Comments | a_stone_angel: Little tirade against Channel 4.

a_stone_angel

Little tirade against Channel 4.

Mar 07, 2009 19:14

I couldn't get past the first 40 minutes of RedRiding. I usually find it easy to get into grim/gritty/dark, but the relentless doom and gloom was just too much. I also lost the plot.

( I'm getting properly concerned about Channel 4. )

Comments 6

gnimaerd March 7 2009, 19:41:09 UTC

You have to admit, when the best programme to your name is Come Dine With Me, your tv channel is in trouble.

a_stone_angel March 7 2009, 19:56:04 UTC

Took me a while to come up with that one, even.
There must be something.
I guess Paul O'Grady does okay, in the arena of chat shows on tv.

gnimaerd March 7 2009, 20:00:00 UTC

Those 'Extraordinary People' documentaries are always kind of interesting in a morbid way... 'The woman who's been pregnant for eight years'; 'the five year old with the sixty year old body'; 'the five stone baby'; etc.

a_stone_angel March 7 2009, 20:06:42 UTC

I reckon channel 5 have more of a handle on those kinds of programmes than C4 - five certainly market/advertise them more effectively. They are ratings-grabbers and five makes the most of them. C4 seem to be stuck in no-mans land between that kind of shockumentary and more serious documentaries. It's like they don't know where to pitch themselves.

ralst March 7 2009, 19:59:35 UTC

Big Brother spelt the end for Channel 4 in my opinion. I realise it's a big ratings thing for them (why, I have no idea, but that's a tirade for another time) but since they've gone that route they've neglected their core strengths. Channel 4 used to be the gritty channel. The one that took chances and sometimes took a bollocking from the regulators but came back just as strong and unrepentant. Now, it's a joke. It's been so long since they've had anything decent on that I don't even bother checking any more.

It's a real shame.

a_stone_angel March 7 2009, 20:12:01 UTC

You may be onto something there, identifying BB as the marker for their demise. Possibly they should have shifted more of that kind of programming over to e4 (because I do think there's a place for it), and left the meaty US/GB dramas, and comedies on C4.
Another problem they are now facing is that BB is running out of steam.

It is a shame, yes. I hope it's not too late.