Indigo Issue 731

indigo 11.10.11

indigo goes behind the scenes on new student comedy Fresh Meat

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

indigo

contents

editor’s letter

new term, a new year, and, most importantly, a newlook indigo. We love the redesign, and hope you do too.

It’s only fitting that the first issue of term be dedicated to all you Freshers, which is why we bring you an exclusive behindthe-scenes look at the making of new student comedy, Fresh Meat. We hope you enjoy your first ever indigo experience, and we promise (unlike JP) we’ll still love you in the morning.

Now that the excitement of Freshers’ Week is over, don’t despair - check out new our feature, the indigo diary, for some tips on what to see and do in our fair city, as well as a playlist of songs hand-picked by our esteemed Music Editors to be the soundtrack to your first few weeks.

So that’s what you can expect from indigo this issue. But what to expect of Durham? Well, here are our predictions…

1. You will spend more hours in Klute than you will in the library. In fact, you may not be able to locate the building for at least another year.

2. You will acquire a whole fancy-dress outfit from other people’s discarded items on the Studio dance floor.

3. You won’t be able to stop yourself from using words like ‘lash’, ‘shlad’ and ‘banter’, however much you mock other people for it.

4. You will attend at least some meals in your pyjamas.

5. You will go to a lecture hungover and not remember a word of it as you were too busy trying very hard not to be sick.

So much to look forward to, right?

HS & RA

Page 6: The Diary of an (Anonymous) Fresher: discover what one Fresher got up to during their first week in this completely true and accurate account Page 10: indigo goes to London Fashion Week: Fashion Editor Tom Weller takes us behind the scenes of the week’s best menswear shows

Pages 11&12: Durham @ Edinburgh: we follow our finest theatrical talents as they take Edinburgh by storm

Page 15: Brontëmania?:

Gwen Smith asks why we can’t get enough of the Brontës

Page 16:The Adventures of Charley Boorman: we speak to the intrepid traveller/actor/friend of Ewan McGregor about living one long gap year

sudoku

online

music

music

film

“Poise and assuredness seep through the songs - Marling’s progression is astounding” Larry Bartleet reviews Laura Marling’s new offering A Creature I Don’t Know. Read the full article at palatinate.org.uk

Deputy Music Editor Will Clement interviews freak folk trio Megafaun, who hail from that other Durham in North Carolina. They talk being themselves, being a trio and being a ‘bedroom band’.

“In the race-torn suburbs of 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, budding writer Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan (Emma Stone) embarks on a secret writing project.” Eleri Anona Watson on The Help.

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

Indigo Editors: Hannah Shaddock & Rachel Aroesti indigo@palatinate.org.uk

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the indigo diary freshers playlist

durham food festival

October 20th - 23rd Featuring a Local Farmers’ Market, a Gourmet Food Marquee, a Poetry Takeaway, chef demonstrations and book signings, the Food Festival is going to be big. And delicious.

Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera Moves Like Jagger David Guetta ft. Usher Without You Sean Kingston Party All Night (Sleep All Day) Example Stay Awake Journey/Glee Don’t Stop Believin’

Durham’s first ever Starbucks is now open!

fittest fresher scouting

Once again, indigo’s fashion team will be scouring the streets of Durham to find the Fittest Fresher. They will be foraging at the Fresher’s Ball, stalking you in Studio and hounding you in Hound. If you are fit, they will find you.

October 17th Marcus Brigstoke: God Collar

20th Richard Dawkins: The Magic of Reality 21st Don Paterson and Tony Harrison David Miliband in conversation

22nd Alistair Darling: 1000 Days at Number 11 Geoff Dyer and Ali Smith 23rd Big Durham Book Swap Bring along your unwanted books between 1pm and 2pm and then return from 2pm to 4pm to get some new ones.

Go to www.durhambookfestival.com for more information.

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

cover story

Rachel Aroesti goes behind the scenes on the new comedydrama from the makers of Peep Show, where life seems to imitate art...

Get stuck in to some

FRESH MEAT

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veryone knows that life at university has a huge amount of comic potential: new relationships, perpetual drunkenness and sorry attempts at self-sufficiency. It’s not all cheap laughs, though – the need to forge yourself an identity, independent from that of your friends and family, for the very first time, means there is also plenty of inner torment to parody. This combination of pathos and slapstick is a recipe for television gold, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that no British comedy has latched onto it since the 80s. Until now. Channel 4’s new comedydrama Fresh Meat hit our screens last month and, at the very least, has reaffirmed that student living is an impeccable situation for comedy.

In August, I got the chance to have a sneak behind-thescenes peek at the making of the programme. The show was being filmed in Manchester, so as I made the pilgrimage away from my own riot-torn streets

in west London to those in the North, I felt a little oblivious to what I was risking my life to see.

In my friend’s bedroom in Manchester I finally decided it might be a good idea to Google the programme, and found that the cast included comedian Jack Whitehall, Simon from The Inbetweeners (Joe Thomas), Robert Webb (JEZ!!) and Tony Gardner (from Lead Balloon and more hilariously My Parents Are Aliens). To top it all off, Peep Show gods Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong were the creators.

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My fears that the show would be an out-of-date idea of university life completely evaporated

Left - right: Zawe Ashton (Vod), Charlotte Ritchie (Oregon), Kimberley Nixon (Josie), Thomas

The next day, slightly better informed and very excited, I headed to The Sharp Project where Fresh Meat was being filmed – the old Sharp headquarters, as my driver Walt informed me (yes, I had a driver, and someone put an umbrella over me as I got out of the car… not quite sure what

I had done to deserve such star treatment).

Getting exclusive coverage for world-renowned Palatinate might have been met with blank faces, so the ostensible reason for my presence was to help out with the filming of the DVD extras. Zanna, who gets to do this for a living, and I had to grab each cast member

between their scenes and ask them some questions about their character and the filming process.

While we waited to pounce on them in between takes, we watched some filming of the final episode. The first scene we saw involved JP (played by Jack Whitehall) and his posh friend Cunty Sykes, (a name

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

Indigo Editors: Hannah Shaddock & Rachel Aroesti indigo@palatinate.org.uk

the country in all halls of residence, and who now, thanks to Fresh Meat, is finally represented in art.

Despite the slightly onedimensional epithets that can easily be attributed to them, all the characters develop into more rounded figures as the series progresses. Ashton described her character’s journey over the series: “Vod thaws out and you see her insecurities as time goes on - people are quite scared of her to begin with … it was as simple as episodes 1 to 3 not really smiling, then episode 4, I smiled.” For Greg, who plays social pariah Howard, the

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In a week we’re all going to go back to our lives - that’s going to be really heartbreaking (Kimberley)

(Kingsley), Jack Whitehall (JP), Greg McHugh (Howard) Photograph: Objective Productions

which, after a couple of years in Durham, seems almost plausible) discussing a dubstep night.

