Modern Telly

[chunkygull]

tv at the moment is apalling.-
inane quiz shows, property programmes, antiques, documentaries of uninteresting sh1te, used to watch big brother when it was good(not any more), same old repeated films, soaps have been boring, not many decent comedies.

i have been watching all sorts of dvd's or old stuff on youtube.

lately i have watched alf garnett- till death us do part, in sickness and in health etc.

i know what people say, alf garnett- bigot- racist- blah,blah,blah.

the whole point of those programmes was exposing idiots like alf garnett and the way he always ends up looking a fool, or completely proved wrong.

the creator and writer of the show johhny speight and alf himself, warren mitchell hated and despised everything garnett was, that was the whole point.many people didnt get it. it was ironic, reverse psychology etc.

mitchell used to despair when people in the street shouted at him "go on alf tell it like it is".

the bbc got it but realised many didnt and also felt even though it was ironic, the type of language used and the context it was used in would be offensive to many, even though that was not the intention.

the show was toned down, the character changed, so did the storylines, thus the show went downhill,popularity slid and it was cancelled.

the thing i find amazing is how times and people have changed but things are the same. people were debating, arguing and talking about in exactly the same way as they do today - immigration - the economy - unemployment - politics/politicians - the monarchy.

i do find the programmes funny, but i get it, its funny because garnett looks an idiot. the black, gay home help from in sickness and in health makes him look really daft.

the lighter more comedic formula episodes which are aside from garnetts philosophies are quite funny also.

[chunkygull]

well the telly has been bloody awful lately.there have been a few decent shows on sky to get into like ray donovan (worth a look) on sky atlantic. supernatural on living is still really good, if you havent seen the previous 7 series though it could be a tad confusing. best thing on terrestrial tv is the last leg on channel 4.

i found a show on that sky atlantic channel, via sky go called rescue me, which stars dennis leary (funny guy, sometimes does stand up, but quite a good actor) about a new york fire crew after 9/11. dramatic, likeable, clever and funny. it was on a few years back on one of the sky channels but stopped half way through series 3. all 6 series are on there. im slowly working my way through them.

i have been trawling through sky go, youtube, bbc iplayer and 4od watching old stuff coz what is on now is crap.

however this week i caught a bit of a programme on 1 of the itv's, it looked brilliant and was a real eye opener.
could i find it on itv player to watch it all, could i balls. but turns out it was a repeat from earlier in the year and its on youtube.

the secret life of dogs, absolutely brilliant, i had a dog for 10 years and this was a real eye opener. if you love dogs, are on the fence or think you dont like them, give it a try.awesome.

i want one again now, but im not allowed.

enjoy.

[youtube]5h8lWBd1hmE[/youtube]

[chunkygull]

on holiday from work this week and have so far watched 13 episodes of rescue me on sky go from the sky atlantic channel.

all i can say is its addictive and one of the best tv programmes i have seen in a long, long time. brilliant, awesome, clever, dramatic, poignant and funny.

dennis leary.

[EmetEdadsBeard]

is sh1e!












End of thread.....................................................................................

[chunkygull]

wwwwwhhhhhhhaaaaaaaattt!

each to their own. theres no accounting for taste i suppose.

[chunkygull]

just watched that new comedy on bbc1, big school. second episode and im still a bit .

bits of it were quite funny, but with the cast they have got i thought it might have been a bit better.

on my 21st episode of rescue me on sky go this week.

on the normal tv, its only been the last leg worth watching.

[AustrianAndyGull]

I see the X Factor is back. Where do I queue for my frontal lobotomy please?

[Scott Brehaut]

I thought that's what you've just had - hence your return :na:

[AustrianAndyGull]

What's your excuse then?


Seriously, why don't they do a sort of 'rock idol' for live bands? Sure it will be lightweight in terms of music credibility but at least they will play instruments and make some noise and not just stand there crooning and clutching their hands together and drawing their arms into their chests like they do all the f*cking time on x factor and singing about how I 'lost my baby' or how they 'still need you babe' or some other meaningless drivel.It's so embarrassing.

Fingers out of arses tv people, get a band idol on and do it NOW!!

