when shows like tomorrow's world and crimewatch stop pulling in the viewers, it's because the world has changed, it's not that the format is broken, it's just not relevant any more - so even if the dream team of nick ross and sue cook were still presenting it, it would still be cancelled.
This is questionable and debatable. Some programmes genuinely do become obsolescent but others are at risk of losing existing, and sometimes more recent, viewers if the presentation is revamped or glitzed up to appear like entertainment in an attempt to attract an audience that would not otherwise watch the programme.
but is that a symptom or a cause?
i suspect that if crimewatch was still pulling in 13 or more million viewers (and had always been consistently doing so), we'd still have the 'two shrubs behind a desk' format we had in the beginning.
i don't doubt that the meddling with crimewatch lost some viewers, i certainly found the gimmicks irritating, but i suspect the producers had been trying to find ways to slow or reverse the long term downward trend in viewers - i don't know anything about the management culture at the BBC, but i suspect they were under pressure to reverse it and so were trying anything to see if they could find a magic formula.
i do think it's a shame, but it's pointless lamenting a world that moves on.. it's one of many things that's disappeared during the life of this forum, and it wont' be the last.
think about it seriously - in the next 5 years we could easily see the end of one or more of these (all of which are on borrowed time, imo)
news at 10 on bbc 1
bluepeter
watchdog
songs of praise
panorama
the apprentice
a question of sport
have i got news for you
casualty
holby city
points of view
Last edited by lobster on 25 October 2017 12:29pm - 3 times in total