Rated/Slated – Oct 09

The Cutting Edge documentary, Katie: My Beautiful Face was the programme that generated the most appreciative comments from viewers last month, while a technical glitch during the broadcast of America’s Sweetheart triggered the most complaints.

Channel 4’s viewer enquiries team handled a total of 12,104 contacts (phone calls and emails) from viewers in October. Each comment or query was logged and the appropriate people at Channel 4 notified. Of these contacts, 1,373 criticised the channel and its shows, while 366 complimented the programmes broadcast.

Top 10 programmes most appreciated by people who contacted Viewer Enquiries in October 2009 (quote is an example of viewer comment):

1. Katie: My Beautiful Face (132 contacts)
   I just want to say I was really impressed with your recent documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face. I think Katie has been so brave in overcoming her recent attack. I wish her all the best on her road to recovery and re-gaining her confidence. I know when she looks in the mirror she sees a different person but I think she is not only beautiful on the outside but also on the inside.
2. The Force (17)
   What a riveting, unmissable programme. This is real Policing. Dogged, time consuming and tedious at times. But what a great result.
3. Race and Intelligence: Science’s Last Taboo (16)
   Many thanks Channel 4. This excellent programme was of great value to me, as a white working class male. From it I was able to understand my own role in the continued education of my children. More, I realised how important my own role is in educating my grandchildren and even questioning the ability of their teachers who were brought to account by this extraordinary piece of investigative journalism. My personal thanks go out to all involved.
4. The Secret Millionaire (13)
   A secret gem of a TV series that never fails to surprise but this episode shines out as an example of TV at its best.
5. Kevin McCloud’s Grand Tour (12)
   Thoroughly enjoying this programme. Mr McCloud is an excellent travelling companion. He should do more such informative and lively programmes. Excellent!
6. The Event: How Racist Are You? (11)
   Excellent show, I appreciate the work that Channel 4 do in showing diverse Britain. This show was exceptional and brave and very honest in the portrayal of a system of power that if corrupt can enhance and maintain racism. Programmes such as this show how we are growing and becoming less ignorant, and willing to change, and hopefully little by little the media can help.
7. How to Look Good Naked (8)
   Dear Gok, thank you so very much for having a 61yr old lady on your programme. Being 63yrs myself, I feel we oldies are being put aside as being too old to bother about. That lady looked gorgeous. I look much older than I am, but that gives me hope.
8. Jamie’s American Road Trip (70)
   Fantastic, fantastic show. Congratulations to Jamie for endeavouring to show us the real, more interesting sides of life. The series has been excellent – each episode a treat!
9. The Family – series one (6)
   The Family was one of the best programs I’ve ever seen on television! The way it was filmed and edited together to make stories about real family issues was great and because the Hughes family were down to earth, everybody could relate to the programme. It was so addictive, please bring it back for a second series!
10. Hollyoaks Later (5)
    I’d just like to thank you for 5 hours of gripping magic in the form of Hollyoaks Later. I was crying both due to suspense and sadness but also due to laughing too hard! Stunning performances from all actors and EXCELLENT storylines. Very disappointed to see Sarah leave though!

Top 10 programmes most criticised by people who contacted Viewer Enquiries in October 2009 (quote is an example of viewer comment):

1. America’s Sweethearts (216 contacts)
   WHAT HAPPENED? 1 hr 40 mins into the film – on the last stretch working its way to the romantic ending and WHAT? Someone pushes the re-start button and here we are back at the VERY beginning of the movie!!!!
2. Bodyshock: Age 8 and Wanting a Sex Change (79)
   Why was it so necessary to continuously use inappropriate gender pronouns when narrating about the kids? The parents of all the children were using the correct terms, so why was it so difficult to follow their lead?
3. True Blood (74)
   The programme cut out 2 or 3 minutes before the end of the screening, there was an announcement that there was a technical fault and when it came back we were just shown the end titles and was not able to see the end of the programme, so we don’t know what happened at the end.
4. KNTV Sex (52)
   I cannot believe this program is being broadcast, this is outrageous and I have never seen anything like it in my life before, sex should be taught by parents or teachers with parental consent, not by television as parents go about their daily household procedures they trust the television for what their children watch; what if parents don’t want their children to see this awful program!? this is an enormous risk for Channel4 and I’m confident I won’t be the only one complaining
5. Bleach, Nip, Tuck: The White Beauty Myth (23)
   What was the purpose of this documentary? How does a black lady wanting smaller boobs mean that she wants to be white? But a white person obsessively covering themselves in fake tan in an effort to be darker doesn’t feature here. This was more like a comedy than a documentary.
6. The Genius of Charles Darwin (19)
   Darwin was not a genius, he was a fraud, a self confessed liar and attention seeker. The programme is also fraudulent in that it presents evolution as a fact when clearly it is not. A theory only becomes fact when there is empirical evidence plus actual fossils of intermediate species to prove it. You are being used to promote a perpetual fraud on the public. There is absolutely no proof that evolution is fact and I challenge anyone to prove it. You should in all fairness announce prior to broadcast that evolution is still only a fact.
7. Scrapheap Challenge (19)
   The new format is extremely poor and offers nothing of the passion or interest that the older format did – it feels like a second rate alternative. Disappointing.
8. School of Comedy (17)
   I would like to know who in your company finds it funny for children to swear on air, it is disgusting for such writers to have children use such language. Using children to act like adults is OK but the use of such language is close to child abuse, and you should be ashamed of yourselves, you can make this program funny without this language.
9. Hollyoaks Later (15)
   I’m absolutely horrified at the way the Sarah/Lydia/Zoe storyline has played out. We are desperately in need of some positive lesbian role models on TV but instead we get Lydia, a psycho stalker who is abhorrent, and Sarah who is now dead. Excellent, the old cliche of a lesbian being evil or dying is continued. Just what a load of impressionable teenagers need. Please can we have some positive representation of lesbians or bisexual women!!
10. The Enemy Within (13)
    I don’t understand what you are trying to achieve with this broadcast. Allowing a forum for religious hatred? This seems incredibly imbalanced & I’m sick of hearing justification for the 7/7 bombings particularly when the drawing on historical reference appears to glamorize it. Air time to terrorism in any form is wrong.

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