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Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Messages in this topic: 1
Clitheroe KidMay 24, 2009
 

 
Many thanks to Dean and Cymro for clearing up this mystery, which had always
puzzled me.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean Bedford" <dbedford@...>
To: <just-a-minute@...>
Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: [just-a-minute] Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (was: What have you
learned from Jam?)


>
> On Sunday, May 24, 2009, at 03:30 AM, Clitheroe Kid wrote:
>
> > Dean, I'd be interested in your thoughts on a question that puzzled me
> > in
> > those days. So far as you know, were the panellists ever given advance
> > notice of the subjects?
> >
> > You've mentioned the episode in which Kenneth talks about Marcus
> > Aurelius
> > Antoninus. When I heard first that one, it did occur to me to wonder
> > whether
> > Kenneth had known in advance that this would be one of the subjects.
> >
> > Although he was well known for being the most erudite member of the
> > panel,
> > to know so much about a fairly obscure historical figure seemed
> > unlikely,
> > unless he was aware that the subject was going to come up.
>
> Cymro has answered this really. As he says, Kenneth talks in the diaries
> about researching subjects in the week before a recording and David
> Hatch also said once when talking about the show that Kenneth used to
> ring him or Ian Messiter the week before the recording and demand a list
> of subjects so he wouldn't look foolish. Hatch said Kenneth was the only
> one who did this regularly and as a result he did end up with the
> obscure subjects. He said Kenneth was only shown subjects where he was
> starting the round.
>
> The issue was raised in the press a few years ago and the then producer
> Claire Jones said the current panellists could see a full list of
> subjects before the show. Most did look at it when they arrived for a
> recording say an hour before. Not all did - one exception was Clement
> Freud who declared that he had always played the game off-the-cuff and
> that was that. But even he has been seen to bring notes on to stage in
> recent years apparently so perhaps he too used to sneak a peek on
> occasions.
>
> Of course both Hatch and Jones went on to say that it's the banter
> between the panellists and the fun they have playing off each other that
> is the highlight of the show, and the real test of a panellist.
>

 
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