Saturday 18th April 2026
Blog Page 1095

What the Scottish elections mean for the whole UK

Charles Clegg
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What the Scottish elections mean for the whole UK

In a sound bite no doubt prepared for the increased majority that never was, Nicola Sturgeon hailed the SNP’s third consecutive Holyrood victory as “historic”. Historic in the sense of posterity, yes; but that qualified victory was far from the most seminal result of an election whose lessons and consequences will affect the whole of Britain.

Everyone in Scotland was a winner of some sort last Thursday night. The SNP remain in government. The pro-independence Scottish Greens are up from two seats to six. The Liberal Democrats’ seat count remains, against the odds, at five. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party soared into second place. Everyone was a winner except, that is, Labour. The party now has less than a fifth of the seats in the house it built.

Labour’s failure in the Scottish elections should chill the spines of Corbyn and his supporters. But it doesn’t. Successes in London, Bristol, and Wales can mask the worst local election results of any new opposition leader since the War; but it is in Scotland that the damage from Labour’s leftward lurch can be best assessed.

Remember the autumn of 2015. With the constituency map of Scotland dowsed in yellow and some polls putting the SNP on 60 per cent ahead of the Holyrood elections, it seemed to follow that if the Scots are left-wing, and the SNP are left-wing, then Corbyn’s being left wing could redeem a lapsed Labour heartland. It didn’t happen. Not only did it not happen, but Labour’s fall was mirrored almost exactly by the Tories’ rise in many areas. It’s no longer just the SNP who are eating into Labour’s electorate. Their weak stance on the independence question and threatened tax rises did more to help the Conservatives than Labour. If that’s the case in a part of the country that John Smith once hailed as more moral than its southern neighbour, then not only will righteous Labour struggle to win in heathen England, but it will struggle to win at all in 2020 without the cohort of Scottish MPs on which it could once rely.

Labour may have reason to be discomforted by the Scottish elections, but the UK as a whole, and Scotland in particular, should be able to breathe easy for the meanwhile – hopefully. Despite multiple promises to make the 2014 independence referendum a “once in a generation/lifetime” affair, the miraculous apparition of the wrong result deemed all such promises void before the will of the Scottish people. But just as the will of the Scottish people had prevented a break up in 2014, it halted an SNP majority in 2016. Despite what Sturgeon may blusteringly insist, she has no clear mandate for a second referendum; and with oil revenue plummeting, promised powers for Holyrood delivered, and Britain still in the European Union – for now – that may just suit her fine.

The night’s greatest success – and surprise – was for Tories. Before the election, some had predicted they would grasp second place, but only by default against a collapsing Labour. In the event, they more than doubled their representation by storming the regional lists and retaining all their constituencies while bagging two each from Labour and the SNP. They now have four more seats than SNP did prior to 2007. For nearly 20 years, the Scottish Conservatives have prayed for anything better than electoral stagnation: last Thursday, it was given to them and that right emphatically. Just as Dugdale and Corbyn’s Labour could tack left of the broadly centrist SNP and still hit the rocks, the Tories’ success shows that any belief in Scottish exceptionalism needs to be reconsidered. Many Scots still detest the Tories; many who voted for them will have done so reservedly, but as they take the opposition benches, they can no longer be dismissed as an alien force, irrelevant except when it poisons. The centre-left consensus that dominated the Scottish parliament from its creation has been shattered. That a strong alternative to the SNP’s mock-socialist posturing and separatist ambitions has been brought to the fore of Scottish politics is the truly historic result of the night.

Oxford research attacks evidence behind ‘weekend effect’ in NHS

Stephen Hawes
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Oxford research attacks evidence behind ‘weekend effect’ in NHS

Studies suggesting that more NHS patients die from surgery taking place at weekends have been put into question by the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed last summer that the ‘weekend effect’ was responsible for around 6,000 deaths per year. This figure was used as a central argument for the changes to junior doctors’ contracts, prompting the dispute between the government and the British Medical Association, which is still ongoing.

The figure of 6,000 deaths per year was taken from a study by England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Bruce Keogh, originally published by the British Medical Journal. The journal did not claim that the extra deaths were related to staff shortages. The new research focussed on care for patients suffering from strokes. It suggests that because fewer low-risk operations were performed at weekends, no conclusions can be drawn from a comparison between weekends and weekdays.

