GOOD TV

[Stanley]

Which will all be music to the ears of the advertisers and their contractors. Question is, does the fact it has attracted attention mean it is increasing sales?
I tried to analyse exactly why I was so incensed by it, I was worried in case it meant I was exhibiting homophobia but in the end I decided it was simply the sheer ridiculousness of it.

[Tizer]

As Maz would say, don't beat yourself up about it. You're right, it's ridiculous.

[Stanley]

Thanks!

[Stanley]

The snooker last night. I went to bed before the Perry/Hawkins match ended and was surprised this morning to hear that Joe had dragged himself back from the jaws of defeat and beat Hawkins by winning all the remaining frames! That means that the final today is Sullivan v. Perry. I shall be there! (And I'll bet Wendy will as well!)

[PanBiker]

I will be too given an opportunity between the other stuff we have planned. I watched the last few frames and Joe was on a run, you could see his confidence coming back. He will need it for Ronnie in the final.

[Stanley]

It was a good close match, result in doubt right up to the end but of course Ronnie did it. Joe has no reason to be ashamed, he put up a good fight against arguably the best player in the world.

[PanBiker]

It was good that Joe managed to come back straight after the break taking two frames, mainly due to simple mistakes made by Ronnie. Name of the game though, the opening frame after tea was a master class in strategic and defensive play, a joy to watch. Ronnie is widely regarded by commentators and his contemporaries alike as the greatest player ever in the game. Due to overall match play though Joe had the higher world ranking yesterday. Good final, I like an underdog and with a few more chances taken Joe could have taken the tournament.

[Stanley]

I agree. Joe can be a potting machine and we saw glimpses of it in the match but Ronnie on song is a delight to watch and we had a couple of instances
of that also!
Silent witness continues to delight, much better than the old series......

[Stanley]

I watched the first instalment of 'SS GB' last night. Not quite made up my mind. I suspect because for someone of my generation who went through the war it is very disturbing to contemplate what might have been.....

[PanBiker]

It has the makings of a ripping yarn but apparently the opening scenes were marred for many by the production team using a MkIX Spitfire which did not come into service until 1943! Historical accuracy blown in the first few seconds, didn't notice myself.

[Tizer]

I often avert my eyes when watching TV producers' choices for military aircraft and ships! To me it's a case of spoiling the whole barrel for a happeth of tar. It would have been just as easy to use film showing the correct type but no, they seem to dump in whatever happens to be available at the time. My other bugbear is that in documentary type programmes they don't tell the viewer the identity of what they show. An example was a programme about the Royal Family on their voyage to South Africa in 1947. It was obvious that they were aboard a warship, a big one, but we weren't told the name of the ship. What a shame! It was our last battleship, the beautiful HMS Vanguard which was too late for operations in WW2 and was soon to be scrapped. It departed from the style of our previous battleships and looked much more like the modern American battleships of the time. Vanguard was magnificent and made a big impression during the trip and everyone at the time knew what it was, it was the last time we could make such a bold statement about the strength of our navy. There isn't much film footage of Vanguard and yet the programme producers made no effort to tell us what we were lucky to be seeing.

For OG members, here's a short bit of Pathe film of Vanguard at the time.... LINK
She wasn't alone on her trip and this clip shows the other ships alongside.... LINK

[Stanley]

My pet hate is the fact that scene-dressers think that the best way of giving a scene 'authentic atmosphere' is to have fires burning all over the place in braziers.....

[Stanley]

I looked at the schedules last night and reflected that the days have gone when you could sit there and watch new TV all night sometimes on just one channel. I get so fed up that at times I just go into Youtube and get my entertainment there.... Sad isn't it. All that talent out there and so many 'economical' repeats.

[Tripps]

Good to see a trail for a new production of 'Decline and Fall' by Evelyn Waugh. It's one of my favourite books. Most remakes disappoint, but I have hopes of this one having just seen the briefest preview.
Love the quote -
We class schools into four grades: Leading School, First rate School, Good School, and School. Frankly said Mr Levy, 'School' is pretty bad.

