Television in 2010

[Maggi Young]

Why watch television?

Cos' you can do it curled up in front of a fire...... with your eyes closed  ....... try that with a book... it doesn't work!

[Gwenblack]

Back to David again  I'm a great amoeba fan and think you malign the beasts   . At least they don't charge about soccer fields spitting as they go and getting paid phenomenal amounts. Pleas note I do not say earning huge amounts   If I see one more soccer player pollute the pitch I'LL SPIT.   Bring back the dinosaurs   H sapiens has has his day. I feel better now that's off my chest!!!

[mark smyth]

As for Gardeners World get Carol to present a real gardening programme. We had a brilliant gardening programme back in the day called How Does your Garden Grow? Two days filming in one garden with the gardener leading an old guy around talking about the plants. No mini cams but bulky ones on 'train' tracks. I wrote in asking if they would remake the series showing the back now and then. They didnt bother replying

[Lesley Cox]

Oh dear, there seems to be a certain degree of disillusion and even cynicism among senior Forumists. This is the season of goodwill to all, gentlemen, even the BBC so get out the whisky bottles and forget about the prats who think they entertain us. I plan to have a sandwich on Christmas day then do some weeding, weather permitting. Though I am for hanging, drawing and quartering those involved with TV programming. (Hanged, David, not hung.)

[Anthony Darby]

Thank goodness we have more than one telly. I can watch cricket or a documentary in peace, although, I must admit I did watch Cranford last night. As for radio, I listen to Radio 3 in the car. You can do that on the interweb elsewhere. SKY annoys me, with its constant interruptions for adverts during the cricket or tennis. I don't watch council telly (ITV) for the same reason, and for the fact that it is mindless rubbish of the worst kind, catering for people who don't have two brain cells to rub together (cf X Factor - a rather poor karaoke competition).

[mark smyth]

X Factor - a rather poor karaoke competition

but it's makes people millions. Did you watch the choir competition?

[art600]

David,

Have you not heard of books?

Why watch television?

Paddy

Paddy,

I shall enjoy reading the 2 volumes of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, and eagerly await the third volume in the New Year.

[Darren]

We had a serious debate in our house about ditching the TV rather than going digital. In the end we inherited a second-hand freeview box BUT the TV is in the coldest room in the house. The warm room is full of books. It needs serious persuasion (and thermal undies) to get me in front of the telly.  And there isn't much to tempt me these days.

I'm with Paddy - keeping warm with my books.

Never mind the Turkey - Stuff the Telly!

[mark smyth]

People slag TV but there are brilliant natural history programmes on every night on SKY

[art600]

People slag TV but there are brilliant natural history programmes on every night on SKY

And the BBC - LIFE  When the BBC puts its mind to it, it can produce unmissable programmes.

I also enjoy the Family History programmes - Who Do You Think You Are - have helped with my own family investigations.  Will try to spend some time over the holiday period filing the data.

[Gwenblack]

Maggi... talking about funny walks,  I'd offer if I dared a video of my Lord And Master[ Him upstairs in his study]  tramping along on 12"   yes 12" of snow in our driveway with his snow shovel and knee high sheepskin boots trying to keep a supply route open without slipping on his posterior.    All the borders and beds in the garden have disappeared... it looks very tidy.  Glad I don't have to work for GPO.
Re TV    Have you noticed that the adverts are often better quality than the programmes    Love the Bell's Whisky one with the bagpipe playing dog. Hope the east coast is still open for business

[mark smyth]

With Sky+ you can whizz through the ads and make a 1 hour programme 45 minutes

[Darren]

I've no doubt there are good programmes on - the little boy in me has enjoyed James May's Toy stories, and I always watch Later with Jools Holland. But the actual proportion of all programming that I would consider watching is miniscule.

I used to enjoy watching wildlife documentaries but after seeing several in a row which heavily featured blokes with chainsaws & bulldozers (....yes we KNOW habitat destruction is a BAD THING, OK? Now show us the bl**dy wildlife please....)   I generally stopped watching them. At least the David Attenborough series try to inspire us with wonder to love the natural world around us rather than hammer the message home, and probably do more good in the process. Maybe working in environmental science I regard watching the more preachy style of documentary as being too much like being at work

[Anthony Darby]

X Factor - a rather poor karaoke competition

but it's makes people millions.

Robs people of millions under false pretences. Why is it that we celebrate mediocrity?

People slag TV but there are brilliant natural history programmes on every night on SKY

I totally agree Mark. Anyone see the Australian one on Darwin?

Did you watch the choir competition?

Not much of it. I sing in two choirs and certainly don't like the way this was gone about. Music speaks for itself. I don't like the happy-clappy stuff.

[David Shaw]

Why do people sound so surprised when Carol and I tell them we don't have a television? The reason we don't want one is being adequately explained in this thread!