Dear Editor,
I write both as a seasoned ex-BBC factual producer and one who knows just a little about contemporary Guyana and oil. The Stephen Sackur BBC HardTalk just broadcast shows signs of becoming a ‘Turin Shroud’ in and out of the diaspora. Time for a serious mini-review before it becomes cult viewing. It was confusing. Very. What was the narrative/the story Sackur was telling? Gold mining? Mad Maduro? Oil Dorado? Climate Change? I have seen the show only once as does the audience. It left a feeling of scrambled eggs in my head.
Sackur was at the Oil Conference in the Marriot in February. I saw him there. Did he and his team use any of the raw material of people and info gathered there? The conference was just used as a backcloth to try and duff up Alastair Routledge of ExxonMobil on the 2016 deal with some success. Vanda Radzik – how many troops does she have? Opining on the sea wall. She had plenty views as they gazed across the Atlantic. Aubrey Norton, predictably, in Sophia moaning about ‘his’ people’s lot, predictably. Why not take the pair of them into the belly of the beast in the Marriot and see on camera their reaction to the ‘new Guyana’. Inside the tent is always better than outside.
So to the set piece – the Pressie interview. Inevitably in a formal setting. Irfaan decided to beard the BBC man. Mixed results. Good for him to fight back and put his government’s case aggressively. Maybe too much so? Don’t point at Dr. Ali! Makes you look like a street fighter in a suit. It’s a TV interview not a political platform. All in all, I went to watch this show expecting a gourmet meal but got a stew. Sorry Stephen, Sorry BBC. Spend longer on the ground next time. It will show on screen.
Sincerely,
John ‘Bill Cotton/Reform’ Mair
Editor Oil Dorado 2024
