Dennis Potter - Seeing the Blossom

Dennis Potter's last recorded interview for British television conducted by Melvyn Bragg

[@Aalborg42]

"At the end he was all but exhausted. Frankly, all in the studio felt drained, and yet there was a feeling of relief and even exhilaration that the job had been done properly by him. After he had left, one of the cameramen came up to me and said, "That was a privilege" : Melvyn Bragg

[@SEAL341]

Thank you for that.

[@summess5567]

Thanks for that context. Inspirational.

[@hayleyanna2625]

Thank you for sharing.🌷

[@bazzbazzley]

Should never be forgotten...the Shakespeare of television...a truly great writer. We'll not see his like again...a genuine genius.

[@philandmargaretfisher8597]

I like that ... "The Shakespeare of Television"

[@Nautilus1972]

"We'll not see his like again." Hardly ....

[@jimnewcombe7584]

There's no reason to bring Shakespeare into it. I like Potter but Shakespeare is infinite by comparison

[@bazzbazzley]

@@jimnewcombe7584 'Of television' I'm not making a comparison. but appreciate your reply.

[@cliffordchapman801]

@@bazzbazzley Good comments. I do agree that Potter mastered the medium and showed that television was capable of reaching dramatic heights.

[@janewestcountry5131]

I watched this for the first time with my dad. He too passed away from cancer shortly after Dennis. We both held him in awe ! I loved your words then , I love your words now. " The whitest, frothiest, blossomist blossom .. " 🥰 You'll always be missed Dennis Potter... 😢

[@iansmith9125]

He was a genius. There is such generosity & compassion in his speech here, it’s sorrowful & sustaining at the same time. I watched this as a child, on my black & white tv. I didn’t understand what was happening but I was deeply impressed by it. His work was fascinating & titillating to me as a young man. It had the air of danger & subversion but also a kind of quaintness. There is nothing like that now. My life is & has been, as I see it; deeply prosaic & unsatisfactory, but I’ve had a little interior life through books & films & music. I’ve had times when I felt impossibly full & enriched but no one could see it. I come back to watch this frequently. It fills me up. It gives me some courage with which to go forward by myself.

[@RichMitch]

Melvyn Bragg deserves a lot of credit for this interview. Not sure anyone else could have done it. Such a brilliant light touch

[@RataStuey]

Such a good point, he doesn’t interrupt does he. And he engages appropriately.

[@patricksullivan7854]

Bragg loved this man . He was nervous asking him anything.

[@patricksullivan7854]

I wish Dennis potter had had another 20 good years.

[@thadtuiol1717]

@@patricksullivan7854 Me too. I wish he'd lived long enough to see the Blair years, 9/11, rise of the paranoid security state, Iraq war, social media and "woke". I think he would have brilliantly skewered the lot.

[@Saxonbedwitch]

Calling his main cancer Rupert, as in Murdoch, is Potter's genius. I vividly remember watching this when I was 14, babysitting at the time, hoping my charge wouldn't scream out for something for fear of missing anything of this amazing interview. Thanks for uploading.

[@DAVCOUGAR]

You are me both. I recall seeing this when i was 15. It was fascinating to watch now as it was then. Thank you for the upload.

[@summess5567]

Yes - he is SO On Point on that one. I recommend anyone look at Wiki to see something of the history of how his fathern, and then huimself, destroyed Australia's Press and Democracy ... and then moved onto Britain - and then America (Fox News) and now, INdia and beyond. As he does say - without MUrdocvh, this couyntry would be recognisdable as the place which we still dream of as striving to reach the ideal we embarked on after WW2. Now, under Murdoch it's headed to the nightmare which is more like that which HItler strove for. THe Journalist's queestion is always "Qui Bono?" - 'who benefits'. Behind every Sun (Mail, Telegraph etc) story is someone rich and corrupt making a profit from destroying more of our Public Services. Always 'Follow the money'. The god people do things for the Publuic Good and the likes of Murdoch abuse them for it.

[@OlafProt]

I was 20, and it was no less impactful.

[@danielpatrick3761]

Dont get content of this calibre on MSM anymore. We've dumbed down so much. Wonderful man, talent and writer. Brilliantly interviewed by Bragg here too.

