[UK] The Great British programme discussion: Piers Morgan Memorial Pier

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > [UK] The Great British programme discussion: Piers Morgan Memorial Pier

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Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

spikenigma posted:

When is the rumoured next series of Red Dwarf on?

You've got to be loving joking. Please?

# ¿ Sep 7, 2010 23:21

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 16:32

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Adrianics posted:

That episode of The Inbetweeners wasn't as out-and-out funny as I'd like and the ending was way too much (it's seriously reaching Peep Show levels in terms of misery for the main character) but holy poo poo I think that's the most accurate portrayal of the first drugs experience I've ever seen in any medium.

Will freaking out was genuine, but the arm-spazzing was way too much I thought.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2010 22:51

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Catzilla posted:

My memory might be failing me, but I think the topical jokes were added in to the meeting/round up bit at the start of the show, with the odd reference put in occasionally throughout the rest of the show. The actual story of the episode was written in advance. So I think it was filmed on the day of the evenings show.

Yeah, the A-plot about the characters was written in advance and the topical stuff was added in for flavour. The voice over on top of the end credits was the other regular topical bit.

It was mostly filmed during the week with the last few scenes the day before. They only occasionally filmed on the day of broadcast (like when Robert Maxwell died).

Drop the Dead Donkey was awesome and it's amazing how well it's aged.
I've always wondered what would have happened if it had still been going in September 2001.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2010 22:38

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

HoldYourFire posted:

Holy poo poo that would be awesome. This needs to happen. Or Tony Blair

If Blair were on they'd have to go without a live studio audience. That wouldn't work at all.

Not that he'd ever agree anyway.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2010 11:13

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Does anyone know with the iplayer desktop application for live TV / radio can you get the regional variations?

# ¿ Jan 8, 2011 23:04

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

reality_groove posted:

They should bring in bring in guest comedians who have satirical backgrounds such as Andy Zaltzman, Marcus Brigstocke etc. who are used to riffing on current events. It would be brilliant if they could get someone to represent the Conservative viewpoint. All British comedy is very left wing at the moment, we need somoene from the other side even if it's in a Colbert style pastiche.

The country has a right wing establishment and currently a right wing government. Satirising them doesn't automatically make you left wing.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2011 16:37

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

The missing Buzzcocks episode was great. Really reminds you why Amstel was so much better than the ridiculous string of guest hosts.

But wasn't Manda Rin on the line up a couple of years ago?

# ¿ Jan 22, 2011 19:52

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

HoldYourFire posted:

Yeah, I'm sure I've seen her somewhat recently.

Shockingly Wikipedia has deleted List_of_Identity_Parade_guests_on_Never_Mind_the_Buzzcocks
But google seems to think she was on in November last year. For not-Phil's team both times.

# ¿ Jan 22, 2011 21:37

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Uncertain Frog posted:

I will still give it a chance. If they focus on the idea of everything getting old (including them) and keep episodes simple and in a small enviroment it could just work. Green screen and over use cgi use is a big no no.

The better episodes were always just their group in a small area taking the piss out of each other. It's one of the main reasons series 8 was such a failure and why Casandra was the one half decent epsiode in that series.

Cat losing his looks and hair, Kryton falling apart, Lister being (even more of) a mess. You can even say they reprogrammed Rimmer so he ages/gains weight with them as a joke.

Its not like there isn't enough material to work with, its just capturing that soul that series 3-6 had.

3 to 5

# ¿ Jan 23, 2011 17:55

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Fatkraken posted:

No one likes 1 and 2?

I thought those had by FAR the most "soul", they were the ones that were most about the characters and least about some massive external conflict, or feedline-punchline type jokes. Not that I dislike 3-6, but it's like it's two shows; 1 and 2 is a character based sitcom in space, 3-6 is a more jokey sci-fi sitcom with some crazy plot elements, and 7+ doesn't exist because it was never made.

Nearly went back to edit that to 1 to 5, but didn't because as you say 1 & 2 are basically a different show. Didn't seem to make sense to say 'capture the soul of these things, with two distinct souls'.

I like the concept of 1-2 a lot, especially the visuals of the set design and props, 2 executing things a lot better as you do with experience.
But 3-5 is better made, and I wonder if they could have gotten the same quality without becoming the more generic sci-fi setting that it did. The concept was quite self limiting in that they either have to get to Earth or give up. And there's the problem with introducing any sort of story without bringing in other characters, even as guests, which chips away at the isolation they're supposed to have.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2011 21:45

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

goatface posted:

He's saying that it will be cheaper to build a standalone music/radio player than to integrate with iplayer. I'm not sure how that's meant to work, but it probably comes down to budget shuffling rather than actual savings.

