Salon.com > BBC http://www.salon.com Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:24:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 13-year old with IQ higher than Einstein is also refreshingly modest http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/13_year_old_with_iq_higher_than_einstein_is_also_refreshingly_modest/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/13_year_old_with_iq_higher_than_einstein_is_also_refreshingly_modest/#comments Sat, 08 Jun 2013 20:06:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13321051 13 year-old Neha Ramu has earned the highest possible score on the Mensa test, with an IQ of 162 -- outscoring geniuses like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

The BBC recently interviewed Ramu about her induction into Mensa and her future plans, but she hasn't let the news get to her head. "Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein, they've achieved so much that I couldn't even dream of achieving, so it's not right to compare me to them just cause of my IQ. If I don't put in my effort and make use of my IQ, then there is no point in having it," said Ramu.

"Some people think I study loads and stuff, but I actually don't really, at all. I just relax and do basic stuff."

Ramu, who lives in the U.K., hopes to study neurology at Harvard.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/08/13_year_old_with_iq_higher_than_einstein_is_also_refreshingly_modest/feed/ 27 “In the Flesh”: A suicidal, gay, post-zombie story http://www.salon.com/2013/06/06/in_the_flesh_a_suicidal_gay_post_zombie_story/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/06/in_the_flesh_a_suicidal_gay_post_zombie_story/#comments Thu, 06 Jun 2013 19:11:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13319009 I don’t know how close you are to zombie-saturation point, but I have pretty much had my fill of staggering, mindless monsters trying to get their fill of braaaiiins. So it was with some reluctance I started watching “In the Flesh,” a three-episode series about zombies that begins airing on BBC America tonight. After the first scene -- the undead pasting a girl's brain into their mouths in the aisle of a supermarket -- I was feeling pretty smug about my zombie dismissal. Then came the second scene. Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry), pale as actual death and with freaky zombie eyes, talks to a doctor about his horrible flashbacks -- of pasting a girl’s brain into his mouth in a supermarket. Kieren is a zombie who has been cured.

“In the Flesh,” which starts strong and gets even stronger, is set in England after the zombie apocalypse. In its particular mythology, everyone who died in the year 2008 rose from the dead one day. They terrorized and ate people but could not multiply: Their bite had no bite. A cure was eventually found, and thanks to everyday shots, the former brain eaters have their brains back. They are “Partially Deceased Syndrome” sufferers, still in their janky bodies, but otherwise coherent, and they are slowly returning to the families and communities they once terrorized.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/06/in_the_flesh_a_suicidal_gay_post_zombie_story/feed/ 12 Crime show “The Fall” is a compendium of contemporary TV cool http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/crime_show_the_fall_is_a_compendium_of_contemporary_tv_cool/ http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/crime_show_the_fall_is_a_compendium_of_contemporary_tv_cool/#comments Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:17:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13317853 There is a period of time before a cliché becomes a cliché when it is just in good taste. Edison bulbs to bell bottoms, kale salads to crimped hair: Before they were eye-rollingly ubiquitous and firmly associated with a particular moment they were just cool. ‘The Fall,” a five-episode crime series from the BBC that debuted on Netflix last week, is a kind of compendium of contemporary TV cool: tortured serial killer, complex female lead, specific and loaded setting, a slow pace that prioritizes psychology and character over crime solving. (Like so much else, its leading influences are the original "Prime Suspect" and the original "The Killing.") It takes all these tropes and tosses them into a creepy, classy, artful series that is so totally of the now it hardly matters that it’s not quite as good as it could be: It looks and feels like the right thing, the kale salad of crime shows. I ate it all up.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/crime_show_the_fall_is_a_compendium_of_contemporary_tv_cool/feed/ 4 Incoming BBC news director on journalism gender gap: “We can do better” http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/incoming_bbc_news_director_on_journalism_gender_gap_we_can_do_better/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/incoming_bbc_news_director_on_journalism_gender_gap_we_can_do_better/#comments Thu, 23 May 2013 16:08:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13306883 Incoming news director at the BBC James Harding knows there's a dearth of women broadcasters featured on the network, and he intends to address that gap in his new position, according to a recent interview.

