Beeb’s poetry season

Following all of the recent Beeb-bashing (it's a bit like sunspots: erupts every so often and then dies down again quite randomly), isn't it refreshing to be able to say something positive for a change?

While the more learned might have found the station's recent poetry coverage a tad lightweight, the more infrequent poetry readers among us found most of it a complete joy--even the sight of Fiona Shaw and Simon Schama out-thesping one another in the fabulously-luvvie Donne edition wasn't enough to deter us from running to our shelves to seek out slim volumes. We particularly loved the Owen, Gawain, Milton and Donne shows and the real point is that mainstream coverage like this provides a wonderful way in, or way back, for so many of us that have so much to gain from having poetry in our everyday lives.

If you haven't seen the website, or even voted for your favourite (mine's Keats of course), you can find a lot to entertain and stimulate at: bbc.co.uk/poetryseason or for that matter in the extensive poetry section in West End Lane Books.