TV Breakdown Appreciation Thread

In Australia, Channel 9 blamed a technical fault for pulling half of "Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos" in 1992, but actually, Kerry Packer, the owner of the Nine Network at the time, was informed of the show's broadcast while having dinner. He was so offended that he phoned up 9 swearing at them to get the show off the air, and after the next ad break, a few minutes later, an ident was broadcast, telling viewers that the show was unable to continue, and an episode of Cheers was shown.

Editorial issues have been dressed up as "technical problems" for as long as there has been broadcasting. Much to the disgust of engineering and ops staff.

I did read a story (probably embellished) of an engineer in a BBC region threatening to take the programme off air if a production cock up (non-appearance of a booked guest) was explained away on air as "technical problems".

Although in the 70s the excuse, '.... Due to reasons beyond our control...' was popular. It's actually very good, it doesn't apportion blame in any particular or identifiable direction, yet it politely, without patronising the viewer, acknowledges there's a problem

The advert literally "had a break"

There was a premiere of a film scheduled on BBC 2 one Saturday in the 90s that it was announced couldn't be shown due to 'technical issues'. It got a mention either on Points of View or in the Radio Times letters page, they got a spokesperson to admit the real reason for them not being able to show it - the rights the BBC had weren't valid until some time later.

That's an interesting one, I can't remember what it was. I do remember in 1994, BBC1 showed a Pink Floyd concert which BBC1 Scotland were opting out of and going to show two days later, but in the end BBC1 Scotland showed it, unbilled, on the same night as the rest of the UK and loads of people wrote into Points of View to complain they'd missed it. And they explained that they realised at the last minute that the rights to show it actually expired that day, so they had to show it then or not at all.

That isn’t actually a VT problem. If you listen carefully, it’s a mock breakdown of a TV controller “having a break” then realising the advert isn’t playing. Was completely intentional.

Fairly obvious when you think about it, why would you be able to hear the transmision controller on air?

You're right, but it's not done very well at all. I imagine it wasn't shown for long, the fault is too realistic and dull to resonate with the audience, it's not funny and looks unprofessional for the TV company

Yes, it seems a bit too clever for its own good.

To be honest I thought the sound was from the advert itself and they just lost vision.

Reminds me of the “Heaven Can Wait” breakdown. I’m guessing they didn’t have a backup copy of the film. Probably wouldn’t be an issue these days.