“Making a programme that appears to condone a positive stereotype actually enforces all the negative ones as well. It says that they all have a valid point. To assert that Americans are naive, Germans humourless and the French arrogant is one thing: they're big enough to take it. But to say that there's a conspiracy of Jewish bankers, that gypsies are thieves, Pakistanis are dirty and refugees are muggers is something quite else.” WellsEnoughBigsOne ThingTelevisionNegativeDirtyConspiracyArrogantThievesStereotypeRefugeeNaiveBankersGypsyProgrammesMuggers Author:A. A. Gill
“Television in the 1960s & 70s had just as much dross and the programmes were a lot more tediously patronising than they are now. Memory truncates occasional gems into a glittering skein of brilliance. More television, more channels means more good television and, of course, more bad. The same equation applies to publishing, film and, I expect, sumo wrestling.” MeanFilmCoursesMemoriesTelevisionWrestlingPublishingEquations1960sOccasionalBrillianceProgrammesGemsDross Author:A. A. Gill
“Do we really require so many gardening programmes, makeover programmes or celebrity chefs?” TelevisionGardeningChefProgrammesMakeovers Author:David Attenborough
“That was the trouble with so many reality programmes on television - everyone wanted fame these days without necessarily working at anything to achieve it.” RealityWantedTroubleAchieveTelevisionFameThese DaysProgrammes Author:M.C. Beaton
“It would be wonderful to become what Oprah has become: she is in such a class of her own, as an entrepreneur, as a performer and an icon. The idea of building a series of programmes and choosing people that I think have talent to do them would be a very interesting idea. I would love to show that television can have soul, depth and range.” PeopleThinkingIdeasSoulShowsWould BeInterestingClassWonderfulTalentTelevisionBuildingEntrepreneurSeriesDepthRangePerformersVery InterestingIconsProgrammesInteresting Ideas Author:Charlie Rose
“In every area, we seem to have thrown everything away and embraced reality television. Its nauseating, programme after programme.” RealitySeemsTelevisionAreasThrownProgrammesReality Television Author:Ken Stott
“If everything on television is, without exception, part of a low-calorie (or even no-calorie) diet, then what good is it complaining about the adverts? By their worthlessness, they at least help to make the programmes around them seem of a higher level.” IfsHelpingSeemsLevelsTelevisionHigherLowsComplainingAdvertisingDietsExceptionProgrammesCaloriesHigher LevelAdvertsWorthlessness Book:America Source: America
“Not long time ago there was a striking example of the extent to which English has diverged: a television company put out a programme filmed in the English city of Newcastle, where the local variety of English is famously divergent and difficult, and the televised version was accompanied by English subtitles!” LongDifficultCitiesCompanyExampleTelevisionLong TimeLocalsVersionsVarietyLong Time AgoProgrammesDivergentNewcastleSubtitles Author:Larry Trask
“There is a tradition of television which isn't dross and stands up. Betjeman's programmes, which were made for 2/6d with one man and a cine camera, were amazing to watch because he was such a great talker.” MenMadeWatchesTelevisionTraditionCamerasOne ManProgrammesTalkersDross Author:Jonathan Meades