The Best Candidate for Film 2010

People are saying that the film buff Mark Kermode is the first in line to replace the 'late' Jonathan Ross for his BBC Film 2010 slot. Mark insists he hasn't yet heard anything about the job from the BBC, so maybe the BBC are using Ross's departure as a good excuse to drop their Film programme which 'nobody watches'.

Admittedly, photogenic Film buff Mark Kermode would be an excellent choice to present the programme, even though sometimes he lacks good judgement. I.e. it's common knowledge his number one pin up is The Exorcist's Linda Blair.

However, I think the encyclopedic film critic Alan Jones (pictured), who knows 'everyone' in the Film Industry and is a member of the Critics' Circle should be given the job. For a start, he knows more about horror films than anybody else in the Industry, has written scores of film books including Rough Guide To Horror Movies, and at the moment is toiling on his friend Guillemo Del Toro's authorised biography.

Alan, who founded and co-runs the annual FrightFest horror film festival, has an army of respectful film disciples including Kermode, whom Alan adopted as his Trilby straight after Mark got out of university and started out as a print critic.

If all those perfect credentials aren't enough to persuade the BBC to hire Mr Jones as their film guru, they should also read his regular FrightFest gossipy film blog, which alone should persuade the Beeb's powers that be to seriously consider him for the coveted Film slot role.

(Incidentally, on February 16th, Alan and David McGillivray, the veteran film producer/critic/screenwriter will be at the Lighthouse in Brighton - 28 Kensington Street - to talk about 'all things horror'. Click on Alan's FrightFest Blog for details of ‘Under the Skin of the Horror Genre’ event which starts at 6.30 p.m.).