One day in the early sixties, Broomfield was on a train when who should he see but Brian Jones, then arguably the coolest guy in what was fast becoming the hippest band of the day, the Rolling Stones.
Broomfield, 14, came over and they started talking. “I was surprised at how open and friendly he was.” Jones said that he was a train spotter. Given his solid middle-class upbringing at Cheltenham, it might as well have been.
It was an endearing moment for Broomfield, director of The Leader, his Driver, and the Driver’s Wife, Ghosts and dozens of other titles. But as he says, most people today haven’t heard of Jones, who died in 1969 at just 27 years old. He’s probably right on that. Stones fans will be familiar with the story, while for others it will be old pop history. It’s still a story worth telling, as Broomfield deftly draws movie shows
For more TELEVISION previews subscribe now
With contributions from the Stones’ Bill Wyman (a “historical consultant” to the film) and others, including ex-girlfriends, the film takes the story back to the time when Jones met Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and formed a band.
Jones considered himself the founder of the Stones, but from the beginning there was friction with Jagger over who was in control. The situation worsened when Jagger and Richards began writing songs and became the voice of the band. Jones, who is not a songwriter, would accuse them of excluding and belittling him. Neither Jagger nor Richards make a contemporary contribution to the film and are only seen in earlier interviews.
The only stone we hear about today is Wyman. He remembers a mostly sweet guy, a real musical talent, but he also had a cruel streak, as Wyman found out at his expense.
The pressure on Jones grew as the Stones became more famous and fans became more hysterical. Included in the excellent footage are scenes from their early concerts, with women throwing themselves at Jagger and company and gorillas throwing the scenery invaders back to the crowd. (Top tip: Such is the intensity of the eardrum-pounding screams that you might want to keep one finger on the volume control during these scenes.) Jones turned more and more to alcohol and drugs to deal with his demons, disappearing and not appearing. for concerts. Eventually, he was asked to leave the band. Three weeks later he was found dead in his pool.
Broomfield’s cautionary but never critical story ends with the concert in Hyde Park that the Stones organized as a tribute to Jones. Jagger read Shelley and gave butterflies.
Stand by your superking beds and get ready to karate a cushion, it’s time for a new Scottish Home of the Year series (BBC1 ScotlandMonday, 8:30pm, repeated by BBC Scotland, Thursday, 7:30pm).
Although the original format has its roots in Denmark, Scotland has embraced the show as its own since it appeared here four years ago. Proving you can’t put down a good idea, there’s now a Welsh House of the Year to add to the collection.
READ MORE: Endeavor says goodbye in style
The fifth series opens in the east with the Old Train House in Edinburgh, a former station transformed into a family home. Next up is Alexandra Apartment, a converted Victorian property in Kirkcaldy, followed by Mount Frost in Fife, which is described as a house where the seventies meets the nineties. I can’t wait to see that.
The judges are Banjo Beale (who now has his own interior design series), designer Anna Campbell Jones, and architect Michael Angus. As announced last week, there will be a line-up change for the upcoming series, with Glasgow architect Danny Campbell taking over from Michael Angus. Great shoes to fill.
If there’s any doubt about viewers’ appetite for all things forensic, watch Silent Witness, 26 series and counting. But that’s drama. What about the real life scientists and the police who work alongside them? For that, look no further than Forensics: the Real CSI (BBC2, Tuesday, 9pm).
Now in its third series, the new series continues the calm and steady style of its predecessors. The first episode focuses on the rape of a woman by a stranger. Through interviews and reconstructions, the case is followed from its initial approach to the police to the interrogation of a suspect.
It’s a gripping sight, but never sensational. Being the stories of real victims does not have to be. What is striking is how much criminals now know about forensic science, altering their behavior accordingly. But the science is still ahead of them, and may that continue for a long time.