I was pleased to read this R4 blog entry which I posted in the Blog, Blog, Blog thread....

A Charles Paris Mystery: A Reconstructed Corpse

Bill Nighy is back as the loveably louche actor cum amateur sleuth in another of Simon Brett's murder mysteries. Charles has work on a crime reconstruction programme as a body double for a missing man, but soon the police suspect murder and Charles can't resist trying to figure out whodunnit or if it's been done at all.


I really love this series and I'm so happy to hear we have another one in the works.

Now....if we can get a new Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a McLevy, an Agatha Christie (a Tommy and Tuppence mystery for Ivor and me would be nice ) a Mardle Fen, etc.... those would be heaven. Robert already has me covered on a new Pillow Book and we have a new Paul Temple in progress so there is hope!

It's so nice to hear things that aren't so darn depressing! I've been perusing the R4 schedules the last few weeks and the pickins are pretty dismal. You feel like you need a massive dose of Prozac after some of the Afternoon Plays that have been on recently.

Time was when things were bad they put out entertainment that helped you escape from reality for a little while. Something to recharge the batteries and help you keep slogging along in the real world. Seems like those days are gone and we have to be bombarded with it 24/7. Analyses and in depth reporting on issues of the day is all well and good, but holy cow! can't we get away from it for awhile? Seems like every other program is "issue" related, even the ones that are supposed to be entertaining.

What would you like to hear that would make you forget your worries for a half-hour or so?

Jan : none of the examples you quote are what I like, but I do entirely agree with you about the need for some escapism - I have been listening less and less for several months, the BBC is getting so depressing. I have been listening to Journey into Space,despite practically knowing it by heart as well as having the first two series on tape - just because the simplicity and old fashioned values are so relaxing . But I am driven by distraction by the intros which think it is oh so clever to mock

I have come to the conclusion that some evil intentioned aliens fromouter space are going to take over the world after driving the English speaking peoples into terminal depression with the help of the BBC.

Maybe no one is writing and submitting escapism. The last good one I listened to was The Porlock Poisoner Another favorite is Grey Expectations, didn't like My Blue Wedding though.

Jan : none of the examples you quote are what I like...

No, I never expected anyones vehicle of escape to be the same as mine. I was actually more interested in other peoples escape programs. Yours will be readings I'm sure, but which ones would you like to hear?


I have come to the conclusion that some evil intentioned aliens from outer space are going to take over the world after driving the English speaking peoples into terminal depression with the help of the BBC.

Oh my, but those aliens have plenty of dutiful soldiers over here, if that's the case.


I liked The Purlock Poisoner too, Mars, but even that one had a tinge of "informing" even though it wasn't in your face, like so many programs recently. Even Book at Bedtime has been dreary for the most part.

This current one is very condescending, imo. Seems so "American, bad....foreign Muslim, good". I don't mind an exploration of how some Americans can be judgmental or how they make assumptions, but this one is so one dimensional it's almost laughable.

They may be going somewhere else with it and that's just the beginning, but I've listened to three or four episodes already and they better make a turn pretty quick if that's what they have in mind.

Maybe content is dictated by the BBC charter. But like Stephen Fry said in his lecture, can't the BBC be entertaining without being in your face informative? I have a shorter program list these days too. Even the comedies have some sort of message involved. I've been depending on a lot of my old stuff. I've been able to convert some of my audio books on cassette (mostly Douglas Adams) so I've been listening to those plus the Harry Potters.

I have to agree with much of what has been said...I am willing to try "New" stuff alongside older material but so much of what is produced today is pushing a message or has to be politically correct or "Real Life"

I find even fewer comedy programmes or comedians that make me laugh or if lucky raise a smile. And many think that they are clever but I suspect one day they'll find others will think that their comedy is questionable. I find a lot of today's humour is cruel and more personal against a particular person.

JAN;

Well, yes readings, but not entirely - I would like some plays and some comedy programmes - though my taste is probably not so cutting edge as most.