"I think that as an outsider there is clearly an issue about the number of female broadcasters -- the number of broadcasters on air -- that is one thing you do notice," Harding said at the BBC News Festival. "And we're going to have do something determined about that."

The Independent goes on to report:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/incoming_bbc_news_director_on_journalism_gender_gap_we_can_do_better/feed/ 2 Does “Downton Abbey” perpetuate gay stereotypes? http://www.salon.com/2013/04/21/downton_abbeys_gay_valet_subtly_subversive_or_walking_cliche_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/21/downton_abbeys_gay_valet_subtly_subversive_or_walking_cliche_partner/#comments Sun, 21 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13276512 IT WAS A SEASON OF SADNESS, a season of tsuris; the anti-Passover, I guess, as at the last minute the Angel of Death, that occasional writing partner of Julian Fellowes, stopped at Downton Abbey after all. Yes, Season Three of the most successful drama in PBS history ended with both a death and a birth, as Fellowes is a generous host. If you didn’t watch, you can read on without fear; here be no spoilers. I’ll just say that we were left with a Major Character dead on a country road, blood leaking from (gender unspecified’s) mouth. Season Four, which we won’t get for a year, will pick up six months after the Sadness. Maggie Smith, in the role of Maggie Smith, will once more in her Don-Rickles-with-a-title mode trot out the zingers, his Lordship will disapprove of something or other, and Lady Edith will defy the example set by her late sister Sybil that Girls With Ideas come to early ends. Shit may, as they say, happen at Downton, but Fellowes believes that just getting on with it is the best revenge, a worldview that helps him infallibly locate and dramatize the perfect balance between what needs to change, and what must never change, with the latter given the weight.
Los Angeles Review of Books

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/21/downton_abbeys_gay_valet_subtly_subversive_or_walking_cliche_partner/feed/ 7 Who should the BBC cast in its “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” mini-series? http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/who_should_the_bbc_cast_in_its_jonathan_strange_mr_norrell_mini_series/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/who_should_the_bbc_cast_in_its_jonathan_strange_mr_norrell_mini_series/#comments Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:42:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13269640 Earlier this week, the BBC and BBC America announced an addition to its sci-fi and fantasy line-up: a mini-series television adaptation of Susanna Clarke’s magical novel, “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell." The seven one-hour episides will air in 2014.

From the New York Times:

The BBC said its “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” mini-series would be presented in seven hour-long installments, adapted by Peter Harness (a screenwriter and playwright whose credits include “Wallander” and “Is Anybody There?”) and directed by Toby Haynes (“Doctor Who,” “Sherlock”). BBC America said it would show the mini-series during its Supernatural Saturday programming block, which includes science-fiction and fantasy-themed shows like “Doctor Who” and “Orphan Black.”

Casting decisions have not yet been announced, so the role of magicians Gilbert Norrell and his student, Jonathan Strange, are still up for grabs. Salon reached out to some of our What To Read book critics for casting suggestions via email:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/12/who_should_the_bbc_cast_in_its_jonathan_strange_mr_norrell_mini_series/feed/ 21 India enacts new, tougher rape law http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/india_enacts_new_tougher_rape_law_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/india_enacts_new_tougher_rape_law_partner/#comments Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:29:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13260319 Global Post NEW DELHI, India — India has overhauled its rape laws to introduce new crimes, expand the definition of rape, and toughen up punishments for the perpetrators of sexual violence — instituting long awaited changes brought to the public eye by a series of brutal, highly public gang rapes.

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee OK'd the new Anti-Rape Bill on April 3, which will include new punishments for stalking and voyeurism and introduce life sentences and even the death penalty for rape crimes.

The definition of rape will be expanded, and an absence of physical struggle will no longer translate into consent, notes a BBC rundown of the changes.

