Daytime TV penny-pinching - anyone spotted the budget slashing?

[Sidekicksimone]

Four in a Bed: no ‘evening meal at a local restaurant’ anymore, it’s an awkward beer’n’cocktail in the host’s gaff. This came in during Covid but has stayed like a pube on a pillowcase.

Antiques Road Trip: no more profit rollover, you get the same amount every day. Apparently this is def a budget thing - we had afternoon tea with an expert road tripper who shall not be named (we won a competition, we’re not celeb-adjacent) who said that it cuts costs quite a bit. Also had some great gossip about Drew Pritchard, but that’s for another time.

Celeb Antiques Road Trip: this one is the worst! Two ‘celebs’, two experts, one classic car!!!! The experts have to hang around in a lay-by waiting for the celebs, and at various points two people are sent off to presumably walk to their next destination. Plus the quality of classic car has gone down massively. I’m fairly sure that Martin Kemp had a Lamborghini in an old episode. Now you’re lucky if you get a Citroen.

I understand that budgets are trimmed for a reason, and I’d rather have the programme on a shoestring than not at all, but has anyone else spotted crafty cost-cutting? Or do I just have too much time on my hands?

Still remember Channel 4s excuse for getting rid of Stephs Packed Lunch "people want to see something different"

Apparently thats repeats of Four in a Bed repeats of The Great House Giveaway and repeats of Find it Fix it Flog it.

I have to say I love 4 In A Bed but I didn't realise the drink in the bar was a cost saving thing. I thought perhaps they were old ones filmed in the pandemic.

I haven't watched this morning in ages but the last time I watched, they had slashed thr money on the spin to win to multiples of hundreds rather than thousands of pounds 😕

TV is expensive. Especially things like daytime telly which the channels cannot flog overseas. Different with a big drama show which can be dubbed/subtitled or sold to America.

About 12 years ago BBC 1 started showing doubles of ‘Only Fools & Horses’ in the early afternoon slot (about 2pm). I loved it of if I was on an early shift as it meant there was finally something worth watching! If we have to have repeats, I’d sooner have classic sitcoms than repeats of reality shows.