Just the direst TV (Children In Need)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Children In Need
Date:	16/11/01 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: It's crap

CHILDREN IN NEED DAY ... the most hated day of the year as far as I am concerned...

Now before you start slagging me off for being a right tight fisted old git, let me just point out that I'm not talking about the money giving side of things - that's irreproachable and it's a great advertisement for the generosity of the Great British Public that each year they provide such a massive sum to be invested in children.

No, what my problem is with Children In Need day is the abysmal state of the BBC's television output on this particular day, in many ways it is absolutely unwatchable. Certainly chez dave27 always makes a point of checking out what's available on the other channels because what gets served up on BBC1 is without exception so irredeemably bad that you'd have to be a zombie to find it of any interest.

One can understand it, of course. It's all done for charity and there's generally lower standards applied to the project than other stuff in terms of quality – all very sensible and laudable and reasonable – EXCEPT…..

Then THEM UPSTAIRS see fit to foist the whole unseemly mess upon us, for the whole of the evening, with no break or variety or anything of any quality to leaven the mixture. It’s appalling, it’s unwatchable and it’s a great shame.

You get ‘special editions’ of favourite shows, which are uniformly dull and boring, you get all manner of celebrities doing unspeakably embarrassing things, and you normally got the spitefully abhorrent Terry Wogan pulling it all together with his smug little one liners and inherently objectionable pieces.

I’m not sure whether I can say this any more plainly than I already have … Children In Need is an exceptionally good cause which always generates millions of pounds for very worthy causes, but it has wasted its showcase on television and does nothing more than annoy an awf
ul lot of people, who are left with little choice but to buzz off down the pub, only to be pestered by people collecting for the thing.

Okay, subjective rant over….

Children In Need, the BBC marathon TV programme lasts most of Friday evening whenever the actual day is sometime each November. It splices together programmes from the national broadcast with a load of regional variations which show what is going on in your area.

It always concludes with the announcement of the initial sum pledged and it ALWAYS somehow manages to beat last year’s record sum, amidst huge cheers.

It manages to attract reasonable audiences but they are subjected to relatively formless and valueless fare which I can take or leave. And tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be suitably drunk and humbuggish

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