[@tomhamilton5261]

Television is poorer beyond belief since we lost this great passionate writer. What a canon of work he left us. Dennis Potter left a great empty space in drama when he was taken from us. We're poorer for it. Rest easy Mr Potter and many thanks for your great works.

[@jimnewcombe7584]

This interview is better than most of his work though. The Singing Detective was great, but not all of the others met that standard. I enjoyed watching Karaoke again a year or so ago.

[@summess5567]

Ohhyes. As he says - sacrificing publuic service broadcasting for profit-making junk is brainwashing us into stuopid aquescence. It's a reason to oppose the likes of Murdoch and campaign for the (mu8ch better value but not making a profit for the rich) LIcence fee and public broadcasting owned by the Public, FOR the public.

[@eshaibraheem4218]

I remember this, and being in awe of Potter's ability to give this interview. It was almost like being at his death bed: very sad, but full of admiration.

[@patricksullivan7854]

In a century we will be be watching him.

[@patricksullivan7854]

Not my Teacher Mr Braddock?

[@summess5567]

If we will, then Civillisation has been saved. I fear this will be one of the things a new Dark Age (which he here predicts) will erase. Fingers crossed Dennis's work is more famous over the coming years. It's something to fight for.

[@S7EVE_P]

Never before and never since has someone said so much in 50 minutes. Amazing insight as always, RIP never forgotten that's for sure.

[@kerryrenshaw291]

One of the best and most memorable interviews TV has given us. Apart from "the blossoms", I always remeber his comment about calling his cancer "Rupert". Thank you for posting.

[@SEAL341]

Thank you

[@OlafProt]

I'll never forget watching this, his hands, the evident pain, the whole thing.

[@carolinebarnes6832]

It is very moving to see someone so genuine and so honest speak from the heart like this. It is also inspiring.

[@kyrlacton1957]

What an impressive interview , Bragg gave him lots of space and Potter made wonderful use of it. Potters use of language with such precision and clarity is quite remarkable for anyone, but to be able to speak like this when he was so ill is astonishing.

[@SEAL341]

Thank you for that nice comment. So true.

[@markdyballuk]

as beautiful and meaningful now as it was when transmitted

[@SEAL341]

That's a very nice comment. Thank you.

[@summess5567]

If not - tragically - MORESO.

[@itsalondonthing9562]

Once he started talking about karaoke and cold lazarus I was awash with gratitude that he was able to not only finish these works of sheer genius, But that he also got his wish of having bbc and channel 4, almost kind of join forces to make it happen. LEGEND!!!!

[@MrDavey2010]

When well, Potter was a difficult man but a genius. This is a heartbreaking interview.

[@JohnMWSmith---Writer]

This affected me deeply when I watched it some years ago. I shall never forget it. It helped me a lot then, and it helped me a lot now, when I watched it in its entirety again. What a brilliant mind! Please watch the whole interview if you want to keep sane in an insane world.

[@SEAL341]

Thank you.

[@julianmeek2156]

This made me cry when i saw it first in 1994, but it did far more than that, it influenced me and went deep. I relate to so much of this, being a Welshman with a strong dose of Forest of Dean blood.

[@philandmargaretfisher8597]

I SO understand. I cried too.

[@londoncalling151]

Ditto. It was Sunday, at 1pm. I recall it as clear as daylight. Thank God for such shocks.

[@googs771]

Best. Podcast. Ever.

[@christinebeadle8286]

This interview had me in tears. Amazing artist, and his words are so resonant in the times and politics of today in England. We need more of such ruthless honesty to be seen on today’s TV to provide some thoughtful clarity on so many of today’s issues. Thank you for posting this interview - from nearly 30 yrs ago.

[@ryokan9120]

Thank you for uploading this video and thank you Dennis Potter for your art, inspiration and enduring legacy.

[@sharpvidtube]

I remember watching this. It made think about the "nowness of everything". Quite a powerful thought.

[@199422adam]

What an impressive interview.

[@Bighandsdown]

This interview is amazing. Fantastic example of how to listen

[@user-ir3ob9nk2e]

One of the absolute greats.

