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Tim Davie Appointed BBC Director General

(June 2020)

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IS
Inspector Sands
cmthwtv posted:
It's day one. Tim Davies is saying that the left wing comedies at the BBC need to be axed.

The #DefundTheBBC brigade must somewhat welcome this move? Oh no.

The twitter left have gotten hold if that article and I can tell you - aren't happy. I sense that Tim was trying to get on side those on the right accusing the BBC of left wing bias - instead have angered the left who are now accusing the BBC of right wing bias.

Can anyone win at this rate? Who knows.

It's such a nonsense, what the heck is 'left wing comedy', what does that mean?

Do they mean that we're going to get Geoff Norcot and Simon Evans in every comedy programme?

Obviously BBC comedy has such an influence on the last election that Prime Minister Corbyn wants to stop it happening again..... er...
GH
Ghost
Inspector Sands posted:
JKDerry posted:
Has anyone on here watched Alex Belfield on YouTube? He seems to be on an anti BBC vendetta, launching a sue the BBC fundraiser which he managed to get thousands of pounds, and then it all suddenly went quiet. People donated, and then he hardly mentions the court action he threatened the BBC?

Alex seems to have two large chips on his shoulders

He's got a whole bag of Mcains on his shoulders. A very odd troubled character going by his videos. He had a run in on Twitter with Greg Scott a few months back, he was bullying the author of a theatre review website too.

This sums up how awful he is...


AndrewPSSP, Ne1L C and Inspector Sands gave kudos
UL
UsuallyLurks
Have we had another report with a promise to do something about the number of Guardian newspapers in the BBC's buildings yet, or is that something to look forward to?
NL
Ne1L C
Ghost posted:
Inspector Sands posted:
JKDerry posted:
Has anyone on here watched Alex Belfield on YouTube? He seems to be on an anti BBC vendetta, launching a sue the BBC fundraiser which he managed to get thousands of pounds, and then it all suddenly went quiet. People donated, and then he hardly mentions the court action he threatened the BBC?

Alex seems to have two large chips on his shoulders

He's got a whole bag of Mcains on his shoulders. A very odd troubled character going by his videos. He had a run in on Twitter with Greg Scott a few months back, he was bullying the author of a theatre review website too.

This sums up how awful he is...




Yes, I've come across his rants online. There are several words I can use to describe him but none are suitable for here.
JO
Jonwo
Inspector Sands posted:

It's such a nonsense, what the heck is 'left wing comedy', what does that mean?

Do they mean that we're going to get Geoff Norcot and Simon Evans in every comedy programme?

Obviously BBC comedy has such an influence on the last election that Prime Minister Corbyn wants to stop it happening again..... er...

I've never got this thing about comedy being left wing, shows like Dead Ringers for example skewers everyone.
AndrewPSSP, GeekyJames and TIGHazard gave kudos
LL
Larry the Loafer
And how long has it been since Dead Ringers was on TV?

It's easy to skew this as "the BBC gives platforms to racist comedians". I, personally, am just tired of hearing the same old punchlines ad nauseum, Trump is a baby, Boris has stupid hair etc.

I say this as somebody who considers themselves left, voted remain, and who doesn't like Trump. I welcome this news. Not because I want to see Labour get the same recycled jokes that the Tories get, but I'm just tired of activists dressing up as comedians. I like my comedians to make me laugh, not convince me they're right all the time.

After all, comedy is chronically subjective. There will never be a correct answer to this that will please everybody.
all new Phil, GeekyJames and Ne1L C gave kudos
UL
UsuallyLurks
Larry the Loafer posted:
And how long has it been since Dead Ringers was on TV?

It's easy to skew this as "the BBC gives platforms to racist comedians". I, personally, am just tired of hearing the same old punchlines ad nauseum, Trump is a baby, Boris has stupid hair etc.

I say this as somebody who considers themselves left, voted remain, and who doesn't like Trump. I welcome this news. Not because I want to see Labour get the same recycled jokes that the Tories get, but I'm just tired of activists dressing up as comedians. I like my comedians to make me laugh, not convince me they're right all the time.

After all, comedy is chronically subjective. There will never be a correct answer to this that will please everybody.


If you don't like it, don't watch. The same goes for anyone else who shares your view. If enough of them exist, the ratings will fall to such an extent that the continued existence of the relevant shows won't be able to be justified. If that isn't happening, or won't happen, then there evidently isn't the issue that this reported quota-esque plan seeks to address.
Last edited by UsuallyLurks on 1 September 2020 1:12pm
JO
Jonwo
I wonder if Tim Davie's plan to appeal to all audiences might see less of things like Noughts and Crosses and Years and Years? I enjoyed both but neither were successful.
NL
Ne1L C
Larry the Loafer posted:
And how long has it been since Dead Ringers was on TV?