[Stanley]

I have been enjoying 'Follow the Money'. look forward to the return of 'Line of Duty' and on top of that FI starts tomorrow. Things are looking up a bit in some areas.

[Stanley]

Watched the latest two episodes of 'Follow the Money' and then the new series of 'Line of duty' which looks just as compelling as the last. All good entertainment.

[Stanley]

Broadchurch on ITV is good as well. I have been following it and enjoying the series.

[Tripps]

I went next door last evening to watch the confrontation between Monkman and Seagull on University challenge. Seems Monkman is becoming a cult in Cambridge. Took a couple of bottles of wine just to be sociable. I actually answered all three parts of one question - that's a first.

Later we watched Broadchurch - they are big fans and seemed to know exactly what was going on. I'm afraid it made no impact at all on me - I saw it as just a lot of actors reading a script. I found it almost impossible to distinguish the characters and found it quite unbelievable - all seemed to be RADA people between age 25 - 35 yrs with the addition of some ethnic diversity box ticking, and Doctor Who seemed to be in charge. At least they didn't use the rain machine for added drama.

It's probably me.

A good evening though - we've arranged a return fixture for 'Decline and Fall' on Friday. I'll understand that - I've been reading the book again to prepare.

[Stanley]

I think you have to know the back story David to appreciate Broadchurch. That bloke Monkman disturbs me, he seems to be trying too hard all the time.....
I suppose this is TV related.... Why does Rail need to spend a fortune on TV advertising.
If you didn't like the Epic strutters on the MM advert you won't like the new one, epic Skeletor. God knows what the creators are on.....

[Stanley]

Enjoyable TV last night. I watched the Evelyn Waugh programme, then the last two episodes of Follow The Money, had an interlude with the Antiques Road show and then Line of duty!

[Tripps]

We watched 'Decline and Fall' after a nice dinner, next door, on Friday.
I enjoyed the whole experience, but having read the book a few times, wondered why, after the school sports afternoon, the fireworks in the tent exploded, and burned it down with great drama. I can't find that in the book. Do they think it improves the story? I doubt the book has been out of print since written in 1928 - it's insulting to add such an incident.

Or am I turning into 'Disgusted of Tonbridge Wells'?

The text says -
They went up the drive in silence. Dingy asked: 'What are we going to do about those fireworks you insisted on buying? Everyone has gone away.' I don't feel in the mood for fireworks,' said the Doctor. 'Perhaps another time, but not now'.

Also the dialogue was politically corrected for modern times. Why so? Can we not accept that was how such people spoke in the 1920's? The preview in The Spectator says the writer was urged to omit the Chokey character entirely, but bravely declined to do so.

[Stanley]

I've never read the book David but thought it was typical TV. Shades of Lord of the Rings......

[Tripps]

I suppose Good TV is the place to post this.
I 'impulse bought' a new 43 inch smart TV in Tesco this afternoon. The fact that it was a 'Manager's special and reduced to £169 had a lot to do with it. I'm a sucker for a 'bargain'. However before installing it I googled, and found the instructions online. It looks fiendishly complicated, and I can just smell problems issues waiting to happen. It's also enormous - and out of proportion to my room. I haven't opened the box at all yet - I think it may be going back tomorrow.

[Stanley]

Give it a try David, I am delighted with mine and I am a dinosaur in these matters as you know.
'Line of Duty' last night was superb. Riveting TV and there isn't a lot of that about these days! Very nearly equals 'The Night Manager'.......

[Tripps]

Don't miss Monkman v Seagull - it's the final of University Challenge tonight at 8.00pm.

I'm back on the old faithful Technika set up. For various reasons the 43" went back to Tesco this afternoon. I bottled it. They were very good about it - I don't think they were obliged to give a full refund just because I changed my mind, but the did - with no fuss.