Festival of Britain

Aldeburgh must surely be able by now to award itself the title of 'festival town of Britain'. Books, music, poetry, food and drink; you name it, they've got a festival for it, and I'm just back from the absolutely compelling documentary festival, masterminded (although sadly this was his final year) by Craig Brown. It's an extraordinary opportunity to look at directors' work in considerable detail and for those directors - and sometimes the subjects or victims of their programmes as well - to engage in sparky debate, with both Brown as interviewer, and with audience members.

Juxtapositions this year were marvellously unlikely and thoroughly stimulating - Paul Greengrass talking about Bloody Sunday and United 93, followed by Sue Bourne on My Street and her gloriously funny and tender study of her mother's experience of Alzheimer's. The ructions between the National Trust and their sitting tenants or 'donor family' at Sissinghurst were examined and the whole event came to a stirring conclusion with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, passionately articulate on the subject of food standards and animal welfare, winning more supporters to rally round the banner of his Chicken Out campaign. The festival will be sorry to lose Craig Brown but Diana Quick takes over as festival director next year and that's bound to be interesting.