Reader TTS

In 1983 I was sitting in the restaurant of a French chateau. I was dining alone. Among the diverse nationalities present there was little interaction. Then an urgent conversation began to

spread across the other diners. Mobile phones were non-existent. Finally, the German couple on the next table leaned over and, in impeccable English, asked: “Have you heard?” Korean Airlines

flight 007 had been shot down by Russian military aircraft. We all finished our meal and moved to the bar where the French evening news was helpfully translated into all the languages

present. Much discussion, with little in the way of facts. There are only a few times when I clearly remember “where I was when I heard the news that…” This was one. It brought back memories

when the event featured in the excellent TV drama _For All Mankind_. The show is an “alternate history” of man’s exploration of the moon, and real events – like Korean 007 – are interwoven

through the narrative. The programme included a conversation which took place on the flight. Obviously, this was invention, as no one survived the crash. The latest – and last – tranche of

_The Crown_ has just dropped on Netflix, with the usual carping about real or perceived inaccuracies in the storyline. Just like the imagined conversation on the doomed Korean flight 007,

there is no way to tell what was actually said behind closed doors. Peter Morgan and the Left Bank Pictures team have invented a version which fits the known events, but it is still an

invention. Every season the complaints grow. I believe this is for two reasons. First, because the later series are closer to living memory — viewers are comparing what they see to their

(unreliable) memories and royal watchers’ speculation. Second, we feel able to comment on things closer to our own experience. Very few people have a good knowledge of rocket science – but

everyone has an experience of a dysfunctional family member. In 2000 Mel Gibson was doing the rounds promoting his film about the American Revolutionary War, _The Patriot_. On one breakfast

TV couch he seemed to me to be a little hung over. He was confronted by an angry historian who told him of the many inaccuracies in the film. Gibson tried to defend the film, but was

defeated at every turn. The film, said the historian, was a particularly egregious example of Hollywood rewriting history. The host tried to wind up the interview and Mel Gibson finally

exploded, saying: “Well, we’re not in the History business, we’re in the Entertainment business.” And then left, thinking he’d won the argument. He had not. I am enjoying _The Crown_

enormously. It is – in my opinion – a well-produced, well-written piece made by people who are at the top of their craft.  It’s enjoyable, but it’s not a documentary. Any more than _For All

Mankind_ tells us what actually happened on the moon. Enjoy your entertainment, but don’t mistake it for history. (As for _The Patriot,_ I didn’t even find it entertaining.) A MESSAGE FROM

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