Do we live in a golden age of television?

[Bernanke]

Toby Jones is great in everything he's in.

[Baz]

It is indeed very good. Plex says three series and a special? Where does the special slot in please? No spoilers.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

There are two specials.

One just after series 2 and the second is after series 3.

[Baz]

:lewis:

[Lofty]

Truly incredible that they handed the film role to Cruise.

Episode one he seems to be exclusively battering black fellas so far :uhoh:

[Manc]

Liam Neeson would have been perfect.

[Yevrah]

I saw a clip of it on Youtube yesterday involving the lead foiling a car jacking with no subtlety whatsoever, resulting in numerous breaks and fractures for the perp. Must admit, tempted me to get involved.

[phonics]

I'm watching Warrior. It's great. Boardwalk Empire with kung fu and tits.

[Lofty]

My main issue with season 2 of Reacher is I preferred it when he was an unknown quantity to everyone around him rather then a little squad all giving him a blowjob. Still, it's quite good. The action is always brutal.

[Raoul Duke]

Most of the other books are him going solo and sorting shit out. Usually with a (hot female) sidekick.

[Baz]

Season 2 of Detectorists didn’t hold my attention half as much as the first. First Christmas special tonight though.


Usually with a (hot female) sidekick.:henn0rz:

[Giggles]

Series 6 of The Crown wasn't anything close to as bad as all the reviews said.

[Lofty]

It really suffers from being pulled into the Diana black hole so can't live up to the quality of earlier seasons where they neatly married a wider national historical event with an internal Royal issue that often mirrored each other in some way. That seemed to have all gone out the window once the Diana show started.

[SvN]

Series 6 of The Crown wasn't anything close to as bad as all the reviews said.

Agreed. I just watched the first 3 episodes, and said to my wife that given the landslide of negative reviews were based on the first 4 episodes, the fourth episode must be a fucking stinker.

[Lewis]

Is it actually worse, or do people just remember the actual events covered in the latest series, so they've suddenly realised how much they exaggerate/make things up?

[Spikey M]

Another show I've only heard women aged 30-50 talking about until now.

[niko_cee]

:D

I was going to chip in that this was one of the most tragic exchanges I've seen on here.

And I include recommend me a hoover talk in that.

[Lofty]

It may surprise you to learn some of us are married to women aged 30-50. My Steam deck can only block some of it out.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've finally started watching Black Mirror. Refreshing in that it isn't (yet) American, I cannot swallow that accent at the moment. First two editions not bad, I presume there is better to come.

[hfswjyr]

Not all episodes are the same quality, but that show still has some of the most interesting concepts to be put on television. Nothing really compares.

[Giggles]

It may surprise you to learn some of us are married to women aged 30-50. My Steam deck can only block some of it out.

I don't think my Mrs has ever seen an episode so I can't blame her.

[Yevrah]

I watched some Reacher season 1 the other night, it’s crap.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Giggles liking The Crown while I think it's embarrassing pap is certainly an interesting dynamic.

[Giggles]

I'd have that as pretty normal. It's mindless entertainment, whereas I'd have you down for more of a documentary type thing on them.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't really want to know anything about them, accurate or otherwise, except that they're still there and the reds haven't taken over.

[Spikey M]

So you're a royalist that doesn't care about the Royal Family? That's an interesting position.

[Lofty]

I watched some Reacher season 1 the other night, it’s crap.

I mean it's a faithful adaptation of the books, which I always regarded as a bit of literary sorbet to cleanse the palate between heftier genre tomes. James Bond on steroids and short clipped sentences rammed full of gun porn.

[Boydy]

Believes in the institution, doesn't care about the gossip. Makes sense to me.

I want to know when they're gone and the reds have taken over. But I will lol at the embarrassing nonce stories and so on along the way.

[Jimmy Floyd]

So you're a royalist that doesn't care about the Royal Family? That's an interesting position.

Yep. Put a crown on a massive pepperami for all I care as long as that is head of state and not President Boris Johnson / Tony Blair / Danny Dyer.

[Alex]

I like The Crown too Giggles, and am also not watching it under any female duress. I didn't think it was that odd a thing to enjoy, to be honest.

Although thinking about it the only other person I know in real life who likes it is my 63 year old mother. :D

[Baz]

All the boring people at work like The Crown so I’m surprised by its fan base on here.

[Spikey M]

Believes in the institution, doesn't care about the gossip. Makes sense to me.

I want to know when they're gone and the reds have taken over. But I will lol at the embarrassing nonce stories and so on along the way.

I think we'll see a Far Right government before we see a red one.

And by "Far Right" I mean slightly right of centre.

[Boydy]

I think we'll see a Far Right government before we see a red one.

And by "Far Right" I mean slightly right of centre.

We'll see full on fascism in this country before we see mild social democracy.

[Bernanke]

First two seasons of The Crown are immense. Lithgow as Churchill is also fantastic.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Never seen a second of The Crown, I thought it was for old women.

I did recently watch Bodies on Netflix which is alright. Lot of plot holes and the ending lets it down though.

[niko_cee]

Been watching a lot of Horrible Histories recently which must be one of our greatest televisual exports.

Then noticed one of them pop up in the Here We Go Christmas special, a show I have never heard of, which was really quite good for a prime time BBC1 comedy effort.

And there was another one, albeit a more famous one, in that Wonka film as well, two if you include Rowan Atkinson.

[mo]

You may well enjoy Ghosts then, niko.

HH has gone to shit since the original cast left.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, seen a bit of Ghosts and it's alright, again noticing all the HH folk.

Think I must be on a terminal loop of the original cast editions on iplayer.

[Spikey M]

I've just seen they're bringing Little Britain back. Why?

