Christmas Tv

[MauriceMynah]

I am well aware that "you can't please all the people all of the time" but I wonder if I'm alone in wondering what or who sorted the TV schedules this year. I am 66, the lady I reside with, Timothie, is 93. We have access to over 80 channels. It would have been nice if within 640 hours of broadcasting there would have been SOMETHING either of us could have looked forwards to viewing.

 From 10 am to 19:00 it seemed to me that all the films were aimed at far younger viewers, mostly for children.  Dramas were absent as were documentaries. Yes some of the channels were showing historical footage of World War Two, (Oh really festive)  but nothing much more.

No, It seems to me that the TV bosses only pay lip service when they say they are concerned about loneliness in the elderly. Especially this year, TV was the only company many old people had. Timothie has me for company so relies heavily on TV! I too relied on it this year. What a mistake to make!

Today is Boxing day. the situation is the same.

It is odd but I thought Christmas time was when the various channels put on their showcase schedules, not their closet crap.

[BrundallNavy]

Just repeat after repeat, absolute rubbish this year yet again.  

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Whilst I agree it wasn`t great when was the last time Christmas TV was? I dropped in on a few of the animated films made for kids and thought that they were great entertainment, I even enjoyed watching the film 27 Dresses which is most unlike me so perhaps it was the bottle of Bucks Fizz with additional Vodka that helped there. 

[ExSurveyor]

Most of the Christmas specials haven't been recorded this year. Sime panel shows are emerging with distancing, Qi, Mock the week and the like. The attempts to use Zoom for some shows was unwatchable.

Mrs Brown's Boys managed quite well, including social distancing in most of the gags.

[finny]

get bopping 

Finny

[addicted]

Christmas t.v. has for some years has been diabolical. We rarely watch it Christmas Day as we are with family but this year Not.   (Thanks covid) so we switched on. It wasn't worth the effort of pushing the button! A  couple of things in the evening were o.k. by which I mean mildly diverting. But this is what we have come to  expect and it's a disgrace. As usual the good old British public have a quiet moan and nothing changes. if they tried to charge a compulsory  and  exorbitant licence fee in some other countries there'd be rioting in the streets and heads would roll probably quite literally!

 

 

Carole

[SteveO]

Christmas, being traditionally a time when people get together is, I suspect, not a priority for the investment of thin production budgets, hence the preponderance of old war films that tend to be screened over the festive period. I do think that the TV execs missed a trick this year, but it is hardly surprising given that right up to the Saturday before the event, we were all going to be allowed to mix.

We are people of simple tastes and things we have enjoyed this year have included the Dick Strawbridge chateau programmes, the Ghosts Christmas special, various "Bake-Off" and "Masterchef" mini-contests and, best of all, last night's "Britain's Got Talent" Christmas show, which featured acts from the show in previous years performing new material. It was good to see that acts which were not strong enough to stand on their own were put together very cleverly to make what I thought was a good variety show.

We didn't like those "specials" such as "Strictly Come Dancing" which were a thinly disguised excuse to screen a lot of repeat footage from past series. However, when this was on, I plugged myself into a CD of Gregorian chants and managed to spend most of the hour in a very different place.

[Lulu]

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing - was an absolute delight. Im sure it must still be on iplayer 

[Hylander]

7 minutes ago, Lulu said:

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing - was an absolute delight. Im sure it must still be on iplayer 

Yes now that is a must,  wonderful viewing and can be viewed by the whole family.      I was impressed by the thought that GMB had actually decided to put on Good Morning Britain on Christmas day.   The day arrived and to my amazement it was Piers Morgan and Susanna Reed, to my horror the words across the bottom strap read , previously recorded.  All the money those two earn could they not in this year of Covid have made the effort to get into the studio on Christmas Day!!  I turned it off immediately in disgust.

[NeilB]

All I can say is I’m so glad we invested in a smart tv as the vast majority of normal tv has been dire for several years now.

[MauriceMynah]

I have a "smart" TV, the problem is that the TV doesn't have a smart owner. I have no idea what my TV can do and it doesn't seem inclined to tell me!