[AustrianAndyGull]

Having said that, I've just this minute seen some complete oddball run around with his shirt off with his guitar shouting 'that's metal!'. Get off the programme man you're a friggin' embarrassment! Come round to my house sunshine and I'LL show you some serious metal my friend and I don't mean my garage door!

[Southampton Gull]

To be fair that's how I would expect you to prance around

[AustrianAndyGull]

To be fair that's how I would expect you to prance around

I don't prance Dave, I mosh. 8-]

[chunkygull]

you think x factors bad, you should watch the xtra factor on itv 2. the wifes making me sit through it now.

bugger this, im going to put my headphones on and watch some $h1t on youtube.

oh christ this programmes terrible.

b0ll0cks shes spotted the headphones, ooohh im getting the look, here she comes.

gotta go.....

[AustrianAndyGull]

you think x factors bad, you should watch the xtra factor on itv 2. the wifes making me sit through it now.

bugger this, im going to put my headphones on and watch some $h1t on youtube.

oh christ this programmes terrible.

b0ll0cks shes spotted the headphones, ooohh im getting the look, here she comes.

gotta go.....

[Gullscorer]

Can we get serious for a while?

In the UK, peak time television viewing refers to the hours between 6 pm and 10.30 pm, which is the period in which the most popular shows are broadcast and the highest ratings are achieved. The hours between 6 and 8 pm are more popular with families, and after that time prime time television is mostly watched by an older demographic.

It's during these times that broadcasters present the shows they believe will be the most popular, or those they want to be the most popular (to try to justify the amount of money they've spent in producing them), and those which for other reasons they want to be seen by the widest possible audience. Such programs can range from light entertainment to drama to important news events to serious history to documentaries on popular subjects, usually presented by aficionados or experts in their fields.

However, from this eclectic mix certain trends or themes can be perceived which, at the very least, should cause legitimate concerns to be raised and questions to be asked.

First is the extent to which broadcasters pander to the lowest common denominator in the interests and inclinations of the masses. Are programmes deliberately being 'dumbed down' and, if so, why? If knowledge is power, it would be in the interests of those who in reality control events and pull the strings of the puppets - politicians and governments set up to present a façade of democracy and freedom - to keep the great British public as dumbed down as possible. Or rather to guide such education as they are allowed to have in certain directions. We are talking here about propaganda and indoctrination.

Which brings us to a second area of concern. The documentaries we see at peak viewing times usually present subjects of general interest (cookery, travel, etc.), but also more serious programmes of wide interest such as Thatcher the Downing Street Years or Simon Schama's series A History of the British Isles. And it is here that fears of selectivity and bias arise. Broadcasters take great care not to be accused of presenting anything which may be regarded as propaganda, but once in a while their guard drops and bias may be suspected.

Schama's series was criticised for being more a history of England than of the whole British Isles. But such lack of balance may be acceptable and expected as a reflection of the programme maker's own interest or area of expertise. However, his latest series, A History of the Jews, may raise more serious questions. Schama is a Jew and a historian, so he would seem to be the ideal person to present such a series. But politically, he is also known to be pro-Israel. Not all Jews are; many are critical of Israeli government policies in relation to the Palestinians. Will Schama's politics have an adverse affect on the balance of the series? Inevitably, historians present history through the filters of their own individual minds.

And what about bias in the BBC itself? There is a large vocal Jewish lobby which claims that the BBC has an anti-Israel bias. But there are other critics which claim the BBC is pro-Israel, as exemplified in the BBC's refusal to broadcast a charity appeal for Palestinian relief following the Israeli attack on Gaza in 2009, an appeal which was published in the press and broadcast on Sky and ITV. The BBC claimed this was to maintain impartiality. But in the eyes of many pro-Israeli lobbyists, it seems, to be impartial is to be anti-Israel. And, one suspects, to be pro-Israel is to be even-handed.

Moreover, why is this new series being broadcast at a peak viewing time? No doubt it will be interesting, informative and entertaining. Yet other similar documentary series, just as interesting, such as those on Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece, were confined to BBC2 or BBC4 channels at generally off-peak times. Why is the History of the Jews different? Is it the Holocaust? What about other genocides? Is it pro-Israeli bias? Hidden agenda? Hmm..!!