Researchers also found that about a third of patients who were admitted for strokes were miscoded. Many of them were admitted for other, low-risk procedures that were carried out Monday to Friday. They suggest that this trend of poor NHS record-keeping is likely to have affected mortality rates in other areas of healthcare.

“The report was exploited by the government, who grossly misused this data”

Alex Mafi

The research was led by Peter Rothwell, Head of the Centre for the Prevention of Stroke and Dementia and Professor of Clinical Neurology at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences. In a statement he said, “There is increasing research evidence that strongly suggests that the so-called ‘weekend effect’ is certainly overestimated by the government and could quite possibly be completely artefactual due to flaws in the data used in previous studies. Much more reliable evidence is required before we spend very considerable sums of money to restructure weekend health services.”

Responding to the research, Alex Mafi, President of Oxford MedSoc, told Cherwell, “Even before this report, evidence for the ‘weekend effect’ was sketchy. It [the report] was exploited by the government, who grossly misused this data to associate correlations with doctor working hours and death rates to imply a strong correlation between the two.

“It’s encouraging to see these studies emerge from our university that provide solid evidence of the government’s misinformation and stealth tactics to mislead the public about the need for these contracts.”

The research has increased suspicions that the ‘Seven Day NHS’ is part of a wider attempt to privatise the health service. Balliol medical student Ellouise Bishop told Cherwell, “Even though it’s become so confusing with all these different stats and statements thrown at us about why the contract has to be the way it is, it’s actually a really simple issue: they’re trying to get junior doctors to work the same crazy hours for less money. It’s a move towards privatisation, which goes against everything the NHS stands for.”

 

Downing Street has reiterated that data from previous studies is still valid and that the consensus remains that there is a statistically observable ‘weekend effect’. The contract imposed on junior doctors is due to come into force in August, despite continued resistance from the BMA. Climbing up the walls before we spend very considerable sums of money to restructure Responding to the research, Alex Mafi, President of Oxford MedSoc, imply a strong correlation between “It’s encouraging to see these studies emerge from our university that provide solid evidence of the misinformation and stealth tactics to mislead the public about the need for these The research has increased suspicions that the ‘Seven Day NHS’ is part of a wider attempt to privatise the health service. to get junior doctors to work the same crazy hours for less money. It’s a move towards privatisation, which goes against everything the NHS stands for.” Downing Street has reiterated that data from previous studies is still valid and that the consensus remains that there is a statistically observable ‘weekend effect’. The contract imposed on junior doctors is due to come into force in August, despite continued resistance from the BMA.

Latest admissions data only reinforces stereotypes

Daniel Kodsi
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Latest admissions data only reinforces stereotypes

The University released admissions statistics for 2015 entry this week.

The data shown on its website provides a look into the composition of this year’s class of first years with information on nationality, UK region of domicile, gender, ethnicity, school type and income level. It also shows acceptance rates for each course and college.

There is a possibility that it will provoke controversy, with admissions to Oxbridge always subject to intense scrutiny. The University is commonly criticised on the grounds that its student body is not demographically representative of the UK population. For instance, while independent schools educate only seven per cent of the UK’s school population, this year’s statistics show that of UK applicants attending state or independent schools, 44.4 per cent of places went to students from the independent sector.

The proportion of state school students admitted, however, has, for better or worse, remained relatively constant over the last several years: 52.7 per cent of the cohort admitted for 2007 entry had attended state school. The new data shows that state school students constitute 54 per cent of those accepted for undergraduate study in Oxford for 2015.

Oxford has also been accused of failing to attract and accept black and minority ethic students, notably by the Rhodes Must Fall in Oxford campaign. According to the 2015 statistics, 83 per cent of Oxford’s latest intake are white and 14.1 per cent are BME, although only 38 students accepted were of black or black British ethnic background.

However, Oxford has noted that its ethnic mix is not ‘dramatically out of line with either the national picture or its peer institutions’, pointing to admissions data for Russell Group and UK first-year undergraduates. Yet, Oxford’s proportion of BME students is more than 30 per cent lower than the national proportion of first year BME undergraduates, which is 22 per cent.

