Channel 4 Documentaries - grumbles

Apologies if the is a well-worn topic but am I alone in getting very irritated with Channel 4 documentaries, the constant recapping after every ad break and wasting time with'coming up' previews. Makes me think they don't have enough material to fill the time slot. Common to other channel 'watchdog' programmes is the other major irritant of splitting a story across other stories. As a kid I was taught to put my toys away before getting out another. Can't TV editors do likewise? Last night's 'Department of Complaints' was a first class example of all these irritants.

Complaining about a show about complaints?

Last time I checked Digital Spy was that way ———->

It’s how they’re all done now. American style I guess. We have short attention spans...

And they’re exploitative and lacking in taste too. Channel 4 went down the Channel 5 route.

BBC does it aswell. When I asked about this before, it helped with the programming being sold on to the commercial channels or around the around. My point would be why not cut that all out for the UK and make it 30min slot.

Because then you have to pay for two programmes?

It’s clearly useful for anyone joining a programme part the way through.

In the days of VoD is that necessary?

But it's not how they're all done at all. There are different styles: some with frequent recaps, some with previews ahead, some telling one continuous story with no such devices. It depends entirely on the intended audience, the time-slot, the channel.

Planet Earth and 'Department of Complaints' or whatever this show is are both broadly under the umbrella of factual, but clearly are both different styles. Similarly, Line of Duty and Doctors are both drama. Different styles, different audiences, different budgets, different times of days, different ambitions.

If you don't like it, it's a good idea not to watch - but it doesn't mean that all of the other programmes in the genre are the same.