Thursday 4 December 2014

Farewell Bear Facts - Gdansk



It's definitely time we re-establish that sometimes these entries will be short, like the first one… otherwise I'm going to get nothing else done this month. 

-Madame Szyszko-Bohusz takes her name from my address when I lived in Krakow (and therefore indirectly from this gentleman). The full address was [number] Ulica Szyszko-Bohusza, Przegorzały; and I was very proud of learning how to pronounce it. A pride for which poor Stephanie ended up having to pay. Though if she thought that was bad (and she did), little did she know then that there was even such a place as Qikiqtarjuaq… 

- Question I'm sometimes asked: Why did Madame S-B have her expensive and delicate bassoon open and assembled in such a way the last joke would work? Answer: because Carolyn has explicitly told her that that's her only way of summoning help in an emergency; and she is not the sort of woman to take chances…

(PS Apologies for slightly deviating from the advent calendar order here - I'm going in alphabetical order, which is how the episodes were written and recorded, but not quite how they were broadcast. But I've always felt it was the proper order, and that's why when the complete CDs are released in January, you will find that alphabetical order has triumphantly been restored…)


28 comments:

MartinPic said...

Brilliant!

May I be the first to ask what the bonus features on the CDs will be?

Lindsey in AL said...

So that's why they're always out of order on my iPod! Glad to know it's not just a glitch. "Passenger Derby" may be my favoritescene in all of CP. it makes me almost cry with laughter every time. My kids laugh at my laughing; that's how bad it is.

Anonymous said...

Ohhhhh, I had no idea that the alphabetical order was considered canon and broadcast order wasn't. Oops. I have to go rewrite the drafts of my fanfiction now....

Anonymous said...

Speaking of which, is there any way we can purchase Series 4 of Souvenir Programme separate from the Series 3 and 4 combo package on iTunes (in the U.S.?). I already have Series 3. Of course I'll cave and get it, but thought I'd ask...

Unknown said...

Why wouldn't they broadcast in order?? Doesn't the BBC know how to alphabetize?

Anyway, Gdansk might be my favorite, as a (nearly) professional bassoonist. Although, bassoonists are one of the least competitive instrument cultures. Oboists are usually the psychotic ones, and they have the sharpest knives... for their reeds, you understand. I'm not splitting hairs over the episode, though. It's perfect! And the bassoon is a wonderful instrument that never gets enough attention, so I love that you wrote in a bassoonist. Thank you!

MartinPic said...

Kelsey: I remember John writing before that the running order of series 3 was changed because BC had lost his voice for the Newcastle recording, which was supposed to be episode 1, so they rejigged the order. But I don't think I ever found out why Helsinki precedes Gdansk

Anonymous said...

Yay for the restoration of the alphabetical order! As a latecomer, I have always listened to the episodes in alphabetical order, and nothing else ever made sense to me.

Anonymous said...

YES! THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING THAT ALPHABETICAL ORDER IS THE INTENDED ORDER. I am now going to go write an 'in your face' e-mail to someone with whom I have had a very longstanding disagreement.

Anonymous said...

ATTENTION MR. FINNEMORE!! The BBC Promo site blurb is very spoilery for the outcome of Zurich!!! D:

Is there any way you can get the BBC to alter it, or even just warn your readership it's spoiling the episode so they can avoid it?

Unknown said...

When I uploaded my CD's to itunes, I merged them all together and made them one smooth listen, because I tend towards shuffle and then they don't make sense, not to my point, my itunes has always alphabetised them! So I've listened in the right order, wahoo!!

Bedders said...

So I relearned the alphabet in CP order for nothing?

Thank you for taking the time to do these summaries, short or long.

Could you change the amazon link to a company that pays a fair amount of tax please.

Rebecca said...

This is one of my favourite episodes, and Madame S-B is one of my favourite guests. She and Carolyn are just a great combination. :D

Noam said...

One of my absolute favorites - but of course, as a professional conductor (must at all times be given alcohol) it must have been this one! :)

My wife and I listen to an episode every evening, waiting eagerly for Zurich!

Alex G said...

Szyszko-Bohusz is much harder to pronounce than Qikiqtarjuaq.

This one isn't a favourite of mine. The Carolyn vs the bassoonist bits are great, but Douglas tips over the edge from lovable rogue to really quite nasty. Even the throwaway gag about him owning Arthur's car makes him sound like a real bully. It's bad enough to tease Martin all the time, but to take advantage of Arthur like that? Please no!

Philippa Sidle said...

Gdansk was the first episode of Cabin Pressure I ever listened to! I was looking for something light on iPlayer, and I really thought for some reason that this Cabin Pressure thing was a radio version of a TV sitcom about an air crew that I hadn't seen, but I knew had what are euphamistically called 'mixed reviews'. So I was surprised when it was actually... good. Really good.

The next episode was also available on iPlayer that day, and when I went straight on to listen to Ipswich I was blown away. And that was me, hooked forever. :)

Kathryn said...

John: Ah, no, we did Helsinki yesterday all over Tumblr! Now we've all GOT OUT OF SYNC!

Alex G: Funnily enough, I've always thought the opposite: I don't think Douglas is any more nasty to Martin than the situation requires; Martin's the one who needles Douglas about something deeply personal that clearly bothers him. I find Martin to be the unforgivable arse in this one. Douglas all but begs him to not ever tell anyone, yet Martin saying he "needs that story" clearly implies he wants to tell people about it, quite possibly including Helena. Despite this arsery, Douglas still ends the episode helping Martin win the 7 Dwarves game after learning of Martin's financial situation. But then, that's the genius of Cabin Pressure; it works on many levels and can be interpreted in many different ways.

urcool91 said...

Huh, I always saw his "need that story" line as more of something he needed so that he could pull it out when Douglas was teasing him, a sort of trump card if you will. Say what you will about the both of them, but they don't tend to tease each other in public (and by public I mean around those that are not Carolyn and Arthur). But to each his/her own, I guess. I can certainly see your point.

Wybreda said...

I love Gdańsk, it's one of my two favourite episodes (along with Vaduz) of all time. :)

John, it's great you had a chance to visit my city. Did you enjoy staying in Kraków?

And I'm sorry to disappoint you but Szyszko-Bohusz is pronounced as /shi-shko/ not /shi-shi-shko/ but your version is even funnier! :)

Brandy said...

Gdansk is one of my all time favourites. Love these farewell bear facts!

Anonymous said...

I always wonder what Martin's first flying job (the one he got a few months after his dad died, and which he traded for flying for MJN unpaid) could have been.

Megann said...

Omg, I come from Krakow! Hope you had a nice stay.
I knew the alphabetical order was intended I just assumed it was BBC that messed it a bit ;)

Wybreda said...

It seems that Madame Szyszko-Bohusz has moved from Gdańsk to South Korea. ;)

"A Korean Air executive delayed a plane because she was angry with the way she had been served nuts"
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30390724

Moony said...

Madame SB and her bassoon is one of my favourite passengers, especially as I know a few orchestral musicians who are completely like her.

Cheers to the full CDs in Jan! Order will be officially restored! :)

Paul B said...

A wonderful episode. Martin is increasingly desperate to win just one bet against a very sharp Douglas and the final "how did you make there be a thunderstorm" was lovely.

Overall this was terrific fun

Slow-on-the-Uptake said...

Oh hang on ... is the strudel/cheesecake discussion a reference to Guys & Dolls?

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