Latest news with #TheRestisHistory
The Age
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Writers, I'm on your side – now here's my list of complaints
Reading is my favourite hobby. What's not to like about it? It can be done sitting down and can be combined with other hobbies such as drinking a beer or patting the dog. And, while unwilling to put myself forward to test the theory, I'm convinced it makes you smarter. I'm a kindly reader, by which I mean 'largely undiscriminating'. I consider myself on the writer's side, wanting to cheer their endeavours in any project, however unlikely. Yet, even with a forgiving reader, there are quibbles. With Sydney crammed with authors for the annual Sydney Writers' Festival, could I mention some ways they could do better? Non-fiction books that go on too long Long novels are terrific – you sink into the world of Proust, Doris Lessing or Anthony Powell and want the pleasure to never end. With non-fiction, I'm not so sure. I'm interested to know about the Norman Conquest, I really am, but do I need the six-volume, 5000-page account by Edward Augustus Freeman (as recently reviewed on The Rest is History podcast)? I'm interested, also, in Lyndon Baines Johnson, a consequential president whose biographer, Robert Caro, is considered a genius. But do I definitely want to read four volumes, with a combined 3000 pages, and a fifth still to come? With Caro endlessly extending his efforts – see the recent documentary Turn Every Page – there's the danger, for a slow reader, that the life could take longer to read than it took to live. The fashion to eschew quote marks Some of our arty novelists are dispensing with quotation marks. I'm sure there's a reason, although they have yet to whisper that reason into my trusting ear. In these novels, the characters still speak, and sometimes they think, and – if it's a first-person narrator – they often describe things, and into this lumpy soup wades the reader, unequipped with the usual tools for discerning whether actual speech is occurring. At some point – I imagine it was in 1689 or maybe 1723 – some genius printer thought up the quote mark as a useful concession to the reader. I don't believe this useful invention should be so casually thrown away. I'm on the side of writers! I really am! I'm just trying to understand what's going on!!!
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gary Lineker: A sorry end to a BBC career
This is a sorry end to a long BBC career. Gary Lineker was among the corporation's highest-paid presenters for a reason - he is popular with audiences, knowledgeable and brilliant at his job. But it's an understatement to suggest he has also caused problems for his BBC bosses over the years, as their high-profile football host began to morph into a presenter with opinions that he voiced on social media. In the end, those two things were increasingly in conflict. This has always been about reputation management for the BBC. Lineker had already, in the eyes of BBC bosses, caused the corporation damage with previous social media posts. Mistakenly sharing a video about Zionism which included a rat emoji was the final straw. Live updates and reaction to Lineker's departure Lineker to leave BBC after social media 'error' From football sensation to headline-hitting presenter It was difficult to see how he could continue presenting for the corporation, particularly at a time when the BBC is enmeshed in another controversy surrounding a documentary about Gaza, which it pulled after discovering the child narrator was the son of a Hamas official. I think what's different is that on this occasion, Lineker regrets his actions. He has appeared bullish about previous posts, saying that while he regretted damaging the BBC, he didn't believe, for example, that comparing the language of a Conservative asylum policy to that of 1930s Germany was wrong. But last week he crossed the line. Lineker is genuinely upset by what happened. He is mortified that he reposted the video. His relationship with the BBC is coming to an end in circumstances nobody would have wanted, but some might have predicted. He seemed unable or unwilling to accept that his high profile might prevent him from voicing strongly-held views that many believed had an impact on the BBC's need for impartiality. We live increasingly in an age when people want to express their opinions, and often do. Social media has given everyone a platform, and high-profile media figures have huge followings. He could not keep quiet. In the end, it brought him down. But he is a successful podcast entrepreneur, owning a third of the shares in Goalhanger, the company behind hit shows including The Rest is History and The Rest is Politics. I would also not be surprised if he does appear in the future on TV, perhaps even as a presenter of the World Cup for another outlet. He has shown contrition, but it has been a damaging few days. Gary Lineker: A sorry end to a BBC career New Match of the Day presenters announced How Gary Lineker went from football sensation to headline-hitting presenter
Spectator
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Spare us from podcast host plugs
