BBC Oneness - idents and presentation

I've always assumed it was Cartoon Network's (and the like) fault that we don't get Tom and Jerry on the BBC any more, but half of them would have to be cut to shreds these days anyway. Plus they're 4:3, which is probably more verboten than the smoking, violence, and racial stereotypes.

They could do worse than sticking the new Danger Mouse on, though.

Tom & Jerry repeats on the BBC ended in 2000. Around the time Boomerang UK launched and started showing Tom & Jerry, though that may just be coincidence.

Re: 4:3 - the BBC has no problems airing Fawlty Towers, Vicar of Dibley and early Wallace & Gromit, all of which are 4:3, so I see no reason why T&J couldn't do it. Unless the BBC found the original widescreen edits of the cinemascope episodes of T&J, not the horrible pan&scan ones Boomerang use.

Sorry. Sunday. Scheduling.

Shoving on a cartoon feels like one of those things from ye olde times, along with "in the meantime here's some music". A mainstream audience watching BBC1 on a Sunday night probably isn't expecting to watch a random Tom & Jerry cartoon shoved on to fill some time, if anything it would be something like a Coast short these days.

I’d rather see an episode of Roobarb.

plus of course "we'll leave you with some music" is pretty much Cwilliams territory now and should strike fear into the heart of any TV pres enthusiast if that phrase ever turns up on TV and is up for 15 minutes plus

According to the programme listings http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/search/?medium=tv&yearweek=201812 Paddy McGuiness’ Sport Relief Warm-Up is live tonight in around half an hours time.

Should be interesting.

Talking of random short filler there is something called Doodlebugs on BBC1 next Saturday at 6.15pm following The Boat Race and before the news at 6.30pm.

The first few episodes of Doodlebugs were on at Christmas, it was a bit like Walk on the Wildside but with animated faces drawn on inanimate objects. It was quite good for 15 minutes.

"Finding" them wouldn't be hard seeing as they're on DVD in the US. The UK DVDs are only pan/scan though.

However Tom & Jerry Kids lasted until 2005.

http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbcone/london/2005-12-17#at-7.00

In these more competitive times, showing an unscheduled cartoon is an antiquated idea. I’m the old days viewers would wait, these days they’d be off somewhere else. Every minute of the schedule will be planned these days to the finest detail.

It’s like when ITV used to show those short programmes that LNN used to make, to fill gaps at off peak times.