[AndyTBoater]

Things I watched and would watch again

Ghosts - Christmas Special (and if you haven't seen any of the previous one I strongly suggest you do)

And thats about it. I agree that this year especially the channels should have at least tried to put on some decent stuff. 

Other stuff (Netflix etc) I would say are worth a go. Not new stuff but I shall champion these until you all thank me for telling you about them

Schitts Creek. I dont normally do American comedies but this is brilliant from start to finish. Every character a joy and quite a few genuinely funny moments. My favourite charcters switched at each episode until I realised I loved them all equally and maybe loved Stevie a bit more than everyone else.

The Good Place. Season 3 lets it down a bit but having said that even S3 is better than most of the stuff that is on. Got quite a lost of dust in my eyes on the very last episode.

And on Dave/ Catch up any of the Taskmaster episodes. They seem to have so much fun making this that it can at times be laugh out loud funny. 

Oh - and Muppet Christmas Carol. 

[floydraser]

I agree, Christmas tv is rubbish but then most of it these days is anyway. I'm afraid the bad news is that we are used to just pressing a couple of buttons and it's there. I know I'm not the only one here who can remember when we only had a choice of two channels. So now with multiple channels to choose from, it takes just that little bit longer to find something (if anything!) to settle on.

Well if only we had little more patience and got our brains in gear we should be able to find something decent to watch either by streaming or on Youtube. It's all out there, but by the time you've found it, it's time for the Epilogue and the little spot to go out in the middle of the screen! 

Like Escape to the Chateau but find it's getting more and more patronising and sugar coated with every episode. The narrator is only a couple of degrees away from sound like she's reading a fairy story!

[Gracie]

Oh my goodness, please don't mention you tube channels in front of OBB and MM I so hope they managed to get cutlery and plates in for Christmas  x

[Smoggy]

41 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I have a "smart" TV, the problem is that the TV doesn't have a smart owner. I have no idea what my TV can do and it doesn't seem inclined to tell me!

One of the best saviours of a smart tv is looking up an old live gig on youtube and casting it to the tv, we ended the night to dire straights last night, well had to keep it mellow as my Mum is here.

[HEM]

58 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

I have a "smart" TV, the problem is that the TV doesn't have a smart owner. I have no idea what my TV can do and it doesn't seem inclined to tell me!

As a (retired) Computer Scientist I leave the control of the TV / Fire Stick / Netflix to wife/daughter (same for the washing machine).

I don't watch much TV - but yesterday evening there was an excellent report "Iceland's unknown northeast" on the regional TV channel.

Also recently there has been a plethora of programs on the numerous Swiss railways - with excellent photography.

 

[grendel]

things i have watched on tv this christmas

 

 

 

 

 

meanwhile I have been working on the model of BA, watching a few youtube channels, and generally keeping busy doing things.

[Cheesey69]

sky/Netflix, take your pick has killed the idea of a family advent TV programming.

The days of big tv advents have long gone with the dilution of tv audiences who can basically watch what they want, when they want.

You cant spend the big money on shows with minuscule viewing figures.

Morecombe and wise had over half of the available tv viewing audience watching it but then again, you had only 3 channels available. In 2019, line of duty on the BBC had 12 million people watching it. EastEnders Christmas 1986 edition had 30 million viewers.  

the big films have gone to those that pay extra for them.

Its just not financially viable to go all out on Christmas TV

[SteveO]

Oh yes, Mortimer and Whitehouse - slipped my mind but most excellent. Thanks for reminding me.  Also, Birds of a Feather was laugh out loud good.  I am a fascinated watcher of "Swamp People" on Blaze.  The setting is the Louisiana wetlands and the theme is alligator catching.  Think Norfolk Broads but with Spanish Moss and snappy things rather than flappy ones. Most of the characters have been doing it so long, they almost look as though they have 'gator DNA. Not recommended for those of a squeamish disposition though.

