TV Evangelists

Have you ever been watching television and out of the blue you catch a line of dialogue or a theme, and then suddenly you’re thinking about the programme in a completely different way? That happened twice for me in the past week.

 

The first time I was watching a documentary about The Hollies on Sky Arts. I’m a bit of a fan anyway but I didn’t know much about them, except that Graham Nash left the group – and his old life – to travel to California where he joined David Crosby and Stephen Stills and form their eponymous super group.

 

Long story short, Nash wanted to be more experimental while the rest of the group preferred sticking to a successful formula as a pop group with incredible harmonies. Despite Nash’s departure marking the beginning of the end, during this period they released their two most celebrated tracks: He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother and The Air That I Breathe,

 

The lightbulb moment, as I saw it, is that they knew what they were good at and were happy to carry on with it. They weren’t trying to be something different for the sake of it, and that holds true for Graham Nash as well. We all have our own star to follow.

 

The second flicker of light came while flicking through the channels in that way that makes my partner want to confiscate the remote control. I landed on an episode of Gogglebox and the ‘audience’ were watching the singer Jane MacDonald put on a show. I say ‘watching’ but taking the piss from the comfort of their comfy chairs, while eating the takeaways that the TV company pay for, might be more accurate. I’m not familiar with Jane’s work, and I’m no musical critic, but her voice seemed good to me. There might have been a wobble or two in her live show but certainly fewer than The Hollies’ live performances.

 

I watched the gogglers, watching Jane, and it seemed to sum up everything that’s wrong with social media. We can easily become armchair critics, puffed up by our self-importance, failing to recognise that it takes hard work and determination to make something and to put yourself and your work out there. Of course, there’s not much of a TV format in that.

 

Why does any of this matter? In fact, does any of it matter?

 

Well, it does if you want it to. Authenticity is bandied about in the creative arts (and beyond) as if it were a cure-all for guaranteed personal fulfilment, sales and success. Being who we are is really only the beginning. It gives us clarity about what we want to offer and then we can think about how to develop it and present it to its best effect.

 

The Hollies remind us that talent has its own lines of least resistance. That when we understand what we do well it’s easier to do that very thing and to own it. Gogglebox reminds us that not every critic comes from a place of understanding or knowledge. Sometimes they’re being deliberately provocative because that’s the role they’ve taken on, or that is their skill. Like a toddler who can’t build a tower of blocks but is happy to knock over yours, again and again.

 

Speaking of TV, have you checked out the site TV Heaven for a celebration of programmes past and present? Here's one of my contributions:

https://televisionheaven.co.uk/articles/downbeat-endings

I write British spy thrillers and crime mysteries. You can find them here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034ORY08

 

I am also a freelance writer and comms specialist.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/professionalwriter1/

An Inconvenient Store

Back in 2022 Co-op sold off its petrol stations (and associated Co-op forecourt shops) to Asda. Our local forecourt Co-op was very much a community shop – we knew many of the staff by name and there was a buzz about the place.

 

Fast-forward a couple of years and the shop’s livery isn’t the only change. Despite seeing these former Co-op shops as a "significant growth opportunity for the business" something seems to have been lost in transition:

 

-       Asda Reward cards are not accepted at Asda Express stores

-       Asda special offers are not available at Asda Express stores

-       Cashback is not available at Asda Express stores

-       It is not possible to order in Asda food items at Asda Express stores

-       Quite often, a full range of fruit and veg isn’t available from our Asda Express store

 

I contacted the Asda team on Twitter* in July 2024, who promised to forward my concerns. I contacted them again in October because nothing had changed and no one had got back to me. In their reply they stated:

 

“I wouldn't be able to tell you if any action has been taken as this is against our policy. Please be assured this has been fed back to (the) store and has been logged here at Asda Head Office.”

 

Someone-in-the-know suggested I contacted Lord Stuart Rose, who took on the role of CEO in September 2024, so I wrote to him.