[@teamcrumb]

God I love him. An absolutely golden soul. Dear Dennis you are so missed. Thanks so much for uploading this interview, I watch it most months and it's just one of the most amazing things I've ever seen, I think about it so often it's a bit weird of me, but I do, I do

[@SEAL341]

I'm glad you like it.

[@hughiedavies6069]

I remember watching this on TV, he was someone who stood out, I agree with what he said about the direction Television and drama was going, he was right, I just wish there was more things like play for today but things have changed and authentic drama is a rare thing these days

[@summess5567]

Absolutely. The 'MUrdochs' have won ... We have to - in the name of Dennis - fight their attempt to kill Public Sercvice Broadcasting, made BY a publicly owned system FOR the Public, and not for the enrichment of the Rich.

saw this back in the day. Still with me. I remember him today because of Albert Finney death.

[@mozartsbumbumsrus7750]

I remember this interview when it was first broadcast. I recorded it on VHS for myself and a mn old school chum in California who wasca literary great. I accidentally recorded over it and was horrified! I wrote to Michael Grade and to my great surprise and blessing, he replied sending me a copy of the interview which I cherish. The video here is edited slightly. Anyway, I wrote Mr. Grade an effusive thank you and sent him a portrait of Dennis Potter that I painted for him as a way of thanking him for his kindness and generosity of spirit. He has no idea of how great an artist I am. It's lovely to return to this interview. My mother died from pancreatic cancer not long before Potter succumbed to it. Poignant memories augmented by the years since to this day.

[@summess5567]

SO true!!!

[@mozartsbumbumsrus7750]

​@@summess5567Thank you and cheers!

[@thadtuiol1717]

It's scary and depressing af that almost 30 years have passed since this interview and yet pancreatic cancer is still going to kill 99% of its victims within a year. We haven't advanced at all in this field and I find that bloody scandalous.

[@SEAL341]

I heard it's to do with diagnosis, it's too late when it's noticed.

[@sampsonoliver]

A wonderful interview. I'm going to watch Karaoke after this I think.

[@summess5567]

THank you Mr Braddock for posting this - which so many of us remember being so important when we first saw it. It's SO damning this isn't available on iPlayer. The Tories would never let the BBC do that (as Dennis warns during this interview). Thank you Melvyn for this interview = one of the finest things (of many fine things I've seen over my life) on TV and the thing that allowd me to say to my father (who was so very like Dennis) how much I loved him and all he had fought for. I recommend damn near everything Denis has written (ok, not 'Bl;ackeyes)' for its passion., commitment, sensitivity and piercing insight.. Thanks also to Melvyn for Radio4's 'In Our Time' - not only one of the finest things in broadcasting but the only part of the BBC Radio website (now reduced to the 'Sounds' system which simply refers you to 'The New Thing') which still works as a helpful search engine and source of information. One point: Dennis describes himself as 'conservative' in his love of tradition... This imight sound like an error on the part of an intelligent and informed man. Instead, I think he means (and assumes we all understand) that he's 'small c' conservative, as in 'not wanting to smash things up' and -importantly - that's entirely in line with Labour policy (until Blair anyhow). The things he describes as 'Englishness' are the things which were very much a part of WW2 propaganda (and very wonderful and decent they are too) to make us a better (non-fascist) people - the values we see in films like 'A Matter of Life and Death' and 'Millions Like Us' - a sense that we are united in humour, love and a common struggle for the betterment of all. It's the values of Democratic Socialism which continued undert the Attlee government but which the Tories have always undermined for the appeal of consumerism and wealth. It's the values Thatcher told us 'didn't exist'. The rustic values he describes as 'conservative' are the very things which the Conservative Party pretend to support but, in fact, have always opposed. - though, they do very much support the Royals and the rule of the Rich and all the pomp and ceremony of Empire and Power. The 'Tredition' that Denis talks of are those things which the Left and the Greens campaign to save. The Conservatives always favoured profit over Conservation. It was the Liberals and Labour who introduced the Greenbelt, the saving of the Great Houses for the Public and who campaigned for every city to have a 'Peace park' at the centre for recreation, contemplation and community. The Toires opposed all these things for Commercial Profit, have always opposed every Ecological policy and are now filling our rivers with sh*t and building on the Greenbelt... not to house the public, but for Profit. Again. One thing the Thatcher government, and which all Conservative governments since have never been is 'conservative'. They are revolutionary and extremist - carpetbaggers asset-stripping the Nation for their own short-term gain. (as Dennis says so well).

