On repeat

“An actor, Tim Pigott-Smith, has been nominated posthumously for a BAFTA award,” writes a Craigie regular. “He is well-known for his leading role in “The Jewel in the Crown”, but he also gave a great performance as Francis Crick in “Life Story”, the BBC dramatisation of the discovery of the structure of D.N.A. in 1953.

“The film has not been seen on television since 1988. I should love to see it, but, for some reason, probably viewing figures, the BBC and other television channels do not show such excellent programmes very often. All we get are countless repeats of “Singing in the Rain”, “Oliver” and “The Sound of Music”.

“Years ago, there was a vogue for films such as “Life Story”. Famous and inspiring figures such as Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, Edison, Captain Scott and Baron Reuter featured on screen. Nowadays we are hardly ever given the chance to see them.

“The same applies to first-rate films telling several good yarns, one about a boy orphaned and speechless in the Australian Outback and taken under the wing of an old man returning to the wilderness to die.

“Another, starring Doris Day, showed her being pursued across America by a killer she accidentally saw committing a murder.

“There must be dozens of highly paid staff with the task of selecting programmes. The constant repeats of the same tired old films make one wonder whether they are just downright lazy or lacking in imagination, or both.”

Do other readers agree? What would you like to see on TV?