Is British TV really bad?

[WhereisallthequalityTV]

We live abroad and every Christmas we subscribe to FilmOn to watch some British TV and make us feel less homesick! (However bad it is, it’s always better than TV where we live!)

This year, though, it seems especially bad.

Is it me, or is it just the same handful of people presenting every show? People that the BBC inexplicably thinks the average British viewer will find interesting and charismatic. Eg Gregg Wallace.

Just seen a trailer for a couple of travel type shows with Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe and that French bloke from First Dates or whatever it was called. Who really wants to see these people doing these things? Two are panel show comedians, one is... I don’t even know, a sommelier? They don’t have anything especially interesting to say about anything.

It’s just an example but every show that comes on makes me think What a pile of utter shite.

Is there anything good on?

Oh also, recommend Wolf Hall, Season 3 of which is coming this year. And all the many Shakespearean dramas. The Hollow Crown etc
Oh yes, The Hollow Crown was just brilliant.

I also thought of things like Sue Perkins' Japan travel show, which was charming, and that thing with Hugh Fearnley-W and Anita Rani about recycling.

@PferdeMerde

YABU to think it’s only a recent thing. I can’t think of any good British tv shows.

What, EVER?

@Soffit

The same zelebs are doing the same bunch of reality TV shows in various combinations. It is very frustrating although understandable, given covid bubbles etc. I am actually more frustrated about the fact that I have not weaned myself off the BBC and stopped paying the huge license fee. I make myself watch their content just to justify it. I enjoy the cooking shows like Masterchef although I am certain that they are shown elsewhere for free. I rarely watch them live anyway

I never watch these. I think I must have different streaming serviceso r we are talking about two different things? I am confused.

@IntermittentParps

I’m sure there will be but I’m just having a mind blank.

This week we have had Anne, The Tourist, Four Lives, Mandy, and a Taskmaster special. In recent years we have had Its a Sin, Line of Duty, Broadchurch and many more top dramas, so although there is a lot of dross, there is also a lot of top class stuff too.

I think there is less quality British tv on free to view channels. Sky, Netflix and other paid services have upped their game and investment especially in drama.

The BBC has form for flogging shows long past their sell by date, and has done for years. Think how many series of My Family there were, how many of Death in Paradise, and that they continue with the best argument to abolish the licence fee, Mrs Brown's Boys.

I've lived in England, France and Australia and it's been the same everwhere, you see the same old lovies doing everything - and then they become 'living legends' just because they've been the only ones shoved in your face for years!

Line of Duty, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Mock the Week, Death in Paradise - love these!

@2bazookas

Did you know the UK doesn't just have BBC TV? BBC is only the tip of the iceberg. Independent companies in UK also produce and broadcast dramas, films, documentaries , current events etc. It's not all crap.

I'd recommend any of Joanna Lumleys travel programs.
Comedy; Victoria Wood.
Drama; anything with parts played by Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook,
Sean Bean, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson. ( all our best actors)
Food; anything with Mary Berry.
Wildlife; anything from David Attenborough
All the films of Jane Austen books.

Tragically, Victoria Wood died over five years ago, so her programmes are hardly a shining example of current great British TV.

I like the uk archeology digging programmes.
Only Connect is a slightly different quiz show. University challenge.
Imv nearly all series end up disappointing after the first hit series - let alone when you get to series 5 etc...
HIGNFY
Martin Clunes was really good in Manhunt (ITV)
Unforgotten
Time
Mandy was funny imv
The Cockfields - mild comedy

It probably depends what you're watching. There is a lot of guff. Also a lot of excellent drama. The Tourist is great.

I was going to say that I wouldn't see Victoria Wood as a great example of contemporary TV comedy...

There have been some spectacular documentaries recently if you're into that kind of thing. It's true I listen to the radio far more, partly because my eyesight is increasingly dreadful, but BBC radio is a treasure box imo.

It says a lot that some of these shows being recommended are seriously OLD. Victoria Wood??? Much as I love her.

I agree about ubiquitous zlebs - and infact started a thread on the very subject yesterday!

I haven't been able to find anything interesting to watch for months - I hate wasting my time on repeats.

@HighSpecWhistle

Much better than American TV.

If you don't like it, don't watch it.

Have you been living under a rock since the 1970s? This was true like 40 years ago. It's really not true today.

