How Many Dave's Do You Know?- let's do a poll... (The Dave Channel)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	The Dave Channel
Date:	22/12/08 (151 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic Repeats and Original Programming

Disadvantages: N/A

Gone are the days when TV channels were simply named with a number, and nowadays we are subject to a wide variety of oddly titled stations. Found on Freeview channel 19, 'Dave' is probably the oddest of them all, named because apparently "everyone knows a bloke called Dave" (I think I know at least four of them).

With the slogan "The Home of Witty Banter", The channel was previously called 'UK Gold 2', and made its Freeview debut along with its new name at the end on 2007. The broadcaster is now as popular as it ever has been, and estimates daily averages at around 3 million viewers.

Most people assume Dave only shows repeats of shows which have been on other channels, but that isn't the case. The station also commissions original programming, including 'Batteries Not Included' - a gadget show with John Cleese, which is usually quite entertaining, and 'Argumental', a topical panel game featuring captains Marcus Brigstocke and Rufus Hound.

Dave is also the place to view some classic BBC shows - 'QI', 'Mock the Week', 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks', 'Dragons' Den', 'Have I Got News For You', plus many more repeats, are shown - either a few weeks, months, or years after their original screenings. Obviously, being a commercial channel, Dave features regular advert beaks, which sometimes cut in at rather odd times. This is understandable however, as the original BBC shows weren't designed to be split up for breaks.

In conclusion, if there's nothing worth watching on the main channels, I will generally switch on Dave to see what's going on. Sometimes they show back to back episodes of a certain programme - for example, I once watched five QI's in a row - which gave me a chance to catch up on the one's I had missed first time around. The shows specifically made for Dave are of a higher quality than I expected, and both 'Argumental', and 'Batteries Not Included' are always fun to watch.

Summary: Decent Channel