OzTennis

This email came to me from Australians Abroad who are looking for audience members for a BBC TV series. I'm not interested (bit far from Scotland to London and haven't read the 2 books, something else to do that day etc) but someone else might be interested so I post it here FWIW.

I laughed at how James Naughtie becomes James Naughtier - what's he been up to with Mariella Frostrup I wondered! Sorry it is difficult to read but Holly doesn't appear to have a return key to start a new paragraph!

Has anyone read the 2 books in question by Peter Carey and Tim Winton? We can start our own 'battle of the books'.


"This email is coming to you from Holly Wallace via www.australiansabroad.com Do NOT hit reply, but email [email protected] if you are interested. G'day OzTennis, I urgently need audience members for this BBC show and I hope you will be able to take part. The show is called 'The Big Read: Battle of the Books' and is broadcast weekly on BBC4. In a week's time we will be filming an Australian Special debating the merits of 'The True Story of the Kelly Gang' by Peter Carey versus 'Cloudstreet' by Tim Winton. The basic jist of it is as follows... Each week we take 2 popular books and pit them against each other in a mock courtroom setting, In this 'courtroom' we have a judge (James Naughtier) who presides over proceedings, advocates (Mariella Frostrup & Jack Klaff) and celebrity witnesses who are called to the stand to give evidence for each book. At the end of it all the audience vote for which book, after hearing the evidence for each, they would rather read. Book combos in the past have included: Pride & Prejudice vs Bridget Jones's Diary, Harry Potter vs Alice in Wonderland, On the Road vs Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Rings vs Treasure Island....to name but a few. At the end of this month we will be in London recording the battle between Peter Carey's 'The True History of the Kelly Gang' and Tim Winton's, 'Cloudstreet'. This recording takes place at 4pm on Tuesday 23rd March and will last until approximately 5.30pm.Refreshments are provided and we ask that anyone interested in coming contacts me direct so I can get a idea of numbers. I am sorry for the short notice but if there was any way you could get a gang of people together I would be eternally grateful! The programme is very relaxed and informal and most of all it's good fun! For more info you can check out our website but please feel free to call me or email me back if you do have any queries. If there are no takers for the above show then we will also be filming the following: March 23rd - 7pm - 'Valis' by Philip K Dick vs 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley April - dates to be confirmed Trainspotting v Lanark Touching the Void v White Spider The Europeans v Age of Innocence Brick Lane v Madame Bovary Thank you! Holly

OzTennis

MrsDagboy

Know Tim Winton (although havent read Cloutstreet) but havent read the Kelly Gang book & its a bit far to travel from Oz for the taping .

MeganEkno

The True History of the Kelly Gang is a brilliant book. I actually rate it as my favourite ever! It won the Booker Pirze winner (rightfully so). I would recommend it to anyone but warn that it does take a few pages to get used to the way it is written.

karawara88

Both books available from Amazon

True History of the Kelly Gang

Cloudstreet

OzTennis

A friend says the same about Tim Winton. I have in my pile of books to read a Peter Carey book from 1988 which won some prize as well. If you want a good read try 'Morgan's Run' by Colleen McCulloch - I know she wrote that Thorn Birds thing but this is a really good true historical novel about a relative of hers who came out in the First Fleet and eventually settled on Norfolk Island. Currently I'm reading a couple of Peter Biddlecombe's travel books which are brilliant.

OzTennis

helinuk

Aussie authors:
I read Peter Careys-kelly gang at my book group, I enjoyed it but we decided it is more of a mans book?!
Tim Winton- I've not read cloudstreet but picked up "dirt music" last yr at the airport. when I got on the plane I opened it to find it a signed copy:-)) is it worth anything? :-))
-- wouldn't rush to read more of his unless anyone can reccommend them?
I enjoyed Alex Millars book "journey to a stone country"
and have Murray Bails books Eucalyptus and Camouflage sitting here for me to read . Perhaps we should have a bookgroup forum?! LOL noooo haven't time to read any more books!

MeganEkno

I promise this has nothing to do with you referring to my favourite book ever as a man's book , What did you think of Dirt Magic - I had it highly recommended by an Aunt who usually has great taste, but thought the book was terrible and struggled to get through it.

helinuk

It was reccommened to me too! and I struggled to get through it too. It was an interesting insight and well written characters but not my cup of tea

Harryh

Why is it that you white Aussies from Victoria are always going on about Ned Kelly? He was one boring bloke.

I suppose Melbourne has very little history and so one bloke who drapes some iron around him and shoots at the Police makes a good story?

I visited melbourne once and went around the melbourne jail. I got shown the whipping triangle and the Guide said "And the last time someone was whipped was.....". I expected him to say 1800+ but he actually said 1960+. Melbourne really is a backwards place!

The Guide then started talking about Ned Kelly and said "When he was caught he said..." and I expected something witty and memorable. What he actually said was "Such is life". God how boring! I suppose that for you thick and backward Melbournites that is something memorable.

Compare that to Britain's Robin Hood, King Arthur etc and it is pitifull.

Why don't you white Australian Expats go set up your own website? Why do you always have to bludge off us British?

seang

LOL
Know this has to be troll post but I will raise to the bait
1960+ errr -when was last execution in UK never mind what went on in Broadmore up to late 70's
Robin Hood etc- yeah REAL people
Bludge of the british-"bludge" think thats an aussie word-no?dont be bludging the aussie vocab

Class post though

Harryh

A "Bludger" in Australia is a scrounger. The white Australians usually call people on the dole "Bludgers" which is in fact pretty stupid.

I regard people working for the State Governments as Bludgers as they get paid far more than if they were on the dole and are about as usefull to society as a dole bludger.

bondipom

You generalise too much which is also stupid. You also seem unaware of who is Australian, British and what their purpose is here.

wombat42

Ronin Hood and King Arthur were fairy tales, Ned Kelly was real.