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Telly the way it used to be...

Currently discussing about BB and Dr. Who... (July 2005)

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RS
Roy Slaven
if you want to check out telly like it used to be - ITV3 has some pretty rich pickings.......
LL
Larry the Loafer
Roy Slaven posted:
if you want to check out telly like it used to be - ITV3 has some pretty rich pickings.......


No they don't.
ITV3 promised programmes from Granada Plus but I don't recall any Tommy Cooper or Bullseye!
GL
Gluben
GL
Gluben
Sorry, my apologies for the last blank post, had some trouble editing and refreshing pages, so I'll say what I'm going to here.

Telly is certainly not what it used to be, but in some respects, it has the same amount of good stuff and bad stuff as it used to 20 or 30 years ago. It is simply the mass media that has largely contributed to a negative image of television since the start of the 21st century.

There may appear to be a growing amount of cynicism and sarcasm amongst people, certainly on these types of forums and messageboards (the BBC, no matter what programme has just been shown, will always have the same person denouncing it for sheer want of causing controversy or gaining attention), but largely over five decades, it has remained unchanged, certainly from what I've experienced.

Much of 2005 has been repeats and revivals of classic shows and events, only updated for a modern audience (Doctor Who, Live 8, The Two Ronnies Sketchbook), whilst there are other shows that are new in the sense that perhaps they contain the same idea, but re-jigged into a glossier finished product. Little Britain for example is, in a way, The Fast Show's catchphrases repeated ad nauseum crossed with The League of Gentlemen's claustrophobic atmosphere of a certain town/country, Royston Vasey now being turned into the whole of Great Britain.

Digital television may be a hindrance for some people given the enormous amount of choice there is on offer (as well as the usual cliche of 200 channels and still nothing is on), but there are clear benefits of systems like Sky+, TiVo and interactive "red button" television.

It certainly satisfies the vast majority of viewers in one way or another instead of forcing the whole family to watch something that no-one particluarly enjoyed (though there are exceptions, like perhaps Morecambe and Wise, especially on Christmas Day in the 1970s). Hence, more people go out and enjoy themselves on a Saturday night, whilst others stay in and do what they want, which partly explains the decline in viewers of Saturday night TV (although perhaps some of the older generation have been ignored in this respect).

Also, the picture quality and reception is far better than it once was, and systems like Sky Digital make it very easy to navigate around channels. Thus, with less people watching the same thing, there is greater scope for individuality, less of a need for networks to chase ratings and therefore produce higher quality programming.

On the other hand, they may simply go for the lowest common demoninator (e.g. many "reality" programmes and shows with "celebrity" in the title), which also adds to the belief that television standards have dropped.

As for idents, I agree that their general heyday has passed. In terms of originality, that probably came in the late 1970s/early 1980s (the BBC1 COW globe, BBC2's first computer generated ident, Channel 4's blocks etc). Regarding presentation and quality, that was from the 1990s up to and including 2000 (BBC One's crystal-ball globe, BBC2's "2s", the BBC's generic presentation 1991-1997 and 1997-2000 before it broke down, ITV's hearts, Channel 4's sliding idents, UK Gold's fireworks etc).

Nowadays, idents simply do not play as big a part as they used to in the lives of a television audience, and much of it has turned to focus on actual programming (although of course this is debatable), simple neglect of channel identification, or there is the route of personal interaction, hence there has been a large increase in the use of people and personality in idents (BBC One's dancers, BBC Two's robotic "2", ITV's celebrity idents, UK Gold's people idents etc).

However, there is momentum for it to return to the glory days, and my belief is that eventually, most likely in the second half of this decade, we will experience a revival in ident fortunes, for example with a new BBC One globe or other image capturing the essence of modern presentation whilst also harkening back to older versions.

OK, that's my essay over for today! Feel free to comment on it!

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