The JSPrice Perception

After 120 episodes spanning 11 years, BBC One hit situation comedy My Family reaches its final hurdle this Friday evening. BBC One Programme Controller, Danny Cohen said the channel are searching for a new generation of comedies which will created a similar impact. "Now that all the Harper children have fled the nest we feel it's time to make room for new comedies on BBC One. I can confirm that the eleventh series, coming to BBC One later this year, will be the last," Danny Cohen, March 2011 Ben and Susan Harper, along with their children, Michael, Janey and up until series five, Nick are the well-known faces we are going to miss seeing on the occasional Friday nights. Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker have made their impact on the small screen as well as theatre appearances which made them the big stars they are today and I'm sure Daniela Denby-Ashe (Janey), Gabriel Thomson (Michael) and even Tayler Marshall (who played Janey's son Kenzo) have a big futu...

I'm currently reading a book written by Michael Wolff called The Man Who Owns the News - a book which will be beneficial for my dissertation (which I won't reveal too much at this point). It is a fantastic and insightful. I'm glad I've taken my summer weeks to read it and make notes which are useful for my 10,000 word researched essay. The majority of his book is about Rupert Murdoch and how News Corporation operates since he took over from his father in 1952, which I won't go into too much detail but what has interested me is how he involves his family in the company. We learn in this book that News Corp. is very much a "family business! - Rupert always wanted his children involved in the firm and preferred them not to turn to another career path. Elisabeth went to Stanford Business School while James had his own record label during his limited time at Harvard which in both situations their father disliked because neither of these paths would have benef...

I have said in previous blog posts that the education system is "failing". I stand by my word but today, we can place our concerns aside as hundreds-of-thousands of students across the nation pick up their A-Level results. Some will celebrate with joy, but others will panic over losing their preferred University course and quickly apply through clearing. A-Level Results Day appears to be the easiest news the government can cope with after a manic last month, and at the same time proves that not all youth are looters. The pass rate (grades A*-E) in the UK is up for the 29 th consecutive year while more students are achieving grade A, which equates on average around 80% or higher. Despite these promising results, that perhaps indicate that the current generation are statistically, and educationally more capable and dedicated to their studies than their parents, and grandparents etc., some "experts" suggest that exams are getting much easier . I completed, and...

The good news is that the streets of London, Manchester and everywhere else effected by the atrocities last week have been riot-free for almost a week. The football matches which took place apart from the Tottenham v Everton encounter have been peaceful giving the police and stewards easier time this weekend compared to the last. Over a thousand people have been arrested, convicted or remanded in custody over the ordeal and the Metropolitan Police have seemingly got everything under control, which is pleasing. Is this time to celebrate? Perhaps. The riots appear to be over, or at least the worse of it's gone (without jinxing anything) and the perpetrators are getting locked up for their wrongdoings. I'm not celebrating as there is another mini riot occurring - at the House of Commons. I read The Independent this morning and the front page quoted David Cameron and Ed Miliband who are simply pointing fingers blaming anyone but themselves that the riots happened. Cameron ...

It has been an eventful fortnight, hasn't it? My vacation was intended to be peacefull and an opportunity to switch-off. Instead, and particularly in the last five days, I have been staring at my laptop glued to the BBC website praying that my closest friends are safe in major cities of England. Anders Breivik has been remanded in custody after the atrocities in Norway last month, so it appears the country has turned the right corner and recovering well. But Britain since last Saturday has turned into a living hell. A peaceful walk to remember Mark Duggan on the streets of Tottenham was hugely over-shadowed by hooded youth damaging any building just to steal expensive items ranging from the latest fashion accessory to 52-inch 3D televisions. Occasionally after every product from a shop was taken, the place would be burned down, same applied for a series of pubs too. Not just Tottenham was tarnished. Every corner of London would never look the same again, places such as Ea...