It's easy to skew this as "the BBC gives platforms to racist comedians". I, personally, am just tired of hearing the same old punchlines ad nauseum, Trump is a baby, Boris has stupid hair etc.

I say this as somebody who considers themselves left, voted remain, and who doesn't like Trump. I welcome this news. Not because I want to see Labour get the same recycled jokes that the Tories get, but I'm just tired of activists dressing up as comedians. I like my comedians to make me laugh, not convince me they're right all the time.

After all, comedy is chronically subjective. There will never be a correct answer to this that will please everybody.



That is spot on. My political views are left-wing, a brexiteer and someone who thinks Trump is a cretin. But i adore comedies such as AYBS and It Aint... because they're hysterical and yes there is some of Roy "Chubby" Brown's material that I laugh at. But that doesn't mean i'm an "...ist".


UsuallyLurks posted:
Larry the Loafer posted:
And how long has it been since Dead Ringers was on TV?

It's easy to skew this as "the BBC gives platforms to racist comedians". I, personally, am just tired of hearing the same old punchlines ad nauseum, Trump is a baby, Boris has stupid hair etc.

I say this as somebody who considers themselves left, voted remain, and who doesn't like Trump. I welcome this news. Not because I want to see Labour get the same recycled jokes that the Tories get, but I'm just tired of activists dressing up as comedians. I like my comedians to make me laugh, not convince me they're right all the time.

After all, comedy is chronically subjective. There will never be a correct answer to this that will please everybody.


If you don't like it, don't watch. The same goes for anyone else who shares your view. If enough of them exist, the ratings will fall to such an extent that the continued existence of the relevant shows won't be able to be justified. If that isn't happening, or won't happen, then there evidently isn't the issue that this reported quota-esque plan seeks to address.


A commonsense view.
LL
Larry the Loafer
UsuallyLurks posted:
If you don't like it, don't watch. The same goes for anyone else who shares your view. If enough of them exist, the ratings will fall to such an extent that the continued existence of the relevant shows won't be able to be justified. If that isn't happening, or won't happen, then there evidently isn't the issue that this reported quota-esque plan seeks to address.


I don't watch it, but I don't object to it existing because I know other people like it. As I say, it's subjective. But that same "don't like, don't watch" approach isn't echoed by the people on Twitter who are fuming at the idea that people they don't politically agree with might get a platform.

One of my absolute favourite comedians, Bob Monkhouse, infamously supported Thatcher right in the middle of the anti-Thatcher wave of alternative comedy. But he never centred an entire routine on how awful he thought Labour was, he just did his thing. As someone who was very fortunate that he wasn't alive during Thatcher's reign, it doesn't affect what I think of Bob, because his act didn't centre around "if you vote x then you're a horrible person". He just made people laugh.

I recall an interview with Brendan O'Carroll, where he said he longed for the days of Dad's Army etc where the whole family could sit around the TV and enjoy a comedy show. I found myself agreeing with him.
UL
UsuallyLurks
Larry the Loafer posted:
UsuallyLurks posted:
If you don't like it, don't watch. The same goes for anyone else who shares your view. If enough of them exist, the ratings will fall to such an extent that the continued existence of the relevant shows won't be able to be justified. If that isn't happening, or won't happen, then there evidently isn't the issue that this reported quota-esque plan seeks to address.


I don't watch it, but I don't object to it existing because I know other people like it. As I say, it's subjective. But that same "don't like, don't watch" approach isn't echoed by the people on Twitter who are fuming at the idea that people they don't politically agree with might get a platform.

One of my absolute favourite comedians, Bob Monkhouse, infamously supported Thatcher right in the middle of the anti-Thatcher wave of alternative comedy. But he never centred an entire routine on how awful he thought Labour was, he just did his thing. As someone who was very fortunate that he wasn't alive during Thatcher's reign, it doesn't affect what I think of Bob, because his act didn't centre around "if you vote x then you're a horrible person". He just made people laugh.

I recall an interview with Brendan O'Carroll, where he said he longed for the days of Dad's Army etc where the whole family could sit around the TV and enjoy a comedy show. I found myself agreeing with him.


That's disingenuous. The Telegraph story refers to existing shows being axed because they are subjectively viewed as being too "one-sided", seemingly to hell with their ratings. If anything, the BBC is reportedly planning to "deplatform" comedians in order to appease the "Defund the BBC" crowd. How "politically correct"

It will be interesting to see the crossover between those who fumed at the BBC's women-on-panel-shows directive, and those who welcome the new push for a "better balance of satirical targets"
JO
Jonwo
Personally, I don't see the likes of The Mash Report, Mock the Week or HIGNFY being axed.

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