Latest news with #AlMurray
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Visit Guernsey shortlisted for international award
Visit Guernsey has been shortlisted for an international award for its work marketing the island's Liberation tourism organisation has been shortlisted in the Best Use of Content Marketing category of the Travel Marketing Awards for telling the stories of islanders under the German Occupation in World War Liberation 80: Keeping Our War Stories Alive Visit Guernsey worked with broadcasters including Alice Roberts and Al Murray to share islanders' wartime experiences via social media campaigns, podcasts and award winners are due to be announced at a ceremony in London in July, when the team will be up against destinations including Visit Dubai and Travel Texas. 'Not easy to tell' Zoe Gosling, lead marketing officer for the States of Guernsey said: "This unique part of our story is not an easy one to tell."But by telling it through the words of those who were here and those who are passionate about history we made it shine in a way that is engaging, credible, and respectful."Visit Guernsey said its social channels reached more than 3.3 million views during May and June 2024, an increase of 43% from 2023, with a 400% uplift in page views on the group's World War Two website pages during April and said social videos by historian, broadcaster and author Alice Roberts were seen by almost two million Guernsey said a podcast in which Al Murray and James Holland explored stories from the German Underground Hospital and fortifications had been heard more than 250,000 Gosling said of the nomination: "This is acknowledgement by industry professionals that our marketing can compete with the best in world."
The Herald Scotland
10-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
BBC coverage of VE Day illustrates the fragility of today's UK
Anna Foster, meanwhile, was up in Coventry Cathedral to recall the Coventry Blitz, a 12-hour bombardment, the longest in the UK in World War Two. She had the better of it, I think. She was largely inside for a start. Rajan mentioned it was a bit parky down Buck House. Inevitably, in the hours before the official commemorations kicked off, there were a lot of memories shared by veterans and the families of veterans. Much was made of the fact that this may well be the last significant anniversary of VE Day in which there are still veterans of the conflict around to take part. The war - the pre-eminent event in British culture over the last eight decades - is about to slip into the shadow of the past; not for much longer a remembered event. Instead, it's shifting to a historical one. Read more How will that change things going forward? Because such public celebrations are never wholly about the past. They're narratives to tell a story about how we see ourselves now. As historian Dr Tessa Dunlop and comedian Al Murray - also described, rather curiously, as a 'lifelong World War Two enthusiast' - pointed out to Naga Munchetty over on 5 Live, in the decades after the war there were no VE Day celebrations. 'They didn't exist,' Dunlop pointed out. 'The war was over,' Murray added. It wasn't until the 1980s that they became a thing again. 'We were looking to prove that we fought the right war,' Dunlop suggested of the revival. 'It was 40 years on. And we've taken that commemorative vibe and we're run forward with it.' Boy, have we. Don't mention the war? These days we never shut up about it. The temptation, I guess, is to suggest all this Second World War cosplay is some kind of post-Brexity assertion of the UK's uniqueness. A reminder that our plucky little island stood alone against the Nazi threat (overlooking the fact that even in 1940 there was the small matter of the Commonwealth behind us). But I wonder if it is more a reflection that the UK really doesn't know what it is these days. As Scotland continues to debate the pros and cons of independence and with America an unreliable friend in this age of Trump, could it be that the past is the place we feel safest? Then again, as Al Murray also pointed out to Munchetty, it's not as if the fight against fascism can be safely consigned to history. Al Murray (Image: Ash Mills) 'With global events - what's happening in the rest of the world, in Ukraine for instance - the things that were being fought for aren't that far off.' There's a cheery thought and possibly why I turned over to Radio 2 in the afternoon for Mark Goodier's Most Played: the Billion Streamers. A follow-up to a couple of programmes the DJ helmed over Easter weekend, this was a simple idea for a broadcast. Everything played had to have racked up a billion plays (and counting) on streamers. There were a few surprise inclusions and omissions. Who knew that there's only one U2 song that so far qualifies, With or Without You? Or that Billy Joel's two tunes in the billion bracket are Uptown Girl (perhaps no real surprise) and Piano Man. Not We Didn't Start the Fire. Oh, and did you know that Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas was streamed 400,000 times at the beginning of May? Anyway, this was also a reminder that Goodier, the current presenter of Pick of the Pops, is a reliable radio voice; an unflashy, steady presence well suited to Radio 2. In an era in which the station remains obsessed with platforming comedians (Ellie Taylor being the latest, sitting in for Sara Cox; she was decent enough if a little subdued), it's good to be reminded that there is still room for radio veterans like Goodier and Tony Blackburn. And if you want a pop fact to drop at the pub this weekend? Well, in February Taylor Swift racked up 100 billion streams. Now, as it's estimated that a billion streams is worth roughly about $1m, it's safe to say, Taylor can probably afford to stand a few rounds if she ever happens to drop in to your local. Listen Out For: Pretender Prince, Radio 4, Friday, May 16, 2.15pm Jack Lowden (Image: PA) Jack Lowden, no less, is the narrator of this drama documentary covering the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Lorne Macdonald plays the Prince.
The Herald Scotland
06-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
What does BBC coverage of VE Day anniversary tell us about UK today?
