The BBC has launched a new children’s TV programme based on the industrial relations tinderbox that is the London Underground. Underground Ernie, voiced by football pundit Gary Lineker, is a “jolly kind-hearted man”, according to the BBC’s website, but, true to real life, each week “Ernie faces a problem, which he needs to fix”.
There is no indication whether or not Ernie will have to deal with militant unionists during the course of his duties (there doesn’t seem to be an RMT badge evident anywhere on the site) or whether the series could be cut short to accommodate the underground drivers’ 35-hour week and 52-day holiday allowance.
For more visit www.undergroundernie.com