Telly Watching- Part 2

I may have to watch 'Line of Duty,' which seems to be very popular and has had extremely high viewing figures. All the episodes are on BBC iPlayer, so I should be able to watch this series. There's been around six series so there's a lot of episodes to get through.

As mentioned in the previous post about 'The Repair Shop', 'Money For Nothing' and 'Saved and Remade', it seems that once the BBC gets the 'bug' with certain genres of shows, they seem to think we'll fall over ourselves to see similar formats. So we get endless cookery shows together with antiques, although it seems this area has slowed down somewhat. 'Flog It' was really a rehash of 'Antiques Roadshow' but with the difference in that the items which are valued by the experts are then sold at auction. I often think that people who go on these shows are only interested in the cash value of their items. Surely you have some sort of emotional attachment to antiques, value their historic value. If you inherited an item that was owned by an ancestor who did something heroic or made some ground-breaking invention or had a fascinating life or was just an ordinary person, surely you'd want to keep it and then pass it on to the next generation. I often think that when medals are shown and there's a provenance attached to them, certification of some sort of a letter, that gives the item, in this case, medals, tells the story behind them. Then people turn round and say 'it belonged to uncle Cuthbert, but I don't like it. It's been in the cupboard or drawer for 25 years and we never look at it, so we might as well sell it.' A bit annoying and, frankly, crazy.

There's not a lot of sitcoms on television at the moment. By sitcom I mean in the classic sense, usually set in a house with a sofa, family orientated. Think 'The Good Life.' (Although there is no actual family in this show. Both couples, the Leadbetter's and the Goods, don't have children.) Usually shot in a studio with a live audience. The one I am about to mention is 'My Family,' which I am watching on BBC iPlayer. It must be some 20 years old (or at least the episodes I have reached.) There's nothing particularly brilliant about it, in fact, the actual events in it are somewhat mundane, it's just the performances of the two lead actors, Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker. They could make the Telephone Directory funny. I suppose it's the chemistry between them that makes it work. There's nothing very special about the scripts, in fact, they might be described as very ordinary and mundane. It's the actors, particularly Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsay who make it what it is. If it was cast with other actors I don't reckon it would have the same appeal. 

How do you define a sitcom? Interesting question. Usually, a sitcom can be defined as a short-form drama, on television or radio, with a small cast of characters and with an easily identifiable location, a street, home, or workplace, the characters being a family, workplace, or otherwise connected in some other way.  Traditionally, they run for 30 minutes, but longer episodes have been made, but they are rare. Each episode tying up within the running time (usually 30 minutes.) and not always connected to the next episode, although there may be some connection vaguely hinted at. They rarely continue storylines across episodes. Characters never seem to learn from their mistakes (the same in your average soap.) Good story-telling usually requires that a character goes on a 'journey' and by the end of that story they have changed from how they were at the beginning and as a result, they have learned something. The sitcom, in the traditional sense, performed in a studio with a live audience, seems to be dead. The likes of 'Steptoe and Son', 'Fawlty Towers, 'The Good Life' and 'Keeping Up Appearances' have virtually died. Most modern sitcoms, if the term can still be applied to this form of television, are mostly made on film, or at least, video, without an audience. That may not be such a bad thing, as a cackling audience doesn't always help the show. Except for the actors who can time their lines to the audience's reactions, laughing, clapping, or whatever. There are a handful of sitcoms that are made on location, on film (single camera) which don't have a cackling audience in the background. One such being 'Bloomers' and another, which doesn't really fit the term 'sitcom' and that's 'Car Share.' It could never be made in a studio and the fact it's filmed on location adds to the realism.

Telly Watching- Part 1

At the moment we seem to be having a lot of similar television programmes which feature making-over or repairing items of furniture, toys, clocks, bicycles and so on. It started a few years ago with 'Money For Nothing,' where a restorer/maker/designer goes to a tidy-tip and rescues items of furniture and other things before they end up in the skip and are crushed. They then take the item to specialist designer/restorers who transform them item and then the presenter sells the item for a profit and the money they make is given to the person who was about to throw it in the skip at the tidy-tip. What makes this programme so good is that we see how an old piece of furniture which was past its best can be transformed and the journey it goes on to become something stunning and the money it can make when sold. The reaction when the presenter turns up with the money which has been made after the work has been done on their piece of furniture is a treat. I'm really surprised myself because some items are sold at ridiculous prices.

I suppose there have been many other 'make-over' shows on television over the years, 'Changing Rooms' and 'Ground Force,' and more recently 'Garden Rescue', but they don't have the 'repurpose' element in them, although 'Garden Rescue' does sometimes use recycled items, such as railway sleepers and other items in their make-overs, but not to the extent this rash of shows have.

