The Speaker

We have just finished watching The Speaker on the iPlayer.  It has been a really interesting watch (it was originally the rest of the family but I got hooked too) and fascinating watching the different personalities and the changes evident in some of the young people taking part.  Duncan drove me mad at first, one dimensional, all froth and no substance, but his performances mellowed, he took on advice and reflected on his performances.  I’m not convinced his speech in the final was actually the best one, but I think he demonstrated huge potential, coupling raw talent with a willingness to learn and develop.  Compare this with the arrogance and lack of self-reflection some of the speakers demonstrated and you can see why the judges made their decision.  I think Irene actually gave a better speech, it was a real cracker, and she also took on board feedback and really lifted her standard, but I think she has reached her peak performance, whereas I felt Duncan had more to come.  I suspect this is what swayed the judges.

Overall though the capacity of these young people to put themselves through some terrible ordeals of public speaking and keep coming back for more was quite inspiring.  I have certainly picked up some tips myself, but am far from sure I can reach the standard these people have.

The only downer on the whole thing is that the Beeb treated us like idiots at points, continually reminding us of what we had seen and letting us know what was about to happen.  Stop.  Please.  Hearing more of the speeches would have been good, instead of this irrelevant padding.