Maybe they'll go back to calling it Listen Again. Save a few pounds on redoing the on air announcements.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2011 15:06

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Steve Higginson posted:

Wasn't it only rebranded two or three months ago? Where the hell am I gonna watch endless episodes of Next Gen to combat the Sunday hangover?

They only rebranded it because they had to. They didn't get (and surely didn't want) Virgin's name with the purchase. Closing Virgin One / Channel One was always the plan but it takes time to wind things up so they had to spend about 5p on a new name and logo.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2011 22:15

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Flatscan posted:

They don't need to, but it might be a good idea with the way they're going out of business. Hell, nowadays the only shop in my town that sells CDs is bloody Sainsburys. I just hope that when HMV goes the way of the dinosaur it doesn't take Waterstones down too.

20 of the 60 shop closures announced are Waterstones.

But Waterstones long ago turned into a larger version of the Tesco books aisle. Small loss.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2011 11:17

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Steve Coogan posted:

As a huge fan of Top Gear. I normally regard the presenters' brand of irreverence as a part of the rough and tumble that goes with having a sense of humour. I've been on the show three times and had a go at their celebrity-lap challenge, and I would love to receive a fourth invite. But I think that's unlikely once they have read this. If, however, it makes the Lads question their behaviour for a second � ambitious, I know � it will be worth it.

I normally remain below the parapet when these frenetic arguments about comedy and taste break out. But this time, I've had enough of the regular defence you tend to hear � the tired line that it's "just a laugh", a bit of "harmless fun".

Some of the Lads' comments again, in case you missed them. "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus, with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat" (Richard Hammond). Mexican food is "sick with cheese on it" (James May).

Jeremy Clarkson added to the mirth by suggesting that the Mexican ambassador (a certain Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza) would be so busy sleeping he wouldn't register any outrage. (He wasn't and he did.)

OK, guys, I've got some great ideas for your next show. Jeremy, why not have James describe some kosher food as looking like "sick with cheese on it"? No? Thought not. Even better, why not describe some Islamic fundamentalists as lazy and feckless?

Feel the silence. They're all pretty well organised these days, aren't they, those groups? Better stick to those that are least problematic.

Old people? Special needs? I know � Mexicans! There aren't enough of them to be troublesome, no celebrities to be upset. And most of them are miles and miles away.

The BBC's initial mealy-mouthed apology was pitiful. It cited the more benign rivalry that exists between European nations (ah, those arrogant French, over-organised Germans), and in doing so neatly sidestepped one hugely important fact � ethnicity. All the examples it uses to legitimise this hateful rubbish are relatively prosperous countries full of white people. How about if the Lads had described Africans as lazy, feckless etc? Or Pakistanis?

What's more, this was all spouted by the presenters on one of the BBC's most successful programmes, with ratings that could only fail to impress Simon Cowell (very fast lap time). Forget the World Service; overseas, Top Gear is more frequently the public face of the BBC.

The Beeb's hand-wringing suggested tolerance of casual racism, arguably the most sinister kind. It's easy to spot the ones with the burning crosses. Besides, there is not a shred of truth in Top Gear's "comic" stereotype. I can tell you from my own experience, living in the US, Mexicans work themselves to the bone doing all the dirty thankless jobs that the white middle-class natives won't do.

What makes it worse is that the Lads wear this offensive behaviour as a badge of pride, pleased that they have annoyed those whom they regard, in another lazy stereotype, as sandal-wearing vegans with beards and no sense of humour.

Well here's some Twitter hot news: I don't have a beard, I'm not a vegan, I don't wear sandals (unless they're Birkenstocks, of course), and I have, I think, a sense of humour. I also know something about comedy. It's true there are no hard fast rules; it's often down to judgment calls. It's safe to say, though, that you can get away with saying unsayable things if it's done with some sense of culpability.

I've been fortunate enough to work with the likes of Peter Baynham, Armando Iannucci, Chris Morris, Simon Pegg, Julia Davis, Caroline Aherne, Ruth Jones, and the Mighty Boosh � some of the funniest and most innovative people in British comedy. And Rob Brydon too.

It's a diverse, eclectic group of people with one common denominator: they could all defend and justify their comedy from a moral standpoint. They are laughing at hypocrisy, human frailty, narrow-mindedness. They mock pomposity and arrogance.

