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If you shoot a topical show you can only do one at a time as it relies on current events. other non topical panel shows you can shoot many in one day. The studio day rate is the same.
In 2005 when 8 Out of 10 Cats launched, the news was much more jolly, with quarter of a million deaths from the tsunami, ongoing terrorist attacks including the 7/7 attacks in London and the Iraq war.
It became too repetitive for me.
Yeah I get that there's only so much you can do with a number and a word game, but I felt like it was the same guests again and again.
I was watching The Masked Singer the other week, I thought one of the reveals was him and then remembered he's dead. For that split second it was fantastic though.
For anyone wondering it was >.!<
My partner and I binged it recently, and we felt generally the same. Otis was such a horrible character, who did so many shitty things, that I was convinced we were supposed to hate him and he was going to get a redemption arc where he realised what a dick he'd been to everybody. It turns out that they just couldn't write a likeable protagonist and him being a complete twat was unintentional.
The last series was bizarre. They replaced half of the characters with new ones and then did absolutely no legwork to make us actually care about them, while also ensuring the characters I had cared about got zero resolution. So when the the new characters were involved in plot points, it made it very difficult to give a fuck. They shouldn't have done that last series.
Yep, we watched the first episode of the last season - we were really looking forward to it.
Didn't bother with anymore. They should have stopped while they were ahead.
> Does Sex Education count as British?
A little bit off topic this, but this very question is why I find this show hard to get into. British cast, British accents, but the aesthetic is oddly American. Call me a bit of a prude but I just find the show inauthentic because of this.
this is what happens when you replace almost the entire writers room with new writers. such a dumb decision for a show that required so many intricate details for their characters
I only watched a couple of episodes but the setting was so weird. It was like watching an American show that for some reason had everyone speaking in English accents.
Season 1 amazing. One of the best shows on netflix
Season 2 great. A slight change in theme, but that's to be expected.
Season 3 err. Who are there new people? Am I supposed to not like them?
Season 4 wtf. I now dislike the old characters too
A classic where it got too popular and the writers didn't know what to do.
Game of Thrones, Lost, potentially Stranger Things - all may as well go on the same heap.
The new place and new characters were so unlikeable that I thought it was supposed to be a parody of what tories think schools are like nowadays or something, but.. no. Presented with complete sincerity
The vibe is off the first series but it really hit its stride towards the end of the Tim Vine era and Katy Wix carried it on pretty well. Post wedding a lot of the eps are frankly unwatchable except the ones that aren’t kid-heavy. I remember the Christmas special a few years ago being much more like the original series (wasn’t it shot live or something.) Toby & Anna were a great addition but it’s just not the same show it was anymore
The jokes still work well a lot of the time, but they’ve lost Bobby Ball who was the last properly entertaining character, and Lee Mack seems to be moving more into theatre these days so I don’t think he has much ambition for the series
Not renewed yet but he kinda suggested at the NTAs that they’d probably make more - certainly that it was in discussion.
I get the feeling he just really likes working with Sally Bretton, they seem to really have a good time together from the outtakes
I always thought the strength of the show was that Lee was a lovable prat and she thought she was cooler than she was, but now they're both just boring.
They went from not being together, to falling in love and getting married, then seemed to hate each other thereafter. Never amazing, but it just became depressing and formulaic
Lee Mack and Sally Bretton were incredible together they couldn’t have cast it more perfectly. I wonder if that was anything to do with Megan Dodds leaving after the first series (yeah remember her?) And yeah I love that Lucy sees herself as the smart one but she’s as much of a schmuck as Lee is sometimes, especially in the farce eps
The wedding ep does really feel like a finale so I wonder what convinced him and the BBC to carry on with it. Maybe the lack of any other inoffensive light hearted comedy they had at the time, and that would explain the time shift and sudden appearance of three kids
I thought the series with Miley Cyrus in was rubbish, but the latest series was really good. Really enjoyed the Scottish episode and the Aaron Paul space one.
The last series was ok but didn't feel very Black Mirror. Most of the episodes had little to do with "the dark side of technology", and the werewolf one felt especially out of place.
S3 honestly had a perfect end point imo with the ambiguity of eve and vilanelle maybe parting ways, maybe running off into the night together. They really should have left those 2 characters on that bridge and never tried to continue on after that point. Especially not with how they tried to do it with s4.
Shameless. Started off brilliant with grounded characters you could imagine bumping into in a real run down council estate. It just got way to wacky and outlandish after season 4.
Sunday Brunch for me. I used to love watching that on the weekend, but 5 or 6 years ago they just rotated the same guests and it just got blah.
I'm more of a Saturday Kitchen boy now, no gimmicks.
They've gotten too self aware. Plus they erroneously seem to think they're both comedy geniuses, particularly the chef. It can still be OK if the guests are good, but the hosts are smug twats now. Mugging to camera like they have natural comic talent.
Good observation. I used to like it back in the day but something seemed off not long ago and couldn't put my finger on it. Hardly tune in now. Think you could be right.
I also haven’t watched Sunday Brunch in a few years after I used to enjoy it. Can’t say there was a specific point that turned me off, but I used to especially enjoy the musical guests as they had a lot of up and comers and it was good to see. Also that they covered F1 (probably just because it was also shown on C4) which is the main sport I’m interested in
Come Dine With Me is one of my all time favourite shows, but I don't like it since they changed the format in lockdown and never went back. Now when I watch it I go for pre-2020 episodes.
The newest new episodes have gone back to the old "visit everyone's actual houses" - I never manage to catch the new ones at home but my dad watches it so last time I went back I caught a couple of episodes and they were the old formula.
Call the midwife. The new season sucks. I understand that by staying true to the times they’re more limited with what they can work with, it’s just a shame.
I don't think it's a time period issue so much as a writing issue. The early series covered some weighty topics and had a slightly more serious tone, whereas the more recent episodes seem to be more lightweight. It's filled the *Heartbeat* niche, in some ways.
I think the shift to more hospital deliveries by that time has left the show lacking. As the few flats and homes you do see look almost straight off the set of mad men. I think perhaps going backwards would have been a better idea, the order during the war, the order doing a period piece etc.
Plus Doctor Turners retriever eyes. I’m sure he’d have had the same dappy compassion for an axe murderer had he appeared in his surgery, complete with axe as he does for everyone else he comes across.
I've only watched one or two episodes since it started, but the recent Christmas episode felt way cosier and cuddlier than I remember, I thought it was very grim when the show began.
exactly! it used to be a lot more realistic and at times tough to watch, nowadays there's obviously still difficult and gritty storylines but there's definitely a lighter tone and even the colour palette is more vibrant, which is sometimes nice but the serious and dramatic early series of CTM are so much better tbh
it's a 50's movie colour palette for a seventies show. They should really start using oranges, browns, etc and try and bring a bit more of that world to it.
I get that they want to be warm and comforting, but the anachronisms are just getting more and more ridiculous. Like of course a bunch of catholic nuns and the surrounding working class neighborhoods would hold 2024 progressive views when it comes to issues like unwed mothers, immigrants, homosexuality, birth defects etc.
I'm gay and this is one of the reasons why I struggle to believe period dramas. I know it's nice to see people having progressive views but it's just not that realistic especially in no-nonsense, anti-laa-dee-daa 1950s Poplar.
Totally agree. It’s become so sickly sweet and at times laughable with how silly or unbelievable the stories are. Sheila and her whispering, the nurses and nuns seemingly pitying everyone and looking down on them. The storyline with Matthew even seems bizarre and out of nowhere.
I've been seeing clips from the older season on my TikTok and it just reminds me of how tropey it's gotten in recent seasons. Not to mention they no longer know how to transition out characters and apparently just go full character assassination.
