samkydd

A lot of people here and all over the place really, complain constantly and bitterly about the biggest entertainment source in the world, the television! The programmes have degenerated into nothing but papp and are merely ways of providing substantial funds to keep chosen celebrities in a lifestyle we'd all enjoy, but few of us will even get a sniff of, at the expense of putting that same pot of money into finding proper talent, good writers, good ideas, good acting and hopefully, good programmes.

There are exceptions and sometimes reasonably good dramas come along, or well made documentaries that captivate us, and the odd quiz show, but on the whole television in the 21st Century, just like the film and music industries, is aimed solely at making a few untalented people very rich indeed!

If this is true, which it probably isn't because I've come up with the topic, then what can be done to change things for the better? Many of us boycott mainstream telly and watch old stuff on Freeview.

I caught a bit of Harry Hill's You've Been Framed this evening, and I almost sank to my knees in utter despair that this sort of shite is still being broadcast! Luckily I managed to switch the TV off before the canned laughter did me any permanent damage. Mainstream TV is already in its death throes!

Am I being overly critical or do you think the best TV days are many years behind us?

Do the many sub-contract program makers these days deliberately make programmes on the cheap to maximise profits knowing that they're on to a good thing, safe bet, and nice little earner?

Discuss!

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

Fellwanderer

I certainly seem to be agreeing with you a lot today, Sam!

I think it is definitely true. I'd only differ by saying that I'm not so sure the Golden Age was ever as golden as we'd like to think - a lot of it is probably nostalgia.

Yes.

Well, there certainly won't be room in the shower!

FELL

All the best
FELL

A signature is no substitute for a life

samkydd

Good God you'll be sharing your JA photos with me next!

There were many good programmes of old but as you say, there were probably a few awful ones as well that we've conveniently forgotten about. These days there's probably more bad ones than good, but if many people watch Big Brother and Drain Blockage Operatives From Hell who are we to say it's crap? I can't believe I just said that!

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

Johnjackgilbert

You have hit the nail on the head! The audience figures for Big Brother and other 'reality' TV shows prove that they are popular with the masses. This is reiterated by the press coverage that Big Brother (Wife Swap, et al) gets. Quality does not appear to be the main feature - mass popularity has always appealed to the lowest common denominator. US TV is one of extremes, very good, high qualilty drama such as The Sopranos, but also the most appalling, mind numbing crap imaginable! We are heading that way too. BUT if that's what the mass public wants... You see, WE who chose not to watch the drivel may be turning off, but too many people are tuning in and making it profitable.

theuofc

One thing that I've seen work, not always but it's worth a shot, is to target the sponsors with mails complaining about the programme(s) they sponsor with the comment that one will stop buying their product. As mighty as they seem, sponsors can be jumpy and run scared. They will actually consider pulling their sponsorship of a programme if they get letters charging the show with racism, putting an ethnic group in a bad light, or something similarly touchy. Telling them the show is crap will not do it.

samkydd

The Sopranos is possibly one of the best TV drama series ever made, and even though I was uncomfortable with the obscene language and the gratuitous violence, when I became more familiar with the series I accepted that it was all in context. The quality of the writing, the brilliant characters, top notch acting and choice music makes it a firm favourite of mine. I can't remember seeing anything as good on our shores, and the way things are going, it'll be a long wait!

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

Steve Crook

I don't know about "ever made", I think some of the older ones might edge it out from that title.
But I think it certainly gets the title for the last 5 or 10 years.

For older ones, what about the Beiderbecke Trilogy by Alan Plater from the mid to late 1980s?
They have quality writing, brilliant characters, top notch acting - and choice music well used.
(The Beiderbecke Affair and The Beiderbecke Connection are now available on an American DVD series with The Beiderbecke Tapes expected to follow)

Steve

Darling

I agree. Nostalgia plays a big part in my pursuit and enjoyment of favourites from the good ol’ days. Initial excitement at the prospect of seeing something again after 20 or more years has sometimes ended in disappointment but, on the whole, I’d much rather watch that, no matter how bad, than most of the stuff around now, with the exception of most British drama, which I think is just as good and sometimes better now.

I’d certainly be lost if there were no British dramas on telly (even if I have to endure the commercial networks’ dirty tricks when screening them). I very rarely watch any American stuff. Never seen the Sopranos – probably should have by the sound of it though.