If I say anything remotely racist or sexist as Alan Partridge, for example, the joke is abundantly clear. We are laughing at a lack of judgment and ignorance. With Top Gear it is three rich, middle-aged men laughing at poor Mexicans. Brave, groundbreaking stuff, eh?

There is a strong ethical dimension to the best comedy. Not only does it avoid reinforcing prejudices, it actively challenges them. Put simply, in comedy, as in life, we ought to think before we speak. This wasn't one of those occasions. In fact, the comments were about as funny as a cold sweat followed by shooting pains down the left arm. In fact, if I can borrow from the Wildean wit of Richard Hammond, the comic approach was "lazy", "feckless" and "flatulent".

Richard has his tongue so far down the back of Jeremy's trousers he could forge a career as the back end of a pantomime horse. His attempt to foster some Clarkson-like maverick status with his "edgy" humour is truly tragic. He reminds you of the squirt at school as he hangs round Clarkson the bully, as if to say, "I'm with him". Meanwhile, James May stands at the back holding their coats as they beat up the boy with the stutter.

It's not entirely their fault, of course. Part of the blame must lie with what some like to call the "postmodern" reaction to overzealous political correctness. Sometimes, it's true, things need a shakeup; orthodoxies need to be challenged. But this sort of ironic approach has been a licence for any halfwit to vent the prejudices they'd been keeping in the closet since Love Thy Neighbour was taken off the air.

Also, a factor little picked up on elsewhere in the Lads' remarks is that they do, after all, present a car show. And archaic attitudes are endemic in a lot of motoring journalism. I confess I am an avid consumer and I have to wade through a sea of lazy cliches to get to anything genuinely illuminating.

Jeremy unwittingly cast the template for this. Twenty years ago, when I bought Performance Car magazine, his column was the first I would turn to. It was slightly annoying but unfailingly funny. Since then there have been legions of pretenders who just don't pass muster. There is a kneejerk, brainless reaction to any legislation that may have a detrimental effect on their God-given right to drive cars anywhere at any speed that they consider safe. They often remind me of the National Rifle Association in the US who, I'm sure we can all agree, are a bunch of nutters. It's a kind of "airbags are for poofs" mentality and, far from being shocking, it's just shockingly dull.

It would be fine if it was confined to a bunch of grumpy men in bad jeans smoking Marlboros at the side of the Millbrook test track, but it's not. As I pointed out, it's the voice of one of the BBC's most successful programmes.

The Lads have this strange notion that if they are being offensive it bestows on them a kind of anti-establishment aura of coolness; in fact, like their leather jackets and jeans, it is uber-conservative (which isn't cool).

Gentlemen, I don't believe in half-criticisms and this has nothing to do with my slow lap times. But, increasingly, you each look like a middle-aged punk rocker pogoing at his niece's wedding. That would be funny if you weren't regarded by some people as role models. Big viewing figures don't give you impunity � they carry responsibility. Start showing some, tuck your shirts in, be a bit funnier and we'll pretend it all never happened.

Going to take issue with Coogan's last paragraph. "Pretend it all never happened" is what happens after a week or so has passed on every previous occasion the Top Gear wankers get a bit of bad press for whatever their latest bigotry is. So maybe it's not the best course if you don't want them to trot out yet their next variation of "lol cripples / browns / queers" in a few months?

# ¿ Feb 6, 2011 16:24

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Metrication posted:

Can't decide wether Friday Night Dinner looks good or not:
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/friday-night-dinner/articles/trailer

You wait years for a sitcom about a dysfunctional Jewish Londoner family getting together at the parents' house then two come along right after each other?

# ¿ Feb 21, 2011 19:32

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

justcola posted:

They should remake red dwarf.

You've suggested recasting a black guy with a white actor, using a film in which he played a massive racist as your example. Made me chuckle.

# ¿ Feb 22, 2011 00:30

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

justcola posted:

Yeah but he's also Al Capone. So...shucks.

I did not know that, and while checking his wiki page to see what you were talking about I find that Stephen Graham is 1/4 Jamaican!

# ¿ Feb 22, 2011 01:10

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Tsaedje posted:

If you can get past the cheapness of the sets Blake's 7 is a really excellent series. I have no idea why some exec somewhere didn't immediately commission a remake for when Galactica came to a close. I guess terrorists aren't really very popular protagonists these days (even though they are terrorists fighting against evil)

Sky did commission development on a remake in 2008 but dropped the project last year. (Thank christ - it would have been poo poo)

# ¿ Mar 2, 2011 13:27

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

ShaneMacGowansTeeth posted:

Is he the political commentator? Anyway, I remember distinctly during the last election someone, I think it was him, doing some piece of reporting from parliament square and from behind him a random yelled "gently caress off Boulton you fat oval office" and repeatedly heckling him for the duration of the segment.

