Frozen peas, fairy lamps and blazing stars

In a box somewhere I have a tape of Orson Welles losing his rag while having to repeat his lines in an advertisement for Findus frozen peas. It seems astonishing to think that late in life the great man stooped to such trivia. But he did and here it is. I didn't realise that the clip was well known until I read about it here.

That old tape also featured an outtake from an interview with Harold Wilson where he complains about a question regarding an appearance fee. I can't find that anywhere on the internet.

Both Wilson and Welles are eclipsed by this recent dummy-shedding performance from Christian Bale that seems to confirm everything we suspected about pampered actors. It has even been set to music.

But I prefer this compilation of what might occur if one ranter meets another.

One other clip on that old tape was the memorable recording of Lt. Commander Tommy Woodroffe's spectacular 1937 commentary from HMS Nelson on a review of the Royal Navy's fleet at Spithead. They don't make 'em like that anymore.