That “lowest common denominator” lack the individuality to break free from their technology-saturated, boring lives and to get a fulfilment fix, they watch voyeuristic rubbish like Big Brother so they can bathe in the transient glow of the 15-minutes-of-fame, talentless, brainless bimbos who prostitute themselves on these programmes, all in pursuit of popularity and “fitting in”("dedicated followers of fashion").

It’s all a never-ending cycle: The marketing people identify what makes the lowest common denominator tick (the results are the really sad part); the rubbish producers make their stuff; the LCD watch it; the media splash it in full technicolour far and wide; the LCD (bless them) read it; it must be popular, so the LCD keep watching it; the rubbish producers keep making it. Everyone happy, then? I’ve never watched any of it so I’m just happy I escaped being brainwashed into thinking that I should, but then again, I just don’t “fit in”. I don’t figure in the demographic at all and therefore have no say in the matter.

Does anyone think the reality TV fad will ever run its course? I get the feeling sometimes that people are beginning to tire of it here and that the rubbish producers are in self-parody mode in an attempt to keep the cash registers ringing.

Sgt Dudfoot

I completely agree. People are manipulated into watching the mindless pap that pervades our screens and corporate sponsorships go hand-in-hand with the newspapers and TV stations making sure everyone believes that they just 'have to watch' these programmes, and TV stations are happy to go along with it as they are easy to produce. If the same effort was put into marketing quality programmes and the tv stations put them on at prime viewing time the tide could change for the better, but I can't see that ever happening. It could be worse though, just imagine what would happen if the BBC ever lost the license fee.......

samkydd

If you get hold of the first series on DVD I can almost guarantee you'll be hooked by about the third episode.

I always wondered what an LCD TV was!

Reality TV and celeb self-promoting awfulness costs a fraction of say, a drama or documentary series (I don't mean those ones where a celeb goes and swims with dolphins etc) and because creativity appears to have been outlawed by accountants and unimaginative executives whose sole purpose in life is to maximise profits, it's likely to continue until we all just give up and use the TV as a screen for watching DVDs!

If they get the balance right then there's enough air time to suit most people's tastes, and with Freeview showing lots of drama and comedy then the reality/celeb stuff can stay on terrestrial. It's not like the old days when I were a lad and we only had a choice of three channels (but I do appreciate than some parts of the UK can't get Freeview, or other alternatives like cable and they're the ones who really suffer through lack of choice)!

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

foha80

Is it possible to like Canterbury Tale,Sopranos & Big Brother or are the mutually exclusive.I do hope it is possible because I may wish one day to exercise my individuality to break free from my boring life if I ever feel it is being technologically saturated in my pursuit of a fulfilment fix.

Is the term "lowest common denominator" code for something.

samkydd

I hope it's okay because my viewing pleasures, just like my diverse music collection, don't follow any sort of logical path! I am entertained as much by watching repeats of something like the quiz Bullseye as I am by Kind Hearts and Coronets, albeit in different ways! I like listening to The Seekers as much as I do Tom Waits or The Ramones!

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

Steve Crook

They're certainly not mutually exclusive. I very much like two out of the three.

It's often TV reviewers' code for "TV for the plebs"

Steve

DB7

I'm pleased the BBC has curtailed its reliance on DIY and 'people' shows but ITV must be hitting an all-time low in terms of programming quality. After Celebrity Boxing was pulled after a few shows you've have expected the ITV exec's to have learnt their lesson but in recent weeks we've endured celebs in the jungle, dieting celebs, singing celebs and celebs on ice - can't we just have one show called Fat Celebrity Singers on Ice (shot in Oz). I've no problem with populist light entertainment but much of their recent output is tripe and unsurprisingly involves the viewer phoning a premium rate phone number - capped off by the graveyard shift going to Quizmania - a show shockingly similar to those cheapo Sky quiz channels that appear around 11 o'clock) They'll probably edit the repeats of Morse to include a 'whodunnit' phoneline and have sexchat phone-ins next.

mysteriesofedgarwallace

ITV have definately broken new ground in ways to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
I mean Soapstar Superstar excellent idea, let's have soap actors rammed even further down our throats.