Points of View

Have to say I'm enjoying watching the programme again. From the very cosy world during Wogan's era, Jeremy genuinely seems to want to get a decent answer and has a healthy dose of sarcasm and realism along the way.

Anyway, a few interesting points raised this series so far - including whether Ceefax has a place in our hearts in this digital world (yes!), DOGs and screen burn and the continual reference to them looking into the issue of the credit-squeeze. I'm guessing they're still waiting on the department to finish their findings and decide whether to put it right.

Oh, and on the subject of DOGs we had the usual "we like to make it easy for viewers to navigate our channels and don't really care about the vocal minority who are really irritated by them" line. This time from the "Head of TV, BBC Marketing, Communications & Audiences". What do they say about the longer the job title..?!

Has no-one told her of the existence of an EPG, which helps "tell me where I am and what channel I'm on" I don't need, or want, a dog to do it for me when I can press the info button just a easily.

These graphics are there to plant an association, with the Channel and the proggramme being broadcast, in the mind of the casual viewer.

Whilst I hate DOGs - I can accept that in this era of PVRs - where you end up watching a lot of shows recorded, not live - and may not have set a recording knowing the channel a show aired on you may not instinctively be aware of the channel a show aired on. (Tivo wishlists will record across more than one channel for example)

Broadcasters - particularly the BBC - need people to know that they are watching a "BBC show" - hence the large BBC logo in the opening, the BBC Productions/BBC Manchester/BBC Bristol etc. logo on the end board etc. Putting a DOG on the less mainstream BBC outlets also helps with this.

Saw I think Jeremy Vine's first episode a few weeks ago - anyone is better than Wogan, but I hated the way it was all about him as in "If you've got an issue, write to ME", not write to the show.


On a similar subject I'm quite enjoying The TV Show on C4 once a month - seems far more balanced than Points of View, though still not a patch on Right to Reply.

I think though if it opened up discussions to cover all channels and got a weekly slot, perhaps on More4, it could really develop.

That's his style. It's intentional.

Yes the show is much better now with Vine than with Wogan. Wogan used to just brush off any complaints with a silly comment

Why accept it ? Isn't the large BBC logo at the beginning and end of programmes enough ?

And if the BBC was the only network without DOGs we'd know it was the BBC, wouldn't we ? It's public service, not commercial, television.

I enjoyed the show too, and I thought it was a whole lot better than Wogan's era, in his cosy large living room in his cosy large mansion. Sour grapes.

Vine's a good man for the job, presented the answers which made the BBC suits look stupid. Which is always nice.

Sure, it may be a programme for the Daily Mail readers, but it's mildly interesting.

The problem is that when you ask people whether they watch BBC show they say they don't - and that they resent paying the licence fee.

If you then ask them if they watch specific programmes - EastEnders, the BBC News at Ten etc. - they then say - yep I watch them... You then ask if they listen to BBC Radio (and more people listen to BBC Radio than commercial radio) - they say they don't... You mention the stations, programmes and they realise that they do.

The key thing is getting the public - who pay the licence fee - to realise that they do actually watch and listen to BBC output...

I too am enjoying the new Jeremy Vine era of the programme, and hope that it can start to ask more questions, instead as was said being brushed off.

I wonder why they didn't update the look of the programme to correspond with Jeremy Vine's arrival.

Especially as the current titles end with the boy touching the BBC Channel logos, all of which are the old logos, I think the only ones that are still the same are BBC Four and CBeebies (at least I think I briefly saw CBeebies in there).
Do people still like the points of view music? Didn't it originate from an April Fools joke a few years ago back when Des Lynam was hosting it (with the wonderful dog in car driving around the slide populated TV Centre, and wonderful music)?

Shouldn't we just accept that a lot of people lie habitually ?

And I'm not for pandering to idiots.