Then there's 'The Repair Shop.' This is intriguing. People bring items into the shop to be repaired, usually, items that have some sort of connection to a friend, a family member, probably who has died. These items are in a really sorry state, in desperate need of care and attention. For example, a valuable piece of porcelain, a vase or bowl, but some have no real intrinsic value, probably the property of a grandparent or friend, which has a sentimental story to tell, such as a rather tatty teddy bear which survived a house fire or a clock which someone inherited but accidentally got knocked off a shelf and has been left in a drawer because no one can repair it, is the basic format of this show. A series of craftspeople, each with their own set of special skills, manage to restore and revive these pieces. It is a good show, but the sentimental side is beginning to get a bit tiresome. It seems the producers are trying their best to wring every tear out of the people whose items are being repaired. This usually at the end when the 'big reveal' is made and they see their beloved heirloom in its newly-repaired state. There is so much sentiment and gushing that a person can take, surely. Or perhaps not. It's all about nostalgia, and as someone once said, 'nostalgia isn't what it used to be.' (I may have got the quote wrong, but you get a rough idea of what I mean. But, on the other hand, it's great to have a programme where people are actually NICE to one another. Probably accounts for the series success, particularly during the lockdown where people are crying out for something soothing and pleasant to watch. Remember such programmes as 'The Weakest Link,' presided over by the 'Queen of Mean' herself, Anne Robinson, who could make some quite nasty remarks and 'you are the weakest. Goodbye!' was her mantra? Or Craig Revill-Horwood, one of the judges on 'Strictly Come Dancing', who could make some quite nasty quips about the contestants? Done in the mode of a pantomime villain. Just to get a reaction in some respects, and to get people talking on social media and thus increase the viewing figures.

This 'nostalgia' theme is carried through in the fact that the show is filmed in an ancient barn in the  Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester. Then it's been styled with objects that give a suggestion of nostalgia, metal advertising signs, bric-a-brac, dried flowers, carriage lamps from a bygone era, and so on. Playing on a rather fake past, in some respects, seen through a haze of soft focus, horses grazing, gaslight, drifting fog, and so forth. Not really genuine really, because living in, say, the 19th century, might have been fine for the upper classes, but pretty terrible for the lower orders, especially those working in the factories and cotton mills in the north of England.

The last of this type of programme is 'Saved and Remade,'  which is Broadcast on BBC2. Members of the public bring in items that have become redundant or have no real purpose anymore or hold some sort of emotional connection (much the same sort of thing which holds 'The Repair Shop' together.) It might be a wedding dress, an ancient sewing machine, or a transistor radio. Specialist craftsmen and women then have to 'repurpose' these items into a useful piece that can still retain something of its original use which can be a functional item in the person's home.

It's good that the BBC is showing programmes to at least attempt to recycle things that would otherwise be sent to landfill, but I think that there is a limit to the same sort of programme. Perhaps these shows are being made at the moment where it's difficult to produce other types of the show under government covid-19 restrictions.  They seem to think that if one type of show is popular, such as cookery or antiques, that if they make more of the same, then the public will lap them up.

Roadmap or Cul-de-Sac?

(Saturday) The sun is out. The wind has dropped and I'm about to drive to my doctor's surgery, Central Milton Keynes Medical Centre in Bradwell Common, to get my second Astra-Zeneca covid-19 vaccination. I want to get there in plenty of time, just in case the traffic is heavy and you have to go through several sets of traffic lights through the centre of Milton Keynes and each takes far too long to change (why?? I often ask that.)

Later. I drove to Bradwell Common this morning. leaving at around 9.45a.m. I was, as usual, concerned that there might be heavy traffic. A bit crazy to even think that because, for a start, it's a Saturday, and most people won't have been out of bed even that late (well, my theory at least, whether it's correct or not I don't know.) No less than three sets of traffic lights to contend with and I wasn't sure that there would be enough parking spaces at CMKM. I shouldn't have worried as there was plenty of room. No queue right down to the Redway this time, just a few people queuing on the path from the carpark. I was told to be in the surgery five minutes before my appointment and it was around 10.05 when I got to the front of the queue and my actual appointment was 10.10. A man at the door asked me if I had any of the symptoms of covid, or if I'd had a test which was positive or if I had a raised temperature, to which I responded 'no.' Then, when the door was clear I went inside and a lady took my temperature with a sort of gun which was aimed at my forehead. I went through to the room where I would be given the vaccine. I was asked if I'd had any other vaccines lately, which I responded with 'no' and then the needle was stuck in my left arm and it was over. Last time, the first vaccine went in my right arm. The upper, more muscled area in each case. So, that was done and I was told that I didn't have to wait fifteen minutes before I could drive away.

