faginsgirl

Did anyone see Catwoman last night? A look at the history of cats with Joanna Lumley? I really enjoyed it and learned some interesting stuff about them

Please no crude jokes about miss Lumley chaps!

xx

Creative people feel isolated, they create, they`re not part of an established functioning society!

Steve Crook

We wouldn't dream of getting crude about the Lovely Joanna

It was a good documentary and even I, a long term cat-lover, learnt a few things about them.

It was a bit odd that they went looking for one of the most elusive of the big cats - the jaguar. If they'd gone looking for the most successful, the leopard, then they could have seen it in all its various habitats, from the mountains to the deserts. That would show how adaptable they are when given a chance.

Steve

Dandy Forsdyke

Damn ...

Moor Larkin

I used to like her when she was an actress.....

I'm finding her new famous for being famous schtick somewhat tiresome.

What woman doesn't like cats anyhow?... Sheesh!!

http://numbersixwasinnocent.blogspot.com/

batman

Me too ....

"Aha Mr Aubergine ... that's where you're wrong!"

Mr Sloane

I didn't thinks it was bad as a time killer.

But Cat People now that's a great piece of viewing. Preferably late at night with all the lights out.

batman

I didn't watch the Lumley programme. I am just getting fed up with all these 'factual' programmes
hosted by celebs. Whatever happened to 'factual' programmes fronted by specialist presenters or
proper TV journalists?

"Aha Mr Aubergine ... that's where you're wrong!"

Mr Sloane

I take your point and she does seem everywhere at the moment but she is a very good presenter.

Steve Crook

Specialist presenters and proper TV journalists have become celebs and some celebs have become proper specialist presenters

I found her soft whispering voice a bit too much at times. Maybe she didn't want to upset all the cats with a loud voice. But generally they were a very good couple of documentaries

Steve

batman

Fair point about journalists, but the celeb presenters I have seen have been generally pretty poor. Eg, I think Stephen Fry is great, but those travel programmes he presents have been really awful. Ditto stuff like Clunes Swims with Dolphins, Outhwaite Swims with Dolphins, Some Bloke from Emmerdale Swims with Dolphins ..... the only celeb who seems to have a true understanding of his subject is Ross Kemp!

"Aha Mr Aubergine ... that's where you're wrong!"

Moor Larkin

I tried to watch another new series which reversed the idea. It's about some volcanic island in New Guinea. They turned all the actual scientists into *characters*, as if it was a 'Lost World' movie. They had them all *arriving* on the island by boat or helicopter for the project like it was a reality show. I just found the whole thing tedious - like some amateur hour. It is this notion that documentaries have to be dramatic I suppose.

There are many berks running about *in the bush* pretending their lives are at risk nowadays of course.............. And all on camera. I suppose this is the youtube syndrome and I ought to get used to it...

http://numbersixwasinnocent.blogspot.com/

Chevyman

Agreed although, as a long time feline fan, I still found it informative

"Don't interrupt Pike or you'll be sent home!"

Steve Crook

So, don't you like dolphins?

But what about all the other ones where it's worked superbly well? Like some of the episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? (the genealogy programme where famous people trace their family tree) or Kate Humble (who was superb in Who Do You Think You Are?) doing the Frankincense Trail? Or Stephen Fry investigating bipolar disorder and leaving the cameras running while he went through a depressive phase.

I'm prepared to put up with all those people swimming with dolphins - and I'll even put up with prize plonker Ross Kemp (beaten up by his girl-friend who was the editor of The Sun and so was the reason why he got all the publicity he did) - just so long as we get a few really good documentaries every now and then.

Steve

batman

These are not the kind of programmes I mean.

Kate Humble started her career as a researcher and is a first class professional TV presenter who specialises in programmes such as The Frankincense Trail. That's her full-time job. She is a not some soap actress hired simply for her marquee value.

In Who Do You Think You Are? the 'celebrity' is the subject of the programme and not just the 'front' for it. However, those programmes would work equally as well if the subjects were not celebrities, but 'unknowns' have no marquee value either and the ratings would not be as good.

The Stephen Fry one I didn't watch because I encounter people with bi-polar disorder on a daily basis and I rarely watch such programmes.

However, I do not have a problem with that one either because Stephen Fry was making a programme about himself and his illness.

If he had been making a programme about an illness with which he had no first hand experience or knowledge, he would just have been another 'hired gun', as he was with that America programme he did and the one he is presenting at the moment, both of which I think are terrible.



ps - mind you, the Tamzin Outhwaite dolphin programme did have a couple of things going for it .....

"Aha Mr Aubergine ... that's where you're wrong!"

Moor Larkin

I suppose Michael Palin must shoulder much of the credit for this new ouvre....

http://numbersixwasinnocent.blogspot.com/