Dame Joan Bakewell

Written by Margaret Clarke | 02 September 2009

RBS Main Theatre
27 August, 15.00

It was apparent from the outset that the audience demographic was on the silver-haired side but this did not, tellingly, detract from an interesting and stimulating session.

Elegant and articulate as ever, Dame Bakewell spoke first about her novel All the Nice Girls, explaining the Second World War scheme by which a school “adopted” and corresponded with a Merchant navy ship, which was the inspiration for the book. This lead to explorations of the narrow discipline of girls’ schools at the time, and the excitement of the broken taboo of association with the opposite sex, bearing in mind these correspondents  were often little older than the girls . Research for, and inclusion in the novel of the often overlooked, sacrificial role of the Merchant navy, the effect of the war on women’s lives and their expectations, the unfolding plight of European Jewry and the paradoxical thrill of war, even in its ghastliness, were  all aired as themes and yes, it did make you want to buy the book.

Then questioned by Sheena McDonald on her current role of “Voice for older people”, Ms Bakewell discussed what this meant in practise and displayed an understanding and compassion which made one hope her voice is actually listened to by those in power. Fascinatingly, she spoke about Tony Blair’s unconvincing defence of his decision to commit to invading Iraq when she interviewed him and her decision to stop voting after the mass demonstrations against the war were ignored. This emerged from a lively discussion on the apathy of the current youth compared with his or her 60’s counterpart, and the acknowledgement that this is possibly because protest seems to make little difference.

As the audience gained confidence in asking questions and proffering opinions the session became a delight, though there was a degree of dichotomy between those who wanted to discuss the book and those who were more interested in directly political themes. It was a real shame that the allotted hour passed with much still to air. One can but hope that the next book doesn’t take another five years, as threatened, and that Bakewell might thrive as the Ageing Man’s Trumpet in the deaf ears of government.