BBC TV as was and their 'Genius of the Ancient World series ' -[on Socrates ]

Work's underway at the 'old' White City TV  centre

A couple of weeks back I went passed the BBC TV Centre that was in White City- work's underway to make it into expensive homes and a posh hotel with refurbished commercial BBC TV Studios to open  in 2017.

Around 35 years or so ago a couple of  friends I shared a flat with worked for the BBC and I'd often  visit (I saw a TOTP or two being recorded and hung out in the Club bar too), one of the guys, Mike used to drive a London Taxi at the time and sometimes  he'd get access to scarce  parking by carrying an empty film can on the back seat of the car implying it was 'urgent'.

And the BBC Programmes are still better than their 'commercial' rivals

With Philosophy on my mind (I've just enrolled on another series of Philosophy for Everyone course  I took a look at one of the ultra bright Bettany Hughes expositions of the  Genius of the Ancient World BBC TV programmes, this one on  Socrates.

Was Aristotle ignored here?

It was a  reminder of the enjoyment there is in Philosophy but a little light I felt with plenty of footage of Modern Athens (which illuminated little for me) and also no discussion around how much the Socrates we 'know' now was or might have been a construction used by  Aristotle to pursue his own ideas.

I'm not really sure that it's accurate even with our limited knowledge of the events  to say he was executed for his beliefs.

All in all a shade disappointing but I will try the other two accompanying programmes on Buddha and Confucius who I know even less about than I do Socrates.

[On a slightly related point I heard a comedian talking about how Chairs play such a role in design with all seeking the perfect chair - as Jesus was a 'carpenter' (this is not to so clear ether though!) wouldn't he have produced the chair to end all chairs?]