Trouble is the ones I want the Beeb hasnt made. For instance they have one series of "Yes Minister" on R7 , so often I no longer listen. I would like to hear the others and "Yes, Prime Minister" . The same goes for To The Manor |Born". And they never do "The Good Life".

All adaptations of TV programmes - but they are just not making anything like the quality.

Plays: Shaw, Wilde, Noel Coward. They have one or two but all have written many more. and Shakespeare - the comedies since we are into relaxation,rather than the tradgedies, and certainly not the more obscure historical which even fans like me arent so keen on. And poetry - traditional, not the weird modern stuff they go for on R4.

Quizzes - R4 doesnt even have a category for them - last time I checked they were listed under comedy! Only decent one at the moment is "Quote unquote" and that runs for a few weeks of the year.

Readings - well I could go on for ever - and its late . Imay come back on those.

Dramatisations - well in most cases I prefer readings, but some books can be dramatised. If they must why not some more John Biuchan and Dick Francis. And Agatha Christie is a suitable case for dramatisation - surely we havent had all hers? I find Tommy and Tuppence two cardboard, but I like Poirot and Miss M.

Oh my, but those aliens have plenty of dutiful soldiers over here, if that's the case.
Yes and they have heard that "Orders must be obeyed without question at all times"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2144 Aug 30 2011 by Lady Penelope.

My first taste of BBC quiz shows was My Word and My Music on NPR Friday nights. Are there rights issues involved in not airing My Word or My Music on 4xtra?

The reason I avoid most of American tv now is because of all the messages they mix into the storylines. I get enough of it all on the radio, tv is not at all escapist any more.

lifeonmarsfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My first taste of BBC quiz shows was My Word and
> My Music on NPR Friday nights. Are there rights
> issues involved in not airing My Word or My Music
> on 4xtra?

I think there is, or at least was, a rights issue with My Word - it was never said who was causing it, other than it wasn't the main contributors.

lifeonmarsfan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The reason I avoid most of American tv now is
> because of all the messages they mix into the
> storylines. I get enough of it all on the radio,
> tv is not at all escapist any more.

I must be watching the wrong programs, not getting the messages, or already in agreement because it seems to me that American TV is very escapist.

I just listened to the Pat Hobby story today and that was rather escapist. Now I have to see if I can find the other 5 stories from the previous collection.

A lot of tv I grew up with was escapist. School afternoons I was able to watch tv because my baby sitter was very indulgent (she saw I finished my homework faster and more accurately with the tv on) and back then before cable a lot of the stations played "old tv" shows in the afternoons. Pure escapist fare were the spy shows (Mission Impossible, The Saint, Man from UNCLE, etc), Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. Almost forgot about Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies. (I hear the Green Acres theme when I drive by a barn which looks just like the one on the tv show when I drive up in Yolo Co.). A lot of the shows now seem so PC and so "green". It used to be we only got preached at to be environmentally responsible during Green Week on NBC. Now it seems every week is Green Week and it's on every network.

Trouble is the ones I want the Beeb hasnt made. For instance they have one series of "Yes Minister" on R7 , so often I no longer listen. I would like to hear the others and "Yes, Prime Minister" . The same goes for To The Manor |Born". And they never do "The Good Life".

New ones aren't out of bounds for this discussion, so all of those apply, and I agree, it would be nice to hear them.


I must be watching the wrong programs, not getting the messages, or already in agreement because it seems to me that American TV is very escapist.

I agree with many of them as well, PAW, but I have to agree with Mars on this one, they are most definitely there. Some are more in your face than others. There a some that are pure escapism but so many sneak in environmental, sexual or political PC issues that it's annoying and discourages me from watching. Regardless of whether or not I agree, I don't want someone preaching to me about it, especially when it's not advertised as that sort of show.


Pure escapist fare were the spy shows (Mission Impossible, The Saint, Man from UNCLE, etc), Bonanza, I Dream of Jeannie and Bewitched. Almost forgot about Green Acres and Beverly Hillbillies.

With the advent of digital broadcast television, Mars, I'm still watching many of those! I've really been enjoying watching The Saint again. Talk about your eye candy! I do wish they'd put Mission Impossible and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on. I'd love to see those again.