The other thing I have been doing to pass the time between meals and bed is looking at some of the stuff on Amazon Prime.  There are a couple of interesting "man with a narrowboat" type series on there and I have been enjoying exploring new waterways to the plodding thump of an ancient Gardner diesel engine. 

[JennyMorgan]

2 hours ago, Lulu said:

Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Christmas Fishing - was an absolute delight. Im sure it must still be on iplayer 

Agreed, I thoroughly that.

On the other hand the numerous ladies in my family seem drawn to this channel! 

https://www.gemporia.com/en-gb/auction/

Actually even I find it more entertaining than the World at War etc etc. 

MM is entirely right regarding Christmas TV but obviously he hasn't found the joy of the shopping channels!!

[JanetAnne]

Ive not got a telly.. 

[Timbo]

7 minutes ago, JanetAnne said:

Ive not got a telly.. 

have you been reading the label on your tin of pea soup? 

[Happy]

29 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Agreed, I thoroughly that.

On the other hand the numerous ladies in my family seem drawn to this channel! 

https://www.gemporia.com/en-gb/auction/

Actually even I find it more entertaining than the World at War etc etc. 

MM is entirely right regarding Christmas TV but obviously he hasn't found the joy of the shopping channels!!

 Oh!  Thanks for that.  An expense I did not accept.  I'll go back to cooking the evening meal now!  Cheers. 

[JanetAnne]

3 minutes ago, Timbo said:

have you been reading the label on your tin of pea soup? 

Never got off the mooring old chap. 

And for those that are wondering what Timbo is on about (nothing new there then) some friends of mine, after a dreadful 2018, found themselves with their Christmas plans destroyed.  Christmas morning came and with it the sunshine so they went to their boat and set off on a cruise for the day. Upon mooring up for lunch they discovered that the food bag was not with them and so raided the on board stores for something edible. All they found was a tin of pea soup! 

He said that it was brilliant. They laughed like they hadn't for months and it was the best Christmas dinner they had eaten in years.

 

 

And so, like so many others, when my 2020 Christmas went awry, I said I was off for a sunny christmas day cruise with a tin of pea soup figuring I could do with a similar uplifting.

Alas, all this flooding, tidal locking, power cuts etc has meant staying put so the pea soup is still in the locker!

 

[Timbo]

Bearing in mind that turning my television on yesterday evening was only the second time its been used since it was installed two years ago, I'm at a loss when it comes to the type of crud and claptrap that passes for entertainment in the twenty first century. I can and can't understand people's frustrations with TV programming schedules, but the channels only serve up more of the programming that people are watching. The more you watch it, the more they serve up.

I had to chuckle while I was holding a couple of video meetings the other week. The first was while I was firkling in my shed. I was chatting away to a former colleague about an archaeology project she wanted my opinion on. While we were chatting I was still firkling away on the Safari Bar I was making.
"What sort of wood is that?" my colleague asked.
"Spalted ash."
"My husband wants to know what size plane you are using?"
"A No 3 smoothing plane. Why?"
I looked up at the screen on my phone to see my colleague, her husband and her father in law all watching what I was doing. Eventually we got back to the archaeology.

Later I was talking to a relative while we were out and about with the grandkids and the dogs.
"Are those WW2 bomb craters behind you?" asked my relative.
"No, they are medieval plaster pits where they extracted gypsum. You can see the deeper pits and veins of good quality gypsum over there. If you look on this side you can see the remains of the ridge and furrow field system where the poorer quality gypsum was used as marl and scattered on the fields."
"So where would they have planted the crops?"
"On top of the ridge, the medieval ploughs would pile the soil into the middle as the plough passed up each side. If you look here, these ridges are still around two feet high. Bearing in mind, enclosure here was around 1715, three hundred years of erosion these ridges would have been even taller when in use."
"What's that mound behind you?"
"That's the remains of the Danish camp and a later Norman castle?"
"Can we all tune in again tomorrow and explore the castle?" my relative chuckled.

I've been pondering the creation of Timbo TV but I'm told it would be similar to 'Out Of Town' with Jack Hargreaves only with the 'may contain drug use and profanity' disclaimer attached!