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Worst programme ever?

289 replies

Lentilcakes · 06/08/2026 14:04

I was in by myself last night and wanted something easy to watch so I tried that new Murder in Benidorm series on C5. OMG - what a load of drivel. Makes Death in Paradise seem like a Dicken’s adaptation. Bad acting and ridiculous plot (and I do watch some crap!).
What was John Hannah thinking taking the lead role? I got about halfway through and turned it off & went to bed in disgust!

OP posts:
ParsleySageToiletDuckAndBinBags · 13/08/2026 22:03

forceofhabitandnotneed · 13/08/2026 20:10

I'm surprised no one's yet mentioned the awful Two Pints of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps - a show whose basic message seemed to be that men are mostly childish sex-obsessed idiots and women should just put up with it, especially if said bloke is good looking and "cheeky".

Wasn't Two Pints created and written by a 16yo girl? I think the BBC were desperate to encourage and nurture new young talent; but I think they possibly should have worked with and coached her more gradually before letting her completely loose on it.

Urgentbiscuitrequired · 13/08/2026 22:39

Any Harlan Coben adaption. Really mad storylines, unrealistic lifestyles (everyone seems to have huge mansion homes, even PE teachers) and terrible scripts. It seems to attract good actors, but the acting is really ropey and cringey.

Maybe the books work a lot better, but the series are just awful.

KimWexlersPonyTail · 13/08/2026 23:09

Lins77 · 09/08/2026 11:51

As a child in the 70s I loved the sitcoms of the time, many of which were retrospectively pretty bad (Mind Your Language was mentioned earlier on this thread and most of the "humour" derived from very broad national stereotypes.... but at the time I thought it was great 😬)

Rising Damp, which I also loved, was probably a better show but is now screened with a warning about "attitudes of the time"! Of course, one of its central jokes was that the black character, Philip (now known as the Commissioner from Death in Paradise...) was far more cultured and intelligent than the ignorant Rigsby, who nevertheless looked down on and frequently racially abused him.

I have to say I don't remember Rigsby actually racially abusing Phillip. Phillip lied about being an African prince and Rigsby believed him and played up to it.

Additup · 13/08/2026 23:18

FrostyMorn · 13/08/2026 21:09

Yes! Awful. And for some reason it's put me in mind of Not Going Out - has anyone mentioned that one?? Progressively more terrible with each series.

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Oh no, I love NGO. It's had me almost falling off the settee laughing. Especially the penis enlarger episode and the dick pic one too. The last season has jumped the shark though I hear from DD.
I do have a very puerile sense of humour though and I'm as northern as Lee Mack so maybe we are kindred spirits 😂

TheChosenTwo · 13/08/2026 23:21

Additup · 13/08/2026 23:18

Oh no, I love NGO. It's had me almost falling off the settee laughing. Especially the penis enlarger episode and the dick pic one too. The last season has jumped the shark though I hear from DD.
I do have a very puerile sense of humour though and I'm as northern as Lee Mack so maybe we are kindred spirits 😂

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I didn’t realise it was still going! I haven’t seen those episodes you mentioned, I remember watching many years ago, probably 10? and never felt inclined to go back for more!

WitcheryDivine · 13/08/2026 23:36

forceofhabitandnotneed · 13/08/2026 20:10

I'm surprised no one's yet mentioned the awful Two Pints of Lager And A Packet Of Crisps - a show whose basic message seemed to be that men are mostly childish sex-obsessed idiots and women should just put up with it, especially if said bloke is good looking and "cheeky".

Oh I have a soft spot for that. The blokes were both awful but there was quite a lot of good comedy around it - a bit ljke Men Behaving Badly which I enjoyed in the 90s but would probably make me throw up now.

Lins77 · 14/08/2026 00:27

KimWexlersPonyTail · 13/08/2026 23:09

I have to say I don't remember Rigsby actually racially abusing Phillip. Phillip lied about being an African prince and Rigsby believed him and played up to it.

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Maybe not directly racially abused him as such, but he definitely made racist remarks!

forceofhabitandnotneed · 14/08/2026 01:28

I think one of the key differences between Rising Damp and Love Thy Neighbour was that Rigsby was a bigot whereas Eddie Booth (the white character in LTN) was pretty much a white supremacist. I recall an interview with Don Warrington a few years back where he said how much he'd disliked LTN as it was basically just name calling.

RosieHosie · 14/08/2026 06:38

FrostyMorn · 13/08/2026 21:09

Yes! Awful. And for some reason it's put me in mind of Not Going Out - has anyone mentioned that one?? Progressively more terrible with each series.

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My mum and dad (late 70s) love Not Going Out. I watched one episode and thought it was rubbish. There seem to be so many things with a bloke who just can't stop talking. Puts me in mind of Tony Hancock.

