David Brent

Far too many British reality shows.

I should know, we get most of them exported over here.

Who would have thought that a UK television series would be made featuring people with the filthiest and dirtiest homes - 'How Clean Is Your House?"
Rubbish IS the word.

That's entertainment?

Dave.

JamesM

Well, I think the practice of wiping tapes could be re-introduced without a fuss for some programming.

lovegod

Gotta say one thing about Britain, and the British media,
love it or hate it Britain is a big cheese in the media world
( or it has been in the past )

There were some great movies in the 60s and 70s
many that made it big into the USA market
look at the Bond films, look at the avengers tv series
the saint series, Beatles music,
there was so much international success back then in the swinging 60s

I think one big reason though for the success was USA investment in studios over here (Bond movies for eg )
and for eg when the Avengers went colour, I think a lot
of the tech know how was coming from american TV

Maybe the French and German media industries are more insular
which may be a weakness but maybe also (in the long run ) a strength.
We in the UK have perhaps become too internationalized to the point where
we don t know who we are anymore .

But the UK have made international cults of TV like Dr Who
the Avengers etc,
Movie cults of The Carry Ons, and the Hammer Movies
Our soaps like Cora Street are avidly watched in Canada, in Australia for eg
And of course the Beatles cult and tons of pop music.

I don t see the French or the Germans exporting such cult TV and Film to the world
(ok maybe the Bardot movies )

Steve Crook

So is it still a big cheese?

I thought that the reason that the Americans set up studios here was precisely because of the technical know how available here that didn't seem to be available in the States

Steve

joeydaniels30

It seems that lots of what's on is either repeats of things that I didn't like much in the first place or reality shows. Bring back the good old days of the BBC and ITV slugging it out with dramas!

lovegod

tHE Americans had moving images with a kind of back projection
It was the French who finally hit on projecting the image onto
a screen but having invented the trick, they did nt know how to
exploit it.
The Americans and Hollywood took up the idea and the rest is history.
Hollywood has always been technically miles ahead,
Stephen Speilberg, for some of his space animation scenes was using
lazers to print directly onto the film for .....sake !!

How much more advanced can you get ?
and that was back in the 80s !

Also in sound technology, they had multitrack technology long before
George Martin and the Beatles.

Today the cutting edge of science is probably whose got the
biggest and fastest computors
Maybe the Japanese scientists are leading the way ?

PaulPlowman

I decided to get rid of the TV completely last year. I realised that apart from news and movies, there were only maybe 3 shows a week I actually watched, and it just wasn't worth the licence fee. I watch DVD movies on my big-screen-PC (I have friends with huge collections who don't mind me borrowing!), and I get the news from the BBC website.

Coincidentally, the BBC have just revealed the iPlayer! You can watch certain shows over the internet up to a week after they're broadcast! According to the licencing rules, you can watch stuff on the internet without a licence as long as it is not being broadcast 'live'!

Brilliant, I can watch the shows I used to watch before!

I invite you all to join the revolution!

<- Insert witty comment here ->
ukonscreen.com

Dave_Y

Actually, we do!

Every time we go into a shop and buy a product, it's a fair bet that it's been advertised on TV at some time, and the cost of that advertising is recovered in the cost of the product.

Regards,

Dave.

sippog

The recent coverage of the screenwriter's strike in America brought out a slightly dismaying fact. Apparently the American networks are being forced to contemplate more reality tv and are looking at ideas for shows now they would have rejected out of hand a year ago. The statistic emerged that 50 percent of successful reality tv formats originated in this country!

Some might be proud of that but I find it it incredibly depressing.

wellpip

Perish the thought, when they do get around to spewing them out we have to suffer them.. I’m seriously thinking of giving up the telly and just using the internet and watching DVD’s.

Fellwanderer

It is very rare indeed for me to watch anything new on television outside of documentaries.

intervision

British Television has to move with the times due to the media market place.
There are many programmes made today that have the same format over most (if not all) of the channels.

The recent phase of Top 10 complilation type shows shown over various networks is due to production costs being cheaper than having to show complete (old) shows and paying repeat fees.

I believe that TV companies don't have to pay fees if archive material is compiled and presented in a factual way.

However, I am getting sick and tired of shows such as the like of 'The Top Ten Things One Didn't Know About Jade Goody' etc...etc...

I say bring back 'Blake's 7' - (on a modern day 'Doctor Who' budget)... and 'TISWAS'... 'This is what they want...'

faginsgirl

British tv in my opinion has never been so boring, so sleezy and talentless as it is now. I feel sorry for actors out there who are being over thrown by people who have no other talent than sitting in a house swearing, aurguing and taking thier clothes off. These people make thousands if not millions of quid through showing lack of respect to themselves and others. I personally dont find reality tv entertaining, informative (apart from programmes like the 1900 house for example) or dramatic. It just makes me sad really.

Some British drama programmes are still very good but I just wish companies would make more of them and invest in proffesional (sp?) actors instead of making reality tv cos its easy and cheap!

Fair enough old black and white movies or classic comedy is not everyones cup of tea, the world moves on, but lets see new stuff on tv which has sophistication or at least imagination, proffessional actors both past and present, lets not allow just anyone who walks in off the street to appear on our screens, in my opinion, THEY have nothing to say!


Fagins girl xx

We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

samkydd

It's the same in the film and pop music industries these days, and I think it's because accountants are running these industries now. Make things as cheap as possible and take as much profit as you can!

Unfortunately this attitude has crept into what were once professions dominated by creative people, and so the new breed of TV, film and pop music industry management are only interested in profitable safe bets; hence the abundance of crappy re-make movies, TV show to big screen shite, reality shows relying on the dregs of humanity to entertain us (and phone-in voting and competition income), and covers bands of pretty boys and girls turning the pop charts into a musak festival!

Kick the unimaginative out (they'd be just as happy working in the same capacity for a supermarket chain or something) and get some creativity back in there, it's the only way to save all three industries in the long term!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

lovegod

YES the media feeds on itself, it is corrupt, sleezy and sick
but it is constantly creating its own myth and legend

The poxy BBC is currently at work filming the
life of Frankie Howard with that Walliams waste of space

No doubt in 30 years time they will be spending our
TV poll tax on a TV biog of Walliams and his sidekick

It just goes on and on into infinity.... and we pick up the tab