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Devil's Advocate
________________________
For decades, John Humphrys has been at the beating heart of the BBC's news division.
From the 9 O'Clock News desk to his marathon 32-year stint on the Today Programme, Humphrys has had a remarkable career as a journalist, steering the coverage of stories and issues that have defined multiple generations of British life. If the country has a pulse, John Humphrys is the man whose finger is firmly on it.
In Devil's Advocate, Humphrys draws on his immense experience to detail the huge, sweeping changes that have overtaken Britain during his career. From the thorny geopolitical questions of the UK's relationship with Europe and America to the subtler ways our national social and moral values have changed, Humphrys sees a deep unease at the heart of a divided union, and identifies what truly links us all: consumer populism.
As our lives and media become increasingly commercialised, the fabric of daily life begins to fray and a growing thoughtlessness and even hysteria emerge in public debate. Our children, growing up online, are losing their innocence at an ever-earlier age. In an age when our control over the world seems to be fraying, Humphrys wonders if we've ever had much say in our destination.
A brilliant and incisive analysis of the changing state of Britain from one of the leading lights of BBC journalism.
For decades, John Humphrys has been at the beating heart of the BBC's news division.
From the 9 O'Clock News desk to his marathon 32-year stint on the Today Programme, Humphrys has had a remarkable career as a journalist, steering the coverage of stories and issues that have defined multiple generations of British life. If the country has a pulse, John Humphrys is the man whose finger is firmly on it.
In Devil's Advocate, Humphrys draws on his immense experience to detail the huge, sweeping changes that have overtaken Britain during his career. From the thorny geopolitical questions of the UK's relationship with Europe and America to the subtler ways our national social and moral values have changed, Humphrys sees a deep unease at the heart of a divided union, and identifies what truly links us all: consumer populism.
As our lives and media become increasingly commercialised, the fabric of daily life begins to fray and a growing thoughtlessness and even hysteria emerge in public debate. Our children, growing up online, are losing their innocence at an ever-earlier age. In an age when our control over the world seems to be fraying, Humphrys wonders if we've ever had much say in our destination.
A brilliant and incisive analysis of the changing state of Britain from one of the leading lights of BBC journalism.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
35 people want to read
About the author
John Humphrys
21 books5 followersDesmond John Humphrys is a Welsh author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the Nine O'Clock News, the flagship BBC news television programme, and since 1987 he has been a presenter on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 programme, Today. He is also currently the host of the popular BBC Two television quiz show Mastermind.
John Humphrys has written several books, including Lost for Words, in which he criticizes what he sees as the widespread misuse of the English language, plus 'Devil's Advocate', 'Beyond Words', 'The Great Food Gamble' and 'In God We Doubt: Confessions Of A Failed Atheist'. Humphrys is an agnostic, but has a curiosity to test his agnosticism and challenge established religions to see if they can restore his childhood belief in God. In 2006, he presented a BBC Radio 4 programme, titled "Humphrys in Search of God" where he spoke to leading British authorities on Christianity, Judaism and Islam to try and restore his faith.
Humphrys is a columnist for the Daily Mail.
John Humphrys has written several books, including Lost for Words, in which he criticizes what he sees as the widespread misuse of the English language, plus 'Devil's Advocate', 'Beyond Words', 'The Great Food Gamble' and 'In God We Doubt: Confessions Of A Failed Atheist'. Humphrys is an agnostic, but has a curiosity to test his agnosticism and challenge established religions to see if they can restore his childhood belief in God. In 2006, he presented a BBC Radio 4 programme, titled "Humphrys in Search of God" where he spoke to leading British authorities on Christianity, Judaism and Islam to try and restore his faith.
Humphrys is a columnist for the Daily Mail.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 10, 2021
Humphry’s book was written in 1999. Yet, the subjects he covers are still if even more relevant today. Consumer populism is rampant, lack of responsibility for one’s actions, a media driven by ratings, infotainment, news dumbed down to sound bites and the victim culture everywhere.
