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British TV programmes


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We see loads of top quality American programmes recommended on here, but are there any British shows out there that are worth a watch? I know there'll be nothing to match the likes of 'The Wire' - although I did enjoy Luther - but anything worthy of a download/viewing?

 

Thinking drama/action.

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Something I've heard over and over again from the BBC when they're making cuts is that they will be concentrating more on "quality drama". The last drama that had me even slightly interested from the BBC was that series last year / start of this year about people being charged with murder, the one with different story each week. They seem to spunk most of their budget up celebrity come dancing and other such bullshit.

 

Forget ITV - if it's not a show about shithouse celebrities in a jungle or a show about people trying to become shithouse celebrities they've got nothing. Still, it entertains the great unwashed, uneducated and culturally devoid which unfortunately, most of the population are.

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I could quite happily bin the telly if it wasn't for the kids. It is utter shit. I thought we had an educated liberal majority in this country. What the fuck has happened. I am asleep by ten most nights as the wife watches hollyoaks and this essex shite she has plussed. What amazes me is that she is a very educated brilliant person but insists on watching this shite I think she is typical, sad state of affairs.

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Was Rome a BBC show? It was pretty good. Spooks is rated by some, but not watched it mself but on the whole British TV is weak.

 

It was BBC/HBO. If HBO hadn't been involved Caesar would have been black, and Mark Anthony would have beeb played by Neil Morrisey. It would also have been shit.

 

The guy that taught my scriptwriting course used to write for The Bill, and he said they wouldn't commission stories that were of too high quality, but that they were looking for 'middling' quality, as if one week's episode was too good, people would notice the fall in quality the following week, I shit you not.

 

A mate of mine went to a script seminar by Lime TV a while back too, former Mersey TV (Redmond's company) and he said his heart sank. He said they were bascially just concentrating their time and budgets on trash telly, which they pretty much admitted. They told these aspiring writers they didn't want anything about Liverpool and no high-end drama.

 

It's mad really, when the Emmy Awards were on it was being said that TV in the states has now overtaken the film industry for prestige, and that all the top actors wanted to be on TV because that's where the innovation and quality was. It's obvious people love good tv now, much more than they probably used to when things like The Sopranos were still pretty much only watched by a few die-hards over here. Now the top HBO and FX shows are watched by millions, but there's just nothing being done over here to compete with them.

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A mate of mine went to a script seminar by Lime TV a while back too, former Mersey TV (Redmond's company) and he said his heart sank. He said they were bascially just concentrating their time and budgets on trash telly, which they pretty much admitted. They told these aspiring writers they didn't want anything about Liverpool and no high-end drama.

 

As a side note, the BBC's filming a Liverpool police drama in town (called Savage). They were out on Old Hall Street last weekend shooting a rather ridiculous-looking crash/stabbing.

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There is still excellent British drama out there, most of it is in genre TV like Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes, Dr Who, Spooks, the recent Shadow Line, and The Fades has been pretty good too. We also still do excellent costume drama.

 

I think British TV suffers from two things - budget, and audience.

 

We can't throw as much money at dramas as the US can, and we have a core audience who are more interested in celebrity-driven shite like X factor and Strictly Come Dancing.

 

One thing that gives me a little bit of hope is the change in viewing habits over the past few years. Time shift technology that allows you to record TV and watch it later and iPlayer, have seen a steasy shift in viewing habits over the past few years, which have meant that shows can be less ratings driven for their initial time slot if they're picking up an audience elsewhere.

 

EDIT : As said above, outside of drama we sitll have healthy documentaries, but again budget is becoming an issue.

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In its heyday the Beeb had just two tv channels and a handful of radio stations. Now it's more channels, more stations, a film arm and a massive online presence that probably earns nothing.

 

As the budget has to deal with more quantity its no surprise the programming budget has to be cut, so all you get is celeb vehicles and derivative tec shows. Biggest victim has been BBC2 that once had such great drama and alt-comedy.

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There is still excellent British drama out there, most of it is in genre TV like Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes, Dr Who, Spooks, the recent Shadow Line, and The Fades has been pretty good too. We also still do excellent costume drama.

 

Matter of taste I suppose, but there is little to nothing in that list I like very much. It's all so BBC.

 

The This is England TV series wasn't bad, but most of it seems completely plastic somehow.

