BBC Radio 2 #DriveTime protest, 30 July update

Letter from the 4,000+ members of the Facebook Group Bring Back Simon Mayo’s Dreamteam on Drivetime

Dear Simon and Matt,

I am emailing you today on behalf of a 4,000+ strong Facebook group to give you our personal thank you for eight years of a brilliant show. We want to thank you for eight years of entertainment, hilarity, and, above all, friendship.

Your show was like tuning in to a group of friends who were clearly enjoying themselves and bouncing off each other. Running jokes made us laugh, the confessions and Matt's laugh made us howl, Sanjeen's confession made us cry. The homework kept us informed and your interviewing skills when you had an expert on the next day showed just how fine a broadcaster you are.

Sitting in a car in traffic on the motorway can be a lonely place, we welcomed you into our vehicles and our homes and we never felt too alone. The Seven o'clock pips always seemed to come round too soon. People no longer have their friends with them while making the tea.

Sadly the BBC decided that the perfect show had to be messed with. We respect Jo as the excellent broadcaster that she is, we just feel it's the wrong show for her. When she was shoehorned in, the show became flat and Simon, you don't sound like you're enjoying it either. The biggest problem is the lack of Matt. Personally I can't stand sport, but Matt, you weren't just 'sports guy' (as referred to by Steve Wright) you were an integral part of the show and one of our friends as were Nigel and Bobbie. How will we know now whether it's ok to put the heating on?

The confessions podcasts used to be the highlight of our week. Most no longer download it now. Thanks to several of our group, we now have a confessions podcast file share with nearly every podcast ever produced, they make for much easier listening.

Your jingle 'It's Later Than You Think' is very fitting, we never knew it was so late in the shows lifespan.

Unfortunately many of your loyal fans have tuned out, Magic FM gaining a large part of your former audience.

We hope that one day the BBC can see the error in its ways, or that you can find another organisation to take your show and team to.

To quote the late Sir Terry, thank you for being our friend. We love you and we miss your friendship. Different times.

Suzanna has stopped ironing.

Regards, your loyal listeners

Anthropologie colour block dress

I didn't buy a colour block dress when they first came out. They seemed to be sold as dresses that took off inches. Now the colour blocking is less about creating hourglass shapes than having fun with colour.

This Anthropologie dress caught my eye because of the unusual mix of colours, and, with an eye on autumn, I thought it would make a good transitional piece paired with perhaps a lightweight Kettlewell silky top.

I snapped up it in the sale, along with the teal and white shoes from Next. It's my "reserve" for a wedding next Saturday. I'm not sure which dress I will go with. Probably the other one, which I'm not showing you (yet) because this dress can be worn to smart work occasions, whereas the other dress is more dramatic. 

The fabric is wonderful, skimming the figure in a kind way. I relished the chance to wear a necklace which my mum gave me years ago. She thinks it's some sort of rare stone but I'm not sure.

I'm looking forward to having a hair cut  next week. 

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The most amazing beauty find for under five pounds

I'm so excited to share with you a beauty find that's a real gem! When I was in the Lake District recently, I forgot to take a body lotion and my skin was becoming very dry. A general store in the tiny village of Patterdale had a bottle of the somewhat unprepossessingly named "Mitchell's Wool Fat Original Hand and Body Lotion."  I'd never heard of this brand but needs must, and it was as cheap as chips, so I bought it.

I've been staggered by how effective this product is! Forget all the expensive scented body creams and lotions - this one really does make your arms and legs feel smoother and more moisturised over time! You can buy it here. 240ml is only £5! My bottle - which you can see is well used and a bit battered - is a smaller size and cost even less.

Other products are available, including wool fat soap and shampoo.

The story is that Mitchell's Wool Fat Soap was first produced in the early 1930’s by Bradford chemist Fred Mitchell. He realised that the natural lanolin content of wool fat, which kept the hands of local sheep shearers and wool sorters so exceptionally soft, could also be beneficial to delicate complexions and sensitive skins. A simple and natural product, this soap is still made to Mr Mitchell’s original formula, based on a recipe from the turn of the century and incorporating lanolin from the wool fat as the key ingredient.

I love anything to do with sheep as you might guess from the blog title. Feta cheese, woolly jumpers, wool mattresses (I have a Herdy mattress)and now wool fat soap, so I'm a convert. And for this price, you'd be mad not to.

No products were gifted for this review

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Radio 2 #DriveTime protest update, 23 July

I'm starting a weekly update on the growing protest about unwelcome changes made to the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime programme. This follows my letter to the Director-General and other luminaries last week.  There's a fantastic group on Facebook and a petition here. 

