Talk:Michael Palin/GA1

GA Reassessment

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This article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force in an effort to ensure all listed Good articles continue to meet the Good article criteria. In reviewing the article, I have found there are some issues that may need to be addressed, listed below. I will check back in seven days. If these issues are addressed, the article will remain listed as a Good article. Otherwise, it may be delisted (such a decision may be challenged through WP:GAR). If improved after it has been delisted, it may be nominated at WP:GAN. Feel free to drop a message on my talk page if you have any questions, and many thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this article thus far.

GA review (see here for criteria)

This article needs a complete rewrite to comply with the GA criteria. I doubt that it will be possible to do this in a week, but I will put it on hold anyway. If anybody decides to take on the work, please contact me, since further reviewing will probably be needed once the rewrite starts.

The main problems are with sourcing and the presentation of information. Great parts of the article is in list form, or resemble lists, rather than coherent prose:
Lead:

There is no pre-Monty Python biographical background (Oxford etc.)
There is also information here that can not be found in the article (30th favourite comedian)

Early life and career:

Sister's suicide: per WP:BLP, is this really necessary? I believe not; had it been quoted to the subject himself, with a comment on the effect this had on him, maybe. Currently it just seems tabloidy.
There is an external link directly in the text, this should be an inline citation.

Monty Python:

This is altogether too short; MP is described in the lead as what he is "best known for", still this section is only about a third of "Other performances".
Also, there are no refs, and a lot of it appears as OR.
There is description of various roles, but nothing in depth about Palin's role in the troupe, the creative process, production etc.

Other performances:

This is more of a list than coherent prose, his filmography is already below so listing all his different roles is unnecessary.
Avoid expressions like "last film role"; he's still alive.
This section is also under-referenced, e.g. the statement on his planned role in You've Got Mail.

Travel:

Too heavy on minor detail "...although the unabridged versions can be very difficult to find."
On the other hand it lacks more relevant information: conception, production, critical reception etc.

Recognition:

Again just a list with little context

Bibliography, Selected filmography, Television & Awards:

The rest, about half the article, consists of just lists, that take up far too much space.
Some suggestions as to what could be done about this:

"Bibliography" could be rewritten in prose form with a link to the category, or it could be made into stand-alone list article.
"Selected filmography" and "Television" could be done in table form, then most of the awards could be mentioned in a separate column.

References & Further reading:

There are at least three dead links:

8 Michael Palin biography
19 http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/take_action/see_michael_palin
(2008-01-07 BBC Radio) - this is not an inline citation, it can be found in the "Radio" section

All in all the referencing is too thin, and not of good quality. There are three good sources listed under "Further reading" - more could perhaps be found - and these should be used more extensively. Lampman (talk) 14:09, 25 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Since no significant improvements have been made to the article over the last week, I will now delist it. Lampman (talk) 18:28, 1 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]