You can’t be serious
TV Show The Bill (that one about the coppers that used to be good years ago, but which went pants when it became just another soap opera) got into hot water last week. They featured a story about a MS sufferer and in the course of the programme mentioned a drug called Plavitron.
Apparently, they’ve now been called “grossly irresponsible” because they made this drug up and have “misled” a number of people with the disease about available treatments.
I’m sorry but The Bill is not a factual programme; it is not reporting truth. It’s a drama – you know, made up – and as such has no responsibility to be at all accurate in what it portrays. While I don’t wish to mock the afflicted, some people obviously need a reality check.
Beadle’s NOT About
The BBC are reporting the news that Jeremy Beadle, well-known TV prankster and game-show host, has died after a long period of ill-health.
I wanted to make a joke about it along the lines of how it’s all a con – just another Beadle prank to make someone look silly, but I couldn’t find the right words. Like him or loathe him, Beadle was failry unique in British TV at the time of Game For A Laugh, and continued to be so until his untimely passing. We need more like him, and his death will leave a hole that will be difficult for others to fill.
57 channels and nothing on
My friend Skimmer has a blog entry about the current drive in the UK to get people switched over from analogue to digital television equipment, ready for when the analogue signal is switched off for good in 2012. He makes a good point that the UK public are being pressured into updating their equipment when they may not actually need to.
But what it got me thinking about is the state of television programming at the moment. I’ve just taken a look at tonight’s schedules for the four channels that I’m currently able to receive, and there is absolutely nothing on that I would make an effort to watch, and most of what is being shown I’d turn off if it came on while I was in the room. The plethora of new channels – and all those “+1″ type channels in particular – has had a really bad impact on the quality of programming.
For me, the golden age of television was in the 70’s and early 80’s, back when I was still a kid and maybe my view of television then is tinged by nostalgia. But I seem to remember that each of the three channels (yep, only three back in those days – how did we ever cope?) had serious news reporting, quality drama, funny comedy and light-hearted afternoon programmes, as well as a selection of the biggest films. The channels didn’t run 24 hours a day, there were less repeats and on Sundays you got a good helping of religious programmes whether you wanted them or not!
Now what do we get? Soaps (God knows how many there are now, but they seem to be on everyday and repeated on Sundays), “Reality” shows that are anything but real, X Pop Factor Idol-type “talent” shows, gardening, cookery – far too much cookery, by the way – and “news” programmes where it’s not the fact that we’re at war that’s important, but whether the female presenter can walk and read the news at the same time. And this, apparently, is what the consumer wants.
I’m sorry but it’s not what this consumer wants, and that’s why I haven’t rushed out to get satellite TV. And why I’m not that bothered about being able to access the free-to-air digital channels available through Freeview. And why I don’t really care about the big switchover. And why I object to the BBC continuing to be funded by an outmoded license fee arrangement.
Judge said “What you got in your defence, son?”
“57 channels and nothin’ on”
I can see by your eyes friend you’re just about gone
57 channels and nothin’ on…
Brief notes
Another quick round up of bits and pieces that don’t warrant a whole post on their own:
1. The advice to always read the small print is something that Piotr Staniaszek should have heeded. He’s just been hit with a mobile phone bill for $85,000 after thinking that his $10 a month plan would cover him for using his mobile phone as a modem and downloading HD movies and other large files. Come on, really? $10 a month is gonna cover you for that? Even if you haven’t read the small print, you probably wouldn’t expect that sort of use to be covered.
2. This delightful thing is what now adorns the Rowan Tree pub in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh. In case you can’t tell, it’s a flatulent cow that emits a burst of dry ice at 11am, noon and 1pm to tell all the locals what the time is.
Apparently it’s becoming as popular a tourist attraction as the nearby Greyfriars Bobby, and as much of a time keeper as the One O’Clock Gun. I’d be worried about some Council Jobsworth trying to do them for allowing smoking!
3. Just been looking at the TV schedules for Christmas. With my wide choice of four TV channels, I really am being offered some spectacular fare: on the Sunday before the big day I can watch the very Christmassy “The Great Escape”. Yep, that movie that’s on every Christmas (except it isn’t, it hasn’t been on at Christmas for years) is on once again. Christmas Eve isn’t too bad – there are some movies related to Christmas, and “Pirates of the Caribbean” which is always fun – but Christmas Day itself is awful; “Gone with the Wind” (yawn) or lots and lots of EastEnders (depressing) and ‘dragged out of the rubbish pile’ To The Manor Born. Bah humbug!
"And your boyfriend’s name is Evel, and he lives up in the sky”
Growing up in the 70’s, I was spoilt for choice when it came to heroes. But the one that stood head and shoulders above all the rest for me was the man in the star-spangled jumpsuit who liked to jump his motorbike over things.
I think the appeal of Evel Knievel was he would attempt these amazing-sounding and terrifying-looking stunts, apparently just for the hell of it. It was always a lottery as to whether he’d make it or not but that didn’t matter; you knew he wasn’t going to die performing a stunt and you knew that he’d be back bigger and better next time.
As you grow older, your heroes get tarnished as you learn that they weren’t such nice people in everyday life, or that the reason they crashed all the time was because they didn’t prepare properly and these charges have been levelled at Evel. But for me, that never changed anything. What mattered for me – and still does today as I’ve been re-watching some of the old footage – is that this man could reach out of the TV, grab your hand and take you on a rollercoaster ride that you were never going to forget.
He was the great showman of my childhood and I don’t think anyone who saw him at his heyday will ever forget him.
Wolfs Helpers
