The Librarians Fourth Season

….or, How Could They Cancel This?

I've been working my way through the last set of DVDs, the fourth season of the Librarians.
It's been fun so far, but nothing out of the ordinary compared to the previous three seasons - Flynn gets to meet his hero, Victorian Librarian Darrington Dare, Ezekiel goes home to his family for Thanks-Taking Day, and the Librarians are all considering whether they want to stay with the Library, and whether there should be only One True Librarian.

And then I came to The Librarians and A Town Called Feud, which starts with American Civil War Re-enactors, and the story of a feud between brothers during the Civil War - and it turned into a story about how important it is to remember history accurately, and tell the stories of the past truthfully. Which is something I passionately believe is important. And the true story turned out to be far better than the falsehoods the museum owner was peddling.

And then there's The Librarians and a Guy Named Jeff, in which Jenkins has his body swapped with a guy who lives in his mom's basement and plays D&D. And I finished the episode wanting to hug Jenkins, because he dealt with the D&D nerds and Jeff's mom so graciously - and the D&D nerds got to go through a real dungeon with him. Part of the fun, too, is seeing Jenkins fighting with a light saber, but mainly it's seeing him treating all Jeff's friends and family with respect and kindness.

This is uplifting, joyful television - and it's been cancelled so there will never be any more of it.

A Proud Day for Manchester

Celebrations on Sunday at St Peter's Square, where the plinth for the Emmeline Pankhurst statue is going to be unveiled at 11am. Manchester author and singer Rosie Garland will be leading a rousing rendition of the March of the Women, in full suffragette dress, to mark the occasion.
The statue will show Emmeline Pankhurst giving a speech, facing towards the Free Trade Hall - like this:

The sculptor is Helen Reeves.

Goodbye, Peter Firmin

This is far more upsetting than Harlan Ellison's death - Peter Firmin (and his collaborator Oliver Postgate) made children's TV that was a huge part of my childhood.

The Clangers (sad whistling, and glooping from the Soup Dragon)
Pogles Wood (it took me years to work out that Tog was supposed to be a squirrel!)
Ivor the Engine (a sad song from the Grumbly and District Choral Society, with solo from Ivor)
Noggin the Nog (the Men of the Northlands sit by their log fire, and they tell a tale....)
Bagpuss (when Bagpuss goes to sleep, all his friends go to sleep too)

He also created, with Ivor Owen, Basil Brush.