Perpetrators of acid attacks — sadly common crimes in India — will be hit with a mandatory 10-year sentence, and victims of sexual violence will be granted the right to self defense, according to the Times of India.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/03/india_enacts_new_tougher_rape_law_partner/feed/ 0 Tom Stoppard to write radio play inspired by Pink Floyd http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/tom_stoppard_to_write_radio_play_inspired_by_pink_floyd/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/tom_stoppard_to_write_radio_play_inspired_by_pink_floyd/#comments Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:44:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13254521 Pink Floyd recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of "The Dark Side of the Moon" on Sunday, streaming the entire album on the band's Web site. Fans were invited to participate via social media with the hashtag #DarkSide40 in the international event. But the celebration isn't over yet: the BBC has announced that Academy Award-winning playwright Sir Tom Stoppard is joining the celebration, too, with a radio play inspired by the album.

From the BBC:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/28/tom_stoppard_to_write_radio_play_inspired_by_pink_floyd/feed/ 0 Listen to James McAvoy and Benedict Cumberbatch perform Neil Gaiman’s “Neverwhere” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/25/listen_to_james_mcavoy_and_benedict_cumberbatch_perform_neil_gaimans_neverwhere/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/25/listen_to_james_mcavoy_and_benedict_cumberbatch_perform_neil_gaimans_neverwhere/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 21:06:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13251572 The entire 3.5-hour audio recording of Neil Gaiman's television series and bestselling fantasy novel "Neverwhere" is streaming online and now available at the BBC's site -- but only for a limited time.

Dirk Maggs adapted Gaiman's novel for Radio 4; the six-part series stars notable fantasy movie actors, including James McAvoy ("X-Men"), Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock," "Star Trek Into Darkness") and Christopher Lee ("Lord of the Rings") who tell the story of Richard Mayhew and his "Alice in Wonderland"-like descent into the dark and mysterious underworld of London, called London Below.

According to the BBC, all episodes will be available "to catch up on demand until 29 March 2013."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/25/listen_to_james_mcavoy_and_benedict_cumberbatch_perform_neil_gaimans_neverwhere/feed/ 0 BBC gets heat for censoring Elvis Costello’s 1979 hit “Oliver’s Army” http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/bbc_gets_heat_for_censoring_elvis_costellos_1979_hit_olivers_army/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/bbc_gets_heat_for_censoring_elvis_costellos_1979_hit_olivers_army/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:11:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13245812 The BBC is fielding complaints for editing the 1979 Elvis Costello hit "Oliver's Army" on a 6 Music radio broadcast last week. The Mail reports that BBC censored the "one more widow, one less white nigger" lyric, despite the fact that the song has generally played uncensored on the radio for more than thirty years.

According to the Telegraph, one listener said, "‘Although it is not a nice phrase and I wouldn’t condone the use of the word these days, it is an anti-war song as far as I believe, arguing against British colonialism and the word would be appropriate for that song."

BBC DJs Mike Read and Trevor Nelson also criticized the censorship on a program called Feedback. Nelson called the conspicuous edit "a little patronizing," while Read said, "I think cutting a piece out and changing the whole tempo of the music simply draws attention to it. If you don’t like the sentiment or you don’t agree with the sentiment then don’t play it but to take the scissors and cut a bit out of it, I am sure Elvis Costello might have something to say about that."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/bbc_gets_heat_for_censoring_elvis_costellos_1979_hit_olivers_army/feed/ 17 British phone hacking scandal grows more scandalous http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/british_phone_hacking_scandal_grows_more_scandalous_ap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/british_phone_hacking_scandal_grows_more_scandalous_ap/#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 12:48:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13244415 LONDON (AP) — A lawyer for victims of phone hacking by the News of the World says a new conspiracy uncovered by British investigators has hundreds of potential victims.

Hugh Tomlinson made the announcement Monday at Britain's High Court during legal arguments related to the lawsuits against News of the World publisher News International.

Tomlinson did not go into much detail, but hundreds of extra victims could translate into millions of extra pounds in damages for the UK newspaper company.

