Researchers at the University of Sussex have announced the death of the dinner party, according to widespread press reports.
Kevin Maher tells us that “Hollywood film-makers simply hate formal dinner parties because they are a nightmare to shoot. It is hardly surprising then that the great dinner-party movies strenuously avoid presenting all but the most cursory view of the dinner itself.”
Although it is rarely a question of dinner parties, more one of “Have you had your tea?”, the sight of soap characters sitting round a table to enjoy a televised meal always used to annoy me.
In fact most sit down meals on telly do that.
Because the seating plan is always bizarre.
They use only 3 sides of the table, even if that means squashing two or more people together at the short end.
The camera has to occupy, or at least get an unrestricted view from, the fourth side