But Oxford is taking steps to improve access, with targets set under its Access Agreement with the Office for Fair Access. Target categories include: students with disabilites, students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and students from schools and neighbourhoods with historically low progression to Oxford or participation in higher education.

For 2015 entry, 41.7 per cent of UK applicants met at least one target category, and ended up constituting 34.4 per cent of successful UK students.

There were a total of 18,377 applications, the data shows. UK-domiciled students continue to make up the great majority of applicants (63.8 per cent), and an even greater proportion of those offered a place (80.8 per cent).

Within the UK itself, more than half (56.5 per cent) of applicants hail from the South East, the South West and Greater London (and 58.4 per cent of those offered places).

The University data also provides other insights into Oxford admissions, separate from demographic breakdown. For instance, the most applied to courses last year were PPE (1651 apps), Medicine (1433 apps), and Law (1262 apps). Meanwhile, Theology & Oriental Studies only saw four applicants.

Brasenose, St John’s, Keble and Balliol were the most applied to colleges; only 63 students applied to the Permanent Private Halls.

The enterprising school student might do well to consider applying to St Hilda’s (22 percent accepted) for Classics (36 per cent accepted).

The University has been contacted for comment.

Jamie Vardy made honorary member of Brasenose JCR

Guy Bennett-Jones
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Jamie Vardy made honorary member of Brasenose JCR

Jamie Vardy was made an honorary member of Brasenose JCR this week. He has also been invited to run for the position of Ball President.

The JCR motion noted that, “Jamie is the man who climbed the ladder from non-league football to the Premier League, is now currently the league’s top scorer and on current form is the most dangerous player around. His pace gives defenders nightmares and he is pulling goals and assists out of his backside.”

“Jamie loves to throw a party; if the position of Ball President hasn’t been filled by Sunday then I am sure he would love to run for it.”

“Jamie Vardy has scored more Premier League goals this season than Cristiano Ronaldo”.

The proposer, James Scoon, told the JCR, “Leicester’s number 9 scored 24 goals this year…He has scored more premier league goals than Lionel Messi. Jamie Vardy is very good at throwing parties. We would be idiots to let this one pass.” Lionel Messi has never scored in the Premier League because he has never played in it.

A member of the JCR criticised the motion: “There is no point to this” to which Scoon replied, “That is a fair comment.”

Common People, an Uncommon Stage

Ellen Peirson-Hagger
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Common People, an Uncommon Stage

Common People Festival, curated by DJ Rob Da Bank (of Bestival fame), is to take to Oxford’s South Park on May’s bank holiday weekend, 28-29 May. Whilst there are some big names playing this event (namely Duran Duran, Primal Scream, Katy B and Craig David’s TS5), the excitement for this festival – the largest of its kind to take place so close to the town – lies in the Uncommon Stage.

Set to showcase the fantastic local talent of the city, the stage has been curated by Nightshift, “the excellent Oxford music mag” as described by Vienna Ditto, the electro rockabilly duo who will play the Uncommon stage on Sunday evening. When I ask what the excitement of playing a festival curated by Rob Da Bank means to the local band, they answer with “I do know that Ronan Munro put us forward for it; he’s something of a local John Peel. I’m almost more chuffed that he chose us, considering the local talent.”

When I speak to Julia Meijer, the Swedish-born singer-songwriter who moved to Oxford three years ago, and who will open the Uncommon Stage on Sunday afternoon, she, too, is keen to sing the praises of the music scene here. “I think Oxford is a really nice size – there are a lot of lovely venues to play. I’ve played here at the Modern Art which I really love: twice downstairs in the basement, and once outside in the entrance in the garden. I also really like the Jericho Tavern. And I’ve played in both spaces in the Old Fire Station … there are so many venues here.”