Sounds familiar but I can't find a clip on youtube.

But here's Bolton throwing a tired and emotional wobbly at Alastair Campbell on live TV which is always worth a laugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkHwU4DRA8

# ¿ Mar 4, 2011 22:24

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

I think the worst thing about Friday Night Dinners was the music. "It didn't fit" is a massive understatement.
There may have been a few good jokes in there, but this did its best to distract you from them.

# ¿ Mar 7, 2011 23:11

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Metrication posted:

Has anyone been watching Civilization - Is the West History? It's interest but pretty gimmicky. The whole series is based around there are 7 'killer apps' to make a successful civilization. The guy presenting sometimes talks about 'uploading' them or something and says CHI-na instead of China. It's worth watching though.

Niall Ferguson is a poo poo.
And the show's gimmick of six "killer apps" is on the face if it so absurd the entire thing ahold be taken out and shot.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2011 11:10

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Rastamouse

# ¿ Mar 14, 2011 17:54

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8381769/Midsomer-Murders-creator-suspended-after-calling-show-the-last-bastion-of-Englishness.html posted:

Midsomer Murders creator suspended after calling show 'the last bastion of Englishness'
The creator of Midsomer Murders has been suspended after claiming that the detective series is "the last bastion of Englishness" because it has no black faces.

Brian True-May said that one reason for the show's popularity was the absence of ethnic minorities.
If black or Asian faces were introduced to the idyllic Midsomer setting "it wouldn't be the English village" that viewers know and love, he claimed. More than six million viewers regularly tune in to ITV1's cosy Sunday night drama.
"We are a cosmopolitan society in this country, but if you watch Midsomer you wouldn't think so. I've never been picked up on that, but quite honestly I wouldn't want to change it," he said.
Asked what he meant by "cosmopolitan", Mr True-May, 65, replied: "Well, we just don't have ethnic minorities involved. Because it wouldn't be the English village with them. It just wouldn't work. Suddenly we might be in Slough. Ironically, Causton [the town in Midsomer Murders] is supposed to be Slough. And if you went to Slough you wouldn't see a white face there.
"We're the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way."
His comments to the Radio Times so outraged ITV bosses that Mr True-May was promptly suspended by All3Media, the conglomerate that includes Mr True-May's company, Bentley Productions.
An ITV spokesman said: "We are shocked and appalled at these personal comments by Brian True-May which are absolutely not shared by anyone at ITV. We are in urgent discussions with All3Media, the producer of Midsomer Murders, who have informed us that they have launched an immediate investigation into the matter and have suspended Mr True-May pending the outcome."
Mr True-May gave the interview to promote the 14th series of the show, which has been sold to 231 territories around the world and continues despite the recent departure of central character DCI Tom Barnaby, played by John Nettles.
Explaining the secret of its popularity, he said: "When I talk to people and other nations they love John Nettles, but they also love the premise of the show. They love the perceived English genteel eccentricity. It's not British. It's very English."
He conceded that many people would consider that "Englishness" in the 21st century should encompass other races. "Well, it should do, and maybe I'm not politically correct," he said. "I'm trying to make something that appeals to a certain audience, which seems to succeed. And I don't want to change it."
Mr True-May added that multi-culturalism �would just look out of place� in Midsomer, with its thatched cottages and village greens. The show is filmed in South Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Mr True-May lives in Great Missenden, Bucks.
He is the co-creator and executive producer of the show, which began in 1997 and returns this week. Nettles has been replaced by Neil Dudgeon, who plays Tom Barnaby's cousin DCI John Barnaby.
Midsomer Murders is "the biggest drama success of all time" save for Star Trek or The X Files, according to Mr True-May, who previously worked on Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Birds of a Feather and the SAS drama Ultimate Force.
The show's current stars were asked if they approved of the all-white cast. Dudgeon said: If people have been quite happy for it not to really change in 14 years, there's no reason to suppose they're going to want it to change now. I daresay there are some things where I would want a bit more of this and a bit less of that - but that's a long way in the future."
Jason Hughes, who plays DS Jones, added: "I've wondered myself and I don't know. It's an interesting question. This isn't an urban drama and it isn't about multiculturalism.
"That's not to say that there isn't a place for multiculturalism in the show. But that's really not up to me to decide. I don't think that we would all suddenly go, 'A black gardener in Midsomer? You can't have that!' I think we'd all go, 'Great, fantastic'."
A 2006 survey found that the show was "strikingly unpopular" with ethnic minorities. Rob Berkeley, director of The Runnymede Trust, the race equality think tank, said: "Clearly, as a fictional work, the producers of Midsomer Murders are entitled to their flights of fancy, but to claim that the English village is purely white is no longer true and not a reflection of our society - particularly to this show's large international audience.
"It is not a major surprise that ethnic minority people choose not to watch a show that excludes them."

