The BBC's wild side......

[marmar]

..... when I think of the BBC, my first thought is of BBC News, surely the world's Platinum standard for TV news gathering operations.

But I just scrolled my (f**king Comcast) programming guide for the next three hours on BBC America. The lineup: "Too Ugly to Love," "Transvestite Wives" and "My Small Breasts and I." ...... I guess it's not all Mid-East conflict and world financial markets on the Beeb.


:)

[chatnoir]

1. Maybe that's just BBC America?

Programming to appeal to the demographic? I don't know why...

Reminds me of MSNBC's all week-end prison line up.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. They've probably all been on UK TV too

The BBC has a digital channel, BBC 3, aimed at young adults, which is full of crap like that. It can stoop fairly low on other channels too at times. BBC America does also rebroadcast some of the output of other British channels; I looked up one of the above, and it was a BBC 3 show.

[chatnoir]

6. The dumbing down lineup of shows

I was quite happy when BBC America started up but unfortunately it runs so much of these crap programs back to back (My Small Breasts and I, Teen Transsexual, Transvestite Wives, etc) and few and far between of the good journalistic programs (Jeremy Paxman, for example).

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. the BBC does function as a tv chennel

bbc.co.uk go the uk location.

10pm BBC 2 'Never mind the buzzcocks' wonder what that's about?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. "Never mind the buzzcocks" is a comedy quiz show

about pop music - a reference to "Never Mind the Bollocks", by the Sex Pistols, and The Buzzcocks, a briefly-popular punk band.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

7. the Brits are a bit more raunchy on TV?

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. There's nowhere near the amount of puritanical censorship American TV has

There's a concept called 'the watershed': before 9pm, language is meant to be kept largely clean, no nudity, violence shouldn't be graphic and so on. The idea is that parents should feel it's OK for younger children to be watching before then, without them having to pre-vet each programme for what might be in it. After that, language is pretty much whatever you want it to be, nudity is allowed (not porn films, but anything you'd get in a mainstream film), graphic violence etc. So things like The Sopranos could be broadcast, uncut.

And if a swear word or a flash of nipple creeps into a live broadcast before the watershed, we don't hold parliamentary inquiries or levy massive fines - they just expect a presenter to say "umm, we're sorry about that language you just heard".

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. US doesn't worry about violence though although it complains about nipples

[mwooldri]

5. BBC has to justify the licence fee somehow.

Remember it's primarily a UK domestic broadcaster, with a strong public service remit. It has to somehow balance getting high ratings as well as being for the public good.

BBC America is a 100% commercial outfit. They have programming on there that aired previously on the UK commercial channels (You Are What You Eat, How Clean is Your House? - all aired on Channel 4 but made by independent companies for Ch.4 )

[kiva]

10. BBC America is sinking fast.

Check out the BBCA discussion board about "BBC America Reveals"--the umbrella program that created the episodes you see on your programming guide are part of that series:

http://discussions.bbcamerica.com/jiveforums/forum.jspa?forumID=41

Many people there complaining about the fact that BBCA, despite access to many excellent programs, chooses to show this dreck. They do have some good shows, but are killing themselves with the audience that has traditionally been willing to pay for the added channel.

[One_Life_To_Give]

11. Worthwhile programming though

What I did see of it was well done and really about Societal expectations and what failure to conform does to people. Society can be pretty harsh to women who don't fit the Barbie standard, and it's no picnic for men who don't live up to masculine stereotypes.