And it really is not just us critics harping on about the musical capabilities of this town. Every musician I speak to is overwhelmingly positive about the musical opportunities living in Oxford has given them. The Uncommon Stage will only celebrate this. Zaia, a seven-piece reggaedub-dance outfit also have sprung out of a town which has only accentuated the diversity of their sound. Complimentary of Oxford’s scene (which they are of course a part of), they tell me, “This is a city which punches well above its weight.” This depth and breadth is explicit on the Uncommon Stage’s line-up, from Zaia’s eclectic fusion to Little Brother Eli’s garage rock; and teenage duo Cassels’ “incendiary” sounds to Julia Meijer, who is so often described as “folk”, though she doesn’t see herself as a “folk” musician. “I’ve been described as ‘cosmic folk’”, she says, “or ‘hymnal dream folk’ – another good one.”

The joy of this festival will be the needlessness of genre labelling. Duotone, AKA Barney Morse-Brown, a guitarist, cellist and vocalist who will be opening the Uncommon Stage on the Saturday afternoon, is keen to have new people experience his music without feeling the need to categorise it. As we sit in a crowded café on St. Michael’s Street he tells me, “I’d like to think that if people hear something wafting over a field, it’s gonna appeal to them and bring them into the tent.”

Anything could happen in South Park in May. Cassels, the Oxford teenagers channelling grungy punk with socially charged lyrics, will play an early evening Uncommon Stage slot on Sunday evening. Timing is everything at a festival, and they tell me, “We’re on early so there’s a good possibility there will be no one there. Hopefully some incendiary types will show up and cause a ruckus. We’ll shout a bit like we usually do.” And this raucous festival nature will be clear in the sets of the other Uncommon bands too. The members of Zaia understand that there’s not usually time for a thorough sound check at festivals, and although setting kit up so quickly can be stressful, “there really is no better feeling in the world than that moment when you’re playing your music to a big dancing crowd, it’s moments like these we live for as musicians.” The same sentiment goes for Original Rabbit Foot Spasm Band, the joyous vintage seven-piece who have previously played the Royal Festival Hall and Bestival, and who will be headlining the Uncommon Stage on Saturday night. They say “There is nothing quite as exhilarating as a lively festival crowd. For us there is no great difference [between festivals and ordinary gigs] as we don’t tend to spend large amounts of time sound checking anyway. Plus the idea of turning up at the last minute greatly appeals to us.”

Festivals are geared up to allow their punters to discover new music. There will be a buzz in the air from these Oxford bands attempting to win over their audiences who may only have come for the bigshots Duran Duran or Primal Scream. The Uncommon Stage will be at the centre of all of this.

Keble makes meat-free move

William Taylor
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Keble makes meat-free move

Keble JCR has passed a motion for meat-free Mondays in Hall. The motion, brought on May 8, focused on the environmental impact of eating meat and the large improvement a relatively small reduction could make, according to data put forward in the motion.

It ran into opposition when moved to debate, as JCR members questioned some of the practicalities of MCR approval and individual choice. In the end, however, the motion passed 24 to 10 with three abstentions.

Jack Palmer who brought the motion stated, “Meat-Free Monday is about much more than just reducing the absolute amount of meat consumed in Keble on one day. It is the hope that this will prompt people to engage more with the issues surrounding meat consumption and the industrial livestock industry with all its damaging consequences.

“However there’s a positive side too – that people will discover the delicious vegetarian and vegan food that Keble produces and will be more likely to opt for this, or other sources of non-meat meals, during the rest of the week.”

The motion was justified by those who put it forward because “the consumption of meat is one of the largest drivers of human induced climate change,” and quoted the results of a WorldWatch study.

“One does not have a given right to meat at every opportunity.”

Jack Palmer

The proponents of the shift also pointed toward the potential health
dangers of eating too much red meat as a reason to limit people’s intake.

Palmer, who proposed the motion, claimed their most frequent criticism dealt with a lack of choice for those who wanted meats on Mondays, a campaign which culminated in an MCR motion to negate the JCR’s decision.

Palmer and others who pushed the motion responded “one does not have a given right to meat at every opportunity.” He pointed out that the consequences of the environmental damage are often “being felt by the poorest and most marginalised people on the planet.”

Palmer hopes the motion will help people consider the personal and environmental implications of their everyday dietary choices.

Fairlie Kirkpatrick Baird, the Environment and Ethics Officer for OUSU, told Cherwell , “I’m very excited to hear that Keble has passed a Meat Free Monday motion. World meat production produces more carbon emissions than all transport taken together, and therefore limiting personal meat consumption is a very effective way of reducing individual carbon emissions.”