The comments on the article are as you'd expect.

Might this embarrass them into finally cancelling the show? I can only hope, because I haven't the will to endure yet another marathon (aka one episode) at the parent's next xmas.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2011 00:47

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

I enjoyed it.
Although for a while it did seem to go through every hackneyed 30s Germany film cliche - the champagne from mismatched glasses, swastika banners unfurled just as our protagonist walks down that street. The close up of Wilde on the bonfire was definitely a bit too much. But when you realise how important Isherwood's wright was in shaping the common perception if the period, it makes sense.

Slightly depressing to realise that I was sitting in on a Saturday night watching a bloody BBC period drama about other people taking in a fanstastic night life.

# ¿ Mar 20, 2011 09:59

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Tempo 119 posted:

Between the horrid posters and the immediately-debunked �250m quote, I don't understand why the no campaign even exists if they're having to make up their entire platform out of thin air. Are they just being contrary?

Pretty much. They don't want to engage in the actual argument so have decided instead to muddy the waters as much as possible.

# ¿ Apr 1, 2011 13:29

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Phelps himself was a fairly successful lawyer in his earlier life before he was disbarred. Proper cases, not just this church stuff. Took a lot of civil rights cases at a time when many wouldn't touch them (though according to people he worked with he was a massive racist himself, just not in front of the clients).

But really, they're a bunch of comfortable middle class families with real jobs outside the church.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2011 13:42

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

SeanBeansShako posted:

I'd like this last series to work towards Lister getting back to Earth and finishing the storyline.

That storyline was dropped by series 3. Give it up.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2011 19:54

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Space Corps Directives, not laws. :rolleyes:

# ¿ Apr 11, 2011 20:06

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Mickolution posted:

It's a bit slow, but I loved it. I'd even go so fas as to say I think it's the best first series out of all of the HBO shows. Perhaps the first series of The Wire just pales in comparison to 3 & 4 in hindsight. I still liked it, but it doesn't get going properly until the third. With Treme, like The Wire, I enjoyed it far more second time around despite loving it on first watch. Even characters I disliked first time like Sonny and Davis I warmed to, maybe because I knew how their ark would finish up.

How do you warm to Sonny at all? He's a right poo poo throughout.

# ¿ Apr 12, 2011 23:29

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Mickolution posted:

Maybe "warm to" was the wrong term to use. I don't dislike the character as much as I did first time around. He's a dickhead, but not as bad a character as I thought first time around.

Fair enough.

To be honest I kept expecting some big revelation that he'd seen or been through something particularly traumatic during Katrina that would be explained as the route cause of his drug abuse, self destructive behaviour and relationship ending issues. Annie had been with him for over a year prior, presumably with him being a nice enough person. Turns out he's just a cock.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2011 17:15

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

BBC1 24 BBC2 14 BBC3 1 BBC4 10 bbc.co.uk 1 Channel 4 16 E4 6 More 4 3 E4.com 1 ITV1 8 Sky1 3 Sky 3D 1 Sky Atlantic 1 Sky News 1 Aardman Digital 1 iTunes App Store 1

Public service broadcasting = better. Fact.

# ¿ Apr 26, 2011 12:49

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Mitchell and Brooker are the ur-Goons. Simple as that.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2011 20:12

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Flatscan posted:

Channel 4 receive a chunk of license money for public service broadcasting, which means they have to remain politically neutral or receive a butt-loving.

Channel 4 get none of the licence fee.
And all the TV channels are required to stay politically neutral, not just them (and the BBC).

edit - http://help.channel4.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/,/?St=118,E=0000000000024285445,K=5344,Sxi=0,VARSET_PA=About_Us,PROBLEM=489,CASE=619

Cerv fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Apr 30, 2011

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 00:06

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Flatscan posted:

My bad, they were meant to be getting 14million from the license fee for six years but it got pulled at the last minute due to the EU throwing a fit.

