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Telly addicts

Your Most Banal/Boring/Irritating Television Programmes?

52 replies

BigFatBully · 25/05/2025 14:56

What are the most boring/banal/irritating television programmes on UK television, in your opinion? Below are mine.

*Pointless - Everyone seems to love it but it's so boring and tacky.

*Tipping Point - notice a theme here? Another one of the boring quiz shows, lazy channel operators shove down our throats, thinking we'll love it. If I was interested in who won the battle of Hastings, I could look on Google on my computer.

*Countdown - Really dull show and dull panellists, and there is no way that the "experts" work out all of the answers and have the right page on the right book open in that amount of time.

*This Morning - It used to be interesting when they did civilian make overs and at a time before forums like this were created. I really don't watch it any more. The presenters all seem so fake and if someone's aunt's uncle lost his leg climbing Kilimanjaro, that's sad for them but I don't want my morning to be dragged down with it. The false interest/humility from the presenters is nauseating too. Why do they have the fake window of the South Bank still, it's been years since they broadcast from there and the fake gold/oak tacky set hasn't been changed in over 10 years, you'd think with the resources they have they could update it.

*All Star Family Fortunes With Gino D'A'Campo - It may have been an interesting show about 25 years ago, but I really don't care about these so-called celebrities and their families and I don't find Gino D'A'Campo that entertaining.

*The Chase - What does Bradley Walsh have over ITV executives that they keep giving him these shows? I don't find him funny, I find him cliched. Yet again, another quiz that seems to plague the channels pre-dinner.

So much daytime TV is either sob stories, fearmongering, boring quizzes or car boot sale style shows that were obviously filmed years ago.

OP posts:
FirstSheIsWise · 26/05/2025 11:31

Pretty much every programme listed so far is what my parents force us to watch when we go to stay with them. My god it's tedious. I'll also add in all those tired retrospectives, and countdowns of top whatevers from the past, with inane comments from people from back in the day. Utter bilge.

LlynTegid · 26/05/2025 11:34

The most irritating is Mrs Brown's Boys. Insulting to viewers to ever show that non-comedy on tv ever again.

RaraRachael · 26/05/2025 11:37

"Entertainment" style quiz shows

Antique shows

Channel 5 dramas

All realisty shows

TooManyCupsAndMugs · 26/05/2025 11:38

I agree most TV is crap - I turn on TV and think, this is prime time, really? Hate dating shows, reality TV etc. And the shows they wheel out every year - Strictly, I'm a Celebrity, BGT, Dancing on Ice- get rid. Think of something new for God's sake.

Samcro · 26/05/2025 11:51

I like roman kemp and think he is good. but omg the ex footballers like alex scott......dreadful.

RaraRachael · 26/05/2025 12:07

I agree @Samcro it's as if anyone can be a presenter nowadays.

OH watches a lot of sports and they'll have ex players as commentators or presenters. I can't bear to listen to most of them. Just because you were a good player it doesn't mean you're going to be a good broadcaster.

LillyPJ · 26/05/2025 12:29

justinhawkinsnavalfluff · 26/05/2025 11:23

I usually love a quiz show but QI is a yawnfest 🥱

Not only a yawnfest but also unbearably smug. I'd add 'Only Connect' too - tedious and too clever for its own good.

RaraRachael · 26/05/2025 12:35

The only quiz show I can bear is University Challenge and that's usually to see how many questions I can get right.

The others are either utter brain numbing shite or pretending to be very intellectual.

I caught 5 minutes of In For A Penny a few weeks ago. WTAF?

These programmes are what my XMiL loved. The telly went on ITV after tea and there it remained.

EleanorReally · 26/05/2025 19:02

i am filled with joy when i get a question right on University Challenge

NeverDropYourMooncup · 26/05/2025 19:12

Property programmes. Followed by jaunty car boot shite (sorry, Antiques).

Other than that, anything that's on constant loop on smaller channels, particularly when DP gets into the habit of watching them constantly until I snap about a month in and ask if there is anything in the world that isn't a rerun/wasn't already on about three weeks/days ago.

BigFatBully · 26/05/2025 19:13

To be constructive and not just moaning, there are many great shows that I'd like to see instead.

Loose Women could be improved by shrinking down the cast to prioritise quality over quantity, get rid of Robson and all of the dead weight. They should have the news at 12:30 till 13:30 and then Loose Women, extended to 2 hours.

Instead of back-to-back quizzes around dinner time, such as The Chase and Tipping Point, what about some interesting documentaries such as the one about The Savoy or perhaps ITV could do something like the old Paul O' Grady show that was live on Channel 4.

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 26/05/2025 19:20

BigFatBully · 26/05/2025 19:13

To be constructive and not just moaning, there are many great shows that I'd like to see instead.

Loose Women could be improved by shrinking down the cast to prioritise quality over quantity, get rid of Robson and all of the dead weight. They should have the news at 12:30 till 13:30 and then Loose Women, extended to 2 hours.