Indeed, Baird said “The Meat-Free Monday campaign is a fantastic way to raise awareness about this impact, which studies have shown is actually not well understood or acknowledged. Although cutting out meat on Mondays alone may seem small and ineffectual, the cumulative effect it has on the carbon emissions of a college is significant due to the massive amount of food they produce each year, and the increased awareness the campaign brings hopefully increases impact even more.”

Beyond this, OUSU works with “Veggie Pledge, a campaign run in November each year in which colleges compete to get the most individual pledges to reduce dairy and/ or meat in the month of November.”

Keble JCR is the latest to have passed a motion excluding meat from Hall. LMH will be considering a similar motion in January, following in the footsteps of Lincoln, Wadham, and now Keble.

Want to run a business next year?

Mack
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Want to run a business next year?

Oxford Student Publications Ltd (OSPL) is an entirely student-run company that owns some of Oxford’s most prestigious and long-running publications, including Cherwell, The ISIS and Bang! science magazine.

We’re looking for a talented and dynamic team to run the business in 2017 and we’ve opened applications for a new Chairperson and Finance Director.

Both positions give you the opportunity to be a director of a private limited company during your spare time at university, and provide immensely valuable experience for anyone interested in media or business.

The posts last for one calendar year, from the end of Michaelmas 2016 to the end of Michaelmas 2017. No business experience is required for either role.

If you’re interested in applying, please email [email protected] by 6pm on November 3 (Thursday of 4th week) to state your intent.

Applications will CLOSE at 6pm on November 5 (Saturday of 4th week).

 

Chairperson

The Chairperson leads the Board of Directors and is responsible for the overall running of OSPL. As Chairperson, you’re responsible for the company’s finance, business and long-term development strategy.

The Chairperson represents a senior point of contact to the editorial staff of our publications, meeting weekly with senior staff at the Council of Management to discuss performance. You’ll also preside over any legal matters which arise and be the primary point of contact for any complaints or disputes.

Email Steven at [email protected] for more information about the role of Chairperson and to request an application form.

 

Finance Director

The role of Finance Director is great for anyone looking to get experience in business. As FD, it’s your job to send out invoices for all of the adverts in OSPL’s publications, collect the money, and also bill colleges for their subscriptions.

You’re also responsible for paying bills and filing company tax returns. Each quarter the FD prepares comprehensive accounts so that the whole board is up to date with OSPL’s financial position.

Although the FD manages a small team of Finance Executives, it is down to you to ensure that OSPL stays afloat and is ready to face any financial challenges in the future. No experience in finance is necessary, however candidates should have good numerical skills.

Email Tom at [email protected] for more information about the role of Finance Director. Email Steven at [email protected] to request an application form.

 

 

Revealed: Oxford’s addiction to study drugs

Daniel Kodsi
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Revealed: Oxford’s addiction to study drugs

According to a Cherwell survey conducted over the past week and which received 662 responses, 15.6 per cent of students have knowingly taken Modafinil or another so-called ‘study drug’ without a prescription while studying at Oxford.

Modafinil is used to treat disorders including narcolepsy and sleep apnea. It is a controlled substance in the US, and can only legally be obtained in the UK if prescribed by a doctor. Other study drugs include Ritalin and Adderall, both of which are used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

All three drugs are associated with enhanced performance when studying or working, and are often abused in order to achieve better results in high-pressure academic environments, like Oxford, Cambridge, or some American universities.

Cherwell’s survey also found that of those who have knowingly taken Modafinil without a prescription, only 11.8 per cent had done so previous to arrival in Oxford. It is unclear the reason behind the spike upon arrival at Oxford, with increased access and greater pressure both possibly factors contributing to the rise in study drug abuse.

A number of students who use study drugs illicitly, our results show, take them sporadically for both exam and work deadlines (43.2 per cent). The next largest segment of study drug users (25.9 per cent) only engage in their use before work deadlines. Study drug usage appears to be either engaged in covertly or only amongst certain populations of the student body, with just over half of respondents (53.2 per cent) answering that they knew other people studying at Oxford who had taken study drugs without a prescription.