Can highly recommend Alma's not normal and Starstruck which I think are both still on BBC iPlayer

I agree about ubiquitous zlebs
Yes, awful but somebody must be watching them as the progs are on prime time.
I think its due to BBC having to become self funding or at least rely less on tv licence. So more quizzes and cheap shows.

I have Sky so thankfully can fast forward through the ads.

I was nodding at most of what you wrote. The same favourite so called comedians and presenters seem to appear on everything.
I do like 'Ghosts' though as mentioned upthread.

But don't even get me started on Mrs Brown's Boys.

We really noticed the lack of Christmas Day comedy specials. I wasn't a massive 'Gavin and Stacey' fan, but even I missed that!

I noticed on prime time evening TV BBC are repeating old sitcoms like 'My Family' and 'The Vicar of Dibley'. I would have thought this should be reserved for 'Gold/Dave' whatever it's called now.

Even before the pandemic there was very little fresh comedy on the BBC, just Michael MacKintyre. Those awful popular comedians mentioned upthread seem to get every gig. Channel 4 does have 'Stath Lets Flats' though, thank goodness. We tried thr Stephen Mervhant comedy, but it just wasn't Ricky Gervais standard.

In the early noughties you had original comedy like 'The Mighty Boosh' 'Darkplace' and 'Nighty Night' on TV. Later there was 'Camping/Campers?' another brilliant Julia Davies comedy.

Re drama, I am finding 'The Tourist' entertaining and 'A Very British Scandal' was OK. Can't quite gear up to 'Four Lives' as I know it will be heavy going and I need to be mentally ready. I thought 'Years and Years' on C4 was superb, albeit heartbreaking.

We watch a lot on Netflix or Sky now as we love the big hitters like 'GoT' 'Outlander' 'This is Us'. I enjoy comedy drama on those too from Australia, France, US etc.

I love TV and film from all countries, but when British TV like 'This is England' or 'Alan Partridge' is on form, it's up there with the best.

Sorry 'It's a Sin' C4, heartbreaking.
'Years and Years' BBC.

@wejammin

Can highly recommend Alma's not normal and Starstruck which I think are both still on BBC iPlayer

Yes, enjoyed those!

@Mayorquimby2

Toast of tinseltown is a welcome return

I watched this on C4 originally, some years ago now. Have the BBC bought it? Is this a repeat of old series or a new series?

We've watched a lot of tv as have both had Covid over Christmas -mostly comedy- enjoyed all of these:

Around the world in 80 days
Zapped
Ghosts
The Outlaws
Screw
Various sewing bee/ bake off/ masterchef type programmes
Russell Howard's stand up
HIGNFY
Mock the Week
Derry Girls
The Cockfields
Rovers
After Life
This Way Up
Catastrophe
Upstart Crow
Pointless
Only Connect
University challenge
Various documentaries like Andy Warhols America
Digging for Britain
Taskmaster
Toast
What we do in the Shadows

I'll watch virtually anything apart from reality type shows, soaps or celebrity'Strictly' style programmes and even with the hefty chunk of telly that renders unwatchable for me there is so much enjoyable content out there.

Completely off-putting for me:
all those so-called celebrities.
Katie Price, Gemma Collins and her ex-boyfriend whatever his name is, all Love Islanders, Big Brothers, Essex something etc.
Just WTF? Since when has vulgarity and stupidity become the cultural norm? It's not even entertainment, it's just the lowest grade mob fun.

They're are lots of good things if you avoid reality TV, panel shows and 'comedies' that have been running for a decade. It's a sin was good, Des was good, the recent 4 lives BBC drama was good, what we do in shadows is funny, as are Derry girls, catastrophe, motherland is ok for something lighter, back to life and this way up are darkly comedic and good character pieces, Taskmaster is both funny and original even my gran watches it now. Watched the first episode of screw last night and it has potential. If you can't find anything worth watching you're not looking in the right places.

When I was a kid all the best tv was on over Christmas. Flicking through the tv/radio times and highlighting everything we wanted to watch was one of the joys of Christmas. Nowadays it's the opposite. It's like the broadcasters all take Christmas off and just stick on any old shite to fill the space.

Is British tv really bad? No it isn't. If you want rubbish tv come to where I live. Is British Christmas tv really bad? Absolutely, it's utter shite.

"I watched this on C4 originally, some years ago now.
Have the BBC bought it? Is this a repeat of old series or a new series?"

New series. Bbc2 now so it must have been paid for by them.