As I watched Cunty dressed to perfection in battered jeans and a gilet muttering “shit and fans, my friend. Shit and fans”, my fears that this show would be an ‘adult’s’ out-of-date idea of university life completely evaporated.

As the day went on, through watching the filming and reading a few scripts, I soon got a good idea of what the show was about. Six Freshers arrive at university in Manchester having missed out on halls, and get thrown together in a student house. They are: girl from the Valleys, Josie (Kimberley Nixon), rebellious Vod (Zawe

Ashton), public school boy and wannabe lad JP (Jack Whitehall), introverted Kingsley (Joe Thomas), classic weirdo Howard (Greg McHugh) and desperate-to-be cool Oregon (Charlotte Ritchie). In fact, there is a seventh housemate, Paul Lamb (the invisible man), the eternal figure who exists (or, err, doesn’t) up and down

journey was a little more complex. “For normal people who show empathy easily and can support their friends easily, its second nature but for Howard he’s got to practice these things - so I think his journey is becoming more socially adept”.

One thing that changes over the series that involves all the characters is the bonds they make with each other. This happened just as much in real life for the cast as it did in their scripts, in turn helping their on-screen chemistry – which Ashton described as “art imitating life, imitating art.” And their camaraderie off-camera was obvious, with Jack roping Greg into some classic comedy capers on set. I visited the set one week before the filming wrapped and at that point the cast had been living together in adjacent apartments in Manchester for 11 weeks, which according to Jack seemed like “a couple of years”. Kimberley was mourning the end of the filming process: “in a week’s time we’re all going to go back to our lives – that’s going to be really heart-breaking”. Everyone else

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agreed that being with their fellow actors was one of the best things about their experience, with Greg telling us “we all get on terribly well, apart from Jack Whitehall who’s an awful man.

No he’s great!”

But, in fact, the idea that Jack Whitehall is an “awful man” has resulted in some unhelpful preconceptions about the show.

Having never acted before, and famous for his own brand of apparently divisively precocious stand-up, Whitehall was a risky choice to cast. When we visited, Jack was struggling slightly with the early starts his new career called for: “before this I’d only done panel shows and things like that and they’re at night so I’m very much a nocturnal person” and by the time we got to interview him, he was bordering on the comatose.

But hopefully Fresh Meat will silence his critics. Alongside McHugh, he puts in one of the best performances in the show.

The line he treads between, according to Jack, being “a bit of an idiot” and “vulnerable and insecure” is done pretty masterfully, with the audience never being able to fully sympathise nor detach themselves.

For the DVD, we also got the cast to tell us their most memorable filming moments.

Jack remembered having to deal with a misbehaving horse that JP finds a sympathetic ear in at the end of the series. “I had to control it so I ended up horse whispering it and managed to calm him. They said the last film it had done was with Mel Gibson – so maybe that’s why it was so angry.” He also picked out a scene where the housemates go on a protest: “if you have extras playing police legally you have to have real officers, but you don’t know who’s the real officer and who isn’t, it’s quite disconcerting if you want to commit criminal activity in front of them”.

Greg, who seems to be naked quite a lot on camera (perhaps due to Howard’s “slow-drying pubic hair”), chose the opening scene of the series. “I was semi-naked, my bums out – I had a sock covering my essentials – and it was just very bizarre to be half-naked, drying Peking ducks – but a brilliantly >>

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

cover story

Indigo Editors: Hannah Shaddock & Rachel Aroesti indigo@palatinate.org.uk

plied the Peep Show formula to a different topic – and there are definitely some affinities. For instance, the Jez/Super Hans dynamic: Vod is reminiscent of Super Hans with her hard living and twisted logic, while Oregon is Jez, so desperate to impress those she deems cool, that she will do or say almost anything.

But there are differences. This is far more of a drama than Peep Show, and it felt almost cinematic at times – using camera angles that reminded me of Channel 4’s Spaced. Thomas’ appearance highlights yet another possible comparison, but those looking for The Inbetweeners: The University Years might be disappointed. There is some gross-out humour, but the tone is altogether darker, more elevated and slightly surreal. It

The cast demonstrate their range with two very different reactions to a sombre occasion at the end of the series Photograph: Objective Productions

original scene to open the show with.” For Zawe it was the moment when Vod makes Howard pretend to be her boyfriend: “corpsing went on to a different level. It wasn’t even like

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I went out on a student night drinking Aftershock and woke up in my student room with a TV on my back and I’d been sick in my shoes in front of me (Greg)

being in school and not being able to laugh – it was touch and

go. I didn’t think we’d make it through the scene, Greg and I were laughing so much”.

As the housemates navigate their way through a cringeinducing Freshers’ week, we asked the cast to reveal their own embarrassing student stories. Zawe told us, “once I got so drunk I climbed into bed with my mum and dad.” And Greg recounted a particularly memorable evening: “I went out on a student night – drinking Aftershock and woke up in my student room with a TV on my back and I’d been sick in my shoes in front of me – and then I started to hoover up the sick with the hoover.” Whitehall and Thomas both refused to divulge their own memories – obviously worried they were too hardcore for Fresh Meat viewers to handle.

Because of the pedigree of its creators and stars, Fresh Meat will undoubtedly face comparisons to other British comedies.

There are accusations that Bain and Armstrong have simply ap-

is, as I had hoped, a refreshing contrast to Skins, where teenager’s lives are glamourized to a ridiculous degree.

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Once I got so drunk I climbed into bed with my mum and dad (Zawe)

A month or so later when adverts for the show finally started airing, I felt slightly apprehensive for the cast and crew about how it would look on screen and the reaction the

show would get. Inevitably there has been a lot of “it’s a bit like The Inbetweeners but not as funny” or “it’s like Peep Show but more awkward”, but personally I thought it looked brilliant on screen – evocative, realistic and with just enough Peep Show-isms to make me laugh out loud. The comparisons can only be positive –yes it might have been influenced, inevitably, by other shows, but Fresh Meat has taken the best bits from all my favourite programmes and put them in one.

And, anyway, when you mix a lot of old things together you get something new.

Or fresh, as the case may be.

Fresh Meat is shown on Wednesdays at 10pm on Channel 4, or catch up with previous episodes on 4od.

back at the house...

