THE BBC & Television in General

[Maisie]

Some time ago I complained to the BBC about the multi-million contract that they had awarded to Jonathon Ross. The reply was a fob-off and I felt like a whinging old woman. Months later - they cancel his contract and cut the exhorbitant salaries of some of the top earners. So as well as feeling vindicated, I feel that it has been demonstrated the BBC has been employing senior executives who were, to say the least, profligate with public money. I wonder if they are still in post?

Incidentally, do pensioners still get a free tv licence as some point?

[Morgin]

When I came to the unfortunate stage of living alone, the first thing to go was the TV!
I'll admit to watching a little iPlayer catch up, but as long as you don't click on a live broadcast you don't need a licence! Yet!
I still get the odd nasty letter from TV licensing though!

[Humbug Ant]

I gave up watching television in 1997.   Someone complained about repeats, but oddly enough, almost everything on TV is a repeat.   Even the new is old, it has been on before in one form or another.

[Papaumau]

Good point Humbugant !

I have all of the Sky channels and the Freeview channels in my main TV and all of the Freeview channels on my main bedroom TV and because we have so many channels to pick from - something over a thousand now - we cannot avoid finding what they call   "first showing on this channel".

Because of this trick we now don't know if anything, on any channel, is a true first series until we watch it and recognise it as just another repeat.

I find this situation most annoying, don't you ?

The worst programme for repeats is The Simpsons as they have been repeated over and over again so many times that my family now play a game of trying to find the really early ones by studying the different faces that are in the early sets of this show.

[Angelo]

I refuse to put Sky on my set, for various reasons, some obvious ! But the freeview channels are mostly rubbish, Once you've filtered out the American crap on Dave & Quest there is little left to watch. As for the Beeb, well three nights this week there were cooking program's following each other. I like cooking but  not from 7 to 9 every night.
You would think that the popularity of Downton Abbey, Pillars of The Earth, Attenbourough, Coast and the like. That they would get their act together and give us more of them.

[Dottie1943]

I am getting fed up with the "antiques" programmes on TV,  cash in the attack, put your money where your mouth is etc etc etc, why is it just because the Antiques Roadshow is or was successful they think we need to see more?

Even Antiques Road Show these days you find you have a woman prancing about a town and museums or grand houses swinging her hips and making the show "look at me I am Fiona Bruce" the antiques you ACTUALLY see are about 5-6 count for yourself next time it's on!!!

And if it's not antiques it is buying and selling houses!

Let's have some good dramas on again I watched the Jury this week and really enjoyed it that's the kind of thing I like to watch not silly B celebrities running around towns trying to beat another B celebrity in a show, all because they did well in Strictly or I am a Celebrity or Dancing on Ice or Big Brother!

[Papaumau]

Yes guys n' gals TV is definitely being "dumbed down" and this is because they - in the main - like to make "soapy" kinds of programmes that are cheap to make.

I have to agree that old auntie Beeb CAN produce some great programmes when she puts her mind to it, but as their licence-fee incomes are spread very thinly over too many platforms we are bound to see the quality being eroded.

My personal favourite at the moment is the simply stunning Attenborough's Frozen Planet as I have never seen such amazing photography in any such programme before. The shot where the camera-man waited all day for the Orcas to come closer to the shore and got the shot of his life when five of them all came out of an ice-hole at the same time was a total stunner. I really cannot think of an adjective strong enough to describe that shot.

The shame is that we have to wade through a lot of s**t just to get a programme like that now and again !

[Angelo]

It is realy stunning, diving under ice so dangerous you cant imagine. I liked the bit where the Orcas swept the seal from the ice block. Even better when later when they demonstrated it on the filming rib, I wonder did they realise they were possibly going to be the next course ?