Why is Christmas TV so shit nowadays?

[YourMotherSortsSocksInHell]

We're currently watching Raiders of the Lost Ark for the zillionth time and it's one of the newer offerings, Dad's Army, anyone?

Once upon a time you would get a relatively new blockbuster at Christmas (I seem to remember is was a big deal when ROTLA was first shown at Christmas around 40 years ago).

OK, the times when you had to wait 3 years after cinema release to get a film on the telly are long gone but come on.

Right now;

BBC1 - Shaun the Sheep
BBC2 - Dad's Army (1975)
ITV - ROTLA (1981)
C4 - The Snowman (1990ish) followed by Home Alone 2 (1992).
C5 - Pirates of the Caribbean (2003).
ITV2 - Mrs Doubtfire (1993)
ITV3 - Carry on Camping (1969)
ITV4 - Battle of the Bulge (1965) followed by Force 10 From fucking Navarone (1975)

The rest of the schedules are just Christmas filler tat - "celebrity" editions of quiz shows, 100 best Christmas doo-dah's etc.

I can see why people don't pay the TV Licence.

We have all the streamers, I must have missed these good films that they have, we couldn't really find anything to watch.

Hallow Road is on Sky/Now.

We were saying this. It was good last year with the Gavin and Stacey finale. Something to look forward to and lots of people watched and talked about it afterwards

No it wasn’t. It was pretty good up until the 00s/early 10s when TV in general started to go downhill. Probably because streaming took over from scheduled TV as a pp suggested.

Streaming?
DVDs?
Recordings on HDDs/saved on playlists?

My parents and i usually watch Only Fools and Horses on DVD, plus old repeats of comedy from the 70s and 80s.

Currently watching Call the Midwife

I switched on the TV a couple of minutes before CTM and it was Eastenders. Yet another death! How many characters die in soaps over Christmas? How depressing!!

50 years ago was 1975, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang would have been relatively fresh as a 1968 film, especially given that, back then, it took films quite a while to work their way round the cinemas and eventually onto the telly (and you say 'over' 50 years ago) 😆

I think specials like Dr Who and Gavin and Stacey do a fair bit of heavy lifting - we don't have that this year but Call the Midwife is on tbf.

A snag is cinemas don't do those classic family movies so much, or they don't get on to telly. Cruella for instance with Emma Stone is a Xmas classic but it has never been on telly, likewise the last Indiana Jones movie, while not that cheery, is a blockbuster but again, never on telly (wasn't it also Disney?)

Look at the Bond movies - really neither the Brosnan or Craig output were that good in terms of the post Royal speech Xmas Day showing and a lot of them try to be grown up and violent - so they don't have that family viewing vibe.

Talking Pictures TV usually gives up the ghost on Xmas Day and doesn't compete but this year it could have given it a go.

Because of streaming, obviously

I'm watching Call the Midwife and Eastenders, DH and DS have both disappeared, grumping that there is nothing on

I say within 10 years there will be very little broadcast tv. News, sports and one off/rare events.

Stuff such as dramas, documentaries, films etc will be streamed

Yes, Sky satellites are contracted to 2029, Sky Q is not available to buy online now, Sky stream is a lesser product though

Streamers and those who don't stream will most likely choose something from ch1-5. They don't even try anymore, Christmas TV from 5pm onwards has been rubbish for years. We actually watched the wheel tonight, it's not our first choice but family friendly and generally entertaining.

Usually on Boxing Day - dig out the board games

The streaming services have the money to pay for all the good films

A large portion of the 'quality' TV series are on streaming services

The 'variety' shows that used to show up on our screens were based on a popular, well-liked 'multi-puprpose' personality or two - Dick Emery, Stanley Baxter, Danny La Rue, Two Ronnies, Billy Dainty, Morecambe & Wise, Val Doonican, Des O'Connor, Tom O'Connor, Bruce Forsyth, Ray Alan & Lord Charles and so on

They could interview guests, crack jokes honed in clubs, sing, do a dance and had the 'draw' to pull in big guest stars

Many of today's entertainers don't have the cross generational 'reach' and many are simply good for one good turn only

Wallace & Gromit take years to get a film together - Remember when we used to be buzzing to see the new Christmas film?

The amount of money available to pay for half decent shows has dropped through the floor and many people simply aren't interested any more

I had four streaming channels but haven't found anything good. Are there are newish film recommendations from Prime, Netflix or Disney as I think Now make you pay more for films and I don't have that bit?

I looked on Netflix and there is a new film with Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren and Timothy Spall which is probably ok but why would they put on a film about someone's dying mother and loads of sad faces on Christmas Day, hardly family viewing. I will probably watch it at the weekend on my own

Streaming services like Mubi, BFI Player and Criterion Channel are much better if it’s good films you want.

Thanks. Not even heard of them. Will check out the one suggested below at some point.

unless it has been remastered, the sound track is a different format & this could be the problem

We watched The Wild Robot this afternoon. Lovely feel good family film. My DS8 had tears at the cinema.

Does anyone watch terrestrial TV anymore? This is what Amazon Prime and Netflix are for.

That said I enjoyed Amandaland Christmas special on iPlayer. My DD was watching it. Amanda totally could be Mick Jagger’s daughter. Also Christmas ghost story - which coincidentally also stars Joanna Lumley.

I started channel flicking around 11am I think, ended up watching Talking Pictures TV (Freeview channel 82) which was showing a black & white episode of Coronation Street where Annie Walker and her husband (who I think 'died' before I was even born) reminisced when the Street put on a panto for the local children. They were singing The Beatles 'She Loves You' at one point, which gives an idea of how old the episode was(1964ish)! Then it had a show from 1970s, David Nixon Magic Show which was barely remembered from my childhood. I actually enjoyed both programmes!

However, Talking Pictures TV specialises in really old stuff, they don't make TV themselves just licence the old stuff nobody else shows. You know what you're getting with them. The main channels were just failing. We ended up watching stuff on iPlayer that we hadn't had time to see a couple of days ago. There was NOTHING on live TV we were interested in.

I think "live TV" is coming to an end. Apparently watching YouTube is more popular than streaming services. It's obvious they didn't even try to put together a good day of viewing, if they continue like this they'll be finished very soon.

Coronation Street was appalling the lip sync was off all the way through the program they were talking seconds after their lips moved how anyone at preproduction didn't notice I don't know

YouTube is rubbish and full of ads, a step backwards if ever there was one