 

The Asda Executive Relations Team telephoned me and emailed me on his behalf, promising to look into the patchy fruit and veg and asking what I bought from Co-op that I can no longer get there. I told them and they couldn’t get it there for me either.

 

I explained that there are four competitors’ outlets within a three-mile radius that do operate loyalty schemes so they’re steadily eroding their own customer base. When they talked about the acquisition of these 'small convenience stores' I pointed out that the shop in question had seven tills, albeit with hardly anybody using them when I was last there.

 

The call ended in a stalemate with the ERT assuring me that these concerns would carefully considered (again). And, as a show of thanks, they would send me a voucher, which could be used at any Asda outlet, including Asda Express.

 

I popped down there, collected some treats and presented my voucher. The person on the till informed me that Asda Express doesn’t accept Asda vouchers – apparently it’s a different system – so I put the goods back on the shelves (anyone who knows me will understand my pain at having to return chocolate) and walked out.

 

Naturally, I went back to the ERT to denounce their voucher. They suggested I go to my nearest (genuine) Asda store, which would entail a round trip of 20 miles. It feels like no one has thought this through properly. Not for the fantastic – and increasingly sparse – staff in store, not for the customers, and not for the Asda brand.

 

* Deal with it!

Envy Queue

At the last count, I have six CVs (even if most of them are called resumes). As any expert will tell you it’s never a case of one size fits all, and the key lies in attuning the CV to the client or opportunity. It’s a sort of stylised authenticity.

 

What I find mildly fascinating is the filtering process, which is often driven by space as much as any other considerations. For example, I rarely refer to my stint as an NVQ Assessor (Customer Service and Business Administration – thanks for asking), unless it’s for a role that has a similar approach to data handling or detail-orientated work.

 

I last assessed an NVQ more than 20 years ago and I recently learned that they were withdrawn in 2015, in preference for the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). It might also explain why that particular batphone hasn’t rung for a while.

 

I remember assessing three people in a six-month period (two for Cust Serv and one for Bus Admin). What stood out for me was how indifferent the candidates they were about the qualification and, crucially, how passively they approached the study and evidence gathering. It seemed to be a case that the employer/s wanted their staff to have them but hadn’t really sold them on the value of NVQs, the process, or the amount of work required.

 

For one candidate I attended a call centre and completed a series of observations, followed by two Q&A sessions and an evidence review. The candidate, clearly a conscript, showed almost zero proactivity. I checked and rechecked their understanding about what was required, and how they planned to break down the tasks and map the outcomes to the modules, and they made all the right noises. But in the end it became clear that they were hoping I could repeat the success of the first signed off module (i.e. I observe them in their day-to-day work and effectively fill in the blanks with them). We arranged numerous meetings and agreed milestone dates but they never progressed beyond that one module.

 

Now, they may have had other things going on in their life and, without doubt, a full-time job does not always lend itself to professional development, but I don’t think we could have made the process less onerous.

 

Another candidate wanted to do Business Admin NVQ Level 3, but their employer would only support (through time and any costs) it at Level 2. The knock-on effect was that the candidate remained less than committed. Considerably less.

 

They dragged their heels with the ‘coursework’ for so long, and with so many extensions granted, that they eventually completed it less than a month before they were due to leave the job. The NVQ team (Internal Verifier and beyond) were not prepared to process it because by the time an NVQ would have been awarded the person would no longer be in the job. Or possibly any job.

 

I’ll spare you the tale of the third candidate but, suffice it to say, things did not go well. Now, to paraphrase Oscar Wilde, three strike-outs begins to look like carelessness, and I did consider whether it was time to hang up my D32/D33 hat.

 

In the end, much like gardening, even though we can prepare the ground and provide all the necessary conditions, sometimes the ground remains fallow.

 

Perhaps NVQs were not for them and, in some parallel universe they’re writing a blog post about the terrible jobs that made them start an NVQ they didn’t want, and how they rebelled by failing to do the work. Who knows?

 

My point, if there is any, is that sometimes all we can do is turn up and give it our best shot. Now, tell me more about QCFs…