I've spent most of my working life producing radio commercials. You might expect me to say this, given my job, but when hosts read out ads on their own podcasts, I find it embarrassing. On commercial radio and television, viewers and listeners have always understood that the ads pay for the programmes and they're fine with that – on one condition. The ads must be separated from the programmes in a commercial break. This has always been the unspoken agreement between advertisers and their audiences: a programme might be interrupted but at least it stays honest to itself. Podcast hosts are trashing this time-honoured contract when they read out the ads themselves. Authoritative people such as Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland on The Rest is History, or Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster on Triggernometry, risk appearing disingenuous and cheap. It's so jarring to hear them interrupt their own informative dialogue to read out copy for money, saying things they almost certainly don't believe. It somehow makes us slightly more suspicious of everything else they say. On TV, this would be unthinkable. Imagine an episode of Downton Abbey in which Lord Grantham suddenly turns to camera and says 'Hi, I'm Hugh Bonneville and I've just bought the new Samsung Galaxy S24', then demonstrates its features by WhatsApping a photo to the butler. The better the podcast, the worse the offence. For me, podcasts don't come much better than The Rest is Entertainment. I bow to no one in my admiration for everything Richard Osman and Marina Hyde write, say and do. Everything except for their inauthentic readings of ads on their podcast. The issue here is a big one. Listeners rely on these two for intelligent and impartial recommendations but they're now making us wonder how impartial they really are. In a recent episode, sponsored by Sky, they were shamelessly plugging a series called Hacks. Fine. Hacks is a Sky show, Uncle Rupert is paying for their endorsement, we get it. But five minutes later they're avidly puffing Amazon Prime's Last One Laughing. How do we know that Jeff Bezos isn't also paying for their joint effusion? I'm fairly certain that he isn't but we're no longer 100 per cent sure. In last week's episode, Marina went into weirdly gushing detail about Glen Powell's new range of sauces. And this wasn't even an official ad. Or was it? Who knows? When our favourite hosts start trying to flog us products we're pretty sure they don't use, it feels like betrayal When the hosts read out the ads themselves, their independence and integrity is compromised. This is particularly pertinent to podcasts because we develop a far more personal relationship with their presenters than we do on other platforms. Most of the time we switch on the TV or radio without really knowing what's on; with a podcast we make a very deliberate choice. We have our favourites, based on a liking for the topics and, importantly, for the hosts. So when our favourite hosts start trying to flog us products we're pretty sure they don't use, it feels like betrayal. When I've spoken to podcast producers, they try to tell me otherwise. They'll claim that listeners love these personal endorsements – but I don't think they do. The hosts are made to read out the ads because it costs nothing and the podcast companies can then charge clients a premium for these endorsements, however fake they might be. But in doing so, they abase their presenters by turning them into door-to-door salesmen, and not even very good ones. They're not actors so they tend to deliver their lines badly and awkwardly. They're either too loud and enthusiastic or they're flat, monotone and sound slightly ashamed. Which they should be. All this could be avoided if advertisers ran proper commercials, separate from the programme, just as they do on radio and TV. The hosts can retain their dignity and continue to command the respect of the listeners. Producers should do everything to preserve our sense of trust in presenters – because we love it when they tell us things, but we hate it when they try to sell us things.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Tariffs And Empire
The Empires Tax Back Anyone who has been reading these columns knows of my fascination with history. While this interest has always served me well, it's during periods of significant economic realignment that historical perspective proves most valuable. I've been fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with the historian Tom Holland – of The Rest is History fame. He's spoken at several of our client events – memorably at Blenheim Palace for last year's MAIS conference – and was the first person I interviewed in my '5 Questions with Steven' series. Our conversations often return to the nature of empires: how they rise, adapt and fall. Over dinner the other night, Tom and I spoke about US exceptionalism, with the Trump tariff agenda (which had not yet found its full expression in Liberation Day) an obvious contemporary example of empire flexing its muscles. As I write this, in the heart of the tariff tantrum, it's hard to say how this period of volatility will play out, but we can look to history for guidance – though as always, we should be cautious about drawing too many direct comparisons. History rhymes, it rarely repeats. There are a couple of useful concepts that spring immediately to mind. First, of course, there's the Thucydides Trap, which many have used to describe the clash between the dominant power (the US) and the rising power (China). There's also Ferguson's Law - cited by another celebrated MAIS alumnus, Niall Ferguson - which states that the decline of a great power tends to occur when the amount it spends servicing its debt exceeds its defense spending for a prolonged period of time. Niall's full paper is well worth a read. The historian Paul Kennedy coined the phrase 'Imperial Overstretch' in his 1987 book 'The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers' – an idea later expanded upon by Jack Snyder in 'Myths of Empire.' Their work raises fascinating questions: is there something inherent within imperial systems that leads to overreach? Or are such bold extensions of power necessary for empire maintenance, only becoming problematic when they fail? History is lived forwards but understood backwards, making it tempting to see inevitability in decline where there may have been only contingency. Two historical examples offer particularly relevant insights for our current moment. The British Empire's time in India nearly ended before it truly began. In the mid-18th century, the British East India Company dramatically expanded its influence, first commercially, then through military and political means. The Company's aggressive pursuit of territorial and economic control, combined with