The phone hacking scandal has greatly damaged the reputation of the British tabloid press, which has been found to have hacked into the voicemails of celebrities, politicians, crime victims and others.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/18/british_phone_hacking_scandal_grows_more_scandalous_ap/feed/ 0 Report alleges that police ignored accusations against Jimmy Savile in 1960s http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/report_alleges_that_police_knew_about_jimmy_saviles_abuse_crimes_in_1960s/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/report_alleges_that_police_knew_about_jimmy_saviles_abuse_crimes_in_1960s/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:14:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13226812 A new 61-page report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has concluded that police had reason to suspect the late television host Jimmy Savile of sexual abuse as early the 1960s, but ignored accusations against the star due to his status.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the report "also said officials mishandled evidence amid a 'cultural mistrust' of evidence from children, and victims at times were simply dismissed. It concluded that Savile, who died in Oct. 2011, could have been stopped as early as 1964."

"It is clear that because of Savile's celebrity status and the power, maybe people do look for that extra piece of evidence, behaving with an extra sense of caution, because of the power he wielded," HMIC's Drusilla Sharpling told BBC radio on Tuesday.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/12/report_alleges_that_police_knew_about_jimmy_saviles_abuse_crimes_in_1960s/feed/ 3 What do you think of Mark Rylance as Cromwell in “Wolf Hall” TV adaption? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/what_do_you_think_of_mark_rylance_as_cromwell_in_wolf_hall_tv_adaption/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/what_do_you_think_of_mark_rylance_as_cromwell_in_wolf_hall_tv_adaption/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13223168 This morning, Variety reported that actor Mark Rylance, who won Tonys for "Boeing-Boeing" and "Jerusalem," was cast as Cromwell in the BBC-HBO adaptation of Hilary Mantel's award-winning, best-selling novels "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies."  Mantel's pen is a bit more generous in her portrait of Henry VII's merciless adviser, but Cromwell is no less manipulative — a fun, meaty role for an actor. But is Ryland the right man for the job? We put the question to the Blue Glow Award critics. Here's what they had to say:

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/what_do_you_think_of_mark_rylance_as_cromwell_in_wolf_hall_tv_adaption/feed/ 3 David Cameron defies Smiths ex-guitarist, Johnny Marr http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/david_cameron_defies_smiths_ex_guitarist_johnny_marr/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/david_cameron_defies_smiths_ex_guitarist_johnny_marr/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:09:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13206379 The British prime minister is on a tear: First, he has gone after Hilary Mantel for her comments about Kate Middleton. Now, David Cameron has made a vow to defy Smiths ex-guitarist Johnny Marr, who has "banned" the Tory from listening to music by the Smiths, reports BBC News.

In a story that recalls Paul Ryan's uninvited and unrequited declaration of love for Rage Against the Machine (and, for that matter, Chris Christie's obsession with Bruce Springsteen), the prime minister is a longtime fan of the new wave band — who split in the 1980s, and are perhaps best known for their songs "How Soon Is Now" and "Heaven Knows (I'm Miserable Now) — and has said so on many occasions. Marr has voiced his disgust, telling the BBC that this is "not allowed." But Cameron, who was on a visit to India, declared he'd "go on and listen,"anyway. In 2006, Cameron chose the Smiths song "This Charming Man" on Desert Island Discs.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/20/david_cameron_defies_smiths_ex_guitarist_johnny_marr/feed/ 16 The British sex abuse bombshells keep pouring in http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/the_british_sex_abuse_bombshells_keep_pouring_in/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/the_british_sex_abuse_bombshells_keep_pouring_in/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2013 16:36:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13202641 For 30 years, Michael Le Vell has played a part on Britain's enduring soap opera "Coronation Street." In real life, it turns out, he was living a kind of soap-operatic drama: On Friday, he was charged with an alarming number of sex offenses, including "raping a child, indecently assaulting a child and sexual activity with a child." Le Vell, whose real name is Michael Turner, will appear in court on February 27 to face charges stemming from an investigation of his activities — a total of nine years, between 2001 and 2010.

