Wednesday, October 24, 2007

For Brian the Gardener

I have been watching, off and on, the new series by the much improved Jamie Oliver, Jamie At Home. Increasingly I find myself intrigued by the mysterious figure of 'Brian', designated only thus and as 'Jamie's gardener'. This man deserves a spin-off series, if he could be bothered to make it, which I doubt. With his soft, languid drawl and damaged air, he gives the impression of a distressed gentleman, or a drug casualty, or quite possibly both. He seems to have stared into the abyss, to have gained some kind of wisdom and repose, and to care little about this sublunary world. He talks very little, and that barely audibly, but always to the point. He also has a formidable capacity for hot chilli peppers... But above all he has, in spades, that quality so rare among TV personages - stillness. Perhaps he is a Buddhist. We have come full circle.

3 comments:

  1. Much improved? Much improved?! Are you setting out annoy me, Nige? How on earth could that man be much improved that doesn't involve a large hole and a vast quantity of concrete? I'm sorry Nige, but you’ve just lost a fan. I'm now retiring my to my blog and I don’t know when I'll be back.

    Good day to you, sir!

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  2. of course, gardening ten years ago used to be regarded as the new rock & roll. five years ago, cooking was the new rock and roll. today, it's blogging... not long before I throw my vaio into the swimming pool of...

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  3. Chip Chip, I only said 'much improved' - as indeed he is, having lately sunk to depths umplumbed even by his fellow TV chefs. His new series is actually watchable - tho that's probably down to Brian the Buddhist. Improved from rock bottom, shall we say?
    Come back Chip - you've got to read about Dog Oil...

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