[@troytempest9540]

Wonderful man, wonderful writer who took his life experiences and delivered them in vivid colour, through his work, into our memories. Greatly missed.

[@mikebellmaps]

I saw this when first broadcast, and am currently reading some interviews with him in a collection. But I had forgotten how important this was to me, thank you for posting - it is helping me with my own 'in the moment' requirements.

[@SEAL341]

I also saw this when first broadcast. He was a great writer, and a great loss to what was British television. Television is largely trash these days, as much of what he predicted came true. Channel 4 once produced the likes of GBH. Now they produce rubbish like Big Brother, and the morons lap it up.

[@Nautilus1972]

@@SEAL341 Big Brother is a rare experiment in the study of human behavior. There is nothing moronic about anthropology. Potter was far from a great writer. Karaoke/Cold Lazarus weren't very good in the end. He was just off his tits on morphine.

[@happyuk06]

Amazing interview. A classic in my view. This interview was less than three months before he passed away.

[@benneal9494]

The greatest television writer of all time.

[@hayleyanna2625]

Thank you so much for posting this. Dennis Potter was an extremely talented writer. This interview/ discussion was superb and important.❤️

[@davidice1]

Wow. This guy had some weeks i.e. a few days left to live and came out with this astonishing interview. His skin condition was so bad (they actually downplayed it in the Singing Detective) that you can see he can't even hold his cigarettes normally. The best he can do is claw at them. The epitome of mind over matter.

[@morriganwitch]

Never forgotten xxx

[@TheMimifur]

Thank you so much for posting this. I watched it live all those years ago... Dennis Potter was an absolute genius.

[@saxongreen78]

Lovely to hear Dennis speaking fondly of the Attlee years of Government - they seem to have been largely forgotten today...when they actually made England a more civilised place after the barbarism of the War and the megalomania of the Empire.

[@SEAL341]

Well said.

[@Ukraineaissance2014]

By far Britain's greatest ever government

[@summess5567]

THANK you for that comment. Yes - we;'re constantly told the only decent PM's we've had are the one who ordered the troops out to shoot the miners (Churchill) and the one who began the give-away of everything the people worked (and, yes, fought) for and built to her rich chums (Thatcher) People need to be told that everything they think of as 'Great' in this country (aside from the 'Empire;') was given to us by Attlee's government in four all-too-short years, when the country was a bombsite and we were bankrupt. THere is NO statue of Attlee or Bevan outiside Parliament ... I (sarcastically) wonder why ....

[@TheJonnyzeus]

Revisited today, and still just as resonant! Thanks for posting.

[@ladyladidah]

1994 now we have Fox news and the impending sell off of the beloved BBC. Love this interview and love this wonderful gentle genius with insight, passionate vocation who exemplifies the humanity in the Artist

[@thadtuiol1717]

"Beloved BBC"? Beloved by whom, exactly? Certainly not me.

[@summess5567]

As you say - both the BBC and C4 exist as the ONLY broadcasting media not directly owned by the same people as control who is elected and what their policies are - and those policies are always to enrich the Rich by stealing from the Poor. THe puyblic are bombarded with the message that the BBC and NHS - whioch only exist to serve us - must be destroyed so that the Rich can squeeze us all for more money for less - just as they have done with the theft of our Transport, Water, WEnergy and Communication systems... If only the BBC was free of the steranglehold of the Tories and C4 wasn;'t constantly under threat of the axe from them... the people working for television woul;d LOVE to be making relevant, challenging and inniovative Drama again ... but instead of things like POtter, Kneale, Bleasdale and Leigh, they're forced to work on POlice Procedurals, Soaps and Gameshows. If only we could FREE that talent. There are Potters just waiting to be given a chance.

[@anthonygiles8941]

Just watched the Singing Detective again. It holds up beautifully, and Gambon is just extraordinary. And then here, again. It doesn't disappoint. What a talker

[@MrDragonsmoker]

What a beautiful experience!

