No wether you like it or not it is still a well made drama series

Is it balls. It's a typical ITV drama in that its 2 hours long when it really should only be 1 hour.
I do quite like it in a way, it's alright to pass a bit of time on a Sunday if you're over a certain age (no offence McLaren

), but to suggest its even comparable to the likes of Pride and Prejudice or some of the better BBC dramas is absolute tosh.

I find programmes like Midsomer, Rebus, Frost etc to be over-done in the extreme, they start off so well in usually being adaptations of very good books and then when a second series is commissioned and new writers brought in the ethos is watered down series by series until they are a mockery of their former life.

OK would you say the same about Prime Suspect and Rebus both on commercial TV

I dont know, I've never watched more than about 10 mins of either. I can say that the feller who plays Rebus annoys me intensely.

I would do, I just did



They are both prime examples of programmes that should have had a lifespan of two series but which instead have been dragged on and on until they are just another series instead of being something special - its commercialism at its worst, we've got a good product here now lets flog it to death and when we run out of the original authors scripts we'll get someone else in to ghost write it.


As an antidote I'll quote Larkrise to Candleford, a classic BBC production that stuck to the original books and then stopped when the stories were all told - and remains a classic for that.

I see yer point Mcf But i don't think Midsummer Murders is in the same league as Frost and Rebus.
I agree with the "done to death" bit though which is shame when it comes to the likes of Trial and Retribution and Prime Suspect.
I think the Fixer and Blue Murder are are still good dramas though.

I bought the Prime Suspect box set earlier this year. The first 2 were great. The third was ok but after that we gave up.

Similar with 'A touch of Frost' - though we watched 12 series of that! After about the 4th the quality had gone down considerably - nowhere near as gritty and lacking in depth. Series like that just become a pastiche of themselves.

FWIW ITV has been truly appalling for many years in my opinion. Aside from SkySports (which gets watched about once a week) we don't watch anything other than BBC 1-4. I'd even go so far as to say there's been a dumbing down of the BBCs output in recent years though - daytime tv is dreadful and some of their kids programmes (which are still streets ahead of the brainless American drivel that packs out the other channels) show signs of having been made with at least half an eye on a more base overseas sales and product franchises.

No

But surely M Puig-Aubert you watch Canal+

Its ok - on the dvds I just put the subtitles on. With the other stuff I can follow the general gist even though I don't really understand much English.

Oh, and the BBC4 stuff on liners and art deco have been really good recently

I agree, plus both BBC3 & 4 are the best places to watch documentaries & music performances.
Pity about some of the so-called comedy shows though.

BBC3 is a bit hit and miss in my experience. Probably more miss than hit. Not seen much of the comedy on there though I did see 2 episodes of How not to live your life and found that quite amusing.

BBC4 is like Radio 4 in that you can enjoy a programme that's on a subject you'd never really think you'd have much interest in - like the stuff on liners - becuase its well produced and presented.

Which is precisely the argument for having the BBC funded in the way that it is with the remit that it has, can you imagine Granada making a series of documentaries like that, can you imagine an independant production company making a series of documentaries like that on the off chance that ITV might buy it even though they have no history of doing so or a slot to put it in despite having four free-to-air channels (WTF do they put on ITV3 and 4 apart from repeats ? )

You're preaching to the converted. I'm from the Lord Reith (sp?) school of thought on the subject.

Last year I happened upon a copy of the Radio Times the missus's mother had bought and kept as a souvenir of the wedding of Charlie and 'bury me in a Y-shaped coffin' Diana in 1981.

Only 3 channels, two of whom didn't really broadcast until midday and one started at 4pm. All 3 had finished by midnight. There were a handful of films; no Eastenders, Emmerdale Farm & Coronation Street each on for only an hour a week, no brain dead x-factor type drivel, the only imported programme I could spot was Cagney & Lacey and primetime viewing included regular political programmes, documentaries and a number of quality plays and dramas. Even ITV was a whole lot better.

The worlds gone to .

After All our Yesterday reminiscences, back on topic.
Will the delisting necessarily be bad?
The Ashes was delisted & now the ECB is moaning because it's likely to be re-listed. They made bags of money from Sky that they wouldn't otherwise have made from terrestrial TV.
I know the CC isn't in the same league (no pun intended) but it may bring in more revenue than now if it's sold properly to all potential bidders.
Currently the beeb sees it as its of right.

What is the RLF's stance on all of this?

The last time it was up for discussion they argued that the CC should not be on the list for the reason Old Feller gave above.

I therefore imagine they'll be delighted with the news.

The Royal Literary Fund?

Robinson, Lowe, Francis Construction?

Research Liberation Front?

Part of the American success at making good tv is down to the sheer volume of TV they're pumping out (and the "Infinite Monkey Theory"icon_wink.gif.

The rest of the success is HBO (who provide 50% of the quality drama you used as an example!).

All in the game yo.

The game's out there and it's play or get played

The stuff I have seen is that the RL are going to lobby the government to ignore the reports findings! Which as yet does not say a great deal at all and I suspect they need to do some thinking about there more detailed reaction and plan.

I think, having now seen the list after the initial speculation, that the issue is not going to be about the CC being taken off the list (and as stated they might be quite happy with that) but I do not think they can stand by as a governing body for the sport and let RL be dropped off the list while RU's offering is increased.

As I have said the list now says that the whole of the RU world cup must be shown on free-to-air, so I suspect there angle might be why is Canada v Japan more important to the nation than England v anybody at RL!

Richard Lewis was interviewed on R5SX at half time during the coverage of Eng-Aus. He was far from delighted.

The RFL were far from delighted when the CC was retained on the list not so long ago (but possibly before Lewis' tenure) arguing that it restricted them from getting the full worth of the TV rites to the comp.

They can't have it both ways although it's perfectly possible there has been a change in attitude towards the issue also.