Whoops! Cock alert on Radio 4

Yes, this is the cock. Big and blue and…birdy.

Fun on today’s Front Row debate which stole the familiar Start The Week 9 am Monday morning slot (it is repeated later today), from the studio theatre at Hull Truck. It was a debate about state funding for the arts.  Things hotted up however, when the free market economist Philip Booth, who perhaps should get out a bit more, took exception to arts journalist Ekow Eshun talking about “the big blue cock” on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. In Eshun’s view, this was public sculpture at its best. Spluttering slightly, Booth commented that while Eshun might welcome the appearance of ‘pornography’ in Trafalgar Square, he himself did not. At which point it was clear that there was a slight misunderstanding about Katharina Fritsch’s bright blue cockerel, which until last week was proudly standing on the Fourth Plinth. After a few minutes of general mirth, and explanation that there were no publicly funded, sculpted penises at large in Trafalgar Square, presenter John Wilson tried to regain control. “Can we now talk about a bottom-up approach to arts funding?” he suggested. The audience dissolved. Hon menches to John Godber too for citing titles of at least three of his shows while reminding us all why he is a national treasure and fantastic advocate for Hull.