(Sunday) The clocks have moved an hour forward. I woke in the night and, because I normally reset my clocks the evening before, I wasn't sure what the correct time was. I moved my wristwatch forward and then realised that it had automatically reset itself. So, I had to set it back! 

As I write, I don't seem to have had any reaction to the covid-19 vaccine, not in the way I did for the first one, waking in the night feeling as if I was going to come down with 'flu. Not even any discomfort in the area of my arm when the vaccine was injected. I just hope it stays that way.

Still windy, but bright and sunny.

(Monday) Today things are being relaxed as regards lockdown restrictions. Two households can meet! Well, the excitement is far too much! 

I've been doing some market research via Zoom this morning. I have signed up with several market research agencies and this was from a company called Podengo. Usually if you have the possibility of being selected for this sort of work you get either a text message or email, but to get a proper phone call which I did on Friday, late afternoon, is a rarity. The session was for an hour, starting at 10.15a.m. I had to evaluate a new app for the NHS for use if you are checking into a venue, such as a restaurant, coffee shop or other venue, and also, if you think you might have any of the symptoms of covid-19, to check and then, if you think you might be infected, to find out how you can get a test and then, once you have a result to let the track and trace system know and whether you have to isolate for whatever length of time. Just want to do some more as I am saving up to get my eyes tested and then get new glasses.

Oh now! Boris and his henchmen are doing a Downing Street press conference on BBC1 at the moment. I want to throw a brick through my television (but I won't, because it wouldn't be such a good idea.) I'm getting somewhat annoyed that 'The Repair Shop' is cancelled to have this on. Why can't it be put on the BBC News channel? Just waffling and most of the data is flawed. Why does nobody ever doubt the numbers? Why do we never hear from other scientists who criticise the numbers or the lockdown? It seems to me as if the mainstream media (BBC, ITV, Sky etc etc.) never question any of this. There are plenty of those who disagree with how this pandemic has been handled and the way the lockdown has been dealt with, without any dissent. I am somewhat amazed that the British people have just rolled over and allowed their civil liberties to be totally removed. It's like living under a dictatorship.

One minute we are being told about the 'Roadmap' out of lockdown, but in the next breath Boris is saying 'stay cautious.' So, it seems the road to freedom might possibly come to a dead end, a cul de sac, or at least a grinding halt. Real mixed messaging and confusing. Why do the four countries of the United Kingdom have different rules regarding lockdown? Would it not be less confusing if there were the same rules within the entire United Kingdom? Must be very confusing if you work in one country and live in another and have to travel between. Crazy.

Life, The Universe and Something or Other . . .

(Thursday) My hair is in need of being cut. I can't remember when it was last cut. I know so many businesses are closed due to the confounded coronavirus lockdown, but going without this necessity means my hair is getting really annoying. Under normal circumstances I would have it cut around every 4-6 weeks. I have booked an appointment for 14th April through Central Barbers website. Paid and booked, so all I have to do on the day is merely turn up on time. Don't even have to worry about payment as it's done. A good deal easier and you don't have to wait. I think in the future I shall keep doing this.

Later. I turn on the television with the expectation of watching the latest edition of The Repair Shop, when the announcer says ‘there’s a change to our schedule with another coronavirus press conference.’ My heart sinks, as I really don’t need to listen to the doom mongers droning on relentless. Pointless is transferred to BBC2, but I just switch off the television instead.

I've signed up to a streaming service, much like Netflix, called 'BroadwayHD,' which works through my Fire Stick. As a result of the pandemic lockdown, which means that all live theatres have been closed, I am more than delighted to be able to enjoy recorded theatre performances through this service. I have already enjoyed a performance of Noel Coward's sparkling comedy, 'Private Lives,' and I'm currently watching the RSC's amazing nine-hour version of 'Nicholas Nickleby' which was one of the earliest productions shown on Channel 4 when it opened in 1982. I did watch it then, but am so glad to be able to revisit it now. Ideal material to enjoy, done in 9 parts and a definite binge-worthy piece of theatre or television.

(Friday)12.55a.m. I've woken up. The usual thing, wander to the toilet. I can hear the wind whistling around the building. It's quite an odd sound. No rain, as far as I can tell. I hope it stays dry, but somehow I doubt it. Alfie comes into the bedroom to find a comfortable space next to me. Then I get a sudden urge to cough. I've had this annoying cough for some while, and I'm more than certain that it's caused by one of the medications I'm on, one of the side-effects. Having done a search on-line, I find that it is one of the side-effects. I bought Robitussin, a cough syrup, in Lloyd's in Sainsbury's and it seems to keep it in check so I've just taken a dose, finishing off one bottle and I have another in reserve.