It seems to get proposed in some form every couple of years before getting buried when everyone realised it's a terrible idea.
Although S4C already get a bunch of BBC Wales produced programmes for free, so indirectly are getting some of the licence cash, and from 2013 will start being funded in part directly from the Beeb's budget. So the purity of the licence fee is already tainted with the touch of, eww, other channels.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 00:42

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Kin posted:

Is this new series of Doctor Who still all about him pratting around Earth with Earth related dramas? Or is this heavy US infusion supposed to be some kind of pathetic attempt to address this by aking it feel "alien" to the typical it's all in Britain thing.

Fake edit: Ugh, this is retarded. They've gone and said that there are these alien things that vanish from your memory the moment you see them, but the characters have been leaving tally marks on themselves to remind them of the times they've seen one. The only thing is, they keep on doing it on their loving face. How the hell do they even do that?

real edit: Can't believe i sat through all of that. What utter gash it was.

With a mirror? When they appeared on Amy in the attic she was looking at her reflection in the window before and after.
It's the why not the how that bothers me. Neatly on the back of your hand/arm so you can easily count when it's changed? No, in a mess all over your face.

# ¿ Apr 30, 2011 19:06

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Graviton v2 posted:

Oh gently caress off with your PC, how can one not notice how flaming these dudes are?

Any man who's a bit camp is gay; all gay men are camp as a row of tents. Let's get together and mock them.

gently caress off you dick

# ¿ May 1, 2011 18:02

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/may/11/channel-4-live-drug-taking posted:

Channel 4 is planning to air live footage of people taking class A drugs and alcohol to show their effects on the body as part of a drive to "bring a sense of mischief" back to the broadcaster.

Science series Drugs Live will take place under strict clinical conditions, with programme makers working "closely with leading research institutes from around the world to bring much-needed clarity to a social issue often mired in controversy or confusion", according to Channel 4.

"The issue of class A drugs is something that I think is incredibly important and an area of social policy that Channel 4 can be on the front foot about and provide some interesting and useful data," said Jay Hunt, Channel 4's chief creative officer.

Hunt added you "can legally test class A drugs on an individual" but warned there were "huge duty of care and legal issues" surrounding the show.

"It will involve people taking drugs in a clinical environment live on TV," she said.

The broadcaster is billing the four-parter as a "radical new science series", which aims to examine "the claims and counterclaims made about the effects of recreational drugs by testing them on live television".

"Under strict medical supervision and in a controlled clinical environment, individuals will be filmed as they use different substances. Their physical and psychological effects will be monitored, as will their social interaction with others as the drugs enter their systems," Channel 4 said.

Drugs Live is being made by independent producer Renegade Pictures, with Alan Hayling executive producing.

"This subject is fraught with controversy and confusion � this series will provide viewers with unmediated access to a live drug trial. Viewers will be able to see for themselves the actual effects the drugs have in scientific detail. We will work closely with the leading research institutes from across the world. The aim is to bring new clarity to the facts of illegal drug use," said David Glover, specialist factual commissioning editor and the Channel 4 executive responsible for the show.

Drugs Live is one of a number of new commissions unveiled on Wednesday by Hunt, in her first major announcement about programming strategy since joining the broadcaster in January.

"I believe Channel 4's future lies in pieces that take risks. Risks on new talent, risks on difficult subject areas, risks with style and execution. It's more important than ever that Channel 4 is prepared to challenge the status quo, to provoke debate and, above all, to be brave," Hunt said.

It's like there is an office in C4 with whiteboard dedicated to brainstorming ideas to piss of the Mail. It must be a wonderful place.

# ¿ May 12, 2011 11:42

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Leyburn posted:

I got the impression that the material he did on last night's show would have been a lot funnier if you had actually been in the audience. The humour was meant to come from the excruciating repetition of the same material and that doesn't really come across very well when the audience are watching at a remove. It kinda takes the material out of its natural context a wee bit.

Saw him do the countryside bit live before. And yes, it did work better in that setting.

# ¿ May 12, 2011 12:38

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

The wanking bastards at ITV have only gone and axed Taggart.
STV are going to have to find a deal with some other foreign broadcaster to keep it going.

# ¿ May 12, 2011 15:43

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 16:32

Cerv: Sep 14, 2004; This is a silly post with little news value.

Alan Jonson on HIGNFY reminds me why I don't usually bother watching it anymore.

# ¿ May 21, 2011 17:44

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > [UK] The Great British programme discussion: Piers Morgan Memorial Pier

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