punitive taxation and trade monopolization, led to the Indian Mutiny of 1857. The British response proved surprisingly nuanced. After an initially brutal reaction, Palmerston's government recognized they risked losing their Indian territories entirely. The Crown took direct control from the East India Company, abolishing several inflammatory practices. Queen Victoria's 1858 proclamation established a framework of governance that, while far from perfect, acknowledged Indian cultural and religious traditions. From a position of crisis, Britain invested in modernizing the region's infrastructure, education, and agriculture. This isn't to justify colonial rule, but rather to illustrate how imperial powers can pivot from crisis toward more sustainable policies. The Mamluk Empire offers a contrasting lesson. From 1250, the Mamluks exercised near-total control over Red Sea trade, particularly in spices from the East Indies. When the Ottomans blocked land routes after taking Constantinople in 1453, the Mamluks' monopoly on black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg became absolute. Their response was to impose ever-higher tariffs – up to 33% at their principal ports of Jeddah and Alexandria – while forcing Europeans to buy at inflated prices. The Spice Routes This overreach had unintended consequences. The Mamluk chokehold on trade sparked European maritime innovation. Portugal and Spain, backed by Prince Henry the Navigator, developed new shipbuilding techniques and navigation methods, eventually establishing routes to the Indies via the Cape of Good Hope. The Mamluks, their income stream severely diminished, soon fell to Ottoman expansion. These historical examples don't predict outcomes for current trade tensions, but they illustrate important principles. Economic power requires careful calibration; excessive pressure often produces unexpected responses. Moreover, periods of economic restriction frequently spark innovation in unexpected places. There's an assumption that the US is a declining power, but periods of volatility lead to extraordinary and sometimes unpredictable responses and results. And empires move slowly. American hegemony could continue for another century or two; what is clear is that the current moment is critical and pivotal for the superpower. As we navigate today's challenges, perhaps the most valuable historical insight is this: while we can clearly analyze past periods of economic transformation, understanding such moments while living through them proves far more challenging. The task isn't to draw exact parallels but to maintain perspective as events unfold. After all, today's headlines will be tomorrow's history lessons. The question is: what will those lessons be?
Telegraph
27-03-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
BBC scraps podcast adverts after Gary Lineker complains it would harm his business
The BBC has scrapped plans to run advertisements on its radio and podcasts after Gary Lineker warned it would harm his business. The corporation had outlined proposals to place advertisements around some of its programming in the UK when streamed on platforms such as Apple and Spotify. But the plans have been shelved after rivals including Goalhanger, the podcast company run by Mr Lineker, warned of a 'disastrous' impact on the market. A BBC spokesman said: 'We have listened to feedback and having considered the options carefully, we have decided to rule out placing adverts around BBC licence-fee funded programmes on third-party podcast platforms in the UK. 'We will continue to support the audio sector and the wider market, investing in the best ideas and developing production capabilities across the UK.' The BBC had been considering introducing advertising to programmes such as The Archers, Desert Island Discs and In Our Time in an effort to boost revenues. Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, is trying to expand income from the BBC's commercial division as he grapples with a squeeze on licence fee funding and a £500m black hole in the broadcaster's finances. However, insiders said the BBC was dropping the advertisement plans as they recognised the strength of feeling among rivals. The decision is expected to be confirmed in the BBC annual plan due to be published early next week. Mr Lineker's Goalhanger, which produces shows including The Rest is Politics and The Rest is History, was one of 20 media companies to hit out at the proposals, arguing that the BBC would cannibalise advertising revenues and crowd out smaller players. Goalhanger, which was founded by the former England footballer in 2022, claims to be the UK's largest independent podcast group with its shows downloaded over 400m times worldwide last year. The Match of the Day presenter also remains the BBC's highest-paid star. In a letter last summer to Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary at the time, the media companies wrote: 'The impact of it extracting audio advertising funds from the nascent UK podcasting market would be disastrous, especially for the numerous small independent podcast producers.' The News Media Association, which represents local and national publishers, branded the plans 'catastrophic'. Critics warned against allowing the BBC, which is funded by the licence fee, to muscle into the nascent podcasting market. Podcast advertising generated revenues of £76m in 2022, compared to the BBC's total income of £5.7bn. Andy Carter, the former Conservative MP, also warned about the impact on consumers, saying those who did not use BBC Sounds would 'in effect be paying twice'. It comes after the BBC announced a shake-up to its Sounds streaming platform that will see expats cut off from scores of radio stations and podcasts. The BBC said it was developing ways of increasing commercial revenues internationally while growing Sounds in the UK through initiatives such as releasing podcasts first on its own platform before releasing them to third parties such as Apple and Spotify.