The seventh star of the show (except for Paul Lamb, of course) is undoubtedly the house. It looked like a run-down student residence had been transported into a television studio (and been sliced in half in the process – the upstairs rooms were on the other side of the room). The house and its contents were so meticulously designed by the art department that, according to Charlotte Ritchie (who plays Oregon) the crew even left beer in pint glasses to make sure there were bits of mould floating, which meant the smell permeated the set. And it certainly was evocative. In fact, the student squalor was so convincing that I had to restrain myself from throwing away the pyramid of empty loo rolls that were stacked on top of the toilet and disposing of the decomposing take-away boxes. Nice.

According to Charlotte “it was grimy, really grimy”.

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

features

Features Editor: Sarah Murray feature@palatinate.org.uk

Mystery fresher may or may not be in this photograph Flickr ID: DUSA

Ellie Ross

Day One

Sitting in my room all by myself. Mum gave me a lucky penny and Dad told me to ‘be safe’ and gave me some fluorescent cycling gear. My brother supplied me with two posters that he said would make me ‘cool’ - a cannabis leaf and a portrait of Chairman Mao. Slightly concerned potential friends might mistake me for a fervent Chinese revolutionary. I suppose they make my room look more welcoming for any visiting ladies.

Day Two

Woke up this morning dressed in a sheet with my

Getting to know you The Rah

Spotted: In most Bailey colleges, namely Hatfield.

Wearing: Jack Wills.

Extra info: If you don’t know what a Rah is, then chances are you are at the wrong university (for further education on the subject of Rahs, watch an episode of Made in

face in the toilet basin. Someone witty has scrawled NOB onto my head. Toga night at Loft was jokes, I met some new bezzies for life: Timothy, Charles, Vincent and Loofah.

They taught me how to joyride wheelie bins and down twenty Apple Sourz without chundering. For some reason they all went out wearing gilets over their togas, and flip-flops – obviously trying to be historically accurate.

Day Three

My mouth is dry and my head feels like someone’s biting it from the inside. I think I’m emanating vodka from my pores because anyone I come near greets

me with a gasp and wrinkled nose. Hopefully gash-time will happen in Klute later, rather than in the module registration queue. Three modules of hard-graft, two of intense sweating and one unbearable panic module later, I’m beginning to regret choosing the degree I have! ‘You should have chosen Lash-studies like me,’ chortled Vincent later when I told him about my epic timetable. When I asked him what his actual degree was, he muttered ‘Theoretical Physics’ and occupied himself with flicking through the Jack Wills catalogue. Slightly disappointed about my lack of girl action. Charles told me

Catherine Bradfield presents a guide to the many types of Durham student, from the dedicated rower to the Jack Wills-wearing Rah Chelsea). The big, sweeping hair on all Rahs that looks so effortless probably took a few hours to perfect and regular backcombing is required to maintain the look.

The Rugby Lad

Spotted: In the gym, on the rugby pitch or Lloyds/Loveshack on a Wednesday night Wearing: On the pitch it’s tight, small and you can’t see it for the mud. For social occasions - chinos and shirts.

Extra info: The rugby boys

tend to be the muscular ones strawpedoing WKDs in the bar, because they’re hardcore. They are always the biggest lads, doing anything and everything to make sure people know they are there.

The Bookworm

Spotted: In, you guessed it, the library. And the YUM café from time to time.

Wearing: Often glasses, and an intelligent, eager look.

Extra info: They are in the library before term even

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A week in the life of a ...

FRESHER it’s because I haven’t got a gilet yet. He’s already managed to bed 27 girls in three days. What a hero.

several pieces of tweed and latex from his wardrobe. I’m not sure if this is meant to be fancy dress.

Day Four

Day Five I have latex on my face and she has latex on her thighs.

This isn’t my college nor is she my girlfriend, but I’ve finally got laid which makes this a ‘Win’ situation. I think her name was Jen but her face says ‘error’. Need to get out of here before she wakes up and thinks we’re meant to be. Charles, Loofah and Vincent celebrate the loss of my Fresher’s virginity by cracking open a bottle of Frosty Jacks and cling-filming me into the shower.

starts, having already got through the required reading list. In classes it is the bookworm who always answers the questions, volunteering far more information than is necessary.

coma. They seem to be a type of super-student, their daily achievements putting the rest of us to shame.

Managed to accidentally sign up for the RAF. Hoping that this doesn’t mean I have to go to Afghanistan because I quite like Durham and I sunburn easily. I should have chosen waterpolo. Loofah came back with 94 biros and a delivery van. ‘Did you get that free?’ I asked. ‘No, but I needed something to carry all the biros back in’. Charles told me to dress up in tweed and latex for tonight’s Klute.

Unsure whether I had any of either. Vincent lent me

The Rowers

Spotted: At ridiculous o’clock, every day of the week, either on the river, or in the gym killing it on an ergo.

Wearing: All-in-one lycra. You can see EVERYTHING. Extra info: They’re on the river in the wind and rain, whilst the rest of us have been in bed for only an hour in an alcohol induced semi-

Photograph: Ieuan Jenkins on Flickr

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

music end of the road

Midlake give an ‘unforgetable’ performance Flickr ID:becca_ca_ca

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idden in the wilderness of the Dorset/ Wiltshire borderlands End of the Road is a fitting finale to the festival season.

Founded in 2005, this is a festival free from over-hyped

headliners, where bands play longer, more intimate sets, and where the food, drink, and decor plays as great a part as the music in creating a unique experience.

Dry the River was one

of the first bands on the Woods Stage on Friday, full of the new-folk energy that has been earning the band plaudits across the board.

After a build up of dry ice and strobe lighting, Swedish

Growing up in the Reading generation has unconsciously shaped our festival experiences and taught us to expect certain scenes that stand in stark contrast with the civi-

lized nature of Green Man. Set in the picturesque Brecon Beacons, it is one of the most popular festivals for fans of peace, love and first-class music.

Headlining this year were Explosions in the Sky, Fleet Foxes and Iron & Wine, all of whom gave spine-tinglingly beautiful performances set against the stunning backdrop of the Welsh mountains.

Notable highlights came in the form of Matthew and the Atlas, Noah and the Whale and Dry the River, the latter having played at Durham’s very own Vane Tempest Sessions last November. Laura Marling bewitched the main stage crowd with songs from her latest album, whilst Bellowhead inspired a mass hoedown with their irresistible concoction of 25 different instruments.

The chilled-out atmosphere, abundant musical talent and understated hedonism of Green Man formed the perfect antidote to dirty campsites and midday brawls.

Jess Denham and Briony Chappell

singer-songwriter Lykke Li burst onto the stage clad all in black, and launched into a mesmerising set. Headliners Beirut rose to the unenviable challenge of following her, their Eastern-European

influenced songs softened by tender vocals and lyrics.

