It is an extension of the treatment of 'normal people' that Big Brother feeds into - the assumption that TV is better/bigger than you. This is deeply troubling and I blame Noel Edmonds, quite frankly. It all began with NTV and we should all have seen it coming.
This does however give me an excuse to bring up Nigel Kneale's Sixties TV play 'The Year Of The Sex Olympics' which predicted a future where all novelty had been worn out on TV and only death or live sex could get ratings and audience appreciation.
It concludes with two executives from the TV company offering to move to a deserted Orkney island in order to become primitives. They are filmed 24 hours a day and all their crises are played out with no assistance, no first aid or contact with the outside world. All they can do is shout at and smash the cameras which watch them day and night. In the end a primitive appears (they didn't know they had a neighbour) and kills them. For entertainment.
Now, it would be nice if Craig The Scally met the same end but it is astonishing that such warnings are ignored. C4 can edit 'Big Brother' to their hearts content and render any member of the 'cast' into whichever light they wish (case in point:Nick). I remember the opening show promising so much mystery, yet it never addressed the risks and psychological harm it could cause. Which, in the end, happened anyway and were turned around by C4 into entertainment. It is evil and we can expect twenty more shows of that genre until everyone gets sick of it.
As for The Weakest Link, the issue is slightly different. Anne Robinson gives a contestant the chance to defend themselves, just so she can shoot them down with more cruelty. Do not buy into this, people. Please.
no "nele morrissey eats trhe idents half hour" is the most evil shoaw on, television
it is evil. EVIL!
evil gas bottle has it as hisd favoruteio progrmame
THE EVIL CLOWN IS EVIL HE GAS BEEN GASSED
you area impoxstdr waho is not asd evil as nele morrissey
he fed idents to a camel
Not got much to do today?
These bloody format shows. I've been for job interviews at GMG and the BBC where they want "bright young things" to sit in a room and come up with ideas like this. Everybody ends up competing with each other to invent the format which is cruellest to the competitors. It'll end up in Steven King country soon.
Did anyone see those sodding stupid prize-winning formats in The Guardian yesterday?
Rubbish. Sheer rubbish.
Has anyone seen that Arnie Schwatzeneger film Running Man? Now THAT is a cruel game show.
But which is worse? Ann Robinsons school marm shouting or Arnie's acting?
I hate to tell Bent Halo this, but his views are so similar to those of the Editor of TV Times magazine that it is scary.
She accidentally smiled today.
>I hate to tell Bent Halo this, but his views are so similar to those of the Editor of TV Times magazine that it is scary.
Have they seen 'Year Of The Sex Olympics' too? Remarkable.
I can only repeat what I wrote on another thread the other night:
"Relax - it's OK to be a cunt!"
Cathy Dunning (Edinburgh-shortlisted? from last year) co-devised this piece of excretia.
At least on Fifteen To One, they're not playing for money, and on Millionaire, you are largely rooting for the contestant to get something. But The Weakest Link is just hateful. And it doesn't work.
Anne Robinson is by far the worst thing on that show - what are the reason for her to be so rude - i keep expecting the punchline at the end of the show, but all we get is her smile. It's a bit late for that, Anne, after saying "but you were worse!" for the past 45 minutes. If the vacuous comtestants of Big Brother went on this show (After seeing what happened with "Nasty" Nick) They'd probably all explode from "bad vibes".
"that's sick that is"