KimWexlersPonyTail · 14/08/2026 07:30

Lins77 · 14/08/2026 00:27

Maybe not directly racially abused him as such, but he definitely made racist remarks!

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There's an interview with Don Warrington on Facebook, defending the show. Rigsby was an uneducated man and a bigot and very much the butt of the jokes. He couldn't stand men with long hair either.

Tillow4ever · 14/08/2026 07:57

Can’t believe no one has said Riverdale. My husband watched it and I caught quite a bit of it as a result and it was just awful. More and more ridiculous storylines, very cringey acting and scripts, completely unbelievable cast for the ages the characters were supposed to be, etc.

Big Brother as well. I could not stand that show. I’d rather watch Riverdale now that I think about it 🤣

I’d also say things like Love Island or MAS… but I’ve not actually watched them because they have absolutely no appeal whatsoever, so would be unfair to say them without seeing them to accurately judge.

RaraRachael · 14/08/2026 08:10

I've never heard of Riverdale.
Not Going Out is awful - I lasted one episode. Isn't it now one of the longest running comedies?

Illjusthavethebreadsticks · 14/08/2026 08:50

the chase everything about it gives me the rage, the music, presenter, chasers!

Original poster
Lentilcakes · 14/08/2026 13:48

FrostyMorn · 13/08/2026 21:09

Yes! Awful. And for some reason it's put me in mind of Not Going Out - has anyone mentioned that one?? Progressively more terrible with each series.

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It used to be really good but I watched the last series and it was so cringe. I love Lee Mack but it needs to be retired now.

OP posts:
SpidersAreShitheads · 15/08/2026 03:07

Reading this thread and nodding along has made me realise how many shows I find irritating 😂😂

Anyway, I’m back to say that I gave Murder in Benidorm a go, and oh lord, it is REALLY bad 🫣

Why do they keep doing every shots of what are clearly ex-pat retirees sitting around on the beach, having a drink etc. There seemed to be more of that than actual plot.

When John Hannah was declaring he’s single and happy within the first five minutes, me and DP both said there will be a police woman that he’ll end up having a flirtation with.

The least said about the acting from the Take That tribute band, the better.

Oh, and Rosa is really irritating but is clearly supposed to be funny and quirky.

If they cut down on travel show type shots and spent more time building up the plot, they might have a show as the plot ideas were actually quite clever. Just really, really badly executed.

It’s not even good enough for trash TV watching - but maybe it gets better? Does anyone want to take one for the team and watch the whole series?? 👀😂

On a totally separate note, I bloody LOVE Joanne Page’s voice. I could listen to her all day.

nevernotmaybe · 15/08/2026 04:56

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 06/08/2026 19:21

Back in the 70s there was a sitcom called Mind Your Language. This is what Wikipedia says about it: The show is set in an adult education college in London and focuses on the class in ESL, taught by Jeremy Brown, who teaches a group of enrolled foreigners. As I recall, the writers thought hearing foreigners speak was hilarious because they have funny accents and make mistakes when they try to speak English. The writers were wrong. It was excruciatingly bad.

Love Thy Neighbour was another horribly unfunny sitcom from the times. The 'humour' there was a white family finding that their new neighbours were black.

I've never watched more than a few seconds of Mrs Brown's Boys but I get the sense that it might be another in the same line as those abominations from the 70s.

Edited

Declaring they were wrong on behalf of others, isn't a good noble thing.

It is a show that loved by huge amounts of immigrant communities. Massively. Many back then credit it helping them feel connected, and even helped connect with native British people who had seen the show.

You couldn't do it now, because the very unique circumstances don't exist for it to be targeted at so it wouldn't work. But it was a big success at what it set out to do, and it is pathetic people today are essentially telling immigrants at the time and everyone else then they are too stupid to figure out it was wrong, to pat themselves on the back.

Original poster
Lentilcakes · 15/08/2026 08:44

@SpidersAreShitheads- I didn’t stay for the denouement- whodunnit? I did actually want to know but couldn’t bear to finish it off.

And agree re the shots of Benidorm- loads of mobility scooters!!

OP posts:
Desperatelyseekinglazysusan · 15/08/2026 09:56

nevernotmaybe · 15/08/2026 04:56

Declaring they were wrong on behalf of others, isn't a good noble thing.

It is a show that loved by huge amounts of immigrant communities. Massively. Many back then credit it helping them feel connected, and even helped connect with native British people who had seen the show.

You couldn't do it now, because the very unique circumstances don't exist for it to be targeted at so it wouldn't work. But it was a big success at what it set out to do, and it is pathetic people today are essentially telling immigrants at the time and everyone else then they are too stupid to figure out it was wrong, to pat themselves on the back.

