Today's page seven story tells the story of "singing sister" Linda Nolan who has pulled out of musical Blood Brothers after being diagnosed with breast cancer. But can it guarantee being able to tell one Nolan sister from the other? Apparently not. guaranteed," says the strapline on the Daily Mirror. "In this world where ratings count and every viewer is appreciated, I am not sure that providing comfort to Dennis Nilsen ranks as one of our proudest achievements," Archie tells Monkey.
But as Archie Baron, the series producer at the show's production company Takeaway Media, puts it, this is not something they are going to shout about. In the electronic missives, the one-time army cook, policeman and mass murderer expresses his fondness for the show, which explores the origin of well known phrases and words. The folk behind BBC2 word show Balderdash & Piffle presented by journalist and poker fan Victoria Coren have just been made aware of recent "communications" from Dennis Nilsen to a blog.
Monkey knows TV producers can't choose their television audience, but this is ridiculous. "Mountains ask for a big score, but there are points which don't ask for a big score as well." You can always watch it with the sound turned down, but then you wouldn't be able to hear Sir David Attenborough. "We need to involve people emotionally as well as intellectually, and I think it's possible to do both," he said. Executive producer Alastair Fothergill today defended the score - think Blue Planet, but with more trumpets - after one viewer rather unkindly compared it to the Gestapo: "Ve vill make you feel like ziss!". But as any bird watcher will tell you, there is nothing better than a bit of peace and quiet for watching wildlife close up.
Close-ups of baby leopards were inevitably accompanied by saccharine strings, anything involving an eagle soaring over the mountains was accompanied by booming brass sections. The second was the booming orchestral score that rather got in the way of some of the breathtaking filming. Two things struck Monkey at a preview of the BBC's new natural history epic, Planet Earth. The Australian claims that Jaspan is trying to poach at least eight staff and Oz editor in chief Chris Mitchell is certain to have enraged Jaspan with this extraordinary advert he placed in the Australian's media section.
The paper fought back with a blistering attack in its diary, where it revealed that Age staff have taken to calling Jaspan Wee Chucky, behind his back, due to his resemblance to the homicidal doll Chucky from the horror movie Child's Play. His latest efforts have been directed at attempting to recruit several staff from rival newspaper the Australian, founded by Rupert Murdoch. Jaspan headed down under to take control of Australia's Melbourne Age newspaper in late 2004 and has been making waves ever since. Remember Andrew Jaspan? Those who worked at the Observer and the Sunday Herald under his reign as editor certainly do, where he was what Monkey likes to politely refer to as a polarising personality. When you consider the succession of nasty articles that have appeared regularly in the News of World about Kerry for many months now, it's wonderful to find out from News International just how popular she is." Mr Coulson, it's over to you. "What was particularly pleasing about this approach was the high regard, respect and popularity that was revealed for Kerry from the editorial team and their market researched audience. Clifford uses his Press Gazette column this week to crow how he twice snubbed News International - first when Coulson asked Simon Cowell to write a weekly column for his paper and second when NI's new real-life mag, Love It!, asked another Clifford client, Kerry Katona, to be its agony aunt. PR man Max Clifford's feud with Screws editor Andy Coulson just keeps getting worse. Max Clifford v the News of the World (part 36) Did you find it?' Yes, I'm going to live forever. "The BBC press office rang and said, 'We're doing the publicity for your Holy Grail series and we just wanted to check. This, belatedly, from Top Gear presenter turned ITV daytime host Richard Hammond in the Mail on Sunday about his new BBC programme searching for the Holy Grail.