Winter in July

Christmas often happens in July. Magazines are already preparing their festive editions and press and retailers will be showcasing their wares to bloggers and journalists. And thanks to some canny sales shopping, I am also showing you a touch of winter in July.

#DriveTime Protest

This post might not make sense to many of you (particularly US readers) but indulge me while I share a letter I've sent to the Director-General of the BBC, Tony Hall, in protest at the changes made to the Radio 2 Simon Mayo #DriveTime programme.

If you also feel strongly about this, please sign the petition. Keep up the pressure on the BBC by sending complaints. There is also a friendly Facebook group here.

LETTER TO TONY HALL, BBC DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Lord Hall

Director-General

The BBC

Portland Place

London WIA 1AA


Cc Anne Bulford, Bob Shennan, Lewis Carnie


July 17 2018


Dear Lord Hall

I’m afraid I am another of the BBC Radio 2 #DriveTime whingers, the people you assumed would “move on” or go away after our favourite show was dramatically changed.

I am writing to you by snail mail because the widespread protests on social media don’t seem to be eliciting much response from you, Ms Bulford, Mr Shennan and Mr Carnie. I imagine your social media moderators and PR teams have been keeping you appraised of the ongoing furore and there are all sorts of “defcon” meetings happening in conference room Frankie Howerd.

It was a sad day for me last Thurs when, faced with my usual 60 mile drive from work, (a senior marketing post I took up a year ago – showing that 50-somethings are not change averse) I couldn’t face the strident tones of Jo Whiley any longer, despite giving the revamped show a 10 week chance.

A drive time show has to have some special ingredients for the frazzled commuter.  Simon Mayo and team had delivered this in spades, to audiences of millions. That audience is dwindling by the day, as I’m sure you’re already aware.

After a stressful day I want to imagine myself in the studio on a Thursday with Nigel Barden cooking up a storm. I can just imagine the fragrant smells. I want to guffaw with laughter, as I’m stuck in yet another tailback on the M11, as Matt and Bobbie “corpse” at Simon’s put-on accents in the Confession.

I really don’t want to have “new music” rammed down my throat or another interview with a band flogging a new album.  I don’t want to squirm with embarrassment at Jo Whiley’s lack of empathy during interviews with normal people who aren’t musicians. And even the Confession has turned into a rushed damp squib. Simon has lost all his sparkle next to his humourless assassin.

Valour in admitting defeat

There is no shame in admitting you got it wrong. Good companies admit their mistakes and the public forgive them. Coca Cola and Apple (when Taylor Swift boycotted them) are just two.

If you’re determined to sit it out for a year and wait for the listening figures, the humiliation will be far worse and you’ll have to sack Lewis Carnie and do some wholesale moving around of presenters.

Hold your hands up. Move Jo Whiley to another slot. We understand all too well the mess the BBC has got itself into, with institutional misogyny around pay for women and so few women in top presenting jobs.  Yes, we know the problem. We realise you have to sort it. But parachuting Whiley into Drivetime has not proved a solution.  I have nothing against women on Radio 2.  I love Liza Tarbuck and wish Sara Cox could replace Chris Evans.  Janice Long and Annie Nightingale should still be on the airwaves. But Jo Whiley is not in their league. She’s a new music specialist, a DJ, and nothing more.

As a Baby Boomer you know yourself we’ll never give up. We’re not going to let it drop over the next few months. We are furious that a successful show was changed, without any research. The justification given so far is lame in the extreme.  “We want to attract younger listeners”.  Yes, as if the baby boomer population isn’t already the biggest cohort in the UK. As if “younger” people would be lured over by a 53 year old.  “The programme has been running for eight years.”  Yes, and Ken Bruce and Steve Wright have been running a lot longer – and both of those programmes need refreshing.

Please stop patronising the loyal listeners of Radio 2 and give us back what we want. Move Whiley to a 7pm slot, or do something with the horrendous Saturday morning schedule, and restore Matt, Nigel and all the other ingredients that made the original DriveTime show so special.

This letter will also be published on my blog, https://www.isthismutton.com and shared via social media.


Yours sincerely

Top picks from The-Bias-Cut Sale: Part 1

One of the most thrilling experiences I've had as a blogger was when I was invited to a professional shoot a few months ago for The-Bias-Cut.com. So I was delighted when Jacynth contacted me to see if I'd like to choose some pieces from the sale and style them at home.

If you haven't discovered this site, you're in for a treat. Jacynth created The Bias Cut (what a clever name) when she realised her mother couldn't find anything she liked in the shops. It would be wrong to describe the Bias Cut as a site for the middle-aged because many of the pieces could equally be worn by a 20-something. But in terms of cut and quality, the clothes suit everyone, and are ideally suited to the over 40s because we still want fashion but we don't want to look the same as everyone else.

