So Long, Farewell…

National treasure and venerated film critic Barry Norman has decided to quit his movie show because, apparently, films just aren’t what they were back in his day. Norman, who left the BBC for a more lucrative offer from Sky in 1998 will not be renewing his contract to present Barry Norman’s Film Night stating that “It’s not as much fun as it used to be.” The erudite critic, who brought time to a standstill with his witty banter during breaks in not one but two Academy Awards ceremonies, has apparently become thoroughly disillusioned with cinema’s recent offerings. “The film industry has changed,” he bemoaned, “and I find it slightly depressing that almost all the big movies coming out of Hollywood next year are based on comic books.” Norman, who has enlightened cinemagoers for years with his film-related wisdom may well be the most famous film critic in the country, but he’s certainly not one to blow his own trumpet, a fact evidenced in a recent episode of his show: “Please bear with me a moment while I pat myself on the back,” he told viewers. “Do you remember the fuss all those months ago when Renee Zellweger was signed to star in Bridget Jones's Diary? The press was apoplectic... . And who was it who said, not once but often: ‘hang on, give her a break, she's going to be great’? Me. And I was right.” Yes you were. Well done. So, marking the end of an era in British cinema, Barry Norman has abdicated his throne. And, in his absence, the rest of us will just have to bravely soldier on, through the comic-inspired rubbish he leaves behind.