MARK KNOPFLER: A LIFE IN SONGS
9.00pm BBC4
MUSIC This agreeably laid-back biography charts the rise of the Dire Straits frontman, from Tyneside teen guitar obsessive to unit-shifting stadium sultan. The tale is told mostly in the words of the level-headed and unassuming man himself, now in his sixties, as footage of the big-hair-and-headband era is woven with clips of his recent folk-rock collaborations.
Knopfler's days as a sensitive soundtrack scribe (Local Hero, Cal, The Prciess Bride) are sadly under-explored, but where the programme really scores is in the off-the-cuff, front room performances and charmingly prosaic stories about the origins of songs and riffs ("I fiddle about with the amp").
How the master guitarist developed his distinctive growling vocals is never answered, although the confession "Bob Dylan changed it all for me" may have a bearing.
Mark Braxton