It's sad all the money that's spent in Hollywood on television programs that are pure cr*p. I don't mind them, obviously someone's enjoying them, but I do wish they'd put some programs on for people with half a brain, as well.

I've perused the new Fall schedule recently and there are precious few new programs that seem even mildly interesting to me. I'll probably check out Once Upon A Time. I liked Lost and it seems like it might be worth giving it a shot. Terra Nova might be good and I might give Grimm a go, but not much more than that, really.

Janaru Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>> I must be watching the wrong programs, not getting
>> the messages, or already in agreement because it
>> seems to me that American TV is very escapist.

> I agree with many of them as well, PAW, but I have
> to agree with Mars on this one, they are most
> definitely there. Some are more in your face than
> others. There a some that are pure escapism but so
> many sneak in environmental, sexual or political
> PC issues that it's annoying and discourages me
> from watching. Regardless of whether or not I
> agree, I don't want someone preaching to me about
> it, especially when it's not advertised as that
> sort of show.

Ok, I'm going to have to ask for some examples.

One example I can cite is Law & Order. I used to love watching L&O, but the last 7 or so years they've become so policitized it's not even funny.

Aw jeez, thanks, PAW....make me think. I've just medicated!

I do promise I'll come up with more exact programs and such later....but for now....programs that sneak in a comment or two about recycling, animal rights, the rain forest, gay marriage or other political issues of the day, just sort of in passing, are the ones that irritate me the most.

If your watching a program with characters that are religious, or environmentally conscious, or gay, or animal lovers, or politically active then you expect it. They have something to say and you can opt-in or opt-out, but when they throw it in as an obvious "CBS Cares" sort of thing off hand, that's what really gets on my nerves.

I do promise to keep an eye out and report back on specifics....sorry about that.

What passes for matter of fact comments or off handed remarks concerning the issues Jan cited are the most irritating.

I had a chance to watch a sampling of local tv from my birth country and that irritated me to no end. All the fluffy feel good issues we have in the US are being adopted there. The economy is in a mess and the politicians for the most part are still corrupt (getting rid of Marcos didn't do the trick apparently). And I see the green agenda is being pushed in Manila. The Philippines cannot afford the luxury of political correctness and greening at this point in time. They are not South Korea or Japan and I doubt the country will ever equal South Korea. There are just different ethics involved now and even the SKoreans don't embrace PC and greening with wild abandon.

Those off-handed comments really are the worst. I mean if you feel strongly about an issue that's one thing, tI can agree or disagree, but just popping off a platitude seems to diminish the very subject they're supposed to be supporting. It's so phony.

It's like what red-ribbons for AIDS and the flag pins after 9/11 became after awhile. It's like there's no real heart in it, it's more about "cause-of-the-month" popularity or a "We care more than you" sort of thing. Really cheeses my crackers.

Let's take vegetarianism for example, I have a niece who is a vegetarian. It really bothers her to eat animals or animal products. She believes it's wrong down to her soul. She doesn't push it off on anyone else, it's just a decision she's made for herself. I don't agree with it, but I absolutely respect her for it. I had another niece who became vegetarian because it was fashionable. She's now a meat eater again. She was a kid, and kids try different things on all the time, so that was a bit different than a full grown adult doing it. I don't even mind that really as long as they don't foist it over on me and try and make me feel bad for eating a BLT. Mind ya' bidness and I'll mind mine.

I don't see the pins too much anymore, what I see are the rubber band bracelets. It's more about showing off than really caring for something. That's how it looks in Manila. When I had my tote bags at the grocery store, it's because I had to carry the food four blocks to our flat. Easier to carry the stuff in a shoulder type tote. I wasn't pushing the green agenda, I was just being practical.

I think those things start out coming from the heart, but they all seem to turn into something else after awhile, which is sad.

You know, I just happened to think of a story that reminds me of that. Dierdre Hall who was a soap actress on Days of Our Lives took a lot of flack back in the day from a lot of people because she wouldn't wear a red-ribbon for some function or another (I think it may have been the Daytime Emmy's).

