Covid-19 is not only responsible for deaths, illnesses, neuroses, paranoia, and boredom; it is also responsible for countless tedious audience-free quiz programmes on TV. One or two quiz programmes that tax the brain to a reasonable level are fine, but every time I turn on the TV they seem to be announcing yet another banal low-IQ show.
Is a Spaniel a type of.... a. Spanish sandwich? b. Wrench for screwing or unscrewing bolts? c. Dog? etc, etc.
Personally I would rather be given the option of watching classics from the past. Ian McShane as Lovejoy. Martin Clunes as Doc Martin. Martin Clunes again in Men Behaving Badly. Dawn French in The vicar of Dibley. Ab Fab with Lumley and Saunders. All Creatures Great & Small. Blackadder. I could go on; there are so many wonderful classic programmes to chose from.
I should add that none of the above contains violence, car crashes, expletives, mass murder, or explosions.
Of course, if they did have better programmes, I might be tempted to turn on, and waste time when I should be doing more important things. I know that the BBC is always being accused of showing repeats, but if they're good ones; why not?
33 comments:
As someone with a vast store of general knowledge in my bonce, I rather like the mental exercise that some TV quiz shows provide - including "The Chase", "Mastermind" and "University Challenge" but I dislike slow-moving and banal quiz shows in which they spend more time guffawing than posing proper quiz questions.
It's the latter type that now seem to be proliferating. I recently watched part of a Mastermind 'Celebrities', which was simply appalling. One contestant managed to obtain 5 or 6 (I think) points from his two lots of questions. Dire; I turned off.
Normally "Celebrity" means "as thick as a plank".
Here was a great success for all the cooking programs in the days of the virus. After 11 days of "reports from the field" day and night, we lovingly accepted the return of the cooking programs.
Most of the TV programmes have useless comedians getting easy access to roles they can do what they want in the name of entertainment, all they end up with is crap TV.
It did in that case!
For the past year we've had cooking, antiques, and quizzes. Thank goodness that Summer is almost here, and we shall live outdoors again.
The BBC is on a downward slide. It always used to be so 'correct'. Now it's no different to ITV or Channel 4.
We don't do quiz shows nor reality shows. Guess we're old school and just enjoy the old classics too. We stream Acorn and Britbox and yes, there's a lot of repeats, but enjoyable. Just found a good show with Martin Clunes on Roku - "William and Mary".
We enjoy University Challenge when it's on and think we've done really well if we manage to get half a dozen right. BBC are repeating Fawlty Towers at the moment. I'm guessing the lockdown meant very few new programmes could be made.
Any tv quiz show where the competitors applaud themselves when they get a question correct is a sign to turn off. Luckily mastermind and university challenge are not in that category.
I tend to listen to repeats of old comedy shows on radio. It means I can do other things at the same time.
I'm lucky if I get two questions right on University Challenge... my brain works differently.
I do mentally applaud myself when I answer a question correctly that they have failed to answer.
I once got a University Challenge question right, followed by an Only Connect question right! I was so pleased with myself!!!😂😂
I like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, but game shows as a whole are kind of stupid. I read once where people are preselected for the game by their behavior and enthusiasm while waiting to get in. They like the excitable ones. That's why we see such idjits on some of these programs.
I agree Cro, total rubbish on the TV these dayes, I've even given up looking at the Radio Times any more and prefer to just get on with my knitting. But Springwatch starts this evening and it's just up the road from us so I shall be watching that.
Getting even one UC question right is worthy of a medal!
I don't know either of those shows; they're probably on after my bedtime. It's true, they must select contestants for their odd characteristics. I would hate to appear on a quiz programme.
Some of the nature programmes are very good on BBC; they've always been renowned for them.
Here here for the classics. I've been re-watching 'Allo 'Allo. Such clever writing, and an ensemble of able actors. Rumpole of the Bailey is next....
I do like Rumpole; the perfect Barrister.
I have watched All Creatures early episodes - enjoyable just for the scenery when you live up here. You have just reminded me of Rumpole - would love to see those again.
I love the UK classics. Our TV seems to repeat Miranda at least 3x per year. While it may have been amusing when first shown it grates to see it now.
Just good, non-violent, entertainment.
I don't know what happened to Miranda... she seems to have disappeared.
If you enjoy an ignoramus then this is worth a watch.
LAMMY
I love classic Brit comedies more than anything on our North American television these days.
He and Abbott would make a great double act.
Glad you agree.
The sign of a good comedy is that you laugh when reading the script. So often I hear roars of canned laughter, and wonder what was supposed to have been funny. Many of the old Brit comedies pass this test.
I don't watch quiz shows. I'm quite happy in my own world of ignorance.
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