About spoilers after the show is broadcast?

[StrugglingAlbion]

Not a TAAT, but inspired by a current thread in which the OP was called a "dick" and a "massive cunt" for posting a thread revealing the winner of last nights Apprentice final. I have been meaning to start this thread for ages so here is an opportunity.

I think the acceptability of this is a rather divisive issue, and perhaps I'll be flamed, but my view is that, once the show in question has been broadcast, it becomes ok to discuss the result online. Therefore, spoilers are acceptable.

In fact it is only a spoiler to a person who has for whatever reason happened to have not watched the show. It's not really a spoiler in the true sense of the word i.e. a reveal of what is going to happen in an upcoming show. Proper spoiler threads should carry a warning.

If you don't want to see spoilers I think it is entirely your responsibility to avoid social media or threads on here or wherever that could contain spoilers. It is surely foreseeable that a thread today about the Apprentice might reveal last nights winner?

That being said, I probably would have or a spoiler warning had it been my thread, to avoid the overreaction wrath of many posters. But that would have been my call and I don't believe I would have been wrong not to do so.

What grinds my gears are people who order others not to post spoilers on their own walls - um, people are allowed to post what they like on their own walls.

I remember the Bake-off thread when the winner had been accidentally revealed by one of the judges even before broadcast. Posters lost their shit entirely

As I said I think it is good manners on a Chat Forum to put a warning in a thread title, but it is utterly ridiculous to not expect to see or hear anything about a programme the day after it has been aired. What would posters do if they overheard someone talking about it on the bus/train/at the school gate? Forcibly gag them?

MrsLandingham I hope it is because I am so behind the times and not because you want to join the group I am excluded from because of someone's hissyfit.

Not only notify spoilers - just wish OPs would in general be more descriptive in post titles. “AIBU to do this?” yes you are, and it’s generally because your post is so boring that if you actually alluded to what it was about no-one would ever bother to read it

No, no granny. I meant someone else who is s late convert to TWW, like me

Several years back, I was in HDU having given birth on the day of the Apprentice final, so it was several days later before I could access a TV to catch up. It was easier as it was pre-smartphone, and I didn't have access to the radio either. My friends knew not to mention it and it was good to watch with no idea of the outcome.

Generally if you don't want to know the outcome you have to accept that there could be leaks through conversation or mainstream media. It is good practice to make thread titles clear so people can choose to avoid them if they wish.

I managed to get through the recent series of Game of Thrones without too many spoilers. I did have an idea about a particular allegiance developing from the headline of some random FB link which was make making future predictions, which meant that certain characters had survived the series.

I think it’s kind to label an Apprentice thread as “Apprentice”. No need to say “Spoiler” for an episode which has happened already but good form to give a hint.

The most ridiculously precious thing I ever heard was when I was in a pub having a meal with friends. A live sporting event was being broadcast on the telly in the bar without the sound on. We caught sight of an exciting event happening, exclaimed and started chatting about what we thought would happen next. The bloke at the table next door, with his back to the telly, threw a massive strip because we’d spoiled his evening plans to watch the highlights programme. We laughed at him quite loudly, because funnily enough we hadn’t guessed that it would be a breach of etiquette to discuss a game that’s going on live whilst in a pub that’s showing the game.

I think it is up to you to be vigilant if you don;t want to find out a winner. I was out on saturday and missed the strictly final. I didn't open my computer or watch the news or anything until I had watched it on catch up - because I didnt want to know the result.

Unless you deliberately stay away from all social and other media until you;ve watched, then you are going to find out. You can't stop people talking about results or refering to a past event. Their right to discuss is at least equal to your right to not hear results.

And honestly - it's telly, I managed to avoid the strictly result, but I wouldn't have been screeching 'twat' if somebody accidentally told me who'd won. I mean when are we allowed to talk about the apprentice/strictly etc - next week, next year, never ??

I think spoilers in a post are fine, but the title should make clear that the thread will contain spoilers - and don’t have a spoiler in the title, as a Star Wars thread today seemed to.

MrsLandingham well that's good, I was hoping you were joining us with the catchupgang. We'll get there in the end.

Yes, please don't post any Harry Potter spoilers... No, once it is aired it is fine. Chat rooms (and work coffee rooms, canteens, school yards...) are of course places you'll find out. Both childish and diva to censor the world because you missed a show.