[@hjyigo4759]

Thank you so much for posting this. Truly it's one of the best pieces of television ever made.

[@SEAL341]

You're welcome. I'm glad people like the programme.

[@davidlean1060]

At around 5 mins 05, when Potter says, 'my voice is echoing in my head for some reason' could well be a line from Karaoke! Astonishing to think he was using his mental state ie the boarders between reality and fantasy deteriorating due to the morphine, to influence the story he was telling with his last two works for TV.

[@genevievel5309]

"It is the whitest, frothiest, blossomiest blossom that ever could be." He certainly celebrated the now-ness of everything and found it absolutely wondrous. Love this interview - thank you so much for posting.🌹

[@SEAL341]

I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I do. You're welcome.

[@jimnewcombe7584]

Eternity in the palm of your hand

[@robin231176]

In the days when they actually let the interviewees speak without interruption.

[@Warpedsmac]

so true. Interrupting journalist are simply rude...but they do not view it that way.

[@jimnewcombe7584]

Indeed, and in the days when the interviewee actually had something to say

[@Saranne1004]

Dennis Potter talks about the reality and importance of the 'Now' or 'nowness', feel the moment. We now promote the theory, principles and techniques of Mindfulness...being fully in the moment. A wise and insightful man indeed.

[@vjab1108]

What a great writer and a great Man.

[@SEAL341]

I always thought so. Thanks for the comment.

[@wall-e7179]

Enjoyed his take on Englishness. Often described as Britishness without much regard for anywhere outside of England.

[@robbiemontgomery581]

Britishness is just a synonym for Englishness.

[@charlieprice3881]

There are stars in your crown.

[@teamcrumb]

Ohhh finding your comment here just made me sob, such a lovely thing to say. Yes so many stars in his crown.

[@adamgorelick3714]

Dennis Potter brought a spark of creative depth to a medium that has generally hewed on the side of vacuous mediocrity. His spiritual clarity in this interview is as dazzlingly lucid as Alan Watts. And his observations about the tyranny of monolithic corporate media and it's distillation of political discourse and creative expression is more relevant than ever. The "received identities" that our culture - British and American - presents are ever more vapid, infantile, and dehumanizing. Potter was and remains a treasure.

[@summess5567]

Well put. Especialy love the informed and very relevant use of the technical (and important) term 'Corporate Media' to describe the way in which finance determines what we see and hear.

[@leejones8582]

RIP Dennis

[@nickstoli]

What a brilliant, brave, eloquent man. I wish I could have his grace and composure in the face of dying. Have to add, love the cigarettes and wine. A lot of people with terminal diagnoses give up all the things that are bad for you. I guess it's because they still hold out hope -- no matter what their doctors tell them -- that they can beat it.

[@markalbers5255]

Where are todays Dennis Potters?

[@Cello6464]

Such a great loss...

[@dencameron3450]

A wonderful story teller

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

an admirable man for telling the truth, not as he saw it, but for what it is, he was accused by the right wing press of being anti-establishment, but he was simply honest & realistic in his writings and really knew how best to tell it, lipstick on collar singing detective etc remind me for their style of clockwork orange, telling it all as it is & has obviously drawn upon his own work experiences during the days of Empire

[@zinzan123123]

Thank You Dennis for your efforts in having to write these wonderful plays (books) and keeping on doing it in the face of your in pending death...you are a true Top Bloke in the likes of your Lazarus character singing "Penny's From Heaven"..if you haven't seen it You Tube viewers...do your self a favour PS Melvyn Bragg thanks for letting him talk and just steering him around the interview.

[@marymary5494]

Thank you for uploading.

[@hughiedavies6069]

He was right about the direction TV drama has gone, downhill and commercial

[@EL-gu8fv]

The makers of methotrexate had no idea when they created this psoriasis medicine, just how bad the side effects would be. I'm angry that this genius was taken away due to this. He was a gentleman till the very end. How brave to give such s pragmatic last interview. This interview should be studied in schools. They don't make them like that any more.