The quality of the clothes is amazing and they make you feel special when you wear them.

A t-shirt is always a good buy provided they're not in a design that will immediately date them as 2018  (t-shirts with slogans in French for example). The Mimi t-shirt featuring fuchsia pink fronds (and also available in turquoise) has embroidered ferns.

I added some matching shorts (old), a new pair of Accessorize sandals and pink statement earrings from Mango.

I've long been looking for a classic but contemporary poplin shirt that can be worn both casually and to work. The Bias Cut has some great designs and I chose the Gibson and Birkbeck artichoke design, now reduced to £65. It's beautifully cut, and, the sign of a good shirt, the buttons are covered by a placket. I styled this two ways, firstly casual, with my M&S shorts and Adidas Originals Stan Smiths.

Then I changed the shorts for a green skirt. This one came from Sainsbury's and was last seen here. I love mixing up different finds from high-end stores, charity shops or supermarkets. If you do this you'll never find yourself looking the same as someone else. The gold mules are last year's.

I'm quite a careful sale shopper. I try not to buy pieces that are in colours that will date. I have a list of pieces that I need. For winter, for example, I already know I want a new raincoat. As I wear a lot of black, I will be looking out to see what's fashionable for skirts and trousers, and buy a couple of new pieces to pair with my existing jumpers and tops. Jewellery and bags are an easy way to bring an outfit up-to-date. I bought several pairs of statement earrings from the Mango sale.

Another of my tricks is to find bargains from the previous season.  On Thursday, I'll show you three more pieces from The-Bias-Cut's sale, this time two jumpers (sweaters) and a skirt. They are timeless contemporary pieces with real stand out. The only snag was, I had to photograph them in the current heatwave, as if I was styling pieces for winter! So that's why I did the shoot indoors, where it was cooler. See you on Thurs!

In the meantime, do share any great tips you have for sale shopping, and any pieces you've snapped up.

I was gifted two items by The-Bias-Cut.com

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It's coming home, just later than advertised

I couldn't resist going off piste from fashion to write about the extraordinary few weeks we've had, here in Blighty. Continuous sunny weather; the royal wedding, and of course The Football.

Last night England lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup, and while there were lots of tears around the island, we're all philosophical. At the start of the tournament we certainly weren't expecting our young, inexperienced team to get this far.  Married to a Spurs fan, I had heard of some of the England players, but not all of them. Who does Jesse Lingard play for? I asked, on the night we played Tunisia. Who's Stones? Who's Jordan Pickford?

I know now that the exuberant "JLingz" (Lingard) plays for Man U, and his social feed is much admired. I know now the back story on the players - how most of them fought their way through the mundane Championship with glamorous sides like MK Dons and Bradford. And I read how sales of waistcoats have gone through the roof at M&S, thanks to Gareth Southgate.

Two famous Croatians were critical of how arrogant England was about the semi-final with our "It's coming home" confidence. Goran Ivanišević and Luka Modrić thought we got above ourselves and under-estimated Croatia. But guys, you misinterpreted England's excitement, our playfulness.  How we couldn't help getting caught up in "communitas," the joy that humans find in collective experiences. We finally came to love our fooball team.

When we kept singing "It's coming home", we were referring to a silly song, the words of which speak about the agony of the England supporter over the years.  We did get carried away, but when you've suffered our sort of pain, it's understandable.  England is supposed to be the home of football but apart from the World Cup win in 1966, and a semi final place in 1990, we've had nothing to celebrate.

A telling BBC documentary, "The Impossible Job" told the story of the managers who tried to mould  successive England teams into a winning side.  At the weekend, Lady Robson, the widow of Sir Bobby, who took us to that semi final in 1990, read some of his hand written notes on leadership principles. But even Sir Bobby was pilloried by the English tabloids when his team failed to perform to expectations. Graham Taylor was famously branded a turnip, with his head superimposed on a vegetable, when he lost against the Swedes.

The nadir was two years ago when England was defeated by Iceland in the European Championships. We watched the match with lots of other Brits in the bar at the Greek hotel where we were on holiday. At the end everyone was speechless and left the bar silently.