I had to order atorvastatin, one of my medications. I realised when I did my evening meds that the one I took yesterday evening was the last one, so I went on the appropriate app on my iPad and ordered it. I was more than a bit surprised to find a text message from Lloyd's pharmacy telling me the meds were ready to collect this morning so I went to Sainsbury's, where Lloyd's pharmacy is to pick it up. I did a bit of shopping, milk in particular. I parked as normal in the underground carpark (that's not actually correct. It isn't 'underground,' It's underneath the store.) Usually the moving walkway or travelator (I've spent some time on Google trying to find the right word for this.) whisks you up to the store, along with the annoying voice which keeps on telling you that you must 'stand still and hold onto the rail' or whatever it is and reminds you to 'push your trolley off the walkway,' rather like some teacher taking to a classroom full or rather dim primary school-age children. As if you're going to forget to push your trolley 'off the walkway,.' What do they expect you to do, crash onto the floor in a heap? It is somewhat patronising. Never mind. Enough digression. The aforementioned walkway wasn't operating as it should (it seems the lifts and walkway in Sainsbury's has a habit of failing when it shouldn't.) So it was odd walking up the walkway when it wasn't moving. 

When I had finished my shopping, I paid, having used a self-service till (getting quite good at using these things by now, and the thing seemed to work perfectly!) I pushed my trolley towards the top of the travelator and almost got on it, as a member of staff stopped me, so I had to go down in a lift to the carpark. It's virtually impossible to go down on the travelator with a trolley when it's not running, because the wheels get caught in the grooves on the surface and you can't move the trolley off until you get to the bottom.

Another Day Older

(Tuesday) Today is the first anniversary of the beginning of the first lockdown bought in as an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Covid 19. And what a year it has been! It's no exaggeration to say it has had an enormous impact on life in the United Kingdom, although why on earth Scotland and Wales, and possibly Northern Ireland, have different rules and regulations I can't understand. Surely it would be better to have all of the rules and regulations the same throughout the United Kingdom because some people would live in one country, for example, Scotland, but work over the border in England. Nicola Sturgeon would have different rules just to be awkward and because she doesn't like the English and wants desperately to be independent. I should leave it at that and not get into a debate on the pros and cons of Scottish independence.

It's turned out relatively mild today. Thank goodness the wind has calmed down.

I've got to really enjoy a great television show on BBC1 which has been running for a couple of years. I think it began on BBC2, but because it become so popular those in charge of these things at the BBC decided it ought to reach a wider audience, so it transferred to BBC1. It is usually on during daytime, at 4.30pm., where the latest season is currently and on every day during the week. It is also on during peak time, around 8p.m. on a Wednesday. What intrigued me today was an item which was bought into be repaired. a Kenwood Chef food mixer. My mother had one of these exact machines, being given one by my grandmother after she had been married for ten years. There was an earlier model, with a more rounded design, which was replaced by the more modern and squarer model. I do remember that the attachments, which included a mincer, juicer and a bean-slicer, worked on the original model, but when the later model came along the attachments wouldn't fit on the new model because the new model had metric screws, whilst the earlier model had imperial, so the attachments were somewhat redundant.

(Wednesday) 7.10a.m. Mild and dry this morning, but quite foggy nevertheless. I woke up and then went back to sleep and didn't wake up as I usually do and then immediately thought 'I ought to take Alfie Out!' and got dressed. I walked through to the lounge, at which point Alfie would normally have been barking and expecting me to slip the lead on his harness and take him out, tucked under my arm to carry him out, but he was asleep in his bed near the television, but as soon as I got close to him, it set him off on his usual noise.

2.16p.m. At last! After nearly seven months my Driving Licence arrived in the post this afternoon! Very late delivery I must say, but at least it's arrived and sorted out. I didn't think it would ever arrive and it still makes me wonder what on earth happened to the original Licence. Lost most likely.

Oh no! Yet another wretched Coronavirus press conference from Downing Street this afternoon. This means the BBC1 schedule is disrupted so there's no edition of The Repair Shop and Pointless moved to BBC2. I really don't want to have to endure another of these confounded doom-laden conferences, so I prefer to avoid them by watching BBC2 while I eat my evening meal.

(Thursday) Out with Alfie really early, just gone 6a.m. It's mild. Thankfully, none of that horrible wind and no sign of fog. So what does the day have in store? Probably the more of same.