The father of two separated from his wife in 2011, shortly before he was arrested on suspicion of a sex offense involving a young girl. At the time, he "strenuously" denied the accusation, vowing to "do everything in my power to prove my innocence." The investigation was dropped three months later due to insufficient evidence, and Le Vell declared himself "completely exonerated."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/the_british_sex_abuse_bombshells_keep_pouring_in/feed/ 2 Another Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton biopic is on its way http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/another_elizabeth_taylor_and_richard_burton_biopic_is_on_its_way/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/another_elizabeth_taylor_and_richard_burton_biopic_is_on_its_way/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13198677 Only months after Lifetime's release of "Liz & Dick," the Linday Lohan-starring biopic about Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's tumultuous romance, BBC Four has announced plans for its own version of the love story. Expectations for this one are a little higher, though: "Les Misérables" actress Helena Bonham Carter will star as Elizabeth Taylor, alongside "The Wire's" Dominic West as Richard Burton.

The movie, "Burton and Taylor," will focus on the pair's relationship during Noel Coward's play "Private Lives" in 1983, when they came together onstage after two previous, explosive marriages, hoping to reunite. The play itself was about a couple who have come together after a divorce and discover that they each have new partners. Bonham Carter told the Daily Mail, "Elizabeth was 51 [when she took on the role in Private Lives], still every inch a star, still beautiful  and they still needed each other but this was professional." The two didn't marry a third time, but Bonham Carter says the movie is "about this sliver of their lives together. They were huge stars and they'd never been onstage together before."

The movie is to be released in the fall of 2013.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/another_elizabeth_taylor_and_richard_burton_biopic_is_on_its_way/feed/ 2 Will justice finally be served for Jimmy Savile’s victims? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/11/will_justice_finally_be_served_for_jimmy_saviles_victims/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/11/will_justice_finally_be_served_for_jimmy_saviles_victims/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13168233 British entertainer Jimmy Savile was a singularly appalling monster. The world knows this now. But is that enough justice for his victims?

When the television and radio presenter died at age 84 in 2011, he was widely regarded as a beloved icon, a man with an OBE and a knighthood. But generations of men and women who'd crossed paths with him in their childhoods held a different image. Last fall, ITV aired the searing documentary "Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile," a detailed investigation into years of predatory behavior – behavior that Savile's position as a children's entertainer gave him all but free rein to indulge in. And, along with the revelations of his victims, there was clear message that his actions were no secret.

"Exposure" told the tale of five women who claimed Savile had molested them when they were in their teens. The show unleashed a torrent of other victims who've come forward since. Police have put the number of accusers at 450, but the eventual one may rise closer to 600. 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/11/will_justice_finally_be_served_for_jimmy_saviles_victims/feed/ 3 China tightens Internet restrictions http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/china_tightens_internet_restrictions/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/china_tightens_internet_restrictions/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13156848 Global Post China has further restricted Internet usage, legalizing the deletion of posts or pages that contain illicit information and requiring all users to provide their real names to service providers.

The new rules, issued on Friday, make it harder for businesses to protect commercial secrets and for individuals to access websites from abroad that the Chinese government believes are politically sensitive, The New York Times reported.

The estimated number of Internet users in China has grown to more than 500 million, about 40 percent of the population, the Bangkok Post reported.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/28/china_tightens_internet_restrictions/feed/ 0 Watch the “Doctor Who” Christmas special promo http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/watch_the_doctor_who_christmas_special_promo/ http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/watch_the_doctor_who_christmas_special_promo/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:06:48 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13123996 BBC America has released the promo for the Christmas special of the sci-fi show "Doctor Who," called "The Snowmen":

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2012/12/13/watch_the_doctor_who_christmas_special_promo/feed/ 0 Must-see morning clip http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/must_see_morning_clip_66/ http://www.salon.com/2012/11/15/must_see_morning_clip_66/#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:44:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13099175 Jon Stewart manages to make audiences laugh while relaying the tragic story of the Jimmy Savile investigation; though the BBC investigated Savile for sexually abusing hundreds of kids, they later scrapped the investigation and instead aired a tribute to the alleged sex offender.

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