Gareth Southgate's whole approach, while good management practice, is not rocket science. He tries to understand each player and what makes them tick.  He brought a leading psychologist on board to deal with the legacy of numerous penalty shoot out disasters. He launched his campaign by showing the young team how useless we used to be in the Olympics, compared to 2012 and 2016 when we punched massively above our weight in the medal tables.  And somehow he got the players performing as a team, managing to overlook their team rivalries,

Previous teams were filled with "stars".  The egos had landed. David Beckham unveiled a new hair style every time there was a major tournament. There were scandals off the field, involving the ghastly John Terry and Wayne Rooney to name two. On the field, they laboured, going for the long ball. Or trying to get rid of the ball as if it were an incendiary device. There was no nutmegging  (a new one I learnt about this time!), very few set pieces and very little of the fancy footwork of mercurial players like Modrić, or Sterling.

And in those days, we didn't have a captain with the stature of Harry Kane. Aged just 24, and completely composed, calm and statesmanlike, he was a towering colossus and is on track to win the "golden boot" award of the tournament.

It was wonderful to see the sportsmanship and dignity of Gareth Southgate, consoling a Colombian player who missed a penalty;  speaking to each and every one of his team and coaching staff after each match. This quiet, unassuming man often goes out of his way to help charities and worthy causes without alerting the papers in advance, or boasting about it on Twitter.

The next World Cup in four years time will no doubt see the return of teams who shockingly failed to make it to the finals - Italy and Holland - and the resurgence of teams who went home early (Germany, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina).  Even with these reinvigorated foes, the England team should be a force to be reckoned with.

The UEFA Euro 2020 championship finals are in England, so what could be a better time (and place) for football to finally come home?

In the meantime, I'll be backing Croatia on Sunday. If they're good enough to beat England.........

Sharing this post with #SaturdayShare at Not Dressed as Lamb and #WelcometotheWeekend at Claire Justine.

If you managed to get through this piece - with no photos! - you;ll be glad to know that normal service will be resumed here on Is This Mutton? on Sunday, when I'll be showing my top picks from the sale of a very special online store.

Fairydrops Scandal Queen Waterproof Mascara

I used to be continually searching for the perfect nude lipstick, but having discovered that bright colours are so much more flattering on me, I've abandoned that and replaced it with the hunt for a perfect mascara.

Oh mascara! How problematic this simple product becomes. As a contact lens wearer, my eyes are sometimes moist, and that, compounded by the eye creams I use, makes it challenging for many mascaras to stay put. Panda eyes is a constant bugbear of mine.

Lilac floral skirt

I've mentioned before that I have a skirt search set up on eBay that gives me notifications when new offerings from Boden and others are on offer. I like to shop this way because not only does it save money, it's re-using clothes rather than endlessly buying "fast fashion."

This lovely lilac and yellow floral skirt, originally from Laura Ashley, was an eBay buy for £5.99. I'm wearing it with a pair of old pink sandals, new pink earrings (Mango) and lilac top (Marks and Spencer). As lilac's in fashion this summer, I'm trying to buy nice pieces to wear for many years to come, because normally lilac is only around for prom and bridesmaid dresses.

I find skirts are The Best for summer: easy to wear, colourful, cheery. This skirt is lined which makes it a little less appealing for the hot weather. Here's a post showing another floral skirt, and ways to style it.

Sharing this post with Fake It Until You Make It at Fake Fabulous, #IwillwearwhatIlike at Not Dressed as Lamb, Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style; Creative Mondays at ClaireJustine, Style with a Smile at Stylesplash; Turning Heads Tuesday at Elegantly Dressed and Stylish, #SpreadTheKindness at Shelbee on the Edge, Chic&Stylish at Mummabstylish,  Top of the World Style at High Latitude Style, Fancy Friday at Nancy's Fashion Style. Fabulous Friday at A Pocketful of Polka Dots, Tina's Pink Friday  Weekend Wear at Threads for Thomas and Anything Goes Linky at My Random Musings.

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Sentence a Day: June 2018. A heatwave!

Friday 1 June
Worked at home. Got a lot done. Sun came out pm. 3 parcels including Cult Beauty 10th anniversary birthday gift box.

Sat 2
Shopping and garden centre. Bought 2 scabious, 2 heucheura, compost.

Sun 3
Walked to gym. Roast chicken. Planted heuchs. Went to see step daughter's new flat. Ran out of time to do a lot.

Mon 4
In office. Cloudy and cool.  Back home, blackbirds sitting on eggs in nest.

Tues 5
Had hair done. Blackbirds hatched. J had tooth out.

Weds 6
Stressy day at work preparing for a big 2 day meeting next week.

Thurs 7
Worked at home. Published SAD for May - read it here.

Fri 8
At home. Molly my cat gave me a mouse. She's 14, so good on her! Started watching Dietland on Amazon Prime. Didn't like it.

