I watched a bit of comic relief last night, but I can’t say I was very impressed. Somewhat predictably, I soon became annoyed by it: it struck me as patronizing and tedious. If we truly cared about less fortunate people across the world, there are far better ways to help them than spending half a night letting a few comedians give us guilt trips. Wile I did enjoy the odd moment, such as the return of David Brent, I must say I was rather unimpressed. Mind you, I should say I wasn’t glued to the box – I spent the evening flitting in and out of the front room, so I probably missed bits. That doesn’t matter, though: I’ll flip through the highlights this afternoon, just to check for anything noteworthy (after all, I discovered this wek that Bill shatner had reprised the role of Kirk for this years oscars – surely this could be a step towards him playing the captain again in earnest) but I doubt there’ll be much. I’m interested in the juxtapositions of fiction and reality you often see at such events – these odd little frissions of the real, imaginary and symbolic. However, watching it last night, the whole thing struck me as crass and forced, and very condescending; either that or city life has turned me into a cynic.