I once came across someone online complaining about accidentally reading spoilers for the ending of a 19th century novel. Madness.

I'm of the opinion that with current popular shows it's still the responsibility of the person who wants to avoid spoilers to stay away from social media, online forums, etc until they're caught up.

expat

I agree that people should post what they like on their timeline but putting "spoiler" in would take seconds.

And if you are like an ex friend of mine that went to to first showing of a film then posted spoilers on their arrival home then they are a cunt.

and a special mention of cuntishness goes to the film reviewer who on national TV broadcast who played god in Dogma, just because he is a twat.

I think it is common curtesy that if you are revealing spoilers on a thread just a few hours or even a few days after a big series ends, then put it in the title.

There was a thread on the day bake off finished, the title was something like AIBU to be pissed off by this?
The first line revealed the bake off winner.

If the title had mentioned bake off in any way then people could make a choice. Lots of people recorded it to watch later, and the thread was up within 5 minutes of the end.

Come on now. It's not like Prue Lieth giving the game away about the Bake Off winner before the show had aired.

If it crosses your mind, maybe.

But, taking the apprentice example, if the focus of the thread isn't about the show, but happens to reveal the outcome of the show in its post, then it may not cross your mind.

People are being very precious here.

What's with all this "it's good manners/courtesy bollocks to not discuss tv shows because people might not have seen them? Surely it's far better manners to knot call someone a cunt because you didn't feel you should stay off a thread that discusses a programme that has already aired?

Films such as Star Wars are not going to be watched by everyone at the same time because they have to go to the cinema to watch them. But a programme which is on mainstream television (and let's be honest no-one doesn't have access to bbc1) have been aired for all. If you haven't seen it yet then that has been your choice.

If you are that sad that revealing the winner is going to ruin the programme for you then you are the one responsible for staying off the internet.

And yes, those who get irate at people for posting results on their own facebook timelines might need to spend the Time watching the programme in question rather than reading facebook perhaps? incidentally I know people who discuss the programmes on their FB timelines during the show, and they essentially chat to each other about what is happening and when. Now those people must positively infuriate the "spoiler" police. .

I am a slow show watcher and actually hate Netflix and the like for effectively promoting binge watching as I prefer to watch one or two episodes of a series per week and can't understand how people can watch an entire series in one weekend (I get bored and fidgety after 3 episodes in a row). One time I fell behind four weeks in Game of Thrones and was doing very well to avoid spoilers. Then I logged onto bastard YouTube and the first "recommended for you" video was "xxxx character's final moment"

I. Was. Fucking. LIVID!

I totally see it as my problem if I'm watching on catchup to avoid spoilers - BUT the Apprentice is usually on a Wednesday and it didn't dawn on me that the final was last night. So I've now seen the spoiler thinking it related to last week's episode.

So yes, spoiler warnings for a couple of days would be good!

But a programme which is on mainstream television (and let's be honest no-one doesn't have access to bbc1) have been aired for all.

Actually, we don’t have access to bbc1. No tv license. And no aerial.

But that’s not the point. The fact is that things like the apprentice are intended to be ‘event tv’. That is, people are supposed to watch the final as a live event and then talk about it (both in person and online afterwards).

If you want to watch it on catch up as if it were live, then you should avoid places where you might find spoilers (pretty much everywhere).

Films and tv series are slightly different. Generally, I’d say that it’s best to clearly mark spoilers for films for the first few weeks while they’re being shown in the cinema. After that the plot passes into popular culture. For tv series, something similar is probably appropriate.

AlmostaJillSandwich if I miss the f1 there's a total media ban till I've seen it! Drives dh absolutely mad but as you say the spoilers sneak in everywhere! I might be a little bit obsessed..

LoverOfCake

But that assumes that everyone is in to watch it, people that work odd hours, or shifts may miss the program and not be able to catch up fpr several days.

I'm the sort of person who half way through a book will read the last page to make sure the hero survives. I love spoilers, I can't cope with suspense.

Yeah maybe this is why the issue just does not excite me at all. I don't really have any patience so I'm quite often glad of a spoiler. Also I don't think I've ever been invested enough in a programme to really care all that much.