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Agree. My immigrant parents loved Mind you Language. I remember it being on all the time when I was a child but it's never been on again so I don't remember anything else about it. My parents were highly educated and my dad worked in education. They still found it funny.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 15/08/2026 12:58

nevernotmaybe · 15/08/2026 04:56

Declaring they were wrong on behalf of others, isn't a good noble thing.

It is a show that loved by huge amounts of immigrant communities. Massively. Many back then credit it helping them feel connected, and even helped connect with native British people who had seen the show.

You couldn't do it now, because the very unique circumstances don't exist for it to be targeted at so it wouldn't work. But it was a big success at what it set out to do, and it is pathetic people today are essentially telling immigrants at the time and everyone else then they are too stupid to figure out it was wrong, to pat themselves on the back.

Show quote history

How on earth are you getting that from what I said? It's interesting to hear that some people from immigrant communities found it funny at the time but all I'm saying is that I didn't. I was growing up in a suburb where almost everyone was white. I vividly remember my mother reporting that a friend who lived a few streets away was selling her house to a Pakistani family. 'She doesn't like it but she doesn't really have any option.' People frequently mentioned the non-existent strong smell of curry in the convenience store down the road which had been bought by an Asian family who worked long hours to keep it open and fully stocked with useful stuff, offering a better service than the previous owners, who were white. My parents thought all non-British accents and habits were hilarious, although oddly it wasn't nearly as funny when people made fun of the Scots (we were Scottish but living in England) and dragged up the tired old stereotype of Scots being mean.

Against this backdrop, to have people roaring with laughter at funny foreigners trying to speak English was just too near the bone for me.

JesseDavisGonnaHangOnInThereNSoul · 15/08/2026 14:34

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 15/08/2026 12:58

How on earth are you getting that from what I said? It's interesting to hear that some people from immigrant communities found it funny at the time but all I'm saying is that I didn't. I was growing up in a suburb where almost everyone was white. I vividly remember my mother reporting that a friend who lived a few streets away was selling her house to a Pakistani family. 'She doesn't like it but she doesn't really have any option.' People frequently mentioned the non-existent strong smell of curry in the convenience store down the road which had been bought by an Asian family who worked long hours to keep it open and fully stocked with useful stuff, offering a better service than the previous owners, who were white. My parents thought all non-British accents and habits were hilarious, although oddly it wasn't nearly as funny when people made fun of the Scots (we were Scottish but living in England) and dragged up the tired old stereotype of Scots being mean.

Against this backdrop, to have people roaring with laughter at funny foreigners trying to speak English was just too near the bone for me.

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Goodness gracious me turned that on its head
"Going for an English"
Ace!!

SpidersAreShitheads · 15/08/2026 14:51

Lentilcakes · 15/08/2026 08:44

@SpidersAreShitheads- I didn’t stay for the denouement- whodunnit? I did actually want to know but couldn’t bear to finish it off.

And agree re the shots of Benidorm- loads of mobility scooters!!

Oh god yes, the hordes of mobility scooters!! 😂🤦🏻‍♀️

It was like an 80s edition of Wish You Were Here - I was waiting for Judith Chalmers to pop up 😂😂😂

Spoiler alert for anyone who plans on watching Episode 1……

Carlos did it - the hotel owner.The murdered band members was planning to go travelling with his daughter, Isabelle. After the death of his wife, he described Isabelle as “his rock” and he couldn’t contemplate her no longer being there. He crept in through an interconnecting wardrobe from the next room (don’t ask 😂) and although he wore a sombrero (no cliches here😂😂) to hide from the cameras, he straightened a picture when walking down the corridor so they knew it was him.

Hoodle · 17/08/2026 16:02

I see that the Mrs Brown’s Boys Christmas and New Year specials have been cancelled
for cast medical treatment.

There is a god after all.

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 17/08/2026 18:53

Beat me to it!

Worst programme ever?
TheChosenTwo · 18/08/2026 12:02

Tillow4ever · 14/08/2026 07:57

Can’t believe no one has said Riverdale. My husband watched it and I caught quite a bit of it as a result and it was just awful. More and more ridiculous storylines, very cringey acting and scripts, completely unbelievable cast for the ages the characters were supposed to be, etc.

Big Brother as well. I could not stand that show. I’d rather watch Riverdale now that I think about it 🤣

I’d also say things like Love Island or MAS… but I’ve not actually watched them because they have absolutely no appeal whatsoever, so would be unfair to say them without seeing them to accurately judge.

My dd watched it, she must have been about 16/17 at the time, I presumed it was teen tv not really targeted at adults?! 😂
I mean I may be wrong and of course anyone can watch what they want but I thought it would be a bit like your dh watching Sabrina the teenage witch or similar!!

eta I was taking about riverdale not big brother…

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