RANT

The BBC.

Where do I start?

After all the pissing about they've done to Radio over the last year (Mixing It, Mark Radcliffe, Andy Kershaw etc etc: see here, here, and here), they're now going to start on TV. Actually, that is precisely what's needed, but they're going to get it wrong.

I remember when the TV used to close down in the afternoon, from just after 'Pebble Mill' to the start of Children's television. About 3 hours or so. This meant you got up and did something else. Not watch 3 hours of house-buying, antiques-hunting, wittering women and imported soap operas. It's the future, I tells you.

My personal hatred encompasses (but is not restricted to):

Jonathan Ross,
'Celebrity'-driven inanities (dancing, cooking, wallpapering),
idents,
soaps,
Graham Norton,
programmes (including the news) about soaps,
Vicar of fucking Dibley,
Russell fucking fucking Brand,


the News (sorry, the BBC News, from the BBC):
double-headed News (thanks, Natasha, thanks Bill),
standing outside a building pretending you're 'on the scene', and
personal opinion and half-remembered toss masquerading as news.

And while you're at it, merge BBC3 and BBC4 (there's never enough to fill it anyway, and some of the 'comedy' things on there are just absolutely dreadful).

So what will happen. A re-branding. More repeats, not good ones - Dr Who, old plays, science-related stuff, music (OGWT) - but Vicar of fucking Dibley and Only Fools and bloody Horses. Then a re-design of the website. Then news on every bloody hour. For about 10 seconds. More cheap celebrity underwater snooker, or whatever the current flavour of the month is. And JONATHAN ROSS. WITH GRAHAM NORTON. TOGETHER AT LAST.

/RANT. For now. See also Charlie Brooker...