched in support of victims of sexual assault and harassment. Inspired by the #Metoo campaign, it has revealed just how widespread this type of abuse is, also proving the potential of social media to be a powerful force for good. Why did this hashtag resonate so strongly and what’s next for the #Metoo movement?
Sometimes when you’ve got to go, you’ve just got to go, as Stormzy found out at this year’s MTV European Music Awards. After rushing to use the facilities, the musician realised he had accidentally used ladies and was trapped for fear of seeming creepy. His answer: an SOS message to a friend and to tell all his followers on Snapchat. Embarrassing blunder? Or a funny story that only makes us love him more?
The Paradise Papers, a huge cache of leaked documents, have dominated the headlines with revelations about the world of offshore finance. A host of celebrities, politicians and multinationals have been caught up in the story, exposed as sheltering their wealth in tax havens. But is this latest expose reputationally damaging? Or is the public suffering “leak fatigue”?
A bumper crop of Christmas adverts has been unveiled all aiming to get us feeling festive and in the mood to spend. Which retailer has found just the right combination of creativity and nostalgia to tug not only at the heartstrings but those of our purses too? And just what is lurking under the bed?
Started in 1921, the Poppy Appeal is one of the longest-running and most successful campaigns of all time. It is Great Britain’s biggest commemoration event and will see more than 40 million poppies distributed by 150,000 collectors. How does this enduring campaign continue to stay relevant? And as we move towards a cashless society, do they need to enable digital donations?
The first episode of Blue Planet 2 was the most watched programme of 2017. 14.1 million people tuned in to see surfing dolphins, gender changing fish and a herd of walruses. Not only was it the biggest show of the year so far, it was the third most-watched programme of the past five years. What is the secret of its whale sized success? Will viewers continue to be hooked on this underwater drama?
Boris Johnson may have worsened the situation for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British mother in prison in Iran. Mrs Zahari-Ratcliffe faces having an additional five years added to her sentence after Boris told a select committee that she was in Iran training journalists. Was this simply a slip of the tongue, or merely Boris being Boris? Or was it a sackable blunder from a Foreign Sectary who should know better?
What’s in a name? Puff Daddy, aka PDiddy, aka Diddy, aka Sean Combs has a new name – Brother Love, but you can call him Love for short. Is this a shrewd move by a master of reinvention as he evolves his brand? Or just a bit of birthday tomfoolery that was seized upon by the media?
Prue Leith put her foot in the cake mix this week when she tweeted her congratulations to the Great British Bake Off winner, nine hours before the final episode aired. Did Prue’s Twitter blunder ruin the finale and leave viewers with a bitter taste? Or for dedicated fans, was salivating over the ingredients more important than knowing the result?
Post Weinstein and the #Metoo campaign, Westminster is the latest workplace to be rocked by claims of inappropriate sexual conduct. The allegations are deeply disturbing. May has called for reform of the House of Commons “toothless” disciplinary procedures. Just how far reaching will this scandal be? Can public opinion of MPs sink any lower?
Campaigners were angered when it was announced that an anti-abortion charity will be one of the beneficiaries of the levy on women’s sanitary products, also known as the tampon tax. The charity will receive £250,000 for a project to help pregnant homeless women. Does the charity’s rigid pro-life stance make it an unworthy recipient of funding intended to help women? Who on earth thinks sanitary products are a luxury?
Paddington Bear has been revealed as the furry face of this year’s Marks and Spencer Christmas advert. Will Paddington be advocating that shoppers only need the bare necessities? Or will he be seduced by Marks and Spencer’s more indulgent creature comforts?
The popularity of witchcraft or Wicca is on the up. According to The Sun ‘more young Brits are coming out of the broom closet than ever before’ and the movement has its own hashtags and social media stars. Is this a passing fad that will be swept away by the next trend? Or are the new generations of witches here to stay?
Thought for the Day is deeply, deeply boring. Well, it is according to John Humphrys. In an interview with the Radio Times Today programme presenters John Humphrys and Justin Webb complained about hearing that “Jesus was really nice”. Is Thought for the Day out of touch with listeners? Or a valued moment of religious reflection?