BBC 'Tales from Madrid'

[Marbella]

If you can pick up BBC2 there is a TV programme on today at 23:20 called Tales from Madrid (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programmes.shtml?day=today&service_id=4224&filename=20060809/20060809_2320_4224_43574_60).

"Kirsty Wark and Adil Ray go in search of the cultural heart of Spain's capital city. Kirsty meets Anna Obregon, the actress and femme fatale who got on the wrong side of Victoria Beckham, and Michael Robinson, the British footballer who has become one of Spain's most popular TV presenters. Adil tries to keep pace with the locals in a city that is notorious for all-night partying and finds out how the country is finally coming to terms with the legacy of Franco through a top-rated TV drama."

[richardksa]

It's worth seeing. It was on BBC4 three or four weeks ago.

[Marbella]

It was worth seeing, I really enjoyed it. What a great city Madrid is.

Did Ana Obregon bully that shop assistant into giving her a free designer watch? It seemed like that to me.

[gary]

It was worth seeing, I really enjoyed it. What a great city Madrid is.

Did Ana Obregon bully that shop assistant into giving her a free designer watch? It seemed like that to me.


Yes I enjoyed it too ... I think "stars" hava an arrangement with the designer outlets to borrow stuff so that people get to see it...

I'm glad she (or rather the persona she saw fit to adopt ) bdoesnt live at our house.... though strangulation would be a cure

[Hernández Fiendish]

Interesting programme, much better than the usual travel show puff pieces. Ana Obregon though ... what a nightmare! I'd say Kirsty Wark had to bite her lip a few times and pretend to be interested in the diamond encrusted watches and Ana's sub-SATC script (starring guess who). The funniest bit was when a passer-by asked Ana for her autograph. Kirsty asked her (via Ana O) if she watched Ana O on telly and stuff and she said yeah well the autograph was "para mi abuela". Of course Ana neglected to translate this nugget! She also claimed not to remember the Franco years - she was born in 1955!! Incidentally, I thought that the presenters, like a lot of foreigners (myself included), banged on a bit too much about Franco.

The best part was the interview with the creator of Cuentame Como Paso, one Patrick Buckley. With a name like that he has to be half British, said the presenter. Sounds more Irish to me but anyway. He's from Catalonia (?) and gave a succint account of Spanish social history over the years. Cuentame can be a bit Wonder Years at times but it's one of the few Spanish telly programmes worth setting the video for. Speaking of which Michael Robinson was on too. if I'm not mistaken Kirsty claimed 30 million viewers for El Dia Despues which is surely a tenfold exaggeration. He had a fair dig at Aznar and co over 11M. It's true that "Robin" is a genuinely famous and popular presenter though it should be pointed out that his Spitting Image character is also on Canal+ where he is one of the directors (isn't he??)

[Hernández Fiendish]

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=81&story_id=3440&name=Telling+it+like+it+was

more info about aforementioned Patrick Buckley, in case anyones interested.

[gary]

ISpeaking of which Michael Robinson was on too. if I'm not mistaken Kirsty claimed 30 million viewers for El Dia Despues which is surely a tenfold exaggeration. He had a fair dig at Aznar and co over 11M. It's true that "Robin" is a genuinely famous and popular presenter though it should be pointed out that his Spitting Image character is also on Canal+

Alan - see he went there as a soccer player from Leicester and finished up a TV star and Spitting image puppet - just what I was saying about being in a different an entirely different place.