To think prime time TV is now worse than 1982?

Sorry I should really alter my comment to say I don't watch live TV🤦‍♀️

That's what I meant. But we do stream TV and films and that has its downsides too. Nothing worse than '5 days remaining on Prime' before its gone for good. This happens a lot. Thankfully we kept a lot of DVDs.

Sorry for digressing 👀🤣

I'd agree with this. The quality of investigative journalism today is far poorer than it used to be. Also, documentaries, science programmes, etc., are very much dumbed down from how they used to be, with a lot of repetition too. Watch an old documentary on BBC4 and compare it with modern output.

My hearing is quite normal for my age, thank you. I watch old and new TV shows, and those from before around 2000 are much easier to watch and hear. Something has definitely changed in TV production since then, alongside many actors simply being unable to speak as clearly as they used to. So, yes, I'm getting older ... but the briefest of online searches will show you that this is a problem experienced by many people.

I haven’t watched schedule tv for ages. Idk what’s on when even.

Sure. In 1982 we had no choice it was all scheduled TV.

there is loads more good stuff now. But it’s all on subscription services.

the reason hounding feel well catered for is that it’s a business paid for by advertising and in the case of the BBC, license fees.

They care desperately trying to capture younger audiences otherwise they will Eve up obsolete as old people die off.

today’s young won’t start watching scheduled TV when they are old unless they are captured now

I don't watch TV. We don't have a TV licence and haven't for around 7 years.

Man alive, panorama real investigative journalism programmes and I recognised this from a young age.

On a side note I think the plethora of viewing options whereby no one is forced to watch anything outside of their particular age group/interests, is helping foster a disconnection and intolerance of other viewpoints due to lack of any exposure to alternatives.

Hmm... Older person can't hear the TV as well as when she was younger. Blames TV...

Oh yes. Just about every program is like this nowadays. I’m constantly rewinding or checking the subtitles. What do they teach at film school these days?!

This is partly why I don't own a TV, and object to having to fill in the BBC TV licensing declaration every two years so that they stop pestering me. Why isn't there an option to put, 'Never' for the question, 'When do you intend to start watching TV again?'

There used to be some good, regular documentaries which I enjoyed (yes, I like serious things and sound like a geek/nerd etc.). Now it seems geared towards dating shows, TOWIE-like things, and dramas (some are good), with the occasional documentary once in a blue moon.

I make do with some streaming services instead.

I don’t watch scheduled tv apart from Have I got news for you

everything on catch up/apps.

i think tv is about 10 times better since I was a kid, there is SO MANY incredible shows

I dunno, for some reason I recently sat through most of a programme about Cannon & Ball who I believe were prime time entertainers around that time, even doing Christmas specials, and it looked utterly shit. Ditto re-runs of supposedly classic shows that are shown today; they might have seemed good back then but only compared to the other dreck that was dished up to an audience that didn't have much to choose from. Don't get me wrong I think most TV today - including prime time stuff - is pretty insipid, but telly from the past is always viewed through rose tinted glasses.

I miss TV shows where you can hear what's actually being said without subtitles, when actors could speak clearly and not mumble, where there wasn't overwhelming amounts of background music, the scenes are lit and focused properly, and the camera stayed focused on a face/scene for more than five seconds. The BBC is probably the worst offender for all of these, ITV fairs a bit better.

When I used to watch Points of View in the late 80s, people would always write in to complain about repeats every evening. I could never understand it, because I love watching stuff over and over again but I’m guessing that there wasn’t enough new content to fill the schedules so most evenings would feature a few repeats of old sitcoms etc? Most prime time BBC1 nowadays is new content, which is an improvement I suppose?

Thank you 😭, I need to let it go 🙈

Don't tell me - we won't watch until the weekend 😜😂

I'm a slightly later vintage than you OP but used to love the shared experience thing too- within my own family really. My wee brother and my dad and I used to love American stuff like Quantum Leap, Due South and the X files. Every week we'd pick our spots on the sofa or by the fire, turn on the telly in good time and enjoy. Listening to the opening credits theme music for those now brings back happy family memories for me.