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Great
Britons of all time The top 10
greatest Britons of all time have been chosen - selected from a
BBC phone and internet poll involving more than 30,000 Britons.
Only three
of the top 10 are from the 20th century - Lennon, Churchill and
Princess Diana. Three are scientists
or engineers - Brunel, Darwin and Newton - and three are national
leaders - Cromwell, Elizabeth I and Churchill. The Queen failed
to make it into the top 10 but Elizabeth I did. BBC2 controller
Jane Root said: "I think the top 10 is a really interesting
mix of contenders and we've got some fantastic presenters all desperate
for their Great Briton to win, so we're in for a really exciting
competition. "I hope
people all around the country will be moved by the passion in their
argument and will join in the debate and get voting." It has certainly
sparked the imagination of those posting on the series' messageboard,
where alternative nominees have been as varied as penicillin discoverer
Alexander Fleming, 'godfather of the computer' Alan Turing, women's
rights campaigner Sylvia Pankhurst and composer Edward Elgar. For the next
few weeks, historians and celebrities will profile their favourites
among the 10 in a series of programmes, ahead of a final vote to
find the greatest ever Briton. Among those
arguing for their favourites will be comic Alan Davies who will
be putting the case for Lennon, while Jeremy Clarkson is behind
Brunel. Other presenters
making the case for their favourites include Mo Mowlam and Michael
Portillo. Viewers will
be able to vote throughout the series and Peter Snow will be appearing
with regular updates after each biographical film is broadcast.
The presenters
then come together at the end of the series to try to swing late
voters in a live studio debate and the greatest Briton of all time
as voted for by BBC viewers will be announced live by Anne Robinson.
None of the top 10 is still alive, which some analysts say, indicates
that Britain is not as obsessed with current celebrity as it might
appear. Helen Haste,
an expert on cultural icons who is based at Bath University, said:
"Just because people enjoy reading about celebrities in magazines,
it does not mean they will give them a place in the chronicles of
history. "People
perceive celebrities as being famous for being famous and as a short-term
thing - someone to entertain them but not to be taken seriously."
But quiz show
host Anne Robinson has said she was 'dumbfounded' that Diana, Princess
of Wales made the list. "To regard her as a great Briton seems to be absurd,she said. (BBC News) The
list Ever
thought about the environment? 'Sitha Balan
Minissune' (Think about It) will be staged at the Bishop's College
Auditorium on November 5 at 6:00 p.m. The play was first staged
in July and the repeat show has been arranged due to popular demand. But what prompted
the play initially? "The Principal requested that we stage
a Sinhalese play some time ago and that is what we did," smiles
Mrs. Pushpani Wijewickrama, the Oriental Music Teacher of the School.
"As the environment is a hot topic at the moment, I built a
play around it." The cast includes nearly sixty students of
the school between grades 4 and 7. The play revolves
around a youngster who loses his puppy in the woods. He goes in
search of the dog with his grandfather as the guide. On entering
the woods the grandfather is surprised and at the same time disgusted
at the amount of litter that is to be seen. A beautiful lotus pond
which he remembers from his childhood is clogged with dirt. The audience
is sure to be enthralled by the number of dances that have been
choreographed specifically for this play. The forest creatures will
all come alive on stage. A number of birds, deer and bees will adorn
the play in their vibrant costumes. It is entertainment for the
entire family with the message being effectively put across. The lyrics
of the musical were composed by Sunil R. Gamage whilst the costumes
were designed by Swinitha Subasinghe with music composed by Leslie
Wijewickrama. -Ruwanthi Sporting
'Interaction' The Interact
Club is a totally non-profit service oriented youth organisation.
Interact stands for International Action and aptly so, as its members
commit themselves to solving problems and improving the quality
of life around them. District 3220, as one of the largest Interact
Districts in the world, has more than 100 clubs and a membership
of about 7000 Interactors islandwide. "The main
purpose of 'Interaction' is for the members to have fun and basically
to interact," says Project Secretary, Zahara Ansari. The preliminary
rounds of the event have already been completed in Galle, Kandy
and Matale, with the finals being held in Colombo. 'Interaction'
will be held over two days, with rugger, cricket, athletics, basketball
matches and numerous games taking place on the first day, with the
finals being worked off on the second day. The second
day begins with a road run commencing at 7.00 a.m., at Royal College
and ending at the Havelock grounds. The 49-member
organising committee has put in much effort to organise this event
and are expecting a turn-out of more than 1000 participants. "We want
a big crowd to turn up and support the event. All Interactors are
encouraged to participate and the public is welcome as well,"
says Isuru Rodrigo, a member of the organising committee. There
will be many stalls hosted by schools, and the profits will go solely
to the respective schools. Another highlight would be the teen disc
scheduled to be held from 6.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. as a grand finale.
'Interaction'
will be held at the Havelock Grounds on November 2 from 8.00 a.m.
to 6.00 p.m. and on November 3 from 8.00 a.m. and 9.00 a.m. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