Saturday offered yet more musical diversity, from the crazed Bob Log III, who played his entire set in a blue jumpsuit and modified bike helmet, to exciting electronic band Austra.

Sunday saw End of the Road veterans Midlake give an unforgettable performance, even previewing some scintillating new songs.

Closing the festival was the delicate harpist and vocalist Joanna Newsom. Her latebilling meant that her set could drop to tender lows without the overpowering blare from another stage.

Defending the increase in ticket numbers and the new, larger stage, organiser Simon Taffe has stated that “whilst bigger is not always necessarily better, it is not necessarily bad”. End of the Road 2011 emphatically reinforced this statement, with a lovingly assembled lineup and plenty of quirks combining wonderfully. Will Clement

Looking back on a festival-fille

bestival

green man Fleet Foxes were ‘spine-tingling’ Jess Denham

Smiley faces at Bestival Flickr ID: David Jones Maybe its the subliminal message behind the name ‘Bestival’ or perhaps the excuse to dress up to the nines in fancy dress, but there is something about this festival that manages to drag half of

the student population to the Isle of Wight in early September for four days of music and mud-fueled madness.

Now in its eighth year, Bestival has grown in popularity and size at an unbelievable

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

Despite living less than ten miles away, up until this summer I had never been to Reading Festival. This year I decided to rectify this and went on the Sunday, accompanied by my father. He’d paid; I could hardly refuse his company.

Music Editor: Jess Denham music@palatinate.org.uk every stage at Reading at least once, he fully deserved his spot on the main stage. With his perfect festival music, it was obvious that he was genuinely enjoying himself (he told the crowd so enough times) and his enthusiasm was infectious.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first

Unearthing Durham’s music scene

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Durham’s music scene runs far deeper than Klute’s 90s cheese and busking students, says Jess Denham

reading Scenes to behold at the festival Flickr ID: sister.m The highlight of the weekend for many were Muse, who played ‘Origin of Symmetry’ in full, complete with fireworks.

But my personal highlight was Frank Turner. Having played

festival experience, despite spending most of the day telling my father in no uncertain terms that he is not a rock god.

Julie Fisher

This Is The Kit perform at A Deer For Your Lamb Photograph: Shaun Atherton

ed summer W pace, one that still appears to gobsmack even its proud father, DJ and producer, Rob da Bank. Last year it was voted ‘Best Major UK Festival’ in the UK festival awards and it’s easy to see why.

With one of the biggest line-ups of any UK festival

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For more from Briony visit palatinate.org.uk

this year, the event hosted artists of almost every genre over twelve different stages.

The main stage saw three major headliners: Pendulum, Bjork, and The Cure. Bestival was particularly proud of securing the latter, and there are not many words that would do a headlining performance by Robert Smiths’ infamous rock band justice.

The weekend also saw sets from Katy B, Kelis, Noah and

the Whale, and the 2011 Mercury Music Prize winner, PJ Harvey.

The biggest success story of the weekend was arguably The Maccabees. Their first Bestival performance in 2007 showcased the small indie band promoting their debut album, Colour It In. This year they returned to the main stage and played some new material suggestive of a heavier, more electronic direction.

Bestival, however, extends far beyond the realms of music. Using the picturesque setting of Robin Hill Park, extra activities included the ‘Ambient Forest’, ‘Bollywood,’ a vintage roller-disco, a burlesque tearoom, and an inflatable church. As always, a fantastic weekend and a strong contender for festival of the year.

Briony Chappell, Multimedia Music Editor

hether you started at Durham last week or three years ago, you’ll know by now that our favourite bubble is pretty damn small.

After a week of hazy club nights you may well find yourself keen to experience something a little different. This is where Durham’s relatively elusive live music scene comes into play.

There’s a live music scene in Durham? Why yes there is.

Following Athlete’s acclaimed gig last year, the Vane Tempest Sessions have a variety of great shows in the pipeline including the glorious

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Durham has a a DIY and alternative music scene that belies the small size of the city - you just have to look for it

return of Dry the River.

A Deer For Your Lamb showcases an array of unplugged shows, with promoter Shaun Atherton commenting, “We’ve got some really amazing

people coming through, some of whom you’d rarely ever see playing a show in the North East”. Returning this Saturday, Edinburgh’s Withered Hand will play an intimate gig at Alington House. Forthcoming acts include David Dondero at Head of Steam and The Shivers, an experimental rock band from New York.

A new gig night is launching at Fishtank, home to the indie disco ‘Grammar’. According to its founder Tudor Skinner, ‘One More Tune!’ will feature “an eclectic range of acts, from the ethereal folk of Bridie Jackson to the deranged experimental noise of Waheela”.

However, it’s not all about the folk here in Durham, just as North Road’s Live Lounge is not merely a nightclub. As its name suggests, the venue plays host to bands from across the UK, with a past repertoire including Funeral for a Friend, Gallows and Twin Atlantic.

Live Lounge is now also home to the popular ‘Itchy Feet’ nights with their unique blend of 50s rock’n’roll, swing and soul.

For aspiring musicans who can actually play the guitar that sits in your bedroom looking pretty, both The Angel Inn and Osbournes offer regular gigs and open mic nights. Many colleges organise events to coax their talent out of hiding, with Van Mildert’s annual Jam by the Lake providing a fun day of music post-exams.

The Alternative Music Society aims to bring Durham’s developing live music scene to the attention of students through popular Mixtape Swap Socials. President Alex Appleton describes Durham as having “a DIY and alternative music scene that belies the small size of the city- you just have to look for it and you’ll find it”.

The entertainment hub of Newcastle is readily accessible, but this is no reason for Durham to remain eternally in its shadow. Live music relies on a supportive audience, so instead of complaining about the apparent lack of a music scene, why not help the existing one grow into something bigger and better? It’s what we make it after all.

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

fashion A

the shows

ttending London Fashion Week is exhausting. The shows themselves are in general incredibly short; less than ten minutes of strutting and it’s all over.

But factor in queuing time, seating time, postrun schmoozing/discussion time and a single show can stretch into a couple of hours. That isn’t to say the whole thing isn’t a lot of fun; it’s worth going down just for the people watching alone, but when you manage to procure backstage passes, it’s a blast. Scooting between photographing the models pre-catwalk, documenting the crowds queuing, and shooting the catwalk runs of some of the most prestigious shows from the paparazzi stage makes for a great day out, even if you can barely stand afterwards.

A ‘soft-space dyed jersey’ if you didn’t already know...

High-street menswear has some fantastic prospects for Spring/Summer, as fashion behemoths MAN (a collaborative effort between multiple designers, chosen by a select panel of industry giants) and Topman showed in their exhibition on the final day of London Fashion Week. The presentation itself took place in the open white expanse of the Royal Opera House: a decadent setting for a grand collection.

The first walk at Topman asserted that men’s tailoring is back in full force; sharp, long lines and the doublebreasted blazer (forever a Wall Street favourite) will be emerging as a staple piece.

Tones are relatively muted with creams and grey jersey taking precedence. It’s a highly directional statement, with a clean aesthetic and a sense of sophistication that Topman has been building

Fashion Editors: Tom Weller, Laura Gregory, Rachel Bailin fashion@palatinate.org.uk

towards in its past few collections.

The second run certainly had a different feel. Their press sheet described it as ‘a clash of prints… that dissipate into retro geo-print jacquards and are mixed with luxurious suede shorts’. Read this as ‘paisley, lots of paisley, pyjamas and borderline hotpants’. It’s a… bold look that combines printed cottons with printed shoes and just a slither of shorts to break it up. The Moroccan/Kashmiri influences are clear and, as detailing, the bold, burnt print will be fantastic.

Tom Weller From top to bottom: Topman’s excellent suiting at the Royal Opera House; Palatinate working the social media; BFC stage at Somerset House Photographs: Tom Weller

indigo at London Fashion Week

streetstyle

With the rise of photojournalistic blogs such as The Sartorialist and Nu Lookbook, streetstyle has never been so popular.

Pictures of incredible, unique style combinations can be shot, edited and uploaded for the web community to rate within minutes - rather than waiting for the next quarterly editorial shoot to arrive. As a result the world’s fashion events have in many ways become less a celebration for actual designers and more a parade ground for the hordes of fashionistas flocking to have their picture taken in the most outlandish outfits possible. This term indigo will be taking to our very own cobbled streets in search of Durham’s most stylish students. Visit our website for more details.

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

Food & Drink Editor: Molly Fowler food@palatinate.org.uk

food & drink

Molly Fowler helps you avoid kitchen disasters and culinary catastrophes with our essential guide to student cooking

Home alone a guide for first time cooks Shopping for food

The first culinary related issue to tackle is where to buy your food. The obvious choice is Tesco (all the essentials mercifully under one roof), while those with a bit more dosh head straight to M&S. If you have slightly more exotic tastes or higher culinary expectations, why not visit Durham market for

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If you have slightly higher culinary expectations, why not visit Durham market for a mouth-watering selection

a mouth-watering selection of meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables? Or Durham’s very own Asian supermarket tucked away at the top of North Road for some spicy treats?

much comfort, leading me to my next group of essentials – tins. Tuna, baked beans, soup and peas (even milk can come in a tin) provide the ultimate quick and easy food. It’s always good to have a drawer full of frozen goodies which can be easily defrosted and digested, such as mixed vegetables, chicken breasts, pizza and even a loaf of bread.

Cooking tips

Everyone you ask will have an infinite amount of cooking wisdom to bestow upon you, and I am no different. My first tip is to pop into Tesco and M&S before they close when you have an evening free and locate the reduced section, where you will be faced with a plethora of bargain buys, such as 10p bread or 60p pasta meals.

Secondly, try to organise a cooking rota with your housemates – cooking for a group is not only cheaper, but it also spares you from cooking on days when you have other things on your plate.

Thirdly, I can’t sing the praises of the Tesco Clubcard enough – every month you’ll get pages of vouchers and money off your shopping delivered straight to your door, which produces a feeling of elation I can only imagine equates to something like winning the lottery or finding a twenty pound note.

Lastly, make sure you take yourself to the Poundland in The Gates and buy a couple of containers as they are infinitely useful for storing leftovers, which can be consumed as a drunken snack or before an early morning lecture.

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Classic recipe: slow-cooked bolognese sauce Poppy Goldsmith

This classic sauce is much better than anything from a jar and guaranteed to become a favourite amongst your housemates.

(Serves 6) Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil, 800g minced beef, 3 rashers bacon, finely chopped, 1 1/2 onions, finely chopped, 2 sticks celery, finely chopped, 1 carrot, finely chopped, 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 1/2 glass red wine, 1 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp sugar, Salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp dried oregano (optional)

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1

For our Thai vegetable curry recipe, go to palatinate.org.uk

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer to a large saucepan.

2

Cook the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the same frying pan with the bacon fat until softened and then add to the bacon.

3

Lightly fry the mince until browned and add to the vegetables. Deglaze the frying pan by adding the red wine and stirring. Stir the wine into the meat and vegetables.

4

Stir in the tomato puree and add the tinned tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt, plenty of black pepper and a pinch of oregano.

5

Bring the sauce to the boil and then turn the heat right down, cover the pan and simmer for two or three hours if possible, or half an hour if you’re in a hurry.

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When ready to eat, heat the sauce and serve with pasta and freshly grated parmesan.

TIP: This sauce can be converted to chili con carne by adding a tin of kidney beans, 2tsp of chili powder and a pinch of cumin seeds

Cupboard essentials

As well as placating your mothers when they come to visit, a well-stocked kitchen means a lot less time running to and from Tesco for forgotten ingredients. Things like salt and pepper, cooking oil and mustard seem so obvious it’s almost not worth mentioning, but when forgotten it can cause a lot of unnecessary aggravation.

Being a student, words like ‘cheap’, ‘easy’, and ‘long-life’ no doubt provide you with

Although you’re unlikely to have such a well stocked pantry, plenty can be done with the simplest ingredients Photograph: Flickr ID: Mullicare

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

stage

DURHAM @ THE The Hot Mikado C Venues

««««« Julia Chapman

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ilbert and Sullivan’s contrived plot of the Lord High Executioner of Japan being commanded by the Mikado to execute somebody – anybody – immediately, which almost results in the death of the Mikado’s son, is undoubtedly ridiculous and somewhat grating, despite being deliberately ironic. Durham Fringe Productions took the absurdity in its stride, focussing on the satirical aspects of Durham Revue Underbelly

««««« Julia Chapman The Durham Revue production at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Durham Revue’s 33rd Annual Surprise Party! wasn’t entirely composed of new material, but my having seen many of the sketches before mattered little.

There was something invigorating about the performances

the musical and developing The Hot Mikado into a meta-theatrical gem which absolutely shone in Edinburgh. The house was full, the audience was in stitches, and the energy in the room was palpable.

In a space already too small for the production, placing the band onstage with the action was a difficulty, but one which was overcome brilliantly by the hilarious interaction that the actors developed with the musicians. The moment in which the Lord High Executioner shot the pianist of the band made for some excellent physical comedy, which itself was played up to perfection throughout the show. Comically the cast was excellent. Lines such as “Oh, it’s in Japanese. Oh, we are Japanese!” were made even funnier

of the actors, and the slight alterations to the sketches (such as a very well-received line involving ‘Hogwarts Brookes’), which made the entire show feel brand new.

Sketches which were particularly side-splitting included the ‘Periods in History’ series, in which the Revue interpreted the names of various wars in a phonetically literal way, resulting in the yawn-inducing Boer War and the ever so affable Civil War. A sketch involving the Brontë sisters sighing melancholically and confusing themselves about which of them wrote which Brontë

by the timing of the actors. The emphasis on satire also made some of the more dubious American accents forgivable.

At the helm of the wonderful cast was Alex Wingfield as Wanki-Poo, who oozed charisma and whose voice was exceptional. Adele Pope as PittiSing belted out the big notes (when they could be heard over the band) and pranced about the stage with sass and charm.

As the oppressively man-eating Katisha, Sarah Hollingshead was the only singer who held her own against the band. But the band should not be derided too much as their volume was indeed matched in capability.

The set was minimal, and the two Japanese screens framing the stage were more than sufficient. Costume-wise there was

novel and another in which Shakespeare discusses the absurdities of his work with Christopher Marlowe ensured that the audience was aware of just how intellectually capable Durham students are.

I hesitate to mention any standout actors. This is primarily because there weren’t any.

Formerly, the Revue has been strengthened by one or two particularly outstanding actors, at times carrying the rest of the cast along. Whereas quite the opposite was true of their Fringe production, which had a much greater sense of unity than they have had in the past.

The new lease of life that the Durham Revue has achieved is admirable. I only hope they can maintain their newfound energy in the coming year.

The Durham Revue gang waiting for the arrival of the Surprise Party’s unsuspecting guests Photographs: Fergus Leathen

nothing spectacular, although I found the get-ups of Yum-Yum and her sisters rather perplexing. It seemed that all of a sudden we had changed eras from

the Vietnam War to modern day Tokyo.

When audible, The Hot Mikado was fantastic musical fun, enhanced by its peerless performers - an undeniable hit.

Let the cast of The Hot Mikado entertain you Photograph: Jonathan Nichols

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

Stage Editor: Kathy Laszlo stage@palatinate.org.uk

FRINGE Looking Through the Glass (And What Alice Found There) The Spaces on North Bridge

««««« Katie Hall

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ucked away in a small venue on North Bridge, Through The Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There) was a perfect example of the low budget, good quality theatre that can be found at Edinburgh Festival. The small Durham cast were all very capable actors and the audience were treated to a smooth, polished performance from beginning to end. For a play aimed primarily at children, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I, along with other

Paul Moss: Getting off the train with two massive suitcases and a mattress in the pouring rain meant that the Fringe had begun again. My second year at Edinburgh: it was great to be back and the view of the Castle looming over the city was a welcome sight. I was performing in A World Without Words in C venues (one of the best places

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Every year Durham’s finest theatrical talent heads to Edinburgh to act, dance, sing and make people laugh.

We bring you the very best from Edinburgh ‘11

older members of the audience, enjoyed the performance.

India Furse, directing the play, made good use of a small space, particularly using the slightly unconventional stage setting (a black box stage within a larger room) to allow for entrances and exits from all angles, thus drawing the audience further into the action. This use of space was not only engaging, but also allowed for the square stage to be transformed into the squares of the chessboard upon which the young Alice finds herself. The use of props was similarly creative, with branches, strips of material and a hobby horse all being used in simply yet effectively, not appearing too simplistic but still requiring imagination. Though perhaps rather more to do with low budget than creative intention, I felt that this use of props played well to the play’s target audience of children.

Lois Edmett, playing the Young Alice, gave a strong performance, particularly in her representation of Alice’s distressed confusion, however, she was also supported by a similarly talented ensemble cast. Michael Huband, Freya Hocking and Rhiannon Drake were particularly notable for their versatility in switching between different roles. Nevertheless, the remaining cast members, John Foxwell and Madeleine Ratcliffe, were no less capable.

The use of lighting and sound was not particularly remarkable, but the understated nature of it was in keeping with the similarly sparing use of set and props. Upon this bare backdrop the vibrant costumes stood out, their surprising intricacy demonstrating a good attention to detail.

With a strong cast and good direction, the production’s

main failing was arguably the fact that it didn’t stand out enough. One of many Alice in Wonderland shows being offered at the Festival, this simple though accomplished production suffered for its lack of originality. Though the children in the audience were clearly captivated, the play perhaps

to be as part of the Fringe if you’re into theatre).

Seeing awful theatre becomes a bit of a staple for the Fringe.

You spend your days debating with your fellow cast members about who has seen the worst show, and end up acting out the worst bits in the process. This is all after copious amounts of alcohol, getting the minimum amount of sleep possible, and still trying to perform your best in your own show every day.

On the other hand, I’ve seen some of the best shows ever at the Fringe this year, including one which started at midnight and ended at 6am telling the story of Medea. Another saw an audience member be insulted for the best part of 20 minutes to ‘see how the audience reacted’. The performer got a shoe thrown at his head.

Naturally.

Oh, and Ricky Gervais was on the mile on a Segway. Not so fussed about that publicity stunt.

Sarah Peters: Somewhat of a Fringe obsessive, I couldn’t wait for this summer. Seven years after my very first visit to the magical city of Edinburgh, and you still get the exact same thrill as you did that first time you came. As a producer, mine was a slightly different experience from Paul’s; one of collecting keys, sprinting off to the venue with a mattress and haze machine, arguing with techies, and, well, bullshitting my way through the month to try and get as much free stuff as possible. In fact, it almost becomes a game in that sense: whoever can spend the least.

Winner is the one who gets the least phone calls from the bank about ‘unexplained costs’.

There was definitely a thrill surrounding the show. A World Without Words had just transferred from performing in London for two weeks in July to rave reviews and had now just headed straight up to Edinburgh. But with a successful show comes a lot of exhaustion for cast and crew. So, it wasn’t exactly a pleasure to be the bearer of the great news that our technical rehearsal was from 11pm – 3am on the day of arrival… A lot of bribery in chocolates and sleep the next day got me through it. But then you have that great moment where one of the biggest reviewers wants to do a spread of the show in the paper and you realise what this is all about: doing something you love, and hoping that people love it as much as you do. And I had the pleasure of working with some

had less to offer very small children than its competitors’ bubble machines and puppet shows. Nevertheless, the only consequence was that rather less people were able to enjoy this engaging, creative and entertaining production than it deserved.