Sat 9
Our niece Sam's wedding. Glorious day. Held at a beautiful country house hotel. Free standing bath! I wore my "Amal Clooney" yellow (or tangerine, as it's described on the website) dress. Here I am with my sisters-in-law, step daughters-in-law (pic at top).

Sun 10
Stayed overnight at the wedding hotel, and were down first for breakfast. Sunny day. We were home by 10.30.

Mon 11
Start of a tough week with  four consecutive days in the office and four early starts. Our eighth wedding anniversary - we recreated this picture at Saturday's wedding:

2018

2010

Tues 12
Long day started at 5.30am and ended at 10.40pm. After work had a team dinner at Pho, a Vietnamese restaurant in Cambridge. The jasmine tea looked very pretty!

Weds 13
Lovely drive in countryside to barn for all day planning meeting.

Thurs 14
Meeting was in the office today. My turn to present. Around 50 people in the room. Went well!

Fri 15
Tired and glad to be working at home. Blackbird chicks in our garden will be fledging soon

Sat 16

The blackbirds fledged! The adults were stressed. Let's hope the fledglings landed in a tree or hedge.

Sun 17
Quiet day, usual gym session. Maxi dress shoot. Js son and wife came round with Father's Day present.

Mon 18
In office. Sunny. Flags are up for the World Cup! Left early to avoid traffic problems, as England were playing Tunisia.  Won 2 - 1.

Tues 19
Working at home. Sunny. Had a drop from M&S. Liked everything.

Weds 20
At work. Went for a pub lunch to celebrate a recent successful launch. But, sign of the times, we had to pay for ourselves!

Thurs 21
Working at home. Sunny.

Fri 22
Working at home. Sunny. Went to the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the V&A in the evening. Very interesting, particularly to see the personal touches of her life.

Sat 23
Went to the cinema to see The Happy Prince with Rupert Everett, about the life of Oscar Wilde.

Sun 24
Another hot day. Walked to my Power Plate gym. Had a late lunch as England were playing. Beat Panama 6 - 1. Sensational!

Mon 25
At home. Hot. Finished book After the party, Cressida Connolly

Tues 26
In office. Glorious. Walk at lunchtime. Divine scents of roses assailed nostrils

Weds 27
Got train to work. First time I've done this since I started my job ten months ago. It's a lot more expensive and takes an hour longer. Our CMO was over so we had a team dinner at a North Afrcan restaurant. I chose the vegetarian option.

Thurs 28
At home. Sunny. England lost 1 -0 to Belgium. They didn't have to win as they still qualified for the knock out stages, but we all  hoped they'd win.

Fri 29
At home. Sunny. 2.30: gave myself a manicure and pedicure. 3pm: removed the nail polish on my hands. Date night: went to the local pub

Sat 30 
Last day of June, another scorcher. We haven't had any rain for 30 days apparently. Water shortage already in Northern Ireland. Went for a swim in the Serpentine, an open air lido in Hyde Park. There's a mastaba, made of horizontal oil drums, in the middle of the lake.

Image: Pikview.com

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TBB asks: Vacations/Holidays

The Blended Blog is using July, a traditional holiday month, to find out what our plans are for the lazy, hazy crazy days of summer. I'll be giving a slightly different perspective as a UK blogger.

Shorts for work

Would you wear shorts to work?  In my case, yes. I work for a laid back company in the tech sector and as soon as the sun comes out, the men put their shorts on and expose their feet in all their gnarly glory. I would only wear "smart" shorts or pedal pushers. They're not much different from a skirt.

These shorts are from Marks and Spencer and they're in a lovely soft fabric and feel very comfortable. A few years ago, I always wore shorts like this on holiday with floaty tops. I've added a lilac gingham top, also from M&S, and some statement tasselled earrings. I bought several pairs because a fast way to jazz up an outfit is with some fashion jewellery. 

I also had a pair of navy pedal pushers from M&S, having read in the Times that pedal pushers are apparently all the rage.  If they are, hardly any retailers have them - or if they do, they're not calling them that. Apparently Meghan Markle was seen in a pair over the weekend, so there could now be a surge in demand.

The pedal pushers I ordered were supposed to be "sculpt and lift," but the tight, stretchy material was very unflattering and they didn't make it to these pages! It's a shame because I had some navy culottes a few years ago that were exactly the right shape and style, and I'm kicking myself for giving them away.

A good tip for finding out which length of short is right for you. Hold up a towel in front of yourself (with bare legs), and slowly lift it. You'll see how much leg is flattering for you. Then your challenge  is to find a pair of shorts that are the same length.

Do you / would you wear shorts to work?  Let me know in the comments.

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