Cracker eh? I can't beleive it was ever shown on ITV - a drama that good? Where did ITV originally place the advert?

>Cracker eh? I can't beleive it was ever shown on ITV - a drama that good? Where did ITV originally place the advert?

It was when Catherine's husband (John McArdle) was informed at work. You see a long shot of him on the phone - Floyd watches him get into his car and race off at top speed. Perfect ad break point.

>>Cracker eh? I can't beleive it was ever shown on ITV - a drama that good?

The first two series (Men Should Weep was the final story of the second series) are superb, nothing less. The third is a bit wayward, but still streets ahead of most of the competition. Incidentally, isn't it interesting that almost all the chief suspects throughout the series (Adrian Dunbar, Susan Lynch, Andrew Tiernan, Christopher Fulford, Jim Carter, Emily Joyce, John Simm - and of course, one Robert Carlyle) went on to bigger things following their Cracker appearances, but Graham Aggrey (Floyd in Men Should Weep) has unfortunately seemingly disappeared without trace. He is brilliant in it - why didn't he get any other high profile roles? Or did he?

BTW I know this isn't exactly comedy related, so here's a connection:

Mark Lambert (who was the chief suspect in the Brotherly Love story from 1995) was the gasman from the Bottom episode - still the best one by far.

Not comedy related? What about Coltrane?

Where the commercial breaks go is up to two groups of people: (a) the sales houses, who inform the companies in which clock-hour breaks can be taken, and (b) the editors/previewers who go on the sales house info and then decide where to put the breaks.

This is why a film shown on ITV in nightime will vary depending on the providing company. You may have exactly the same film in the listings going out at supposedly the same time, but the times the breaks go out and the lengths of each part may vary significantly.

>BTW I know this isn't exactly comedy related, so here's a connection:

So? It doesn't have to be comedy related! It is more than just a comedy forum y'know!

It shouldn't be.

>However, Channel 4 took this "fade-out" as an excuse for a commercial break, meaning all dramatic tension (and a fair bit of sensitivity, given the situation) was destroyed.

Hmmm. Whoever showed "Robocop" the other night (was it Ch4?) elected to shove an ad break in between Murphy's shooting and his reactivation as a cyborg. The whole idea of that scene is that the screen fades to black and then goes to video 'snow', as the Murphy is brought to life within the machine.

Declining standards, whole organisation run by a bunch of know-nothing kids, blah, blah, mutter, mutter...

>It shouldn't be.

Why not?

>It shouldn't be.

If you want a completely comedy only forum, go and set up your own.

>Where the commercial breaks go is up to two groups of people: (a) the sales houses, who inform the companies in which clock-hour breaks can be taken, and (b) the editors/previewers who go on the sales house info and then decide where to put the breaks.

The only other factor is ITC regulations. ITV, C4 and C5 all have a max of 7mins of advertising an hour. Satalite/Cable channels can have 9.

What goes on for ITV2/S2,TV-YOU etc I don't know.

Leave it Jon. You're beginning to sound pathetic.

>Where the commercial breaks go is up to two groups of people: (a) the sales houses, who inform the companies in which clock-hour breaks can be taken, and (b) the editors/previewers who go on the sales house info and then decide where to put the breaks.
>
Thanks, Ree. But does this mean that now programmes can be cut, chopped, or moved around on this basis? I've heard that syndication/cable transmissions of old shows do this all the time. Because the way Cracker was interrupted like that seemed utterly unnecessary.

>So? It doesn't have to be comedy related! It is more than just a comedy forum y'know!

Oh dear - just trying to keep both sides happy. Looks like I failed...

>Not comedy related? What about Coltrane?

Bo. What a fool I am.

> Because the way Cracker was interrupted like that seemed utterly unnecessary.

I wholly agree with you. It is unnnecessary and how well a break has been placed often shows how good that particular editor/previewer is. In Channel 4's case, useless.

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So very very boring.

PJ, and anyone else who might have watched Cracker on Monday night:

Did you spot Fiona Allen (Smack The Pony) in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo?

She was one of the people questioned by the policeman wasn't she? I wasn't sure when i saw it, but i checked the credits at the end. What an actress.

>She was one of the people questioned by the policeman wasn't she? I wasn't sure when i saw it, but i checked the credits at the end. What an actress.

Wasn't her role described as "Home Owner", I think? What a show, though, eh?

I still don't believe it was ever shown on ITV - surely that was a dream? I need someone to give me proof. Unless an episode has Robson Green hidden in it a pyschotic (yet cheeky) mad man, then i won't believe.
Wonder what ever happened to the American version? That was reasonable entertainement - so what f its the same storylines but with Fitz more presentable...
Anyway, ad breaks...