“Engaging and creative” Photograph: India Furse

diary of a Fringe fanatic amazing people. The piece was co-created by the incredibly talented Frances Teehan and Jonathan Grande. And the cast were phenomenal. L ed by the stunning Emma Cave, Richie Wong and Korantema Anyimadu, all of our nine dancers were flawless.

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

film & tv

Bright spark or flash in the pan

Film & TV Editor: Christian Seiersen film@palatinate.org.uk

A complex but accessible remake of a seminal spy thriller, writes Sam Cane

What does the future hold for 3D cinema?

Gary Oldman looks expectantly at the Oscar Nominations Photograph: Press Association

Christian Seiersen

With dwindling audiences and disappointing effects, doubts have been cast over the long-term prospects of revolutionary cinematic format, 3D. According to The Economist, 3D films’ share of US box-office revenue has decreased by 20% from late 2010 to July this year.

Is the novelty wearing off for cinema’s latest plaything? A recent survey

by Ipsos Mori found that people in 2010 were seven times more likely to see a 3D film over its 2D counterpart than today. On top of this, various discomforts have been reported by many 3D audience members, including a trebling in the risk of eye strain and headache.

Esteemed directors have publically declared disillusionment with the technology. Maestro Steven Spielberg suggested some directors use 3D as a commercial tool without understanding its directional requirements. (We’re looking at you, Piranha 3D).

Don’t start writing obituaries just yet, is the message from cinemas. After all investment has been heavy, with 1,065 3D-enabled screens reported in the UK at the beginning of 2011.

Classic flicks such as Top Gun, The Lion King, and Titanic have all been signed up for 3D-remakes.

Spielberg’s upcoming Adventures of Tintin, which was shot entirely in 3D, will be the best post-Avatar indicator of the technology’s cinematic value. Eventually it is hoped the industry develops enough that in a purging act of self-flagellation, Shark Night 3D will be criminalized.

To read this article in full, visit www. palatinate.org.uk.

Reviewed: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tomas Alfredson

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In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is cajoled from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet mole within the ‘Circus’, the highest echelon of the SIS (MI6).

I

f the idea of a remake inevitably excites a perennial cynicism in the minds of purists, they can rest assured: Working Title’s cinematic take on Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy echoes the 1979 BBC classic as an impeccably acted and directed version of the seminal spy thriller. The story revolves around the investigation of various senior British intelli-

gence officers under suspicion of being a Russian mole from the Circus chief, Control (John Hurt). Each of the suspected officers are assigned code names: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Poor Man and Beggar Man. The iconic meeting room shot of the key players – Control, George Smiley, Bill Haydon (Colin Firth), Percy Alleline (Toby Jones) and Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds) – resembles a showcase for British thespianism, so it is little wonder that the early stages of the film are a compelling interplay of mentors and protégés. In The Elephant Man, Toby Jones’ actor father, Freddie, was Bytes, the callous helm of the freak show that paraded Hurt’s title character as a mere object. Now Hurt assumes authority, casting a wary eye over Jones Jnr’s fervent networking in a circus that is anything but public.

Having been forced out of the SIS by the ruthlessly ambitious

Alleline, Smiley is coaxed back in by Control and Sir Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney).

Temporarily breaking from the suited machinations of this Old Boys’ Club, Smiley heads to Oxford, to meet with Connie Sachs (an immaculate turn by Oldman’s Nil by Mouth collaborator

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Oldman renders what is at most a monochrome demeanor into something mesmerizing

Kathy Burke). Eccentric yet encyclopedic in her knowledge of Soviet Intelligence, Sachs beautifully placates Smiley’s doleful manner, her retirement inglorious not so much through prevailing alcoholism

but through her sense of feeling “seriously under-fucked”.

Anyone expecting striking images of Oxford similar to that so memorably accompanied by the Nunc dimittis on the small screen will be disappointed, though a magnificent shot of Paris reminds us how cosmopolitan the story is. London, Budapest and Istanbul all feature in an intricate, multi-layered narrative that is as nuanced as it is suspenseful. Perhaps the standout performances come from Hurt, who makes brooding into an art form, and, of course, from Oldman, who, like Alec Guinness’ Smiley, renders what is at most a monochrome demeanor into something mesmerizing to observe.

Complex but accessible, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy balances narratological depth with pure drama, giving a renowned saga a fresh, compulsively watchable treatment.

INDIGO | Tuesday 11th October 2011

books

Books Editor: Izzie Bengoechea books@palatinate.org.uk

Bossypants Tina Fey

««««« Patricia Robles

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Mia Wasikowska as Jane in the new film Photograph: Laurie Sparham, Focus Features

Brontëmania?

With the release of the newest Jane Eyre film, Gwen Smith asks why we keep coming back to Charlotte’s classic story

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he madwoman in the attic: woefully oppressed victim of patriarchy or just a heinous bitch? Wherever you stand on this one, you’d imagine that most of us would reject a novel that asks the reader to fall head over heels for a glum bigamist with weird sideburns.

Apparently not. Major adaptations of both Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and her sister Emily’s Wuthering Heights are released this autumn, alongside a play directed by Blake Morrison, We Are Three Sisters, which focuses on the real life experiences of the three Brontë girls. This sudden vogue has led to considerable media acclaim that “Brontëmania” is a phenomenon that actually exists.

The make-up of the Jane Eyre cinema audience gave a clue to this “something”, at least for Charlotte Brontë’s text. Looking around, it was

evident that most people were in parent-child duos.

This makes quite a clear point about the novels: they have been passed through generations without ever becoming fatally anachronistic.

Is this because Jane Eyre can be, and is, read as a feminist text? Possibly. Jane does indeed establish herself as Rochester’s equal, rather than his subordinate, telling readers “I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine.” But is it feminism that has secured the novel’s firm footing within the canon?

If the novel’s success requires the reader to at least understand Jane’s love for Rochester, then surely not. He may be gentle, and ultimately heroic, risking his life to save that of a woman who had effectively ruined his, but his brooding exterior remains irreconcilable with the image of a modern man.

One really cannot imagine him pureeing the organic vegetables before taking little

Timmy and Susan to school.

What would his playground epithet be? Dismissive Dad? Dad who can’t be bothered to address child in language it understands? Dad who shags pretty Blanche Ingram whilst eyeing up the governess? Definitely not feminists’ dream Dad. So the fact is Brontë’s Jane refuses to be a paragon of feminism, and this has translated to the film. As one Guardian critic put it, “there was no Eyre of feminism in the new film”. Moira Buffini’s screenplay focussed far more on the suppression of seemingly unrequited love, lingering on images of the female protagonist drifting across moorland. This highlighted her desolation instead of launching a visual vendetta against patriarchy.

