Isonstine's posts

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IS
Isonstine Founding member

…and finally

Thank you everyone for the last 20 years, even though it has only felt like 20 minutes.

It really has been TSW - Television (Forum) Simply Wonderful.

And with a final look at the clock, I'll leave you with a few sounds that (to me) defined the early years of TV Home and TV Forum and the excitement of what a community like this could share with each other (downloaded painfully slow on dial-up modems).



...I don't want to go. Crying or Very sad
Last edited by Isonstine on 30 March 2021 9:20pm
IS
Isonstine Founding member

…and finally

James Martin returning (yet again) and then getting swiftly banned is the perfect TV Forum tribute.
IS
Isonstine Founding member

…and finally

So now that I’ve stopped gasping, I just want to echo the warm wishes of others. It has been a hell of a journey and I’m always glad I played my part back in the early days. I haven’t tended to post much these days but I’ve always checked in every day and that’s the biggest compliment any of us can pay to the success of TV Forum.

So goodbye to all that and thanks for everything Asa.

Although I’m still expecting a plot twist at the end of March where Asa rips off his mask and is revealed to be Jaron Brass. “...and I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for you pesky kids.”

But perhaps, much more likely - “As the lockdown from a brand new Coronavirus ends, a brand new lockdown begins.” Crying or Very sad
IS
Isonstine Founding member

…and finally

*POPSTARS GASP*
IS
Isonstine Founding member

YouTube Gold

He’s just heard that yet another GB News thread has been closed.
IS
Isonstine Founding member

S4C makes first broadcast from Central Square

Whataday posted:
I guess there's an argument that UKTV isn't a third party broadcaster as far as the BBC is concerned.


That did cross my mind, but I'm sure it would have been at the time when Flextech were still in partnership with the BBC.
IS
Isonstine Founding member

S4C makes first broadcast from Central Square

Markymark posted:
First time ever (I think ?) The BBC have played out commercials for a third party broadcaster ?


Wasn't UKTV playout based at Television Centre before the move to Red Bee? Unless the commercials were handled separately?
IS
Isonstine Founding member

YouTube Gold

Steve Williams posted:
Jon posted:
It’s a great format though. It’s the sort of thing I think would work better these days than it did then.


Lose a Million was very much the perfect example of Carlton's early output (with Tarrant the perfect presenter) in that it was trying to parody the conventions of light entertainment, while also being light entertainment. Fantastic Facts with Jonathan Ross was another one, all a bit arch and ironic.

It's the kind of thing you could get away with on Channel 4 and probably ITV today, but not the ITV of 1993 as it was all too knowing and post-modern for a mass audience. I think one of the problems with the early days of Carlton is that those involved had vast experience of TV, but not much of primetime ITV, which is a hard market to crack.


I remember loving it at the time as it felt a bit chaotic compared to other quiz shows which were played straight and not so much for laughs. When you watch that particular episode back it only confirms that it was very much before its time. Chris Tarrant is at his best but certainly not the helpful host that you'd expect at the time (and is very different to the style he would become famous for five years later.) I particularly like the fact "smoke" is obscuring so many of the camera shots during the final round but it adds to the charm.

It has to win a million surely though for fantastic set design. I love that transition to the final round, but then I've always been partial to a rotating set.

But yes, it wouldn't feel out of place on modern day ITV - if this was a modern commission with Keith Lemon as host then it'd probably do well.
IS
Isonstine Founding member

Death to 2020

I sense this is going to be a bit like Charlie Brooker meets Armando Iannucci's Time Trumpet - which is in no way a bad thing!
Richard, JetixFann450 and DTV gave kudos
IS
Isonstine Founding member

US ELECTIONS 2020 Coverage

I usually go with UK coverage and then also follow the results online but decided to give CNN a go this time around and then see what the US networks were up to. Given the US news media's like for talking heads and debates, I thought that this was probably going to be more of the same. But it was so refreshing just to have a relatively no nonsense presentation of the results in such detail. So I ended up sticking with it for pretty much the entirety of the night.

John King at the magic wall is a maestro as well - far too often can touch screens end up looking like a gimmick and clunky but he's one smooth operator, clearly knows his stuff and it feels as though there's nothing he can't tell you.

The only downside was Wolf Blitzer constantly saying "let's get a key race alert" which seemed like a strange and robotic thing to say when you wouldn't say something like "let's get a news flash". A little bit more variety would have been nice but I know that his presentation style is very matter of fact so perhaps not surprising.
IS
Isonstine Founding member

.... and finally

Excuse the quality, unfortunately it's the best I can find but this is an amazing way to end a story.

IS
Isonstine Founding member

Integrated sponsorship in titles

Slightly off topic I know but is there anything more iconic of 90s TV than that Wish You Were Here theme?

Given everything that's going on in the world, it only makes you yearn to jet off to somewhere new. Especially if Barclaycard are paying.