These lists – one of books, one of television shows – should probably not be read as top fives of their respective groupings. It would be doing a gross injustice to the billions of hours of collective thought and artistic endeavour that go into the development of these products which we consume, appreciate and come to love. So, what follows are five books and five television shows that are products of the past ten years which I enjoyed experiencing; neither one is superior to any other on the list, and there are, of course, numerous notable omissions, for this I make no apology.
Books
- No Logo by Naomi Klein
No Space. No Choice. No Jobs. No Logo. Over the 500 pages of this enlightening exposé, Klein reveals the reproachable activities of various multi-national organisations, and, in essence, attempts to play the concepts of ‘money’ and ‘humanity’ off against one another. The book, stoking the anti-globalisation fire that was gently ablaze at time of publication, is an eloquent account of the shift in corporate strategy – from an emphasis on production to an emphasis upon the brand. This book continues to change the perceptions of all those who read it, with the highlighting of the evils of globalisation making one all the more aware of the ethical dilemmas present in contemporary society.
- Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy is a massively engrossing series of books which tell tales of crime, corruption and romance in a completely absorbing fashion. In danger of becoming a victim of the massive hype surrounding the release, Larsson’s oeuvre superseded all expectations, contrasting the calm, intense journalist Mikael Blomqvist with the passionate yet elusive Lisbeth Salander. The interplay between these two characters remains present throughout the trilogy, but never threatens to steal the limelight – instead, an intelligent series of storylines told at an unrelenting pace create some of the best crime fiction released this decade.
- £6.99 by Frédéric Beigbeder
Frédéric Beigbeder is a whore. He has no qualms about it; his favourite pronoun is, undoubtedly, ‘I’. Yet, within £6.99, Beigbeder’s narcissism is far from off-putting. Instead, his narrative-cum-exposé of the world of advertising – deeply embellished by personal experience – is as insightful as it is bleakly humorous. It’s a tale of weariness with a business in which protagonist Octave Parango (a thinly-veiled disguise for Beigbeder himself) has invested time and effort; the fruits of his labour – the drugs and the women – are no longer enough recompense for his efforts. Beigbeder sits both within and above the narrative, his role as part-investigator part-novelist is executed in a refreshingly confessional manner, confessing all the sins of the advertising world.
- Platform by Michel Houellebecq
I make no apology for including two French novels on this shortlist – for it is from the pens of our Gallic cousins that the most refreshing fiction is flowing. Houellebecq has a certain penchant for transgression, and Platform is certainly no different, dealing with sex tourism and alienation within Islamic culture – two issues prevalent in contemporary society but rarely discussed outside of the domain of academia. Platform is not a stuffy book, but it is far from being an easy read – through the Eastern sex trade, the values of hedonism and individuality are questioned. Platform is Lolita with a dash of Camus; it is dour, troubling but fascinating.
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
For 350 pages, Atonement was slowly becoming one of my favourite novels, it is a precise work, but not at expense of accessibility. The story of love, death and peace needs to be consumed at a gentle pace to fit with the writing – the beauty is very much present in the details that McEwan weaves into his narrative. Yet, the slow burning attraction to this book was dealt a very severe blow by the final part, the deus intra machina if you will, in which the book ends on a rather weak note as regards the prose, but an interesting philosophical one – the role of the author as the God of their work, and indeed, their world.
TV Shows
- Peep Show
Be under no illusions, Peep Show, whilst revolutionary, did not revolutionise comedy. However, the fact that others haven’t seen fit to replicate the ingredients of sexually frustrated twenty-somethings, internal monologues and point of view camerawork merely demonstrates that such a comedy could not work without the sublime script and fabulous acting present within the show. The trials and tribulations of Mark and Jeremy, now cult heroes, are seasoned with liberal amounts of wit, sarcasm and weirdness. Throughout six series, Peep Show has remained incredibly fresh, and still maintains all of the charm that made the show so popular in the first place.
- The Thick of It
Many have the perception that politics is grey suits, sensible ties and reams and reams of dull figures, speeches and policy. To be frank, they’d probably be right. Yet, politics is inherently amusing, especially when presented through the eyes of Malcolm Tucker, who is comprised of equal parts vitriol and vulgarity, the cleanest of his insults probably being: “The guy is so dense that light bends around him.” The Thick of It is a caustic look into the world of PR and spin within politics, and, perhaps due to shaky camerawork and fine delivery, often feels closer to a documentary than a satire. The question as to whether the show would work in opposition is one that may have to be faced in the course of 2010, but The Thick of It is one of the comedic highlights of the past decade.
- Spaced
One of the most unjustifiably underappreciated comedies of the 2000s, Spaced is where the ménage à trois of Wright, Pegg and Frost cemented their partnership and came up with two series of well-written, solid comedy. On the surface, it is a difficult show to appreciate, with the numerous in-jokes and references creating a boundary between those that know and those that don’t, but once immersed into the world of Tim, Daisy and the cast they encounter during their surreal and colourful adventures, it is difficult not to think of Spaced as curiously comforting, like the eccentric friend in your life that you sometimes find a little too weird, but deep down you love dearly.
- 24
Television is a means of escape from our mundane lives, of that there is little doubt. Therefore, the decision to include 24 as one of the shows of the decade should not be that surprising – after all, it was one of the most entertaining shows of the past ten years. In the aftermath of September 11, part of the suspense of the show seemed to be that the fiction could quite easily become reality. Over the course of eight series, 24 has progressively found it harder to maintain the tension – with storylines becoming more and more farfetched – yet the principle aim of television is to entertain and 24 is still one of the most captivating shows on television.
- Reality TV
The decade will go down in televisual history as that of the reality star. Shows such as Big Brother, The Apprentice, The X Factor and the myriad shows based on similar concepts now take up such a proportion of the schedules that it is difficult to remember what was used to fill the time before we could enjoy (endure?) such delights as The Xtra Factor and so on. For all their flaws, these shows have become the bread and butter of programming, with their success based on extracting the quirky from the nation and repackaging it, and selling it back to the consumer, you and me. The contestants’ fame may be transitory, but the concept may yet prove to be anything but that.
Alexander Britton