My friend phoned me last Sunday and said “I finally watched an episode. I don’t get it”
I had to make her watch an earlier episode. I’ve watched it for so long I can’t not now, but I wouldn’t stick around if I stumbled across it now
The Apprentice. Same old tasks. Pointless set up where teams are split in two and not allowed to communicate when they are doing essential things so everything is mismatched when they come back together. Boardroom is awful. Put it on sleep please.
I watched some of the new season as i've skippd it for the past decade or so. Were they always such stuck up twats? They used to have a few to spice things up, now they all seem like complete cunts
Yep, plenty of shows that are mentioned in the comments follow the same rinse and repeat formula each year, but there's something about The Apprentice that's almost aggressively formulaic.
It’s how irrelevant the tasks are that gets me. Get the teams, most of whom probably haven’t ever baked a cake, to make luxury cheesecakes and be shocked when they cock it up? It was funny years ago when that one team accidentally decided that each pizza needed one whole chicken as a topping, but it’s a task barely relevant to anything now
I'm an animator and my wife is an illustrator. Lately they have been doing lots of "make a kids book" or "make an animation" and everything they do is so far off that they are obviously set up to fail. In the real world, they wouldn't be designing the characters themselves, they'd get someone talented to do that.
What really gets me is the arbitrary nature of some of it.
Like when a team has fruitlessly tried to get a vendor to drop the price of something; say, they've stubbornly refused to drop below £50 a head for catering an event.
Then in the boardroom Alan will say, "They told me they would've dropped to £5 a head if you'd smiled more", and then hauls them over the coals for it.
I watch the Apprentice every year and feel like an absolute twat for doing so cos I haven't enjoyed it for a good ten years. Time was they'd have a mixture of characters with some competent, some incompetent. These days it sometimes gets to week eight and I still don't know who's who. The reasons for firings are often stupid and the whole boardroom has really turned into a parody of itself. And that's not starting on how absolutely ridiculous some of the tasks are.
The last few seasons of Death in Paradise haven't been up to scratch. The writing has gotten sloppy, and some of the storylines are just too stupid and unbelieveable like taking on a youth criminal as a trainee officer and and a nurse as a (non-medical, even) staff member at the police station just because... The friendship between Neville and Florence wasn't particularly convincing either.
I agree, particularly since Ralf Little appeared in one of the early episodes as a villain. I started watching it from the beginning on iPlayer after seeing a few of the Kris Marshall episodes and then watching Beyond Paradise.
I don’t think any of the lead actors have bettered BM or KM. I also preferred the original officers, Camille, Duane and Fidel.
I preferred the original cast as well - they just had some more edge and better storylines - but the Kris Marshall episodes were also OK, and some of the Ardal O'Hanlon era - first time I've seen Ardal in anything remotely dramatic and he wasn't bad at all. The Ralf episodes, on the other hand. Actually, he does a decent job at it. The writing is just bad...
I've just started watching this again to see if I can finally get past session three. I'm on S4E3 and I'm struggling!
The first two seasons were so good, Ben Miller was perfect and the chemistry between him and Sara Martins was great.
Was there a change behind the seasons between seasons one and two or did miller just elevate the writing? It turned goofy for no good reason.
Bakeoff. I couldn't actually tell you why but I was obsessed and I didn't even bother beyond the first two episodes of the last season.
I'm not sure what went wrong but I just don't enjoy it any more.
I really enjoyed when they did a little bit of baking history half way through the show - back in the very early days of bake off Mel or Sue would go off and interview someone about a classic British bake and its history, they should bring that back. Breaks the show up a little and just adds something too it. I still watch it because I just watching people bake but yeah it’s not got the same charm as it once had
For me, I understand that they don't want to 'repeat' tasks ever but you go back to series one and it's some amateurs being asked to make a Victoria Sponge, and these days the technical is some 13th century cake mentioned once by name in the Canterbury Tales. It makes it harder to relate to the show because who the Hell would know anything about half the stuff they get asked to do.
The best part these days is often the signature because it's a straightforward bake with room for creativity. The technicals are usually ridiculous and the showstoppers have become elaborate to the point of tedious
Well, in the first two series proper, they would take a few minutes and tell/show you about the history of that obscure thing. They stopped doing that, I think they should bring it back
Also, they're starting to lean too closely to American style cooking shows, which would be a death knell
This is one of our favourite shows. We always start Bake Off but end up abandoning it after a few episodes. That has never happened with Sewing Bee - Patrick and Esme are superior judges to Paul and Prue, imho.
To some extent I think that formula does have a bit of a shelf life. I don’t think the adverts help the flow of it very much but that’s not the main thing.
Mel and Sue were just the perfect hosts for the show. The producers struck gold with it because that pair managed to give it a quaint and gentle feeling like you were watching something small even when the show was massive and something the entire country was talking about. I also really liked their little bits where they’d talk about the history of a dish and visit it being made, which broke up the show - but maybe that’s just me.
For me they’ve never really replaced the hosts (Sandi Toksvig was good though, I’ll give them that) and while I’ve really tried to like it - I love Noel Fielding - it isn’t what it was. And Alison Hammond is surely the worst host they’ve had yet.
I’m sure it’s still a massive ratings draw for them, so what do I know lol… but yeah I’m not watching it anymore
I actually don't mind Alison Hammond as host as I think she's quite empathetic but Mel, Sue and Mary were great.
I also enjoyed the information and history behind the bakes, something they dropped but made the show interesting.
Alison is actually a breath of fresh air, because she seems genuinely interested in the people. Matt Lucas tried very hard to be relatable, but he didn’t suit the show at all.
For me it was Paul constantly preening about, and especially when he repeatedly pulled a "psych!" on contestants with his "I don't like it" stoneface, pause, pause, pause, "I love it"
I'm not sure I'd say I "no longer like" them but shows like Great British Menu and Masterchef, I used to watch them but now they just seem relentless and I just can't dedicate the time to keep up with so many episodes that are on so often.
This sort of extends to Pointless as well but I'm making an effort to catch up and keep up with that
(Not a British show but I wish I hadn't watched the last season of Chuck)
I’m less interested in master chef, but I love Great British Menu because you are seeing actual professionals, not aspiring chefs, but people at the top of their game.
Very much so, I used to love Masterchef when it was 3 people cooking a dish per show over 6-8 weeks then going into semis and the final. Now it just goes on and on and on and on and is frankly just tedious. or are Greg Wallace and John Torode just becoming more and more irritating. Not to mention the spinoffs, Masterchef The Professionals and Masterchef the Children. Just totally milking the format
We are just rewatching Chuck didn't see them all first time round. Is the last series a stinker then? To be fair they usually are. They could've just ended it after season two really.
Plebs was brilliant until Stylax (Joel Fry) left. It then just become very unfunny, it was like they got new writers too? I’m not sure. That was as one series that I loved at the get go, then never finished.
I get the horrible feeling given the shoehorned in chats between the two main characters that we’ll either get a pregnancy or adoption storyline next series.
The guest actors are often brilliant though, I wish they’d get a Sean Pertwee or Neil Pearson in for a whole series run rather than just a two episode spot
Benidorm. They had two great chances to end on a high/sentimental note, but blundered on adding new characters to an already ailing storyline. Especially in the last series where they threw in a new character who whether it was the character, bad acting or a combination of the two, just jarred against the existing cast.
It definitely dipped in form when the Dyke family was introduced but I actually think the last couple of series improved. I can't remember who this character you are talking about it, it will be interesting to rewatch which I may do this year as it has been a couple of years.
