Boxing on the BBC

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 15 Aug 2007, 06:30

Terry D wrote:
Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Although I agree with the vast majority of what Terry says, I need to inject a bit of balance here.

I was all for slating the UK output (and much is indeed, rubbish) but then I moved away and was subject to what Americans watch.

Ye Gods, I'm still mentally scarred from this. I used to watch BBC America and get tearfully nostalgic when viewing repeats of 'Are You Being Served' which was genius compared to most of the US output.
That is a great show Ian but how many classics are the Beeb making now? I get what you and Oliver are saying but the Beeb is like those sleeping football giants. Living on the past.

One US hit, 'The Sopranos', wiped out anything we produce and although you can say that is a cable (paid) network show the Beeb is coming out of our pockets and at the moment its news channel is being outdone by Sky (run by an Aussie).

We get the odd decent show, 'Life on Mars', and it makes us salivate with excitement because it is a rare good show.

American fans pay for HBO and get the lot, we pay for Sky and get a load of fairly poor channels.

The Beeb says it will provide sport for our fee then omits boxing so why should we fork out for the Beeb? Sky do everything else and the 'net also. As a boxing fan I want coverage on the Beeb, not for it to be blacked-out because a controller does not like it :(

I watch Fox news and it is similar to the Beeb, you are asked to send in stuff for them. I would rather watch their over the top presenters than that gargoyle Kaplinski and the rest of the useless BBC bints.

Boxing does poor figures? The Beeb is not ITV (despite them now having adverts for their products every fooking five minutes) it is not driven by audience, we fund it. If they can shoot expensive promos to advance the cause of disabled atheletes (a small audience number) why the blackout on boxing.

Americas big network far outproduce us these days.

Looks at the hugely successful, and extremely well made shows the Americans have had over the last decade or so.

Cheers, Frasier, Seinfeld, Oz, The Sopranos, Friends, The X-Files, The Simpsons, Family Guy, etc etc.

And they are still coming, six feet under, nip tuck, dexter, rome, heroes.

The list goes on and on.

What have we had recently, the frigging Vicar of Dibley? Long gone are the Halcyon days of Galton and Simpson et al. We haven't produced anything of the quality of Dad's Army, Rising Damp, Steptoe and Son, Porridge, Open all Hours, and Only Fools and Horses for some time now. That's just comedy I'm talking about. Most of our Drama, except for the odd show here and there is bollocks.

The Yanks turn out series after series of brilliantly written comedy and drama, even their second tier stuff is funnier than most of what we produce.

Channel 4 easily outdoes the BBC with only a fraction of the funding, commissioning a lot of good stuff along with the pap like Big Brother.

HBO and Fox put the beeb to shame and no mistake.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 15 Aug 2007, 07:31

It has to be said though Terrence, that funding for the Beeb also includes BBC2 and I believe the radio stations, which are absolutely excellent. Radio 4 / The world service is absolutely fantastic.

Part of the Beebs problem, is it is trying to be too middle brow, the likes of Three pints of lager are dumb, easy to watch, and mediocre, and therefore quite popular, whereas the likes of Monkey Dust (and on Channel 4, the superlative peep show) are edgy and are going to offend many people.

The BBC feels obliged and indeed has a charter that demands providing mass entertainment, but it also has an obligation to what is known as 'public service' broadcasting, the Been should be aiming to raise the bar, not pander to the lowest common denominator. People watch dumb game shows and Big Brother because it is easy, but that does not mean they cannot enjoy anything else. Chasing viewing figures is the holy grail these days, but as the Beeb is publically funded, why are they chasing viewing figures? They should be looking to produce quality and innovative broadcasting, not competing with low-brown ITV shite.

Some of the beebs documentaries are still excellent, and this is their one strong suit. David Attenboroughs suite of programmes are unsurpassed in their scope and depth and a major worldwide success, and the BBC commisioned them all.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 15 Aug 2007, 07:35

BBC4 is excellent.

BBC1 is almost as bad as ITV1 mostly just shallow chav trash.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 15 Aug 2007, 08:10

New series of Tribe starting this month, also the I.T. Crowd back on the 24th

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 15 Aug 2007, 08:53

The Mirror was once decent but now it's just like The Sun without tits.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 15 Aug 2007, 08:57

BBC 6 is an excellent radio station, top presenters that actually know about the music they are playing. Plus its not all chart music they play , alot of good modern stuff you wouldn't normally hear on the radio.

chief · Post by **chief** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:10

i want the bbc to axe the miserable, shitty filth that is eastenders...

chief · Post by **chief** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:20

about 4 years ago i lived with a bird who loved all the soaps etc so for the most part i'd watch them with her.. the two that i'd refuse to and left the room for were brookside and emerdale... if i still lived with her eastenders would now be on that list.... garbage.

SticknMove · Post by **SticknMove** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:34

Grumpy Old Men? 8)

chief · Post by **chief** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:37

SticknMove wrote:Grumpy Old Men? 8)

LOL..

Birds of a Feather....

SticknMove · Post by **SticknMove** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:42

chief wrote:
SticknMove wrote:Grumpy Old Men? 8)
LOL..

Birds of a Feather....

Great response chief..

SticknMove · Post by **SticknMove** » 15 Aug 2007, 09:43

Terry D wrote:
SticknMove wrote:Grumpy Old Men? 8)
That is what we all become.

We do indeed Terry.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 15 Aug 2007, 14:52

BBC Radio 6 is the best UK based music radio station by a long, long way.

dondada · Post by **dondada** » 16 Aug 2007, 04:45

For all the faults the BBC has, it's the best broadcaster in the world bar none. It might not do everything well...but then again, it's unique amongst broadcasters in that it is mandated by law to provide something for everyone.

Terry - you no longer trust the BBC but you watch Fox News? 'Fair and Balanced'? The biggest propaganda machine going.

Your points about viewer journalists is understandable but there's not a lot you can do now - it's out of the box. So many channels, so much time to fill, so competitive to get the latest and different pics.

The thing is, unlike HBO, or whatever you want to go on about, BBC HAS to appeal to all sorts and, like it or not, there are a load of arseholes out there.

You wax lyrical about the great things Yankees have produced but, trust me, a lot of the output is pure shite, worse than what we get over here. In fact, who do you think is responsible, culturally and/or literally, for most of the shit programmes we get over here? Americans.

chief · Post by **chief** » 16 Aug 2007, 04:51

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote: You wax lyrical about the great things Yankees have produced but, trust me, a lot of the output is pure shite, worse than what we get over here. In fact, who do you think is responsible, culturally and/or literally, for most of the shit programmes we get over here? Americans.

Exactly.. Which is why we're so often fed a load of "anti-euro" bias in the news..... The strength of the $$$ is too important to them...

harrygreb · Post by **harrygreb** » 23 Aug 2007, 11:44

i'm tuned to bbc london most of the time. robert elms, danny baker and the much malingned but excellent vanessa feltz. thats a top daytime line up plus elms plays decent music very often.