This is a woman who not only donated her own money but also helped raise money and spent a lot of her time for AIDS awareness and research. Not only that, she used to actually visit folks suffering from AIDS in the hospital.

She wasn't just slappin' some stupid ribbon on, she was doing actual work for a cause she believed in, and they gave her a rash of cr*p over some piece of cloth. Boggles the mind.

As for escapism sci-fi programs are usually good for getting away. Mysteries also do it for me. I can get lost in the puzzle and quit thinking about real life problems for awhile. Musicals also just make me happy. Love to watch people just burst into song and dance for no apparent reason.

That's why I love Joseph. It's a rather peppy musical with different music types from typical stage musical to country western and disco with a little bit of Elvis thrown in. My mom made sure I watched all the MGM musicals as they were shown on tv as well as Shirley Temple films.

I couldn't get my boys to watch musicals. The only one I got them hooked on was Chicago....for obvious leggy-type reasons.

Not even Seven Brides for Seven Brothers? Forgot to mention the Jeannette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy films which I grew to love too I guess I have to get TMC to watch those these days.

Nope. Tried as I might, they couldn't get into them. I have a daughter-in-law now that I can share them with. I also have a brother who loves musicals, so I'm not completely alone.

Just watched Bob Fosse dance in My Sister Eileen the other night. Pretty impressive!

Of course one could wonder if the wiping out of the message boards at the BBC has led those that commission such plays to believe that they can now go ahead and continue with their 'programme' which annoying listeners seem to object to, because they cannot help but look at the message board, even though they knew it would be fruitless - if looking for praise.

And then there has been the summer months where the repeats are populating the schedules more then usual, it has had some rewarding repeats mind you, like in the evening on R4 after 11.00 p.m., but parliament will be back soon to take over that slot.

But yes, it would be great if they could use their imagination and delve into other writers of detective fiction then the usual suspects, I enjoyed the Joyce Porter "Dover" plays that made the Saturday afternoon slot with Kenneth Cranham,- something like that would be my cup of tea.
And I am sure there are plenty of stories around like those, but they do not seem to fit the criteria for what is deemed suitable, which is odd in a way as technology tells us everything is possible.

The messageboard question was raised when the decision came down to close them. There's certainly merit to it, imo. Seems as though if you're not a Twit you don't get heard. At least from the blog posts I've read. They always seem to quote someones Twitter post, and I don't recall reading much about an e-mail they've received. If they have it's not very often.

Someone in a message board I belong to took exception to being called a Twit. I don't belong to any of those things so I am not sure if she is reacting to being called a Twit or she's just sensitive about such things.

We've talked about all this before. If they cut off a means of communications they won't have to listen to people who only have that means to communicate. Whatever "wrong" the BBC is doing won't be called out by people who don't know it's "wrong" and the corporation will continue to short change and cheat the license payer.
"

What else do you call someone who uses Twitter?

One of the things I object to about political correctness is that it is ony applied when it suits certain people. In 2010 the UK introduced a new equal opportunities act (forget the exact name) which outlawed , amongst other things, discrimination against older people, (Although I do not know if it specified at which age one becomes "older") and forcing them to use IT if they did not want to! A lot of "older" (or just old fashioned, conventional or just cautious) people have reluctantly learned limited use of had email and may manage Message Boards, but are very uncomfortable and feel insecure with blogs and twitters or whatever they are called.

It seems to be that the BBC (with the connivance of the British Government) has quite deliberately and with malice aforethought (AND according to the Act illegally) cut off access by the middle class, middle aged, middle brow class that used to be the main audience and backbone of Radio 4, as well as with the mainly higher brow listeners to Radio 3 and the more politically astute listeners to Radio 4 and World Service. In my opinion this (borne out by the Message Boards) this is because most BBC employees to do have the mental capacity to cope with such listeners,

Never mind emails, I wonder what the BBC would do if they actually get a real life letter! Sling in straight in the bin, or frame it and put it in a museum?
l