I'm an angry young man when it comes to the current state of television, because it's something I'm so passionate about but right now it's dying a death. Reality television isn't really the problem... no, the reasons why programme commissioners have crafted that particular genre into such a mainstream phenomenon are what's wrong with the state of television today.
It's all about money. Programmes are made to sell, and in return, they should be cheap to make. Drama costs a lot, yes - so they're first to go. We're left with a television schedule chock-a-block full of reality television, that's cheap, sensational (so newspapers are willing to give coverage) and above all, so easy to sell to the audience.
All that means that television drama suffers, and like I commented yesterday one of the key losses being children's drama - the keystone of children's television.
Russell T Davies shares my beliefs, and outlines them all in this quite magnificent BAFTA produced video conference. Everybody reading this site, you enjoy watching the SJA. If you're a 12 year old boy, or 45 year old woman, whatever, you have a duty as a fan to watch the video and show your support of kid's television.
That link again, because it's so important that people take notice and fight for the future of children's broadcasting.
(Whilst we're at it, you'd do well to catch Charlie Brooker's Newswipe on BBC Four, every Wednesday at 10:30pm - it's a pretty good look at the British television news, and how it fails us every single day)
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Elsewhere, is Tom Baker due to make a return to the show that made him famous over thirty years ago...?
It's all about money. Programmes are made to sell, and in return, they should be cheap to make. Drama costs a lot, yes - so they're first to go. We're left with a television schedule chock-a-block full of reality television, that's cheap, sensational (so newspapers are willing to give coverage) and above all, so easy to sell to the audience.
All that means that television drama suffers, and like I commented yesterday one of the key losses being children's drama - the keystone of children's television.
Russell T Davies shares my beliefs, and outlines them all in this quite magnificent BAFTA produced video conference. Everybody reading this site, you enjoy watching the SJA. If you're a 12 year old boy, or 45 year old woman, whatever, you have a duty as a fan to watch the video and show your support of kid's television.
That link again, because it's so important that people take notice and fight for the future of children's broadcasting.
(Whilst we're at it, you'd do well to catch Charlie Brooker's Newswipe on BBC Four, every Wednesday at 10:30pm - it's a pretty good look at the British television news, and how it fails us every single day)
***
Elsewhere, is Tom Baker due to make a return to the show that made him famous over thirty years ago...?
5 comments:
I read article today, and I felt the same way as you are now. Like you said about crappy reality television, that's cheap, sensational (so newspapers are willing to give coverage) and above all, so easy to sell to the audience.
Well, like you, I don't like reality t.v. and they are taken over every U.S. network including cable stations like BRAVO, and Arts& Entertainment etc...We must do something to stop it! Or otherwise it died a slow and painful death to T.V. drama itself.
A really insightful 35 minutes! SJA got its third series by the skin of its teeth, goodness knows how it'll fair for a fourth series - if it gets that far. It's shocking to think the change in timeslot had such an adverse impact on the show. I think The Weakest Link needs to go back to BBC2 and for SJA to return to its 5pm slot. The Beeb may have a monopoly and be able to decide how long they want their Children's timeslot to be, but the audience shouldn't have to suffer. Writing to the Minister for Children may not be such a bad idea! Goodness knows what he can do, though.
When I was a kid in the USA, the only kids' programming I was allowed to watch was BBC programs on our local PBS. Come to think of it, most of the children's books I read were from the UK as well. I guess I always thought of England as this magical place for kids where great entertainment was sort of a birthright. It's incredibly sad to find out that it isn't - not anymore, that is.
:-(
Anon-you and me both! :(
We in Australia share your concerns on the state of 'the telly' and its decline for quite some time.
The truth is its once again (as it invariably is for all the worlds problems) its the fault of the 'yanks' and the rubbish they churn out cheaply, sold overseas that undercuts local producuctions and culture in other nations all as part of some unofficial campaign denoting their 'world leadership' and smug superiority as part of their 'manifest destiny' to rule, instruct or dominate mankind.
The thing is, no-one asked them, no-one wants them and their ideology is discredited and increasingly shunned.
So we complain about reality shows and the simply unwatchable rubbish emanating out of the USA, but lets remember they only make this rot as their is a market for it in their country and as they brag about being the most market oriented nation in the world they can't wriggle out of that claim either.
So with a domestic market for these rubbish shows in the U.S, they then proceed to export this same rubbish overseas at low cost as part of their Americanistic ideology and we all suffer in seeing standards decline.
The only answer is to switch off and I and others here increasingly do.
Thank goodness for the British and their clearly better culture that can produce shows like Dr who, our Sarah Jane's Adventures and through to shows from yesteryear I was bought up on like The Good Life or the superior Yes Minister.
Thanks for the Sarah Jane news too, I regularly pop by for a read.
Please let us know too about any upcoming DVD releases too with our Sarah Jane. Thanks.
Mr Cat
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