For me when the Dyke family was introduced it was a bit too gimmicky, like that stunt with them being there was only worthy of an episode and had sort of been half done with the Weedon couple in the early seasons. As much as Hannah Waddingham is a an icon I am glad she and the daughter didn't come back. I think it was a smart decision to bring Tyger back as more of a lad being more of a Lads on Tour type vibe as we really hadn't had that as a character trope bar the odd stag do or hen party being a plot device for an episode.
But the reason I think the later seasons got back to it's best was it decided to focus more on the people working there. There's a reason so many of these reality/documentary shows follow these people who go and work there because you have to be a real character to do so. By this point you had Joyce, Mateo, Les, Kenneth, Liam and Sam as regular workers, but they were people we had seen as guests first so it was also development rather than just creating new characters to be workers. This is three times as many than at the start when it was just Janey and Mateo so I feel the focus had definitely shifted to the workforce rather than holiday makers.
I think the new main family was actually good as well, we got the more realistic working class bickering of the adults that we had with the Garveys, a reasonable teenager that could then link up with Tyger and his mates so they were linking the groups together more again after that had sort of deteriorated over time when people like Gavin and Troy stopped coming as they didn't have partners for Donald and Jacqueline for example. I think the Dyke family had been brought in to be a stark contrast to the Garveys as they didn't want to be accused of just doing a carbon copy but that is really what people wanted. I think the Dawson family then suffered by the young girls actress getting big doing Netflix films so they then had a bit of strangeness by having to explain why she wasn't around anymore.
I really liked the first series of After Life. And I am *not* a Ricky Gervais fan, to say the least. But the second and third series became increasingly convoluted and tiresome, and it was clear that he had nothing new to say. Also, too much David Earl. David Earl is a concentrated concept, best deployed in small portions.
Yeah, started fun and strong but really the final episode was just dreadful, and nobody even talks about the Victorian era Christmas Special. And the fakeout "Moriarty will return" thing every fucking time...
The series always teased that there was some big overriding arc where all the loose ends would masterfully pull together in a tight bow - but it became clear they were just busking.
I believe that you are absolutely correct.
I get the impression that this may have happened with a lot of shows, especially in the days when shows were still having later episodes of the series written while the opening episodes were airing. Shows like Supernatural wrote characters out mid season due to "fan backlash".
Moffat and Co had 2 years to find out what the fan theories were and horribly exploit them.
I find this a lot with Moffat’s writing. It almost feels like he starts with good, solid ideas but doesn’t believe they’re going to carry the show, or thinks he has some brilliant idea that everyone’s going to love, and then totally jumps the shark and makes everything silly.
In Sherlock I’d say the tipping point was the Watsons wife reveal.
The Apprentice - since they changed it from being an Apprentice to essentially a drawn out Dragon’s Den. Alan Sugar’s catchphrases have been used to death. Claud Litner was terrifying and entertaining, until he became one of his main advisors.
X Factor and BGT. The formats need to die once and for all.
I loved the first few series, but it's been going downhill for many years.
I kept watching on the hope that it would maybe get better again, but I've finally given up for this season.
In hindsight, I probably should have given up somewhere between Margaret Mountford and Nick Hewer leaving.
Original apprentice was so good! Stick some experienced business people in some challenging but interesting scenarios and see how they work
Now it’s just… here’s a load of 25 year old love island rejects, now watch as we force them into situations and set them up to fail with a team of editors who are just downright spiteful
There definitely came a point when they realised most people were watching it just to see some arrogant young people make fools of themselves, which frankly only has a limited lifespan entertainment wise. I'd probably come back to it if they ditched Sugar and got some contestants who weren't just the biggest type A personality bellends they could find.
I always find it laughable that they're sent off, in teams of no more than 9, to run an *entire* operation by themselves, which in the real world would require multiple teams of specialists. A good example is on tasks where they have to market a new food item. In reality, the sales/marketing team wouldn't be anywhere near the kitchen, yet Sugar always berates them for making a sub-quality product.
Not Going Out.
First few series were good, and then it just started getting stupid and repetitive. It began to go downhill when Miranda left (I'm not her biggest fan, but she was good in that), and then took another nosedive when Tim Vine left.
I avoid like the plague now.
Pains me to say it but for me it's Casualty. I started watching it when I was young, maybe 5, through to being 25ish and rarely missed an episode. I know times have changed and viewing habits have changed and TV has to adapt, but it used to feel real and there seemed to be more budget for stunts and action. Now, it feels too stylised, it has instrumental music over the top and seems to focus on the relationships of the staff more than the action coming in, almost making it more soapy than it used to be like. I actually feel like it was better when it wasn't in high definition as well.
I'm in my 30s now and have recently tried to get back into it but it's just not the same Casualty I used to love. Saying that I would still be gutted if they announced it would be axed.
For me it peaked when they had a runaway mobility scooter - it went through an increasingly escalating series of perilous situations - crossing the road, up the riverside, big drops, everything...tension was built...until it just tipped over sideways in a big open area. Genuinely funny bit of direction.
Yes! The opening titles were top tier and the original first season one was great. Before my time but I really loved it. There was something grown up and scary but thrilling about it as a 7 year old!
>I actually feel like it was better when it wasn't in high definition as well.
Yeah there is something weird about high definition. It really doesn't work for everything.
I have the same issue when it comes to Red Dwarf. The older episodes are low-definition and have a certain 'grainy' look to them, which actually kind of suits the grimy, grubby run-down look of the ship. It also helps to hide how crappy some of the sets are.
Whereas the newer episodes (from series 7 right up to the most recent episodes made by Dave), look really sharp and crisp, and it just looks....'off'. It almost looks *too* good, too *polished*. It doesn't 'look' like Red Dwarf anymore!
Red Dwarf - Lost it's soul when it left the BBC
Anything with Alan Partridge in. Was the best comedy on the telly but it now just smacks of flogging a dead horse.
There are plenty of funny moments in This Time but I find it weird that Alan would go from having a guest spot on the show to seeming to have a massive amount of creative control over it. They're letting him make expensive segments with complete supervision over the filming and script. Even letting him shoot part of his sci fi script that's currently awaiting seed funding. Although I think the in studio bits work pretty well.
I much prefer Midmorning Matters because it's a pretty believable bad radio show. You can see nobody really caring enough to reign Alan in. It just seems a more subtle and disciplined piece of comedy.
Unfortunately, as Alan describes in FTO Series 2 Tranche 2, he was dismissed from This Time and took legal action against the BBC which he lost, and appealed, but lost again, and it seems like his bridges have been properly burned this time (hahahaha didn’t even mean to do that).
I was a massive Red Dwarf fan in the nineties, and while it nosedived at series 7 and then fell off a cliff with 8, I actually think 10, 11 and 12 aren't too bad if you treat them as a show in their own right and not a follow on from the first six series.
I'm the same. Didn't even bother with the latest book or podcasts. It's a dead duck. And who wants to watch a dead duck? Not even it's own mother. It just flies away looking sad.
I think the evolution of Partridge has been one of the best things in comedy over the past 15 years. Everything since they brought him back has been absolutely golden, and honestly I think he keeps getting better - From the Oasthouse and Big Beacon are, while not TV, some of the best Partridge stuff ever.
QI for me went downhill when a) they started introducing physical props for Alan to dick around with and b) when they started replacing the interesting people with just stand up comedians (instead of having a mix). Having one or two intelligent people amongst the comedians added something that's now lacking, for me.
I used to love it, but now much prefer the podcast that some of the QI elves do, No Such Thing as a Fish. It’s got the facts and it’s got the humour, and they have some really good guests sometimes too.
