Booked (May 1998) - Muriel Spark, Christopher Hitchens and Nigella Lawson

David Aaronovitch at the Hay Festival with Muriel Spark, Christopher Hitchens and Nigella Lawson.
Discussing The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, and PG Wodehouse.
Enjoy.

[@2sc458]

I am so envious of Hitchen's eloquence.

[@iantpls]

Brilliant. More juice for my Hitch Addiction.

[@babelinfocalypse8118]

Thanks for uploading another Hitchens! I live for this stuff!

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

Some new Hitch? Fab!

[@euanfranklin1]

That's an inspired final line: "We start with Schlink and we end by gassing Jeeves?!"

[@derekspitz9225]

Can you imagine this kind of entertaining and smart conversation happening on TV today? I can't. The regressives have seen to that.

[@kevinsykes6645]

We are being dumbed and numded down Show your family Teach your childers

[@Angela-kc5ui]

Agree.

[@jemimallah2591]

the capitalists you mean? that would be what you mean by "regressives" i assume, it couldn't be anything else surely. because if the balance sheet had its way this level of conversation wouldn't even be on the fucking radio let alone the tv.

[@danielhoneywell8292]

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Public Image, The Driver's Seat, Loitering With Intent, and The Only Problem... my top 5 Muriel Spark novels.

[@tickledtodeath0]

I just reviewed a few of them on by book thing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmOydHl4nLOep9U

[@douglasmilton2805]

I’d add Not To Disturb to that excellent list.

[@tickledtodeath0]

@@douglasmilton2805 I'll get to it!

[@tickledtodeath0]

I borrowed that one from the NYPL this afternoon. @@douglasmilton2805

[@JosephDoody1]

I really like Memento Mori, and The Comforters

[@WhosAfraidofErikNordingII]

I've never heard of this Nigella lady until now but what a lovely looking woman!

[@wolfsden3]

Hitchens on that first book 🤣... he's on point. He's not there to sell books like the others lol. He's a true critic!

[@jbt6007]

I enjoy hearing these brilliant minds talk!

[@nickthegreek843]

I didn't think it was possible to fancy Nigella any more than I already do.

[@tcrown3333]

I thought this was a serious discussion! Ooooooh, Nigela!!!!😍🥰

[@RobBCactive]

Her marrying Charles Saatchi is a massive turn off though

[@gazriley624]

she was gorgeous in the 90s

[@deirdre108]

Agreed!

[@baliksupper6043]

Hairy women rule!!

[@babelinfocalypse8118]

I thought Dame Muriel Spark came across as very ungenerous in this. Hitchens was extremely restrained considering that a Catholic author introduced the Book of Job as her choice of novel, only for her to shit all over Hitch's choice of Jeeves and Wooster.

[@AA-of4kl]

Thanks for the video find,...😇🌈

[@iansmith9125]

This is just wonderful. Thank you so much 😊

[@yerauldda4909]

I'm sure the algorithm brought most people here for Christopher Hitchens and Nigella Lawson, but if any of you feel like taking this opportunity to investigate the unique and inimitable work of Muriel Spark, I promise you will not regret it. Her books are short, fierce, unpretentious, shockingly funny and razor sharp, much like the woman herself.

[@MichaelKingsfordGray]

What? You can't even recall your own bloody name!

[@ghytredstillghytred7617]

@Ya auld da: totally agree! My favourite is The Abbess of Crewe, which I think requires a knowledge of Nixon et al's Watergate scandal to fully appreciate.

[@ButtEndzgrips]

Here for hitch

[@keithroberts5611]

Nigela lawson, A plack then and still is now, Where as Christopher Hitchings pure Gold as usual 🤔🤣😂👍

[@noelhoig541]

Thank you! Jeeves was canceled, Job survived!

[@rogueporpoise5119]

Hitch AND Nigella ? I need a stiff drink...

[@kevinkeegan6413]

@liamryan your content is amazing ! Thank you very much for your resent content keep them coming! Also please do you have any Alan Clark stuff? - Alan Clark was on an Alan Titchmarsh show and another show with Jeremy Clarkson, both in the late 90’s - anything Alan Clark I’m intrigued - many thanks !

[@davegonnaway6007]

One of my favourite brains and one of my favourite birds whats not to like...

[@harryantino]

Liam it goes without saying that if you could find anyone who knows of the biblical “hitch university challenge tape” from the 60s, we’d all be forever in your debt.

[@AnkurBorwankar]

That, and either a transcript or the video of his advocatus diaboli appearance in the Vatican against mother teresa. Eternally grateful for these.

[@timburdsey]

@@AnkurBorwankar That really is the Hitch (un)holy grail! I’d love to see that.

[@11Kralle]

Considering how many tapes of the 1960s were deleted by the BBC...

[@eddyk2016]

Liam is the man ! Cheers for this sir

[@rstevens7711]

Liam, you are the internet King. Great stuff.

[@joshmcgillivray4340]

Can you try to get some of the Roger Scruton Question Time episodes? Thanks.

[@MattSingh1]

*Scruton was a disgusting bigot and odious right-winger, Hitchens demolished him in their 3 Vs. 3 debate on religion.*

[@paulyb7267]

Can you upload BBC Question Time 4th October 1990?

[@christopherhitchens163]

David Aaronovitch (guy with the spectacles) has been a comrade with Hitch for a while as they were both sympathetic to Trotskyism.

[@lsobrien]

And now he's a run of the mill Establishment bore.

[@christopherhitchens163]

@@lsobrien in what way

[@TransoceanicOutreach]

2:07 Nigella, if you are reading this, you were and are a hot bit of totty.

[@personalsigh]

Nige's voice has changed a lot hasn't it?

[@theplayer2286]

God I could give her one!! Yes, and Nigella Lawson.

[@edmund184]

this was a rare occasion where Chris was genuinely funny

[@Reevesy791]

Rare?

[@iantpls]

oh dear Ed

[@gavinwilliams1978]

He is the wittiest intellectual ever

[@no-oneman.4140]

...topher.

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

@25:12 :-)

[@hughmac13]

Wales, land of the midnight sun? Who knew?

[@ChristopherBRyan907]

A quarter of a century on, three of the people on that stage come across as rather muddled with strangely misguided notions about genetics and heritage and culture and identity.

[@Alfredromeothatsme]

Nigella was hot!

[@vivienneandersson6019]

Still is!

[@deanedge5988]

Aaronvich is insufferable

[@philiphudgens4726]

Stick to suggestive cooking!

[@DBEdwards]

Hitchens is at the height of his powers here. Articulate. Penetrating and objective. I have sickened of his later rubbish videos relating to atheism and that God is dead.

[@jennklein1917]

Christopher became/decided he was an Atheist at the age of eight.