Monday 5 July 2010

My favourite television - Cricket Writers on TV

My favourite television show - from the perspective of purely self-indulgent entertainment - is Cricket Writers on TV.

Indeed CWoTV it is the only thing I regularly watch

This is a discussion that is currently broadcast on a Sunday morning at about 09.00 hours (Sky Sports 1) and which lasts for one and a half hours.

That is to say, I am provided with one and a half hours (minus advertisments) of four cricket journalists sitting around a table (apparently provided with some coffee and croissants) chatting about the week's news in cricket in great detail (c. 70 minutes worth of detail!).

Yesterday's episode was particularly fine since it featured the genial regular host Paul Allott with my favourite modern cricket writer: Scyld Berry who is the Sunday Telegraph Correspondent and the editor of Wisden. In addition there was the personable and opinionated Stephen Brenkley, and also Vic Marks who provided a contrasting view to my own on the perennial issue of four versus five bowlers for test matches.

(In fact my own cricketing views are closely modelled on/ copied from those of Scyld Berry!).

I realize that this programme would be regarded as a form of torture by everbody other than myself - therefore although I provide a link to the audio podcasts below I do not exactly _recommend_ it; because Cricket Writers on TV is not really intended for you, it is for me - http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12172_6174957,00.html.

I find it heartening, fascinating, and almost magical that Sky Sports would go to the trouble and expense of assembling four journos each week (just the right number for conversation) and producing this show uniquely for little old *me* - and, despite the temptations of commercialism, to have continued broadcasting it for at least the past three seasons.

Well, I am very grateful; and will continue to enjoy it while it lasts.

Remember the name: Cricket Writers on TV.

But you need not bother watching it because it is *my* show.