smeared across nearly four hours

Theatre Further to my rant or some might say measured discussion about the lack of classical theatre (or these days any theatre) on television, and how there's a specific double standard because theatre is seen as musty and old and visually unexciting whereas classical music is given a free pass (deep breath), what do we find on BBC Four on Friday 20 November smeared across nearly four hours?

Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House

Friday 20 November
8:00pm - 11:40pm
BBC4

Antonio Pappano, artistic director of the Royal Opera, introduces Nicholas Hytner's production of Verdi's Don Carlo from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Based on Schiller's play, it tells the story of the conflicts in the life of Don Carlo, Prince of Spain after his betrothed Elizabeth of Valois is married to his father, Phillip II, as part of a peace treaty. Rolando Villazon sings the title role and Marina Poplavskaya is Elizabeth. Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

Alright, smeared is probably the wrong verb to use -- I am looking forward to seeing this production -- the notices were very good. But it's extraordinary that BBC Four is happy to run an opera directed by Hytner but wouldn't go anywhere near any of the work he's produced for the National Theatre of which he is the director.

Still more with the publication of BBC Two winter/spring highlights. Apart from the film version of Hamlet we find:

"Paul Roseby, the Artistic Director of the National Youth Theatre, brings two groups of very different school children together to perform a classic Shakespeare play. In When Romeo Met Juliet, Paul has eight weeks to get them to overcome their aversion to Shakespeare and cut it as actors.

Which sounds laudable except that what'll be missing in the end will be a full version of the production itself, even though it will clearly be filmed for the documentary and people would be keen to see it. And the title makes me want to bite my own ear off.

Incidentally, in my rant/discussion I did forget the excellent semi-staged production of A Midsummer's Night's Dream from May this year which showed how these things can be done. Pity it was relegated to the red button interactive service and hardly publicised. Oh and only shown once. Unlike the Electric Proms stuff which has been on a loop for days and days and days ...