The percentage of students at Oxford who have taken study drugs non-medically is roughly in line with similar findings about non-medical study drug use at US universities, with a 2013 National Survey finding that about 15 per cent of college students aged 18-22 have taken Adderall without a prescription.

There are significant risks often associated with study drug abuse, namely addiction and permanently impaired cognitive function. These effects, however, are unlikely to arise as a result of medical use.

Dr Zahid Padamesy, Department of Psychology, told Cherwell that “in fact, some subjects seem to benefit from these drugs, whereas others are actually impaired. The subjects that seem to benefit the most from these drugs are those with relatively poor working memory and attention at baseline. In contrast, for subjects with already excellent working memory and attention skills, these drugs seem to impair task performance.”

Padamesy also highlighted that the long-term effects of study drug abuse remain unclear. Ali Lennon, OUSU VP for Welfare and Equal Opportunities, made a similar comment, telling Cherwell, “While Modafinil has no particularly harmful short-term effects, we’re not entirely sure what the longterm repercussions are. And in addition to that, stronger smart drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are essentially low-grad amphetamines. For those persons who do not have ADHD and conditions that warrant the use of Ritalin, it can be quite damaging.”

How dare Oxford let common sense get in the way of moral outrage?

Daniel Kodsi
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How dare Oxford let common sense get in the way of moral outrage?

In the latest news to rock this proud University, colleges continue to accept money from those organisations offering them money. What ever will be next?

It is unclear to me wherein lies the material harm of accepting the money of the disreputable rich. As best I can make out, the claim appears to be that money is power, and corrupt donors will use bought influence to corrupt the academy. Certainly, all else equal, the University and its constituent colleges should prefer the money of Médecins Sans Frontières to human-rights abusing Qatari oligarchs. But such a choice is not the one being presented. It is instead: take the oil money or forfeit the opportunity to grant scholarships to deserving students.

After all: better our hands than theirs. Rhodes scholars often refer to their scholarship money as reparations. Let us do analogously – to consider Qatari money a payment from the regime for its cruelty. Perhaps more significantly: I have yet to see deleterious impact ensue from the University accepting even questionable donations. The Blavatnik School of Government offers a flattering description of Russian-born billionaire Leonard Blavatnik. But this is a ridiculous quibble – thanks to Len, Oxford now has a school of public policy.

There is, nonetheless, an important point raised by the question of donor influence: that if the financial resources of each college were pooled, the power of the donor would be greatly diminished. So for those concerned, I would suggest campaigning for establishment of a shared endowment, rather than griping every time a college behaves according to the dictates of common sense.

Profile: Anthony Geffen

Louise Howland
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Profile: Anthony Geffen