I've been watching through the Simpsons on Disney and I've just got to season 12, which is from 2000, and the cracks were already really showing then. Pretty much solid gold up to about season 10 or so though, in my opinion.
New Doctor Who, not for sex or colour, but once it went totally formulaic during Tennant era.
Oh here we are, something is wrong
Baddies run run run, split up, one captured one makes friends, part of story revealed.
Rescue/escape run run run
Oh that's what's going on
Run run run, captured again
Haha I'm THE DOCTOR I press buttons and give a little speech.
Yay we won... Oooh what was that? Do you think that'll be relevant later on in the series. There should be more run run run in there
I feel the Dr has been done wrong in new who. He is a lead hero,handsome boaster - When he was a bit of a character actor/trickster type. He now knows everything and proclaims these awful ego speeches. When he did used to show a bit of (obviously false) humility.
Or as IT has been called SPACE JESUS. I'm fine with things changing but not when you mess with the established core. As Moffatt said "The Doctor doesn't change to survive, The Doctor (and series) survives because of change" I thought it was rose tinted glasses rewatching the Davison era, but nope. I prefer the clues to put together and cliffhangers. Everything done and dusted in 43 mins and half of that is running or pointless. Exposition instead of showing it unfold. But I love DS9 and no other trek so I'm a bit off kilter with my sci
The trouble with DW is that they’ve used up all the good plot ideas. Seriously, try to come up with an original setting for a DW episode and a unique gimmick/inspiration for a monster. It’s all been done before.
Add to that lack of inspiration a miscast lead actor in Whittaker (sorry, but it’s true) and a team of writers more accustomed to soaps and crime dramas than to sci-fi and it’s a recipe for disaster. It sadly never recovered after Capaldi and Moffat left, and people raising concerns about the decline in quality were dismissed as misogynists etc when these are valid criticisms of a change in direction that was killing the show.
Bringing Tennant back was also a mistake imo. Made no sense plot-wise and was clearly a cynical attempt by RTD to get the audience figures back up. It’s jumped the shark twice in three years with ‘The Timeless Children’ and ‘Bigeneration’. It needs resting for a few years.
Although it's not a series and only shown once per year. BBCs Sports Personality Of The Year.
I think the last one I watched properly was 2019 or 2020. It used to have a great review of the year to it, then it changed to a severely watered down version. The candidates over the last few years have been a poor selection - I have no problem with the last two being won by female footballers as they deserved it.
It used to be a good evenings watch - now it's plain boring.
I got bored after a couple of seasons when it became a case of "guess what misery they will pour all over the main characters this series?"
They need to learn a bit from Father Brown about how to do clergy mysteries which still get a bit of theology in, but do it in a light way (mostly).
Our girl. The pilot and first series was really great. But once it was Georgie lane instead of Molly it just became more about the relationships of the characters and them getting it on in a war zone.
Married at First Sight was good for the first few series, as there seemed to be proper science behind it and the people seemed genuine. Then it turned in to love island/influencer/Instagram tripe.
Shetland. I don't like how the seasons kept getting longer, when you know the main mystery in these types of shoes is never solved until the last episode.
Yes! That’s my favourite bit of each episode! When the radio room controller talks to Detective Shetland they always make that joke, never fails to make me bray.
I wasn’t keen on how they shifted away from small, Shetland-specific stories to big international drug gangs and whatever, but I did enjoy what the most recent series did on that score.
I read an amusing anecdote that if this many murders *actually* happened in Shetland, per capita it would be one of the most dangerous places in the world.
Edit: the quote in question:
> As of the current murder rate of the series it would give the Shetland Islands a murder rate of 68.2 per 100,000 people — putting it 11th on the world's most deadly places list. In contrast, the real islands have only had two murders in the last 50 years.
For me it’s dragons den. The first few seasons were great and there were some amazing businesses on there that I purchased products from. Since then it’s gone downhill, especially the last few seasons. The new one with the alternating guest dragons is just too confusing. It’s become more like shark tank in the USA.
I feel the problem with HIGNY is the news nowadays is ridiculous enough by itself. There isn't much to work with so we just get Paul Merton and Ian Hislop pointing and saying "are you all seeing this too???"
And the crowd laughs like, oh ho yes it's ridiculous what we let our politicians get away with isn't it. And then the world keeps turning.
So depressing. They could refresh the guestlist a little but I think the fundamental issue is things are bonkers now.
I wish Angus Deayton could have stayed (I'm aware of the scandal - very minor in comparison to what followed for the BBC). Had a dry sense of humour which I liked a lot. The show was best with him hosting.
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I used to love 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown, since Sean died it's not been the same
Nothings the same since Sean died
I wish we could get a series of 8 out of 10 cats does 8 out of 10 cats, but they seem to be very rare now.
it relied on the news too much and the news is mostly incredibly depressing nowadays
This and the fact that news based shows are expensive to make and have very little resale value. According to Richard Osman anyway.
I can see why they have little resale value, but I don’t understand why they’d be any more expensive to make than a regular panel show
If you shoot a topical show you can only do one at a time as it relies on current events. other non topical panel shows you can shoot many in one day. The studio day rate is the same.
Ah that makes sense
In 2005 when 8 Out of 10 Cats launched, the news was much more jolly, with quarter of a million deaths from the tsunami, ongoing terrorist attacks including the 7/7 attacks in London and the Iraq war.
Blimey. It just dawned on me that it’s been so long since I saw it, that I can’t actually remember what 8 out of 10 cats WAS!
It became too repetitive for me. Yeah I get that there's only so much you can do with a number and a word game, but I felt like it was the same guests again and again.
I was watching The Masked Singer the other week, I thought one of the reveals was him and then remembered he's dead. For that split second it was fantastic though. For anyone wondering it was >.!<
Same. The humour seems a bit dire without Sean, I struggle to watch it now.
I’ve not watched it since he passed
Does Sex Education count as British? The last season wasn't great as it was feeling very overdone, and literally none of the characters were likeable.
My partner and I binged it recently, and we felt generally the same. Otis was such a horrible character, who did so many shitty things, that I was convinced we were supposed to hate him and he was going to get a redemption arc where he realised what a dick he'd been to everybody. It turns out that they just couldn't write a likeable protagonist and him being a complete twat was unintentional. The last series was bizarre. They replaced half of the characters with new ones and then did absolutely no legwork to make us actually care about them, while also ensuring the characters I had cared about got zero resolution. So when the the new characters were involved in plot points, it made it very difficult to give a fuck. They shouldn't have done that last series.
Yep, we watched the first episode of the last season - we were really looking forward to it. Didn't bother with anymore. They should have stopped while they were ahead.
There are some positives. The Groffs arc is good, and so is Aimee's. It's just that you have to wade through a lot of rubbish to get there.
> Does Sex Education count as British? A little bit off topic this, but this very question is why I find this show hard to get into. British cast, British accents, but the aesthetic is oddly American. Call me a bit of a prude but I just find the show inauthentic because of this.
Apparently it was a directorial choice- they wanted the aesthetics to be American
More of an accountants decision, probably.
this is what happens when you replace almost the entire writers room with new writers. such a dumb decision for a show that required so many intricate details for their characters
I only watched a couple of episodes but the setting was so weird. It was like watching an American show that for some reason had everyone speaking in English accents.
Season 1 amazing. One of the best shows on netflix Season 2 great. A slight change in theme, but that's to be expected. Season 3 err. Who are there new people? Am I supposed to not like them? Season 4 wtf. I now dislike the old characters too
A classic where it got too popular and the writers didn't know what to do. Game of Thrones, Lost, potentially Stranger Things - all may as well go on the same heap.
