World In Action

[Rizla]

I've been enjoying some episodes of Granada TV's investigative documentary strand, which ran from 1963 to 1998, on youtube of late.  I find I put one on and can't take it off, they're incredibly compelling TV of the sort that doesn't seem to be made any more.

This is one I remember seeing at the time, being as I was on the periphery of this particular subculture - New Age Travellers. Where are these people now?

This one's fascinating - really a must-watch -  The Blood & Guts Shift, following a busy saturday night in a Liverpool A&E dept in 1975.
(I posted this in the youtube thread in Picturebox - Buzby {natch} was kind enough to provide some salient info)

Conversations With A Working Man from 1971. John Pilger spends time with a 36-year old dye worker and his family in yorkshire. This, again, is unmissable. The technique, the craftsmanship, the subject. Real documentary film-making, at its very best. Some superb playful editing, a glimpse into a world that barely seems recognisable.

More crackers as I come upon them, please do the same if you feel the urge.

(Side note - it was always fun when the subject of World in Action came up down the pub, and the big ginger bloke that gets everything slightly wrong insisted, to the point of implied violence, that the theme tune was Mountain's "Nantucket Sleighride", and you'd have to get youtube up on your phone to show him, no, that was Weekend World, but that WIA did have a slightly similar sounding doomy hammond organ based theme, and he'd maintain that he was right all along. Ah, I miss the pub.)

[BlodwynPig]

Far far superior to Panorama.

Will watch the Travellers one now, thanks

[BlodwynPig]

Hope that Chief Constable died a painful death. Jobsworth cunt. Not even jobsworth. Just cunt.

[Rizla]

Watching Violence With Violence whilst I get the dinner on. This one covers the 1993 anti-nazi demo in Welling, after the BNP gained a council seat there. Part of young Rizla's political awakening, and his first time in London. Remember it like it was yesterday.

[Al Tha Funkee Homosapien]

Love all this stuff. Shows what a shithole the UK is alongside some proper journalism.

[imitationleather]

I watched the travellers one a while ago and loved it. I agree it would be interesting to see where they are now. Probably all boomers with massive bastard houses.

[PowerButchi]

There's a few on Britbox too. The one about applying for a job in Manchester is interesting viewing

[Glebe]

John Paul Jones enters thread going mental on an organ.

[buzby]

(Side note - it was always fun when the subject of World in Action came up down the pub, and the big ginger bloke that gets everything slightly wrong insisted, to the point of implied violence, that the theme tune was Mountain's "Nantucket Sleighride", and you'd have to get youtube up on your phone to show him, no, that was Weekend World, but that WIA did have a slightly similar sounding doomy hammond organ based theme, and he'd maintain that he was right all along. Ah, I miss the pub.)

The World In Action theme is called Jam For World In Action. It was written by Mick Weaver and Shawn Phillips during a session for Granada at Trident Studios, but the producer Jonathan Weston took the writing credit (see the comments for Mr Weaver's version of the story) as they weren't members of the MU.

It was never commercially released, but a copy of the master recording was shared amongst certain people
and came into the possession of the DJ/bootleg artist Soundhog who used it on one of his Radio Soundhog mixes in 2005, with Peter Finch/Howard Beale's rant from the film Network added over it. Someone took that section and put it up on youtube credited to Jonathan Weston, and that's when the story of Mick Weaver and Shawn Phillips getting swindled out of the credit started coming out.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Well, as long as we can all agree that " World In Action" has the most fucking depressing theme tune * ever*, bar none.

[jamiefairlie]

Seven Up was a WIA episode originally.

[BlodwynPig]

Well, as long as we can all agree that " World In Action" has the most fucking depressing theme tune * ever*, bar none.

Brush Strokes

[Famous Mortimer]

World In Action did a couple of episodes about Idi Amin, I think? I seem to recall watching them when I found a huge torrent of episodes once. They were fantastic, and the first one was when the world didn't really know about him.

[famethrowa]

Brush Strokes

waddle I dooo.....

[Twonty Gostelow]

Well, as long as we can all agree that " World In Action" has the most fucking depressing theme tune * ever*, bar none.

Would still make a good B-side to the Weekend World theme.


_{^{I know that's Nantucket Sleighride, please don't write in.}}

[Rizla]

Couple more belters tonight.

Slums This is an outstanding report from 1963 centring on an Irish family living in a one-room accommodation in Stepney. Long, hypnotic shots of London streets filmed from a moving vehicle, and utterly absorbing interviews with the mother of 6. Can you imagine a working-class immigrant being given half an hour of unedited speaking time on prime time TV today? I've watched this one twice already, it's incredible.

Gay Pride - Great watch. Covers the 1979 Pride march in London. Contains superb footage of local disco-funk acts rocking the kids and good old Tom Robinson MC-ing.

[Rizla]

.

[Menu]

Brush Strokes

It's wistful rather than depressing. Also incomprehensible.  I used to think he was saying, "And if you like matron(you like matron)".

[Menu]

waddle I dooo.....

Now that is a properly sad song. I think about it a lot actually. "When I'm alone with only dreams of you that won't come true. What'll I do?"  Heartbreaking. 


Also earbreaking when Linda Robson sings it.

[jamiefairlie]

Linda Robson, with your face like a world-weary turnip....

[Menu]

Linda Robson, with your face like a world-weary turnip....

Haha!