The nature of Monkey .......

....... was irrepressible!
I'm tremendously excited to see that they are going to remake Monkey. Did you see it again, it was repeated in Britain last year (or the year before, doesn't time fly when you're sliding) and was as absurdly wonderful as it had been 25 years ago. According to The Times, a generation now in its 30s fell in love with it then - they had better do it well or we (I seem to be an honorary 30-something for the day) will give Fuki Television a very hard stare.

It would at least give us something undepressing to watch. Yesterday on BBC one they could think of nothing better to do than give us a reconstruction of 1979's Fastnet yacht race, when a sudden storm capsized many of the boats and many of the sailors died. I still have a mental image of one man, buoyed up by his life-jacket, eyes closed, was rescued - but he was already dead. I don't know his name but I've never forgotten the picture. It's surprising that it was ever broadcast; usually there is more tact shown when people die, in case friends or relatives will see and be further upset.

The Fastnet programme was followed by a documentary about a baby's body found in a concrete block. Surely equally unsuitable for Valentines Day, though equalled by Channel 4's 'How to divorce without screwing up your children'.