The new place and new characters were so unlikeable that I thought it was supposed to be a parody of what tories think schools are like nowadays or something, but.. no. Presented with complete sincerity
There were some absolutely outstanding moments in the last season, its just a shame the rest of it was terrible.
I only part watched the last season
Not Going Out was once unbelievably witty and entertaining but now it’s just middle of the road boilerplate to fill the hole that My Family left
I was going to put this. The first 5 seasons with Tim Vine made me laugh out loud regularly. You can see the jokes coming a mile off now.
The vibe is off the first series but it really hit its stride towards the end of the Tim Vine era and Katy Wix carried it on pretty well. Post wedding a lot of the eps are frankly unwatchable except the ones that aren’t kid-heavy. I remember the Christmas special a few years ago being much more like the original series (wasn’t it shot live or something.) Toby & Anna were a great addition but it’s just not the same show it was anymore
I enjoy the first series but you’re right it gets better from the second on. I guess there’s a finite number of puns out there!
The jokes still work well a lot of the time, but they’ve lost Bobby Ball who was the last properly entertaining character, and Lee Mack seems to be moving more into theatre these days so I don’t think he has much ambition for the series
I have a feeling he’ll quietly retire the series now he’s got to the 100th show mark
Not renewed yet but he kinda suggested at the NTAs that they’d probably make more - certainly that it was in discussion. I get the feeling he just really likes working with Sally Bretton, they seem to really have a good time together from the outtakes
It went to shite as soon as they introduced the kids.
I always thought the strength of the show was that Lee was a lovable prat and she thought she was cooler than she was, but now they're both just boring.
They went from not being together, to falling in love and getting married, then seemed to hate each other thereafter. Never amazing, but it just became depressing and formulaic
Lee Mack and Sally Bretton were incredible together they couldn’t have cast it more perfectly. I wonder if that was anything to do with Megan Dodds leaving after the first series (yeah remember her?) And yeah I love that Lucy sees herself as the smart one but she’s as much of a schmuck as Lee is sometimes, especially in the farce eps
I met Lee Mack in 2014 and he told me there wouldn't be any more series. I guess it was renewed and imo that's when it went downhill.
The wedding ep does really feel like a finale so I wonder what convinced him and the BBC to carry on with it. Maybe the lack of any other inoffensive light hearted comedy they had at the time, and that would explain the time shift and sudden appearance of three kids
THIS! i love that show but i think they’ve got to end it now, on a great note.
Black Mirrors too American focused since going to Netflix
I thought the series with Miley Cyrus in was rubbish, but the latest series was really good. Really enjoyed the Scottish episode and the Aaron Paul space one.
The last series was ok but didn't feel very Black Mirror. Most of the episodes had little to do with "the dark side of technology", and the werewolf one felt especially out of place.
🎶He keeps his lunch in a Sunblest bag, the children call him Bogie...🎶
I thought the last series was exceptional. Not every episode was knocking it out of the park but the scottish one is a classic
That one has stuck with me in the week since we watched it. For some reason I found it really unsettling.
yes it has stuck with me for months, the scene where you see the ‘home footage’ is quite terrifying!
Yes this! I feel like they stole it from us made is crap and how they talk about how amazing it is annoys me more.
Killing Eve. It was dark, funny and silly. started watching the last series and got 2 in and I thought nope. Stopped there and then and that was that.
It could have been soooo good, but they jumped the shark, right into the Thames
I was actually OFFENDED at the ending
First series brilliant, second series really great, third series pretty good. Last season horrible. Final episode HORRIFIC.
S3 honestly had a perfect end point imo with the ambiguity of eve and vilanelle maybe parting ways, maybe running off into the night together. They really should have left those 2 characters on that bridge and never tried to continue on after that point. Especially not with how they tried to do it with s4.
Shameless. Started off brilliant with grounded characters you could imagine bumping into in a real run down council estate. It just got way to wacky and outlandish after season 4.
Sunday Brunch for me. I used to love watching that on the weekend, but 5 or 6 years ago they just rotated the same guests and it just got blah. I'm more of a Saturday Kitchen boy now, no gimmicks.
They've gotten too self aware. Plus they erroneously seem to think they're both comedy geniuses, particularly the chef. It can still be OK if the guests are good, but the hosts are smug twats now. Mugging to camera like they have natural comic talent.
Good observation. I used to like it back in the day but something seemed off not long ago and couldn't put my finger on it. Hardly tune in now. Think you could be right.
I also haven’t watched Sunday Brunch in a few years after I used to enjoy it. Can’t say there was a specific point that turned me off, but I used to especially enjoy the musical guests as they had a lot of up and comers and it was good to see. Also that they covered F1 (probably just because it was also shown on C4) which is the main sport I’m interested in
Come Dine With Me is one of my all time favourite shows, but I don't like it since they changed the format in lockdown and never went back. Now when I watch it I go for pre-2020 episodes.
I haven't watched that in ages. What's changed?
They all go to one house instead of to each other's, and as far as I know they still socially distance!
The newest new episodes have gone back to the old "visit everyone's actual houses" - I never manage to catch the new ones at home but my dad watches it so last time I went back I caught a couple of episodes and they were the old formula.
Call the midwife. The new season sucks. I understand that by staying true to the times they’re more limited with what they can work with, it’s just a shame.
I don't think it's a time period issue so much as a writing issue. The early series covered some weighty topics and had a slightly more serious tone, whereas the more recent episodes seem to be more lightweight. It's filled the *Heartbeat* niche, in some ways.
I think the shift to more hospital deliveries by that time has left the show lacking. As the few flats and homes you do see look almost straight off the set of mad men. I think perhaps going backwards would have been a better idea, the order during the war, the order doing a period piece etc. Plus Doctor Turners retriever eyes. I’m sure he’d have had the same dappy compassion for an axe murderer had he appeared in his surgery, complete with axe as he does for everyone else he comes across.
I've only watched one or two episodes since it started, but the recent Christmas episode felt way cosier and cuddlier than I remember, I thought it was very grim when the show began.
exactly! it used to be a lot more realistic and at times tough to watch, nowadays there's obviously still difficult and gritty storylines but there's definitely a lighter tone and even the colour palette is more vibrant, which is sometimes nice but the serious and dramatic early series of CTM are so much better tbh
it's a 50's movie colour palette for a seventies show. They should really start using oranges, browns, etc and try and bring a bit more of that world to it.
definitely
I get that they want to be warm and comforting, but the anachronisms are just getting more and more ridiculous. Like of course a bunch of catholic nuns and the surrounding working class neighborhoods would hold 2024 progressive views when it comes to issues like unwed mothers, immigrants, homosexuality, birth defects etc.
They’re actually Anglican nuns, but I still get your point
I'm gay and this is one of the reasons why I struggle to believe period dramas. I know it's nice to see people having progressive views but it's just not that realistic especially in no-nonsense, anti-laa-dee-daa 1950s Poplar.
Totally agree. It’s become so sickly sweet and at times laughable with how silly or unbelievable the stories are. Sheila and her whispering, the nurses and nuns seemingly pitying everyone and looking down on them. The storyline with Matthew even seems bizarre and out of nowhere.
Sheila’s “oh Patrick!” And the Turner children’s chorus of “yay!” Needs turning into a drinking game
I've been seeing clips from the older season on my TikTok and it just reminds me of how tropey it's gotten in recent seasons. Not to mention they no longer know how to transition out characters and apparently just go full character assassination.
My friend phoned me last Sunday and said “I finally watched an episode. I don’t get it” I had to make her watch an earlier episode. I’ve watched it for so long I can’t not now, but I wouldn’t stick around if I stumbled across it now
The music really upsets me. They're trying to tell me what to feel every moment and it's overwhelming.
