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An OA at the Olympics
Rob Walker, OA 1993, will have a busy summer. He’s
BBC Sport’s
live sailing reporter
in Weymouth for the Olympic Games, reprising the role he performed in China four years
ago. A few weeks later he’ll be at the Paralympics, working as one of
Channel 4’s
two lead
commentators on the athletics in the Olympic Stadium. Rob recently gave a careers talk
to the sixth form, encouraging them to adopt a maxim which has stood him in good stead
over the years: “Don’t take no for an answer!” After his initial job interview back in 2002, Rob
received a rejection letter from
BBC
; it was only when he rang to request feedback that they
realised he had been sent the wrong letter! This will be the fourth Olympiad Rob has covered
for the
BBC
as he is now also part of their Winter Olympic commentary team.
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James Bowler CB
James Bowler, OA 1991, was
appointed a Companion of the Order
of the Bath in the Queen’s New Year’s
Honours’ List last January, receiving
his award at a ceremony at Windsor
Castle on 3 April. James joined the
Civil Service from Cardiff University,
where he read Economics, having
been recommended by his professor
for fast track entry into the Welsh
Office. Having spent five years as
Principal Private Secretary at No 10
Downing Street, working with both
Gordon Brown and David Cameron,
he now works at the Treasury.
n
Bronx, Brutus, Treasure, Tricycle
and Garbo are the unlikely-sounding
heroes of
Double Cross
, the new
novel by Ben Macintyre, OA 1982,
which was a BBC Book of the Week
in April. They are the code names of
five German agents, active in Britain
at the beginning of the Second World
War until turned by MI5, who then
successfully used them to feed the
Germans with false information as to
the planned site for the invasion of
Europe.
n
old abingdonians
16
Greenwood and
Penderecki
A Barbican concert on 22 March
featured music by Krzysztof Penderecki,
the leading Polish composer of avant-
garde classical music, and Jonny
Greenwood, OA 1982, Radiohead
guitarist and electronic music innovator.
The concert celebrated the strong
influence that Penderecki’s music has
had on Greenwood’s compositional
career which was reflected in the
performance of Greenwood’s
48
Responses to Polymorphia
– first
performed in Warsaw on 9 September
2010 – alongside Penderecki’s
Polymorphia
, which was first performed
in 1961. A CD of the music was
released on 13 March.
n
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Rev, starring Tom Hollander,
OA 1984, returned to BBC2 on
10 November for a second series
of this highly acclaimed comedy.
The first series won the 2011
BAFTA for Best Sitcom.
n
Recognise the
Face?
Is that John Major sitting on Mrs
Thatcher’s right? No, it’s Robin
Kermode, OA 1976, as John Major
beside Meryl Streep’s Mrs Thatcher in
the film
The Iron Lady
.
n