Anna Foster, meanwhile, was up in Coventry Cathedral to recall the Coventry Blitz, a 12-hour bombardment, the longest in the UK in World War Two. She had the better of it, I think. She was largely inside for a start. Rajan mentioned it was a bit parky down Buck House. Inevitably, in the hours before the official commemorations kicked off, there were a lot of memories shared by veterans and the families of veterans. Much was made of the fact that this may well be the last significant anniversary of VE Day in which there are still veterans of the conflict around to take part. The war - the pre-eminent event in British culture over the last eight decades - is about to slip into the shadow of the past; not for much longer a remembered event. Instead, it's shifting to a historical one. Read more How will that change things going forward? Because such public celebrations are never wholly about the past. They're narratives to tell a story about how we see ourselves now. As historian Dr Tessa Dunlop and comedian Al Murray - also described, rather curiously, as a 'lifelong World War Two enthusiast' - pointed out to Naga Munchetty over on 5 Live, in the decades after the war there were no VE Day celebrations. 'They didn't exist,' Dunlop pointed out. 'The war was over,' Murray added. It wasn't until the 1980s that they became a thing again. 'We were looking to prove that we fought the right war,' Dunlop suggested of the revival. 'It was 40 years on. And we've taken that commemorative vibe and we're run forward with it.' Boy, have we. Don't mention the war? These days we never shut up about it. The temptation, I guess, is to suggest all this Second World War cosplay is some kind of post-Brexity assertion of the UK's uniqueness. A reminder that our plucky little island stood alone against the Nazi threat (overlooking the fact that even in 1940 there was the small matter of the Commonwealth behind us). But I wonder if it is more a reflection that the UK really doesn't know what it is these days. As Scotland continues to debate the pros and cons of independence and with America an unreliable friend in this age of Trump, could it be that the past is the place we feel safest? Then again, as Al Murray also pointed out to Munchetty, it's not as if the fight against fascism can be safely consigned to history. Al Murray (Image: Ash Mills) 'With global events - what's happening in the rest of the world, in Ukraine for instance - the things that were being fought for aren't that far off.' There's a cheery thought and possibly why I turned over to Radio 2 in the afternoon for Mark Goodier's Most Played: the Billion Streamers. A follow-up to a couple of programmes the DJ helmed over Easter weekend, this was a simple idea for a broadcast. Everything played had to have racked up a billion plays (and counting) on streamers. There were a few surprise inclusions and omissions. Who knew that there's only one U2 song that so far qualifies, With or Without You? Or that Billy Joel's two tunes in the billion bracket are Uptown Girl (perhaps no real surprise) and Piano Man. Not We Didn't Start the Fire. Oh, and did you know that Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas was streamed 400,000 times at the beginning of May? Anyway, this was also a reminder that Goodier, the current presenter of Pick of the Pops, is a reliable radio voice; an unflashy, steady presence well suited to Radio 2. In an era in which the station remains obsessed with platforming comedians (Ellie Taylor being the latest, sitting in for Sara Cox; she was decent enough if a little subdued), it's good to be reminded that there is still room for radio veterans like Goodier and Tony Blackburn. And if you want a pop fact to drop at the pub this weekend? Well, in February Taylor Swift racked up 100 billion streams. Now, as it's estimated that a billion streams is worth roughly about $1m, it's safe to say, Taylor can probably afford to stand a few rounds if she ever happens to drop in to your local. Listen Out For: Pretender Prince, Radio 4, Friday, May 16, 2.15pm Jack Lowden (Image: PA) Jack Lowden, no less, is the narrator of this drama documentary covering the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie. Lorne Macdonald plays the Prince.
FACT
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- FACT
The return of the annual Dubai Comedy Festival is confirmed
If laughter is the best medicine, then the annual Dubai Comedy Festival 2025 is an overdose we all eagerly await. Returning for its next edition this autumn, the ten-day event will have audiences roaring with laughter as it descends upon Dubai from 2 to 12 October. Presented by Dubai Calendar, and collectively produced by BRAG, Live Nation, and DXB Live, the festival will take place across multiple hotspots across the city – Dubai Opera and The Theatre at Mall of the Emirates included. While the exact line-up is yet to be announced, over 90 comedic talents are expected set to perform over a span of ten days. For the uninitiated, past editions of the festival have brought the likes of Al Murray, Eddie Griffin, Frank Skinner, Gad Elmaleh, Maz Jobrani, Mo Amer, Mo Gilligan, and Russell Peters to Dubai, hosting sell-out shows year after year. The 2025 edition of the Dubai Comedy Festival wants to take things to the next level, complete with multilingual stand-up sets, hilarious activations, and late-night after-party fun. As well as providing a platform for the world's best in comedy, the festival is also proud to provide local and regional talents an opportunity to showcase their skills while transcending all cultures, backgrounds, and ages — as good comedy should. Tickets will go on sale next month. Comedy is the best remedy in 2025, so stay tuned for the reveal of more hot-off-the-circuit acts and comedy names. Dubai Comedy Festival 2025 is known for bringing outstanding talent to the city, and this year's edition looks set to be the best yet! If you love comedy, plenty of comedians are coming to the country. Trevor Noah will perform on 26 April, Kevin Hart will perform on 2 May, Jo Koy will take to the stage on 29 May, and Pete Davidson will headline on 25 June. All shows take place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. GO: Visit for tickets and more information.