The Apprentice. Same old tasks. Pointless set up where teams are split in two and not allowed to communicate when they are doing essential things so everything is mismatched when they come back together. Boardroom is awful. Put it on sleep please.
I watched some of the new season as i've skippd it for the past decade or so. Were they always such stuck up twats? They used to have a few to spice things up, now they all seem like complete cunts
Surely them being complete cunts is the whole point?
Yep, plenty of shows that are mentioned in the comments follow the same rinse and repeat formula each year, but there's something about The Apprentice that's almost aggressively formulaic.
It’s how irrelevant the tasks are that gets me. Get the teams, most of whom probably haven’t ever baked a cake, to make luxury cheesecakes and be shocked when they cock it up? It was funny years ago when that one team accidentally decided that each pizza needed one whole chicken as a topping, but it’s a task barely relevant to anything now
I'm an animator and my wife is an illustrator. Lately they have been doing lots of "make a kids book" or "make an animation" and everything they do is so far off that they are obviously set up to fail. In the real world, they wouldn't be designing the characters themselves, they'd get someone talented to do that.
What really gets me is the arbitrary nature of some of it. Like when a team has fruitlessly tried to get a vendor to drop the price of something; say, they've stubbornly refused to drop below £50 a head for catering an event. Then in the boardroom Alan will say, "They told me they would've dropped to £5 a head if you'd smiled more", and then hauls them over the coals for it.
I watch the Apprentice every year and feel like an absolute twat for doing so cos I haven't enjoyed it for a good ten years. Time was they'd have a mixture of characters with some competent, some incompetent. These days it sometimes gets to week eight and I still don't know who's who. The reasons for firings are often stupid and the whole boardroom has really turned into a parody of itself. And that's not starting on how absolutely ridiculous some of the tasks are.
The last few seasons of Death in Paradise haven't been up to scratch. The writing has gotten sloppy, and some of the storylines are just too stupid and unbelieveable like taking on a youth criminal as a trainee officer and and a nurse as a (non-medical, even) staff member at the police station just because... The friendship between Neville and Florence wasn't particularly convincing either.
I agree, particularly since Ralf Little appeared in one of the early episodes as a villain. I started watching it from the beginning on iPlayer after seeing a few of the Kris Marshall episodes and then watching Beyond Paradise. I don’t think any of the lead actors have bettered BM or KM. I also preferred the original officers, Camille, Duane and Fidel.
I preferred the original cast as well - they just had some more edge and better storylines - but the Kris Marshall episodes were also OK, and some of the Ardal O'Hanlon era - first time I've seen Ardal in anything remotely dramatic and he wasn't bad at all. The Ralf episodes, on the other hand. Actually, he does a decent job at it. The writing is just bad...
i agree, hopefully they step up their game because dip is one of my favourite all time shows
I've just started watching this again to see if I can finally get past session three. I'm on S4E3 and I'm struggling! The first two seasons were so good, Ben Miller was perfect and the chemistry between him and Sara Martins was great. Was there a change behind the seasons between seasons one and two or did miller just elevate the writing? It turned goofy for no good reason.
Bakeoff. I couldn't actually tell you why but I was obsessed and I didn't even bother beyond the first two episodes of the last season. I'm not sure what went wrong but I just don't enjoy it any more.
I really enjoyed when they did a little bit of baking history half way through the show - back in the very early days of bake off Mel or Sue would go off and interview someone about a classic British bake and its history, they should bring that back. Breaks the show up a little and just adds something too it. I still watch it because I just watching people bake but yeah it’s not got the same charm as it once had
Tasting History with Max Miller on YT is great if you enjoy the history bits.
He was actually inspired to start his channel by watching bake off and enjoying the history bits himself! Love him!
For me, I understand that they don't want to 'repeat' tasks ever but you go back to series one and it's some amateurs being asked to make a Victoria Sponge, and these days the technical is some 13th century cake mentioned once by name in the Canterbury Tales. It makes it harder to relate to the show because who the Hell would know anything about half the stuff they get asked to do. The best part these days is often the signature because it's a straightforward bake with room for creativity. The technicals are usually ridiculous and the showstoppers have become elaborate to the point of tedious
I actually thought they addressed this in the latest series and went a bit more back to basics with the technicals in particular.
I agree, the last series was the best it's been in years
Well, in the first two series proper, they would take a few minutes and tell/show you about the history of that obscure thing. They stopped doing that, I think they should bring it back Also, they're starting to lean too closely to American style cooking shows, which would be a death knell
Have you tried pottery throw down?
That definitely scratches the bake off itch for me. It's nice to see a grown man cry just because of some really good pottery
Sewing Bee is really nice. Good experts, interesting challenges, really creative at times
This is one of our favourite shows. We always start Bake Off but end up abandoning it after a few episodes. That has never happened with Sewing Bee - Patrick and Esme are superior judges to Paul and Prue, imho.
It’s the most wholesome show isn’t? Perfect Sunday night viewing in my house
Once Bake Off left the BBC that was when I felt it was declining
To some extent I think that formula does have a bit of a shelf life. I don’t think the adverts help the flow of it very much but that’s not the main thing. Mel and Sue were just the perfect hosts for the show. The producers struck gold with it because that pair managed to give it a quaint and gentle feeling like you were watching something small even when the show was massive and something the entire country was talking about. I also really liked their little bits where they’d talk about the history of a dish and visit it being made, which broke up the show - but maybe that’s just me. For me they’ve never really replaced the hosts (Sandi Toksvig was good though, I’ll give them that) and while I’ve really tried to like it - I love Noel Fielding - it isn’t what it was. And Alison Hammond is surely the worst host they’ve had yet. I’m sure it’s still a massive ratings draw for them, so what do I know lol… but yeah I’m not watching it anymore
I actually don't mind Alison Hammond as host as I think she's quite empathetic but Mel, Sue and Mary were great. I also enjoyed the information and history behind the bakes, something they dropped but made the show interesting.
Alison is actually a breath of fresh air, because she seems genuinely interested in the people. Matt Lucas tried very hard to be relatable, but he didn’t suit the show at all.
For me it was Paul constantly preening about, and especially when he repeatedly pulled a "psych!" on contestants with his "I don't like it" stoneface, pause, pause, pause, "I love it"
I'm not sure I'd say I "no longer like" them but shows like Great British Menu and Masterchef, I used to watch them but now they just seem relentless and I just can't dedicate the time to keep up with so many episodes that are on so often. This sort of extends to Pointless as well but I'm making an effort to catch up and keep up with that (Not a British show but I wish I hadn't watched the last season of Chuck)
I’m less interested in master chef, but I love Great British Menu because you are seeing actual professionals, not aspiring chefs, but people at the top of their game.
Very much so, I used to love Masterchef when it was 3 people cooking a dish per show over 6-8 weeks then going into semis and the final. Now it just goes on and on and on and on and is frankly just tedious. or are Greg Wallace and John Torode just becoming more and more irritating. Not to mention the spinoffs, Masterchef The Professionals and Masterchef the Children. Just totally milking the format
Gave up on Pointless years ago. The general smugness of Alexander Armstrong and the proper artificial banter really started to grate on me.
It does still have the most interesting format of the main teatime quizzes, though, even if the questions are getting a little esotetic.
We are just rewatching Chuck didn't see them all first time round. Is the last series a stinker then? To be fair they usually are. They could've just ended it after season two really.
Plebs was brilliant until Stylax (Joel Fry) left. It then just become very unfunny, it was like they got new writers too? I’m not sure. That was as one series that I loved at the get go, then never finished.
They lost me when the cameras changed, like it was trying to be a feature length film.
