I can’t tell you how exciting it is to get back from a short holiday and discover that The TV Show blog has finally arrived! We can now tag all our articles, link to other blogs and generally join in the online debate – it feels like a big wall has tumbled down… We’ve also taken the opportunity to redesign the site to try and make it more user-friendly, so any feedback you have would be very much welcomed.
I spent the weekend in Edinburgh with a crowd of television folk, examining our industry and sparring with each other in the nicest possible way. The keynote speech was given by Peter Fincham, currently in charge of television at ITV, and he argued passionately for a return to the basics – television that entertains, educates and informs an audience of millions. There was a whiff of realism in the air as others warned of harder times ahead – advertising revenues falling as the double whammy of an economic downturn and the growth of television viewing in non traditional ways hits the terrestrial broadcasters – BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five. I went to a fascinating talk given by an American Professor called Clay Shirky who is an expert on the social and economic effects of the internet. He suggested that television companies can learn a lot from the way that people are behaving on the internet – sharing and talking about programmes as well as watching them in more traditional ways.
Back here at Channel 4, the programmes that people have been contacting us about while I have been away include The Genius of Charles Darwin, The Perfect Vagina, Kill It, Skin It, Wear It and Make Me a Christian. As I write, we have received quite a lot of complaints about Darnell and Rex’s behaviour towards Sara in Big Brother on Tuesday, which rather oddly resulted in Sara herself being nominated by the majority of her fellow housemates for eviction last night. If you have anything to say about any of these programmes, here is the place to comment, or link to a debate or blog on any of these subjects elsewhere, and I will make sure that the programme makers and those in charge at Channel 4 get to know what you think.
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I was shocked and angered that the recent programme The Perfect Vagina failed to note that some women opt for a labiaplasty procedure for functional reasons, i.e. that their labia are so prominent or large that they suffer pain and discomfort going about their everyday lives. This can range from the banal, like choices about clothing and sporting activities, to the more fundamental, such as pain during intercourse. I think it was unfair, biased and negligent not to make this clear; there will be many women who watched, hoping for some helpful information, only to find a very negative view of the procedure portrayed, adding to their distress. This is a serious topic. The variations in clinical procedure should also have been made clear; the ‘amputation’ technique can be ruinous to a woman’s health and future wellbeing. Women may opt for this procedure for many reasons. A debate in the round, taking in all motivations and viewpoints, should have been stimulated for the programme to have any real validity. Channel 4, this programme purported to report in women’s best interests, but I think you have let a lot of women down very badly.
i think your props 4 the tasks are fantastic. i dont know what you do with them after the show, so i was wondering is their any chance that i can have the thriller props you used . i always throw a halloween party and they would make it better than ive ever decorated before, please, please consider this.
If Carol Vordeman likes countdown so much why did she not take the £100000 + salary. Id gladly do it for far less as eould millions like me.
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