Pano-drama

So, the new prime time Panorama, then. Sadly, and inevitably, I didn’t watch it, but it was good to know that it was there, and that it will always be there. I liked the editor saying that people were asking if they could “do” Northern Ireland in 30 minutes, as if they could “do” Northern Ireland in 40 minutes.

Anyway, this has inevitably brought about another article from Dorothy Byrne, Head of Current Affairs at Channel 4, about the new series clashing with Dispatches. She’s said this before, of course, and again it’s rubbish – especially as aWorld in Action graduate, who should be aware that for over 20 years, Panorama and World in Action were shown at the same time.

In any case, I can’t buy the concept that Panorama should be more like Dispatches - it’s on prime time BBC1. Yet the BBC do have an hour-long current affairs programme devoted to international issues - This World on BBC2. And this week, as in every week, it’s being shown at 9pm, opposite no soaps at all.