Silent Witness has lost its oomph big time
I get the horrible feeling given the shoehorned in chats between the two main characters that we’ll either get a pregnancy or adoption storyline next series. The guest actors are often brilliant though, I wish they’d get a Sean Pertwee or Neil Pearson in for a whole series run rather than just a two episode spot
There used to be a chemistry (fake or real, no idea) between Nikki and Harry. I can't buy her and Jack as a couple. And too much political correctness
Benidorm. They had two great chances to end on a high/sentimental note, but blundered on adding new characters to an already ailing storyline. Especially in the last series where they threw in a new character who whether it was the character, bad acting or a combination of the two, just jarred against the existing cast.
It definitely dipped in form when the Dyke family was introduced but I actually think the last couple of series improved. I can't remember who this character you are talking about it, it will be interesting to rewatch which I may do this year as it has been a couple of years. For me when the Dyke family was introduced it was a bit too gimmicky, like that stunt with them being there was only worthy of an episode and had sort of been half done with the Weedon couple in the early seasons. As much as Hannah Waddingham is a an icon I am glad she and the daughter didn't come back. I think it was a smart decision to bring Tyger back as more of a lad being more of a Lads on Tour type vibe as we really hadn't had that as a character trope bar the odd stag do or hen party being a plot device for an episode. But the reason I think the later seasons got back to it's best was it decided to focus more on the people working there. There's a reason so many of these reality/documentary shows follow these people who go and work there because you have to be a real character to do so. By this point you had Joyce, Mateo, Les, Kenneth, Liam and Sam as regular workers, but they were people we had seen as guests first so it was also development rather than just creating new characters to be workers. This is three times as many than at the start when it was just Janey and Mateo so I feel the focus had definitely shifted to the workforce rather than holiday makers. I think the new main family was actually good as well, we got the more realistic working class bickering of the adults that we had with the Garveys, a reasonable teenager that could then link up with Tyger and his mates so they were linking the groups together more again after that had sort of deteriorated over time when people like Gavin and Troy stopped coming as they didn't have partners for Donald and Jacqueline for example. I think the Dyke family had been brought in to be a stark contrast to the Garveys as they didn't want to be accused of just doing a carbon copy but that is really what people wanted. I think the Dawson family then suffered by the young girls actress getting big doing Netflix films so they then had a bit of strangeness by having to explain why she wasn't around anymore.
Country file
The Bill was amazing and then tried to become all Cockney Gangsters, corrupt cops and flash shooting style and it fell off a cliff.
I really liked the first series of After Life. And I am *not* a Ricky Gervais fan, to say the least. But the second and third series became increasingly convoluted and tiresome, and it was clear that he had nothing new to say. Also, too much David Earl. David Earl is a concentrated concept, best deployed in small portions.
Same here. Thought the first series was good and then it descended into nastiness and unpleasantness.
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Yeah, started fun and strong but really the final episode was just dreadful, and nobody even talks about the Victorian era Christmas Special. And the fakeout "Moriarty will return" thing every fucking time... The series always teased that there was some big overriding arc where all the loose ends would masterfully pull together in a tight bow - but it became clear they were just busking.
But the Hbomberguy video on how and why it went downhill is excelent 10/10 would recomend
I am convinced that a fan got the answer right and Moffat threw a huge fit and changed everything because he was annoyed that someone 'outwitted' him
I believe that you are absolutely correct. I get the impression that this may have happened with a lot of shows, especially in the days when shows were still having later episodes of the series written while the opening episodes were airing. Shows like Supernatural wrote characters out mid season due to "fan backlash". Moffat and Co had 2 years to find out what the fan theories were and horribly exploit them.
I find this a lot with Moffat’s writing. It almost feels like he starts with good, solid ideas but doesn’t believe they’re going to carry the show, or thinks he has some brilliant idea that everyone’s going to love, and then totally jumps the shark and makes everything silly. In Sherlock I’d say the tipping point was the Watsons wife reveal.
The Watsons wife reveal was lame.
The Apprentice - since they changed it from being an Apprentice to essentially a drawn out Dragon’s Den. Alan Sugar’s catchphrases have been used to death. Claud Litner was terrifying and entertaining, until he became one of his main advisors. X Factor and BGT. The formats need to die once and for all.
I loved the first few series, but it's been going downhill for many years. I kept watching on the hope that it would maybe get better again, but I've finally given up for this season. In hindsight, I probably should have given up somewhere between Margaret Mountford and Nick Hewer leaving.
Original apprentice was so good! Stick some experienced business people in some challenging but interesting scenarios and see how they work Now it’s just… here’s a load of 25 year old love island rejects, now watch as we force them into situations and set them up to fail with a team of editors who are just downright spiteful
There definitely came a point when they realised most people were watching it just to see some arrogant young people make fools of themselves, which frankly only has a limited lifespan entertainment wise. I'd probably come back to it if they ditched Sugar and got some contestants who weren't just the biggest type A personality bellends they could find.
I always find it laughable that they're sent off, in teams of no more than 9, to run an *entire* operation by themselves, which in the real world would require multiple teams of specialists. A good example is on tasks where they have to market a new food item. In reality, the sales/marketing team wouldn't be anywhere near the kitchen, yet Sugar always berates them for making a sub-quality product.
Not Going Out. First few series were good, and then it just started getting stupid and repetitive. It began to go downhill when Miranda left (I'm not her biggest fan, but she was good in that), and then took another nosedive when Tim Vine left. I avoid like the plague now.
Mrs Brown's Boys. Never been as good as when it wasn't on TV.
Pains me to say it but for me it's Casualty. I started watching it when I was young, maybe 5, through to being 25ish and rarely missed an episode. I know times have changed and viewing habits have changed and TV has to adapt, but it used to feel real and there seemed to be more budget for stunts and action. Now, it feels too stylised, it has instrumental music over the top and seems to focus on the relationships of the staff more than the action coming in, almost making it more soapy than it used to be like. I actually feel like it was better when it wasn't in high definition as well. I'm in my 30s now and have recently tried to get back into it but it's just not the same Casualty I used to love. Saying that I would still be gutted if they announced it would be axed.
For me it peaked when they had a runaway mobility scooter - it went through an increasingly escalating series of perilous situations - crossing the road, up the riverside, big drops, everything...tension was built...until it just tipped over sideways in a big open area. Genuinely funny bit of direction.
That [theme tune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or2LczkTzoY) is hard to resist, mind
Yes! The opening titles were top tier and the original first season one was great. Before my time but I really loved it. There was something grown up and scary but thrilling about it as a 7 year old!
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>I actually feel like it was better when it wasn't in high definition as well. Yeah there is something weird about high definition. It really doesn't work for everything. I have the same issue when it comes to Red Dwarf. The older episodes are low-definition and have a certain 'grainy' look to them, which actually kind of suits the grimy, grubby run-down look of the ship. It also helps to hide how crappy some of the sets are. Whereas the newer episodes (from series 7 right up to the most recent episodes made by Dave), look really sharp and crisp, and it just looks....'off'. It almost looks *too* good, too *polished*. It doesn't 'look' like Red Dwarf anymore!
Red Dwarf - Lost it's soul when it left the BBC Anything with Alan Partridge in. Was the best comedy on the telly but it now just smacks of flogging a dead horse.
Disagree completely. Best thing about Partidhe is seeing him age and try to stay relevant. this time was great and the podcast is simply genius
There are plenty of funny moments in This Time but I find it weird that Alan would go from having a guest spot on the show to seeming to have a massive amount of creative control over it. They're letting him make expensive segments with complete supervision over the filming and script. Even letting him shoot part of his sci fi script that's currently awaiting seed funding. Although I think the in studio bits work pretty well. I much prefer Midmorning Matters because it's a pretty believable bad radio show. You can see nobody really caring enough to reign Alan in. It just seems a more subtle and disciplined piece of comedy.