Instead of back-to-back quizzes around dinner time, such as The Chase and Tipping Point, what about some interesting documentaries such as the one about The Savoy or perhaps ITV could do something like the old Paul O' Grady show that was live on Channel 4.

Perfect way for the government to convince middleaged women to stay in the workforce fulltime and never, ever retire - the threat of Loose Women XL and stuff about hotels plus a 'live' chat show thing.

There are reasons why I'm currently on the laptop watching Gamera Rebirth.

OliviaBonas · 26/05/2025 23:06

I’ve stopped watching TV. I don’t think any of the terrestrial channels have even tried to create anything watchable since the pandemic and the popularity of steaming bar the odd thing (Mr Bates springs to mind.) I’m glad Lorraine and Loose Women are in trouble. It’s sad people are losing their jobs but the programme makers only have themselves to blame. Lorraine seems to be absent more than she’s there on a show made specifically for her - how embarrassing!

CarpetKnees · 26/05/2025 23:28

Most irritating are

1 Any shows where the audience squeal and shout.
So I'm including anything like Strictly or X Factor or BGT
2 Anything that has z list celebrities in it, but no real substance
3 Anything that has 'wannabes' in it - from the original Big Brother to more current Love Island.

The day time quiz shows are FAR easier to watch than any of these.

OliviaBonas · 26/05/2025 23:30

MmeChoufleur · 25/05/2025 22:36

The One Show. Blue Peter for adults.

Also, this is a perfect description.

RoseAndGeranium · 26/05/2025 23:36

BigFatBully · 25/05/2025 22:34

But should Roman have been fast-tracked in to the industry the way that he has or should he have gone to college, university and studied to be a qualified broadcaster? Would you feel ok if your child studied hard for a career in broadcasting and was cast to one side because an un-qualified applicant's father used to be in a pop band?

I find the idea of studying to be ‘a broadcaster’ a bit weird. Some things are best learned on the job and some require qualities that can’t really be learned. I think both are true of presenting a tv show, and I doubt any of the iconic broadcasters of the past ever studied it formally. Bit of a fake degree imo.

BigfootSmallButtons · 27/05/2025 03:19

Only Connect and Countdown are great. Not here for this slander.

MiloMinderbinder925 · 27/05/2025 04:45

Shows with boring interviews and cooking.
Something Women, a panel of vacuous women.
Political programmes hosted by some opinionated, pasty, middle aged pub bore.
Buying big houses in the country.
Talent shows
Anything with Davina Mcall gurning
Dancing on ice/dancing with Z Listers.
Ant and friend
Quiz shows hosted by pasty, middle aged, pub bores
Anything with 'celebrities'.
That smug blonde woman, can't remember her name.

treetopsgreen · 27/05/2025 05:28

Most terrestrial tv is rubbish particularly during the day. I do wonder who watches this stuff

cariadlet · 27/05/2025 08:20

I like most of the quizzes mentioned on the thread - Pointless, the Chase, Mastermind, University Challenge and Only Connect.
I also enjoy police dramas.

Personal dislikes:
Property Shows - Place in the Sun etc
Bargain Hunt and similar shows
Most reality shows - Love Island, Married at First Sight, I'm a Celebrity etc
The scripted reality shows - Made in Chelsea, Real Wives of... etc
Fly on the wall type programmes set in hospitals, local police forces, border patrols etc
Magazine shows - The One Show, Loose Women etc

Typing that makes me realise how many different genres there are of what is basically reality tv.

But I wouldn't ban the stuff that I find boring. There must be people who like it or the programmes wouldn't still get made.

These days, even without paid for streaming services, there are so many free channels that I can usually find something to watch and if there's nothing on live that I fancy, there's free catch up channels like IPlayer and ITVX.

CarpetKnees · 27/05/2025 17:01

Exactly @cariadlet .
We are all different.

I don't watch some of the most popular shows on, as they aren't to my taste.

But we no longer live in the 1970s, and can watch most programmes at whatever time we want to, without having to video them first. So I can't see why it is an issue for anyone to not like particular programmes that are on during the time of day you are available to watch TV.

If you can post on MN, you can watch catch up programmes.

cramptramp · 27/05/2025 17:28

All of the boring cooking shows on weekend mornings. Antiques Roadshow, This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine, Bargain Hunt, Britains Got Talent and many more. But I remember when we only had 3 channels, so thank goodness for the lots of stuff we have to choose from now.

MaryTheTurtle · 01/07/2025 19:13

Pointless - and il read the bits again, especially when the bits are long

The woman who announces the news reader at 6:30pm on ITV - worse one is MERY Nightingale it’s Mary FFS

OFAH when the Trotters go to American and are mistake for the mafia, load of shit

onehorserace · 04/07/2025 15:00

Any crap like Love Island etc . It's more than the title - they show dumb people acting in a dumb manner and encouraging others of little brain to adopt their ways.

mydogisthebest · 05/07/2025 11:43

The most irritating show for me is Gogglebox. Annoying nobodies making inane comments and pulling stupid faces.