The Week in Words: 12 Years Later...

I was in my first Film Studies lecture at college, still nervously adjusting to a new environment, when the news filtered through that a plane had crashed into a building in New York. I stayed with a close friend and watched in horror as the full scale of the attack unfurled in a constant B-roll on 24 hour news channels. The scenes seemed strangely reminiscent of a Hollywood disaster movie – the smoke and the fury, the violence and suffering. I remember the same nauseous feeling even now, the need to keep talking to those around you to find some shared sense of reality, as the world burned and turned upside down. I was 16 and I had never heard of al-Qaeda, jihad or Osama bin Laden. What innocent times.

To this day we still see the reminders. In April, part of the wreckage from one of the Boeing planes was discovered in a Manhattan alleyway. Victims of the attacks are still being identified. I read this week that as a symbolic gesture, the soon-to-be-completed One World Trade Centre - built on the former site of the towers - will reach 1776ft, the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Now that’s fighting talk.

As Barack Obama spoke this week at the 12th anniversary of the attacks, America’s standing as the 'world’s police' and their actions post 9/11 have never been more in question. The brash, vitriolic impulsiveness of the Bush administration to launch attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan still lingers, and Obama’s proposed missile strikes in Syria faced stern consternation and stalled as a consequence. In the intervening years, Obama can lay claim to catching and killing the culprit of the attacks, but does the world really feel like a safer place? Only the world's leaders can set the examples for all nations to follow. For example, diplomatic solutions to solve the Syrian crisis appear to be working. Time will tell if another conflict can be avoided. For now we can at least be thankful that the hotheadedness shown under previous leaderships appears to have been left buried in the aftermath of that fateful day 12 years ago.

There comes a time in every young person's life when you realise, quite disturbingly, that your parents aren't the flawless, mysterious super beings you imagined them to be. They are, in fact, quite normal, fallible people just like you, prone to the same human error and insecurity.

Some, like the brave teenagers interviewed on Tuesday's excellent documentary Mum and Dad Are Splitting Up (BBC2), are forced to learn this fact sooner than others. At every turn, the adults are undermined by the honesty and maturity displayed by their kids, who clearly understand much more about the issue than either parent would care to admit.

Darryl (pictured), whose parents separated nine years ago, is lucky because his Mum and Dad still talk to each other. His mother would even consider giving up her relationship with John if she decided to get back with Darryl's father. But Dad isn't convinced. "The trouble is I think she would still see him, because he's got her dog," he says.

Natasha isn't so lucky. She lives with her father and hasn't spoken to her mother for 18 months. At nine years old, Natasha’s mother moved the family into a new home without telling her Dad. He came home one day to find the house bare and his family missing. “There would have been more taken, but I think they didn’t have time to get it all out,” says Dad.

Then there's Daisy, who feels personally responsible for her parents divorce two years ago, believing she was the root cause of their money woes.

A third of UK children live with one parent. The program suggests there is, actually, no such thing as a happy solution. A peaceful solution, yes, perhaps. But breaking up a home leaves permanent scars. The program was confronting, heartbreaking and poignant, and worth checking out.

The new Arctic Monkeys album, AM (released on Monday), is a triumph and cements the band's continued relevance and confidence after ten years in the industry. One Direction, take note.

As one of the UK's truly great bands – Olympic ceremony champions, Glastonbury headliners and so on – their fandom crosses the gauntlet between young and old, hence interview slots on Newsnight and BBC Breakfast. The kindest thing you can say about Alex Turner in interviews is that he's not one for platitudes. He may be one of rock's greatest social commentators – eagle eyed and poised with a razor sharp witticism like a modern day John Cooper Clarke – but you would probably still have a more interesting conversation with a duck.

Lately he has settled comfortably into a Sheffield steel greaser impersonating Elvis via a Tom Ford commercial, and looks certifiably rock and roll. He's only 27, so it's fine, but it’s embarrassing having to watch fawning BBC journalists trying to follow suit. Stephen Smith wasn't too bad despite some clumsy hip hop references, but Susanna Reid's interview possessed all the awkward chemistry of a parent-teacher meeting. Donning a denim jacket and adopting an uncharacteristic slouch, Reid asks him about a possible participation in next year's Strictly Come Dancing because, "I bet you look good on the dance floor". Turner looks away. "... of course," he sighs. You can’t blame Reid for trying, but she probably should have left her dad jokes at home.

As for the band’s early Mercury Music Prize nod (the full list can be found here, which makes for proud reading in a great year for eclectic, home grown talent), the music snobs may deem it redundant to hand out a prize to a band already on accolade overkill. My guess is they will opt for the sickeningly young and talented Surrey brothers Disclosure for their 90s nostalgia rave Settle, which achieves the rare power of being both familiar and progressive at the same time. The winner will be announced on October 30 where, like most of my predictions, I will no doubt end up with egg on my face.