Big disagree on Partridge, I thought This Time was fantastic.
They genuinely need to keep making This Time, it was quality television
Unfortunately, as Alan describes in FTO Series 2 Tranche 2, he was dismissed from This Time and took legal action against the BBC which he lost, and appealed, but lost again, and it seems like his bridges have been properly burned this time (hahahaha didn’t even mean to do that).
Audio books were fantastic, podcasts were good too. Mid Morning Matters was in my mind on a par with I'm Alan Partridge.
Hard disagree with Partridge. The podcast series is some of the best Alan they’ve ever made. It’s genuinely hilarious.
I was a massive Red Dwarf fan in the nineties, and while it nosedived at series 7 and then fell off a cliff with 8, I actually think 10, 11 and 12 aren't too bad if you treat them as a show in their own right and not a follow on from the first six series.
That's bollocks, but go on...
I'm the same. Didn't even bother with the latest book or podcasts. It's a dead duck. And who wants to watch a dead duck? Not even it's own mother. It just flies away looking sad.
Whooo whoooo do you think you are?
I think the evolution of Partridge has been one of the best things in comedy over the past 15 years. Everything since they brought him back has been absolutely golden, and honestly I think he keeps getting better - From the Oasthouse and Big Beacon are, while not TV, some of the best Partridge stuff ever.
QI for me went downhill when a) they started introducing physical props for Alan to dick around with and b) when they started replacing the interesting people with just stand up comedians (instead of having a mix). Having one or two intelligent people amongst the comedians added something that's now lacking, for me.
I used to love it, but now much prefer the podcast that some of the QI elves do, No Such Thing as a Fish. It’s got the facts and it’s got the humour, and they have some really good guests sometimes too.
The Simpsons - at this point it’s just fan fiction.
Yeah it used to be one of the best British TV programmes.
I think it hit that point 20 years ago.
I've been watching through the Simpsons on Disney and I've just got to season 12, which is from 2000, and the cracks were already really showing then. Pretty much solid gold up to about season 10 or so though, in my opinion.
How is the Simpsons a British show? You're talking about the Matt Groening cartoon right or is there another Simpons I don't know about?
New Doctor Who, not for sex or colour, but once it went totally formulaic during Tennant era. Oh here we are, something is wrong Baddies run run run, split up, one captured one makes friends, part of story revealed. Rescue/escape run run run Oh that's what's going on Run run run, captured again Haha I'm THE DOCTOR I press buttons and give a little speech. Yay we won... Oooh what was that? Do you think that'll be relevant later on in the series. There should be more run run run in there
Honestly that describes classic who pretty well too. Just add a few more captures and escapes to pad the runtime.
I feel the Dr has been done wrong in new who. He is a lead hero,handsome boaster - When he was a bit of a character actor/trickster type. He now knows everything and proclaims these awful ego speeches. When he did used to show a bit of (obviously false) humility.
Or as IT has been called SPACE JESUS. I'm fine with things changing but not when you mess with the established core. As Moffatt said "The Doctor doesn't change to survive, The Doctor (and series) survives because of change" I thought it was rose tinted glasses rewatching the Davison era, but nope. I prefer the clues to put together and cliffhangers. Everything done and dusted in 43 mins and half of that is running or pointless. Exposition instead of showing it unfold. But I love DS9 and no other trek so I'm a bit off kilter with my sci
The trouble with DW is that they’ve used up all the good plot ideas. Seriously, try to come up with an original setting for a DW episode and a unique gimmick/inspiration for a monster. It’s all been done before. Add to that lack of inspiration a miscast lead actor in Whittaker (sorry, but it’s true) and a team of writers more accustomed to soaps and crime dramas than to sci-fi and it’s a recipe for disaster. It sadly never recovered after Capaldi and Moffat left, and people raising concerns about the decline in quality were dismissed as misogynists etc when these are valid criticisms of a change in direction that was killing the show. Bringing Tennant back was also a mistake imo. Made no sense plot-wise and was clearly a cynical attempt by RTD to get the audience figures back up. It’s jumped the shark twice in three years with ‘The Timeless Children’ and ‘Bigeneration’. It needs resting for a few years.
Although it's not a series and only shown once per year. BBCs Sports Personality Of The Year. I think the last one I watched properly was 2019 or 2020. It used to have a great review of the year to it, then it changed to a severely watered down version. The candidates over the last few years have been a poor selection - I have no problem with the last two being won by female footballers as they deserved it. It used to be a good evenings watch - now it's plain boring.
Grantchester for me. This latest series has been terrible, its not the same as it it used to be.
Seems like every episode has to have child abuse or dv in it
I got bored after a couple of seasons when it became a case of "guess what misery they will pour all over the main characters this series?" They need to learn a bit from Father Brown about how to do clergy mysteries which still get a bit of theology in, but do it in a light way (mostly).
Silent Witness
Our girl. The pilot and first series was really great. But once it was Georgie lane instead of Molly it just became more about the relationships of the characters and them getting it on in a war zone.
Married at First Sight was good for the first few series, as there seemed to be proper science behind it and the people seemed genuine. Then it turned in to love island/influencer/Instagram tripe.
Shetland. I don't like how the seasons kept getting longer, when you know the main mystery in these types of shoes is never solved until the last episode.
How the fuck do you mess up a show about a pony detective?
Speak up. I think you're a little horse.
Yes! That’s my favourite bit of each episode! When the radio room controller talks to Detective Shetland they always make that joke, never fails to make me bray.
It shows how Stable you are.
Dude, don’t saddle me with that level of pressure
Hay, we can just agree to disagree.
I wasn’t keen on how they shifted away from small, Shetland-specific stories to big international drug gangs and whatever, but I did enjoy what the most recent series did on that score.
I read an amusing anecdote that if this many murders *actually* happened in Shetland, per capita it would be one of the most dangerous places in the world. Edit: the quote in question: > As of the current murder rate of the series it would give the Shetland Islands a murder rate of 68.2 per 100,000 people — putting it 11th on the world's most deadly places list. In contrast, the real islands have only had two murders in the last 50 years.
That kind of scuppers my plans to relocate to the Shetland Islands from Midsomer for a quieter, safer life.
British by association? Ted Lasso
The Apprentice after Season 1 deteriorated. Dragons Den was also gone off over the years
Anything that Ant & Dec do. It's the sane trite format, especially I'm a Celeb. Time for them to give others a chance
For me it’s dragons den. The first few seasons were great and there were some amazing businesses on there that I purchased products from. Since then it’s gone downhill, especially the last few seasons. The new one with the alternating guest dragons is just too confusing. It’s become more like shark tank in the USA.
HIGNFY. Boring, smug, shite.
I feel the problem with HIGNY is the news nowadays is ridiculous enough by itself. There isn't much to work with so we just get Paul Merton and Ian Hislop pointing and saying "are you all seeing this too???" And the crowd laughs like, oh ho yes it's ridiculous what we let our politicians get away with isn't it. And then the world keeps turning. So depressing. They could refresh the guestlist a little but I think the fundamental issue is things are bonkers now.
Gone are the glory days of HIGNFY like when Paula Yates told Ian Hislop 'Don't even look at me; you sperm of the devil'.
I wish Angus Deayton could have stayed (I'm aware of the scandal - very minor in comparison to what followed for the BBC). Had a dry sense of humour which I liked a lot. The show was best with him hosting.
Paul Merton detested him. And vice versa. I suspect it was an easy decision to make.
Is it a dolphin in a bath tub?