Richard II, BA and salvation

I'm liking the BBC's Shakespeare season a lot. I caught up with their "Richard II" on iPlayer. It was broadcast on Saturday, the first in the series of five history plays that they are calling "The Hollow Crown" - itself a quotation from "Richard II". It continues with Henry IV parts 1,2 and 3, plus Henry V. I thought it was excellent, fully meriting five stars that The Times review gave it.  First class acting, Ben Wishaw playing the extremely difficult role of the King, Rory Kinnear as Bolingbroke - watch him in the abdication scene, David Suchet etc etc; beautiful filming in settings like the nave of St David's Catheedral, various castles - I think I spotted Chepstow in there - and coves, some of which I am sure must be in Pembrokeshire or Cardiganshire. Again, it all goes to show how brilliant Shakespeare really is. I followed up with Trevor Nunn last night, talking about the astonishing "Tempest", and suggesting that this, his last play, is really all about Shakespeare himself, the artist, the human being, the fallible, the reflection of you and me. Find "Richard II" here. Fr M approves, mucho.

Next, a friend put up on Facebook a very clever advert for British Airways that is personalised to your postcode.  If you're on Facebook, find it here, and watch carefully about three quarters of the way through...
Lastly, a picture that someone else put up, which is also very clever and quite challenging in its way. I love Spider Man hanging upside down to find out from the expert how saving the world is really done!