His answer to reacting to the overwhelming tsunami of bullshit is the dissident citizen. The examples of suffragettes and organic farmers are good ones. He also recognizes that many will fail though a few will succeed.
The example of football now a commodity hits home. Shopping malls the new churches with lotteries a new opiate to give poor people hope. Supermarkets giving us the illusion of choice, for example four varieties of apples to chemically enhanced crisps.
Of course we also now have social media with influencers and instant news. People with relative little expertise telling us what to buy, what to do, how to dress and more.
Work is designed to destroy most people’s individuality with a few escaping it. Class division has become stronger and poverty in the UK. However, there are people trying to change society for the better through different initiatives such as the circular economy, climate change mitigation actions and social change.
His answer to reacting to the overwhelming tsunami of bullshit is the dissident citizen. The examples of suffragettes and organic farmers are good ones. He also recognizes that many will fail though a few will succeed.
The example of football now a commodity hits home. Shopping malls the new churches with lotteries a new opiate to give poor people hope. Supermarkets giving us the illusion of choice, for example four varieties of apples to chemically enhanced crisps.
Of course we also now have social media with influencers and instant news. People with relative little expertise telling us what to buy, what to do, how to dress and more.
Work is designed to destroy most people’s individuality with a few escaping it. Class division has become stronger and poverty in the UK. However, there are people trying to change society for the better through different initiatives such as the circular economy, climate change mitigation actions and social change.
August 19, 2016
I picked this up from a charity shop and did not realise the age of it. Written and published in 1999 it is a searing indictment of then that still resonates today. A classic example of "plus ça change..." as it could just of easily have been written last week. Effectively it is a diatribe against style over substance in the modern world of politics and media; a UK reflection of the theories put forward in Neil Postman's brilliant "Amusing Ourselves to Death" that far from Orwellian Tyranny we now live in the more insidious, and dangerous, Huxleyan "Brave New World".
A riveting read that is a page turner, amusing and sarcastic in equal measure without detracting from the overall point that we are being overwhelmed by mediocrity.
A riveting read that is a page turner, amusing and sarcastic in equal measure without detracting from the overall point that we are being overwhelmed by mediocrity.
October 10, 2010
In this book, John Humprys steps down from his usual role as devil's advocate in the interviewer's chair to take a look at the course of society over the last forty or so years and look at how it has changed, often, in Humpreys' view for the worse. The two major trends that he discusses in his book are consumerism and populism, both of which, he argues, have infantilized us and changed us from being active citizens to being passive consumers, avoiding any sense of responsibility, offering examples from responses to Hillsborough and the death of Diana to teenage magazines and the way that rating-chasing has dumbed-down television.
In some ways, parts of the book read like a grumpy old man having a rant at the modern world, but there's a lot in what he says and it makes for some depressing reading. Populist consumerism has penetrated every area of our lives, from how we raise our children to how we perceive our politics. While Humprys can offer no magic bullet to the problem he can make us aware of them. It's unfortunate that the people most likely to read this book are the ones who are already most likely to be resistant to (or at least aware of) the populist consumer culture anyway.
In some ways, parts of the book read like a grumpy old man having a rant at the modern world, but there's a lot in what he says and it makes for some depressing reading. Populist consumerism has penetrated every area of our lives, from how we raise our children to how we perceive our politics. While Humprys can offer no magic bullet to the problem he can make us aware of them. It's unfortunate that the people most likely to read this book are the ones who are already most likely to be resistant to (or at least aware of) the populist consumer culture anyway.
August 3, 2019
I read this years after it was published. It was interesting. I learned about old school reporters and how someone who is passionate about the Beeb views it and its mission.
July 13, 2011
This is an enjoyable book which is written with a deft but light touch. In it Mr Humphries looks sadly at the changes in British culture and society which he feels has become brash, sentimental and commercialized. He blames comsumer populism and materialism for the change and implicates the media as a major driving force in this. It is similar to the writings of Theodore Dalrymple but without the venom and without some of the wit.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews