Fuss and nonsense

Q

uite a few people have already expressed anger over Channel 4’s Diana: In Her Own Words. So it must be my turn.

I don’t mind telling you I was livid after I watched it. That was two hours of my life I’ll never get back.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the pre-match grumblings of people who have cashed in on Diana for years, increasingly indignant at Channel 4’s attempts to cash in on Diana.

However, I still cannot see what all the fuss was about. A few minutes of recordings of Diana – telling us little we didn’t know – were more padded out than Kim Kardashian’s backside. Was this the best Channel 4 could find on the seven tapes Diana’s old voice coach Peter Settelen flogged them?

Not that I didn’t appreciate the attempts to dress things up a little.

Those moody shots of Ken Wharfe sipping his pint alone in a pub; the old news footage adding gravitas and historical context; and a rousing voice-over from Iain Glen, possibly his most powerful work since Jorah told Daenerys in Game Of Thrones: “I love you. I’ll always love you.”

Glen aside, no one should look back on this project with any pride.

I hope the five missing tapes from Settelen’s original stash of 12 remain missing. At least then poor old Ken will able to finish that pint in peace.