| I got a telly again recently after not having one out of choice for 3 years. It's depressing.
I can only get terrestrial channels, due to a pi55 poor signal stopping me getting free to air digital, living in a place where NTL won't run a cable, and having trees with preservation orders on them stopping a dish getting a clear view of the southern sky to get Sky.
All that seems to be on terrestrial channels these days is non-stop soaps (ITV seems to run Corrie all night every night), ludicrous game shows, repeats of US sitcoms (does C4 ever show anything except re-runs of Friends?).
Then there are programs for the brain dead - endless reworkings of the 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary where cameras follow a group of medical students, vets, RAF pilots, army recruits, sewage workers or whatever.
Then there is the totally contrived 'reality' stuff. Wife Swap? Oh...peerleeeez and the abysmal Big Brother...God how I hate that.
Then, you've got programs for hopeless people who can't do anything for themselves (it seems) without calling in the TV experts. Endless variations of Ground Force to tell you how to lay slabs and gravel, Changing Rooms to show you how to use MDF, Location, Location, Location if you're to stupid to find your own house, Supernanny if you're too wet to bring kids up properly, "You are what you eat" if you're too thick to understand that a diet of Cola and Chips will make you a lardarse....There are even a couple of old hags running round telling people how to clean their bog and put rubbish in bins instead of throwing it round the house
Then of course a load of re-runs of clapped out old comedy 'classics', some of which (Yes Minister, The Good Life, whatever that crap with Hyacinth Bucket was called) were complete shite in the first place and even the best of them like Porridge, Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses don't bear watching 30,000 times over...
Oh good grief....does anyone want a 6 month old Telly?
[Edited on 14-7-2004 by Jools]  |