Escaping X-factor

[Mannify]

Apologies to those who love the X-factor, but right now I'm using the forum as distraction from it. We have a visitor staying here who has to watch the X-factor, but I'm really not a fan

[LancsLad]

What's X-Factor? Isn't it some kind of cosmetics brand!

[Mannify]

A kindred spirit

[Sa Skimrande]

No tv you see, not had tv for over a year and so I am missing out on all these good things.

 

But I do miss the tv for those times where one does not want to do anything other than veg, where my vegging now is sleep, but with no tv I read more and I do more and my flat is less messy, but I have noticed I engage more in intellectual discourse more than I ever did before.

 

But I do understand from others have wrote elsewhere, tv is; dumbing down

[Mannify]

TV is a pain mostly. I don't think you're missing out much.

[LancsLad]

I can remeber a few years ago saying to someone I had never ever seen a single eppisode of a soap series, the closest thing I had come to was watching some of the early eppisodes of Casulty. I was then told they are really good you don't know what you are missing. My response was ok pick the one which is the best and when you think the story lines are at a good point I will sit and watch it.

 

The point came along where I sat down to comments such as "this will be really good because.........." I sat there and watched it without comment and could sense everyone in the room was a bit uncomfortable besides me because it was only 30 minutes of my life and no big deal. It finished and I said "so do you want me to comment on the quality of the script writting, the acting, the genral production quality, on its strentgths and weaknesses as entertainment?". The answer was "no not really it was all pretty poor wasn't it" and I simply said "yes".

 

There are some really good things on TV but the standard of the vast majority of it is dire. I believe that if you watch a lot of TV through non selective behavioural patterns you actually loose sight of how bad much of it is.

 

To sing it's praises I watched the three part thing on BBC2 where they did an autopsy and reconstruction of three of our ancestors starting at neanderthal man and working back which I thought was brilliant. So there are highlights but I find they are harder and harder to find my once favorite programmes Question Time, Newsnight, Antiques Roadshow, Grand Designs, Top Gear, This Week etc... all seem to be on a downward slide into drivel. I would much rather watch something which was designed to start at that point such as Red Dwarf on Dave these days at least there is a level of honesty there.

[Mannify]

Yeah, I love historical documentaries. There are few programs which I don't watch religiously, but I catch from time to time if I'm in that kind of mood. I, too, like Question Time and Newsnight. I also like This Week because I've been mildly in love with Michael Portillo since he was in a documentary years ago (my husband is very tolerant of this fact). I like Would I Lie to You, because a similar thing applies to David Mitchell, and QI, because I wish Stephen Fry was my Uncle. I'm struggling to think of any other regular stuff I like other than documentaries. I used to like Star Trek and Frasier.

[Dijac]

I quite like Michael Portillo too - we watched somew of the railway journey programmes he did.

[Mannify]

I quite like Michael Portillo too

 

[darkshine]

I gave up looking for decent TV programmes, I pretty much dislike most of what is shown - and the rest I have no opinion on and now largely rely on other people recommending things to watch, usually documentaries... occasionally I see something advertised, but not often as I mute all adverts - so as part of my giving up I have selected the total rot that I enjoy and I stick religiously and obsessively to that - unless someone suggests something that sounds interesting in which case I might take a look.

[Aeolienne]

Will I be flamed for liking The Apprentice?

[raydon]

Will I be flamed for liking The Apprentice?

Not here, I hope.

[Aeolienne]

Not here, I hope.

I'd like to point out, in the spirit of true Aspie pedantry, that the candidates' house in the current series of Young Apprentice is in Hampstead Garden Suburb, not Hampstead as incorrectly stated.

[smileyK]

disappointed that rylan is still in!!! who ever voted him must be totally TONE DEAF! as can't hit ANY notes in songs whatsoever so glad Jahmene still in though! my parents think Jahmene could be favourite to win he got such lovely sounding voice bless him! he true shining star/talent the whole package is involved with him! he got it all! he DESERVE to WIN! who agrees with me on this?!

 

XKLX

[raydon]

I'd like to point out, in the spirit of true Aspie pedantry, that the candidates' house in the current series of Young Apprentice is in Hampstead Garden Suburb, not Hampstead as incorrectly stated.

I don't watch that program, but I do find it annoying when information is incorrect.

[Aeolienne]

I don't watch that program, but I do find it annoying when information is incorrect.

I read in the Radio Times that in the next episode (a shopping list task for the English National Opera) at least one of the teams hasn't the foggiest what a candelabrum is. Oy veh, evidently none of them are Jewish!

[raydon]

I read in the Radio Times that in the next episode (a shopping list task for the English National Opera) at least one of the teams hasn't the foggiest what a candelabrum is. Oy veh, evidently none of them are Jewish!

Oh I thought the Jewish candelabrum was called a Menorah

Edited November 11, 2012 by raydon

[Sa Skimrande]

Will I be flamed for liking The Apprentice?

 

The apprentice to me is everything that is wrong with the UK, for how to win in business is one thing, but the conniving and shafting that goes on, that is not for me, but as a business model it might work for some for a short period of time, but it is not the ideal I believe Britain should uphold for my politics dictates the strength of the many over the strength of the minority, where I prefer steady growth not get rich quick. Yeah so what I have socialist leanings, but I am also conservative in that I believe in sustained growth that affects the majority and where possible all, as I believe as a nation we can do well, where the apprentice fosters; '' I'm alright jack, I'm getting rich and stuff you, you don't matter'', an individualistic approach- and they call us autistic ?

[A-S warrior]

You do know, it's not mandatory to turn the tv on. you can read a book, walk the dog, make strange foods in the kitchen, use your cat as a basket ball, record on a blank tape and pretend you have your own radio show, go to the.... well you get the idea.

[Aeolienne]

You do know, it's not mandatory to turn the tv on. you can read a book, walk the dog, make strange foods in the kitchen...

Or go on an open-top bus tour, as the "Cardiff gang" do in this episode (after 47 secs of a "stranger danger" infomercial).

[Mannify]

Ha, I watched that, Aeolienne

 

You do know, it's not mandatory to turn the tv on.

 

Sometimes the guest wins out. Do you watch tv?

[Aeolienne]

I read in the Radio Times that in the next episode (a shopping list task for the English National Opera) at least one of the teams hasn't the foggiest what a candelabrum is. Oy veh, evidently none of them are Jewish!

In the same episode, it was somewhat ironic that the winning team, whose win was almost entirely down to their having managed to source a second-hand German car, got rewarded with a shopping spree in Hamley's toy shop. I guess there's only so much grown-up behaviour they can handle in one day. But how did they get the car back to the Colisseum?