Dare I say it: Anthony Geffen is a man who cannot be pigeonholed. A man best known for his professional partnership with living legend David Attenborough, he has worked on over 11 critically acclaimed films, from the fascinating Rise of the Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates to the stunning Great Barrier Reef. But this is only the tip of the iceberg for Geffen who, since proving himself as a remarkable natural documentarian, has been involved in a range of incredibly diverse projects.
Perhaps then, a good starting point would not be Attenborough, but rather Geffen’s continued innovations in cinematic storytelling in the form of virtual reality (VR) filmmaking. This medium of film is currently evolving way beyond the realms of gaming, but is, as Geffen’s work exemplifies, making waves in the film industry itself. This year’s Cannes’ Film Festival has confirmed a full VR line-up, including screenings and workshops. Popular franchises are also seeing the benefits of the up and coming mode, with Ghostbusters and Wonderland both experimenting with VR. Geffen’s passion for VR was striking and he chatted at length about the many possibilities VR filmmaking holds for the future of the cinematic experience. For Geffen, it creates “an environment where you can immerse people in a 360-degree environment”, the results of which he can describe as nothing less than “amazing”.
In June of last year, Geffen, and a team of professionals, achieved this on a grand scale. The Natural History Museum metamorphosed into ancient oceans, where visitors had the chance to travel through time and space, observing sea creatures over 550 million years old – all through VR film.
However, he is not interested in restricting VR to nature documentaries, or documentaries of any kind for that matter. “To me, as a storyteller,” begins Geffen, “I want to look at different platforms and different ways to tell stories.” This idea is a real game changer: imagine being able to go one step beyond simply watching your favourite films? Or even that TV series you’re addicted to? “I want to make some episodic things [with VR] including some dramas, because to me if you’re in that world for something like ten minutes, you’ll come back and see what happened to that set of characters and that situation.” But Geffen isn’t talking about Netflix here. He says, “It’s fantastic, why compete?” He states that he would instead prefer to “go to a different area and compete.” Watch this space.
Geffen’s ambition was inspiring and I wondered whether he thought his passion project would leave a lasting mark. I asked him about where VR would be by 2050 and he predicted, with upmost certainty, that it “will be commonplace way before then.” He even went as far as to say, rather poetically, that “I think they’ll be ways of us seeing the world around us on a contact lens.” After this interview was conducted and I undertook further research into the VR mode of filmmaking, I find myself struggling to disagree. This is an exciting time for film, and it’s only going to get better.
It was becoming clear that Geffen was interested film and its various mechanisms. I was interested in what ignited this fire in his belly. “I grew up in a generation where people were making very exciting things on television,” Geffen begins, “like Attenborough [who] was making the first bursts on screen of his big series.” Whilst we millenials may take TV entertainment as a commodity, having access to award winning international shows on almost every device, in the back end of the 20th century this concept was revolutionary, possessing the ability to transport viewers to exotic places from the comfort of their own living room. There is certainly some correlation here between Geffen’s TV generation and his love of VR. A small TV box set with four channels was equivalent to the new digital software the likes of Geffen are creating and innovating. It was new to the senses, offering different, immersive experiences, much like VR in 2016.
After lauding the brilliance and importance of television, I probed him on the BBC’s charter renewal. This is set to threaten programming, specifically the commissioning of the sort of nature documentaries that Geffen has been involved in for years. He highlights the shifting landscape of the broadcasting environment, one that is, to quote Geffen, “changing beyond all recognition.” He admits that the “BBC is going to have to get smaller… it’s run by 16,000 people which is a very big number to finance with public money.” Yet he remains incredibly loyal to the institution, believing that “it embodies… independence and creativity”. He continues by saying “it’s very important that the BBC is supported because it’s sort of a cornerstone we all work toward in the industry and if we took it away, it would actually dismantle what’s good about British broadcasting.”
For Geffen, the primary purpose of broadcasting film, of any kind, is storytelling. And the conversation naturally veered back to his preoccupation with film as a vehicle for human narrative. He emphasises “forget all the special effects and all the whizz bang – to have personal stories crafted in a way that they can translate a powerful story, is still more powerful than anything else.” For him, it is clear that film and narrative are intrinsically linked, and that that aspect of cinema should be central to the cinematic experience – be it on the big screen, television or VR.
This has shone through most of his film projects, which have covered a broad range of subject matter and genre, almost all keeping story telling at the forefront. In 2010, Geffen directed The Wildest Dream, a biopic documenting the attempt of two mountaineers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, presented in the form of a theatrical retelling.
Historical events also pique Geffen’s interest, with a string of critically acclaimed films such as Jerusalem: City of Heaven and Empires: Holy Warriors – Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. And of course: his projects with Attenborough (wildlife also offers some enthralling story lines). But which was his favourite to film, produce or direct? “Oral histories,” Geffen answers with little hesitation, and continues by briefly discussing some of his own that he is particularly proud of, mentioning The Promised Land and a new project focussing on the Holocaust. “Oral histories have been around since Troy,” Geffen continues, “We have always been recorders of human narrative.”
Working for over a period of 20 years with Attenborough, Geffen has won countless awards for his contribution and innovation of the genre. “Attenborough and I decided to do some natural history documentaries and for seven years I’ve come in at it at a slightly different angle. We’ve tried to bring a different narrative and bring things back to life.” A striking example of this would be Penguins (2012) which was screened in 3D, yet another example of how Geffen experiments with various film mediums to create a truly unique journey for the viewer as they navigate their way through wildlife.
“I think we’ve tried to do the unexpected in the natural world.” Nevertheless, Geffen expressed humility when he confesses that he “only really came to it because of [his] relationship with David Attenborough.” And long may the love continue.

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