[@charlieprice3881]

"The whitest frothiest blossomest blossom that there ever could be" Even the way the words look on the page makes me start crying. "Why we paint, why we sing, why we love, why we make art...all the things that separate us from the purely animal in us are palpably there, and I have no way of knowing if that thereness doesn't in some sense cling to what I call me". His legacy, in a way. His use of the "ness" suffix in the first part of this interview is something else. G Goodnight sweet prince...and all that.

[@teamcrumb]

Beautifully said. Yes his use of ness blows me away every time I watch this interview.

[@exeterjedi6730]

The News of the World is no longer with us.

[@paultorcello3869]

If only he could have lived long enough to fulfil his wish (-25:20) with Rupert Murdoch…the world would be a far safer and smarter place

[@TC-mf1cq]

Imagine what he would have to say about the state of Britain today.

[@saleka3854]

It is absolutely true that life is all about present.......

[@Alasdair-uo8zg]

One of the few people you listen to in excited anticipation of what he's going to say next. A literary giant laden with human insights that dwarfed his trashy tabloid-mentality detractors.

[@michaelgibson4705]

It’s a shame some of his best work “Pennies from heaven”cannot be seen due to copyright

[@drparnassus2867]

Can't be seen in its entirety on KZbin. I think all six episodes are available to buy on DVD.

[@summess5567]

@@drparnassus2867 I'd recommend DVD.

[@summess5567]

'Copyright' eh? Ta for explaining. I wonder what that is exactly... You'd think his family owned the (c) and all BBC productions are (c) British Public (it;'s what the BBC's for). I wonder what nasty commercial entiry messed THAT up for us all...

[@TomthatiscalledTom]

Amen Mr Potter. AMEN. 25:00

[@Warpedsmac]

Very interesting and prophetic interview....made in 1994 only a few months before the "Internet" became a possibility for the "masses" and changed the notion of mass media. Kerry Packer made similar prophetic claims 2 years earlier in Australia during an appearance in a senate enquiry on cross-media ownership... the diminishing quality of TV. KP and DP would be absolutely horrified at the loss of quality in free to air TV...but find great solace in the quality of some Netflix productions.

[@summess5567]

Yeah... the thiongs offwered by Terrestrial TV are becoking very dim indeed and very repetitious as the Tories suck the finance out and mnake laws that they can barely do ANYTHING. Alas, were it not for the Pay Per VIew model, those independently produced dramas would still be offered to the BBC and C4... but now the finance has been removed by the Tories from the BBC and C4 (both they (including radio and TIONS of Internet material) and all of Freeview are only made possible by the Licence fee) whilst the Pay Per View finncial model is now entirely failing (it was always based on a pyramid-selling model) and they're closing down as well... Broadcasting is dying ... partly due to the entirely financep-0based Internet (the Net is feree... the things on it are becoming ONLY about the money). We need a return to Public Service Boroadcasting ... and rules that allow the Net to be run for people, not for profit and Bots... but how will anyone convince the Rich to give up their profits? Cheers!

[@Warpedsmac]

@@summess5567 Kerry Packer also held that view that nothing lasts forever...he was well aware that newspapers were already in trouble back in 1994. In the same senate enquiry he stated newspapers would not be able to compete with electronic media delivery to the home.

[@jamesransom512]

watch the movie Gorky Park Dennis Potter

[@regmunday8354]

His wife Margaret predeceased him. Dennis Potter died nine days later.

[@jourwalis-8875]

What has the finnish Television(YLE) to do with this?

[@Coneman3]

The INFP sees the plight of the individual in society. The INFJ is more on the outside so can see people more objectively and how things could be differently.

[@jourwalis-8875]

When was this recorded??

[@teamcrumb]

1994

[@Voyager...2]

" Hidden Meaning Of Test Card F "

[@novakingood3788]

43:52. Well, I can tell you Dennis, it's got much, much worse in the last thirty years...

[@christine6059]

At least Mr. Potter was spared the predations and barbarity of Donald Trump.

[@sharpvidtube]

He had Rupert Murdoch to deal with though.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

It could have been so much worse, the vast corruption and innate hypocrisy of Hillary Clinton, Trump is the very least of it.

[@Nautilus1972]

Oh FFS ... are you twelve?

[@noklarok]

yawn

[@richH1625]

blossom : 6:48 God : 8:10

[@jett5084]

Stan blackpinkOFFICIAL