 

Without wishing to seem homophobic by the way, someone I know recently had to pretend to be gay to get any work at the BBC. I found that a bit shocking.

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There is still excellent British drama out there, most of it is in genre TV like Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes, Dr Who, Spooks, the recent Shadow Line, and The Fades has been pretty good too. We also still do excellent costume drama.

 

I think British TV suffers from two things - budget, and audience.

 

We can't throw as much money at dramas as the US can, and we have a core audience who are more interested in celebrity-driven shite like X factor and Strictly Come Dancing.

 

One thing that gives me a little bit of hope is the change in viewing habits over the past few years. Time shift technology that allows you to record TV and watch it later and iPlayer, have seen a steasy shift in viewing habits over the past few years, which have meant that shows can be less ratings driven for their initial time slot if they're picking up an audience elsewhere.

 

EDIT : As said above, outside of drama we sitll have healthy documentaries, but again budget is becoming an issue.

 

Not knocking your taste,its all about opinions but I found those programmes you mentioned pretty poor to be honest.

Dr Who hasnt been watchable since the 70s IMO and I just find British dramas so poorly acted I cant even watch them.

 

I do think the move away from comedy and particularly regional humour has been the death of the BBC in recent years,everybody's accent is either posh or just bland. I expect this is to try and attract overseas viewers but I just think it lets the whole station down.

 

Dont even get me started on soaps and costume dramas.

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Not knocking your taste,its all about opinions but I found those programmes you mentioned pretty poor to be honest.

Dr Who hasnt been watchable since the 70s IMO and I just find British dramas so poorly acted I cant even watch them.

 

You're right, everyone has different taste. Mine happens to be superlative ;)

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In its heyday the Beeb had just two tv channels and a handful of radio stations. Now it's more channels, more stations, a film arm and a massive online presence that probably earns nothing.

 

As the budget has to deal with more quantity its no surprise the programming budget has to be cut, so all you get is celeb vehicles and derivative tec shows. Biggest victim has been BBC2 that once had such great drama and alt-comedy.

 

I don't think it's a budget issue to be honest. If you compare the earlier seasons of The Bill to the later ones, Casualty when it first came out to now, or stuff like Minder with the Shane Richey version - the drop in quality was more to do with the writing than its look or sets.

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The only really decent drama's I can think of that BBC does is "Spooks" and "Accused" (the one which follows a fictional court case from the crime to the verdict over the course of a week)

 

BBC 3 ain't bad. Not drama's but notable cases recently I enjoyed on BBC 3 are "Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents", "Worlds Strictest Parents" and "Mongrels".

 

"Snog, Marry, Avoid" (I think that was it..) was shite but the episode with the Scouse slag and her transvestite brother was something else.

 

Thank fuck for HBO for saving me with its flow of awesome drama.

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The only really decent drama's I can think of that BBC does is "Spooks" and "Accused" (the one which follows a fictional court case from the crime to the verdict over the course of a week)

 

BBC 3 ain't bad. Not drama's but notable cases recently I enjoyed on BBC 3 are "Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents", "Worlds Strictest Parents" and "Mongrels".

 

"Snog, Marry, Avoid" (I think that was it..) was shite but the episode with the Scouse slag and her transvestite brother was something else.

 

Thank fuck for HBO for saving me with its flow of awesome drama.

 

This and Showtime and AMC occasionally also.

 

Looking forward to Boardwalk Empire,Dexter and Homeland tonight.

British TV cannot even get close to this stuff.

 

Come to think of it there are even countries like Denmark,France and others producing better stuff than Britain now,oh how the mighty have fallen.

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I think the only things on British TV I have enjoyed have been Mongrels, Mrs. Browns Boys and Ashes to Ashes/Life on Mars.

 

Very little produced with any originality, it's predominantly rehashed versions of stuff that's been on before or the whole Celebrity Come Masterchef Danincg in the Jungle on Ice bollocks. The new series of Rab C has been OK but even though I like it all they are doing is new stories on the same old theme.

 

HBO is where it's at. The likes of The Wire and Treme etc. haven't really been big hits though even in America. People don't seem to want quality.

 

For what it's worth I think the BBC should be about news, educational stuff and giving up and coming writers/directors/comedians etc. a chance and leave the rest to the commercial stations.

 

Edit: Oh and QI is brilliant obviously.

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