Such a focus on the wandering figure suggests the ultimate reason behind Charlotte Brontë’s contemporary popularity. Recurrent and successful images of

ark Twain once said: ‘‘Everything human is pathetic.

The secret source of humour itself is not joy but sorrow’’.

He also said, according to the back cover of Tina Fey’s book: ‘‘Do not print this glowing recommendation of Fey’s book until I’ve been dead a hundred years’’. This is exactly what Bossypants is about: a combination of life-affirming teachings and a catalogue of the surreal.

It is also the tale of how ‘an obedient white girl from the suburbs’ would make her childhood dream come true, with her extraordinary sense of humour. Through Fey’s account of her adventures, we gain an insight into the life of a multi-disciplined woman (actress, scriptwriter, wife, mother and now bestselling isolation, alongside tropes of fire and mirroring effects, indicate that the novel’s strength lies in its portrayal of the individual rather than of gender imbalances.

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Rochester’s brooding exterior is irreconcilable with the image of a modern man

Buffini’s cast spend a considerable percentage of their on-screen time engaged in putting out candles. This universality in the theme of fire is found in the novel – it is not just Bertha, the deranged ex-wife, who is capable of such maniacal passion. Jane’s description of her “veins running fire” suggests that she possesses the same potential for madness as her upstairs counterpart. So Brontë says

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writer) as well as into the glamour (or lack thereof) of show business.

Anecdotes about Saturday Night Live, Sarah Palin and her TV show, 30 Rock, are presented in an such a casual, witty, insightful but also inspirational way, that a reader might be forgiven for thinking they too can achieve their goals in such a ridiculous world. Fey’s memoir also manages to touch on some more thought provoking issues, particularly the position of women in comedy and American television, without losing her most irreverent and cutting humour. Fey’s sharp and honest tone proves accessible to any reader, however unfamiliar with her work.

It is a celebrity autobiography which is refreshing in its intelligence, showing an awareness of how the media offers the possibility of escaping ordinary life - preferably through a more sophisticated medium, like this book, rather than (ironically) the television. passion can be both good and bad. Passion is the thing we’re scared of because it executes love just as swiftly as it generates it. Love for Jane holds this negative potential – she calls marriage “unendurable”, referring to its distilment of passion: “the imprisoned flame consumed vital after vital.”

Jane Eyre can be read as being about humans, rather than genders, which is what makes it so refreshing in this day and age. Female protagonists are, after all, just a gender, not a genre, and should be responded to as a range of varying individuals rather than didactic ciphers.

Whatever is unearthed in the current murky waters of post-wave feminism, the novel at least reminds us that we are all human; capable of passion, madness, and attraction to amusingly-haired members of the opposite sex.

Maybe we should just hold on to that for now.

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Tuesday 11th October 2011 | INDIGO

travel

Travel Editor: Alexandra Groom travel@palatinate.org.uk

Alexandra Groom talks to the child star turned trailblazer

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ow hard can it be…”

These words spoken in the middle of Alaska on the notorious Dalton Highway for BBC2’s The World’s Most Dangerous Roads are a good insight into Charley’s way of taking life as it comes. He has a compulsion to overcome every obstacle thrown in his way, and these aren’t the comparatively trivial obstacles of the everyday student dilemma.

He attributes being bitten by the travel bug to his role as a child actor. Charley made his debut in his director father’s 1972 epic Deliverance. It was during the 1997 film The Serpent’s Kiss that he met Ewan McGregor, and this friendship developed into a now famous partnership on the TV series Long Way Round. Charley recalls, however, that the decision wasn’t obvious at first, and that tragic family circumstances gave him the final push he needed to go for it: “my sister died from ovarian cancer during that period, and I realised life’s so short. I’d hate to get to 70 or 80 and have regrets”.

His travels are now world famous for his ability to push himself harder each time, even when things go wrong. His encounter with the notorious Dakar Rally illustrates this, after having to pull out to due to injury , he didn’t give up – instead he focused on getting his teammate safely to the finish line. He remembers how it became more than just wanting to cross the line, “Dakar was about overcoming enormous obstacles. We can do so much more than we think we can.

Someone told me once, if it goes wrong, it goes wrong, and there’s very little you can do about it”.

He firmly believes the same rules of ‘taking things as they

Charley bonded with Ewan McGregor over their passion for motorbikes Photograph: Campbell Bell

The adventures of Charley Boorman come’ apply to the average family holiday too, “you’re always going to come across something, you just need to push through. Summer holidays: you always remember the ones where something went wrong.

They’re the fondest memories you have”. He laughs as he admits that the more travelling you do the more chance you have of things going wrong, but most of the time and with a healthy dose of selective hindsight they turn into the most loved and recounted anecdotes.

As he points out, “you never remember lying on the beach, you remember getting totally lost on the ski slope”.

After a cancer scare last year he turned his experience

into becoming a passionate advocate for men’s charity Movember. He is also an active supporter of UNICEF. “I’ve been involved with it the longest and I’m very proud to be an ambassador for them. UNICEF are there to look after children in emerging countries – they look after our future”.

Like many child actors, Charley didn’t go to university, but unlike many, he actively chose not to. “I always really really struggled with dyslexia, most people didn’t really understand what it was when I was at school, so I was just called thick a lot, and if you get told it enough you start to believe it.

By the time I was 16/17 years old I’d decided school wasn’t

something I’d be interested to carry on. Acting in movies gave me an outlet to express myself, because before it could be quite crippling not being able to express myself in writing or on paper”.

Asked if he has any tips for budding travellers, he declares “the hardest thing is to actually do it. Do slightly less and then you’ll actually get a lot more out of it”. He adds with only a hint of irony after a short pause “a good sleeping bag and lots of baby wipes…!” He admits there’s no predicting how relationships between travelling companions will work out, but that it’s “in the laps of the Gods.

People are complicated, but that’s the fun thing about travel.

And the amazing people you meet along the way”.

His new show Extreme Frontiers: Canada is coming out in early 2012 and admits it’s different: “it’s about getting to know a country and getting to know the people in it”. His experiences both at home and abroad have made him into a role model for many who look up to him for his bravery, whether it be for battling cancer, dyslexia, or for just going out there and having the courage to leave a cosy home.

Charley Boorman Live will be travelling round the UK (including Durham on November 5th). Visit www. charleyboormanlive.com for details.