What's the point? It wasn't funny the first time around and they won't be allowed to do any of the shit they were doing back then anyway. Blacking up and playing OTT American Black women? A Trans-woman asking for moustache dye? Fat Fighters? A disabled woman licking people and shouting "EHHH EHHH EHHH". Even Vicky Pollard would get the mob going.

It's just going to be dull sketches about safe topics. What's the point?

The only positive that can come from this is hopefully the younger generation will find some of the old clips and get David Walliams cancelled.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Because it's existing IP and you'll get at least 7 people watching as opposed to the churned-out gunk on netflix.

[Baz]

Speaking of which, has anyone bothered with the new Ricky Gervais standup?

[Spikey M]

I haven't watched a stand up comedian for atlest a couple of years.

[Giggles]

They all just have podcasts now.

[SvN]

I could tell you the 5 jokes Gervais makes in his newest show without watching it.

[Yevrah]

I watched the Gervais thing last night and SvN's basically nailed it with that comment. There are a couple of interesting points he makes, but so much of it is a rehash of a rehash and I didn't laugh much.

[Baz]

It was better than his last one but leaned too heavily on the offensive to some = funny, rubbish.

And he had a pair of socks down his crotch for some reason.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67826592

Amazon is set to introduce adverts to its Prime Video streaming service from 5 February 2024.

Customers in the UK and Germany will see "limited" ads unless they pay £2.99 per month to remove them.

Absolute horseshit.

[Lofty]

The cunts already put ads for their own tripe at the start of stuff. Like Now TV wanting you to pay to use their streaming service then they bang a load of ads in when you start watching something. They'll cry about piracy though.

[John Arne]

Haven't Amazon made something stupid like $50bn cumulative net profit during the past 20yr? How fucking greedy are they? That said, I did read that is your remove the AWS business, the e-commerce business still isn't profitable :/

[Spikey M]

The thread may need a rebrand at this point.

I'm thinking: "Oh, TV is shit too now".

[Lewis]

Haven't Amazon made something stupid like $50bn cumulative net profit during the past 20yr? How fucking greedy are they? That said, I did read that is your remove the AWS business, the e-commerce business still isn't profitable :/

That isn't a lot of profit for a company that can deliver any and all shite to your house in a day.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Now they are in competition with a load of crazed Chinese drop shipping scams, I imagine they will be really stressed for cashflow soon. All empires fall.

[Foe]

Capitalism is capitalsm.

I made a similar point at work recently (as I was pointing out we were making shit loads of profit but intent on doing a load of not-done-before stuff to try and make it a little bit better) and the leader person I was speaking to was a bit taken back I think. I think at higher levels they must get it droned into you daily that whatever number you bring isn’t good enough.

[Baz]

Does anyone actually watch much on Prime? I’m probably spoiled by being on a top Plex server, but it seems like Netflix and Disney are far more popular. Primes app UI is absolute garbage too.

[Giggles]

I have Prime TV twice, once with my TV provider and the other from the Prime delivery, and I think I've only ever found 3 things to watch on it, maybe 4.

[Giggles]

Disney
Apple
Netflix
Paramount
Prime

In that order for me.

[phonics]

Now they are in competition with a load of crazed Chinese drop shipping scams, I imagine they will be really stressed for cashflow soon. All empires fall.

As John Arne said, that’s not where they make their money. They make their money from being the back end of the entire internet at large. If Amazon disappeared tomorrow a good 98% of it would stop working.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I have Prime but more for the delivery shit.

I use it quite a bit, I've watched the following on there:

The Boys, Gen V, Wheel of Time, Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Handmaid's Tale, Clarkson's Farm, James May shit and Invincible. Oh and football when it's on.

Definitely behind Disney and Netflix for me. I'd absolutely just pirate the stuff I wanted to watch if I didn't happen to have Prime. I might even do so in order to escape the ads.

[Giggles]

We don't get the EPL stuff on it here because Premier Sport have the Amazon and TNT rights sewn up.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

They'll be leaving Amazon anyway as they didn't bid.

In the UK the games will only be on Sky and TNT.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Capitalism is capitalsm.

I made a similar point at work recently (as I was pointing out we were making shit loads of profit but intent on doing a load of not-done-before stuff to try and make it a little bit better) and the leader person I was speaking to was a bit taken back I think. I think at higher levels they must get it droned into you daily that whatever number you bring isn’t good enough.

I have this regularly with customers, especially in places like Spain and Portugal. They are often family-run businesses who just want to make their money so that the family continues to live well. The same profit every year is fine for them. We on the other hand must grow eternally, and if the customer isn't doing 10% more than last year they need to be assaulted until they do.

I think it's partly a Protestant-Catholic cultural thing, with US and UK very much beholden to the former, while the latter involves a distinct lack of personal freedom and a lot of touching kids so I think on balance I'll stick with us, but still, you know what I mean.

[Waffdon]

Can’t believe they’ve brought on some disabled lass from the audience on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year. She can barely even speak

[Giggles]

Isn't that Channel 4's main thing?

[niko_cee]

:D

I was going to post yesterday wondering is it bad that I can't watch anything with Rosie Jones on or in it.

[Waffdon]

It’s unwatchable. Mel and Katherine Ryan on it as well to top it off

[phonics]

I have this regularly with customers, especially in places like Spain and Portugal. They are often family-run businesses who just want to make their money so that the family continues to live well. The same profit every year is fine for them. We on the other hand must grow eternally, and if the customer isn't doing 10% more than last year they need to be assaulted until they do.

I think it's partly a Protestant-Catholic cultural thing, with US and UK very much beholden to the former, while the latter involves a distinct lack of personal freedom and a lot of touching kids so I think on balance I'll stick with us, but still, you know what I mean.

"The Market" valuing growth over revenue is the core reason absolutely everything in the world is complete shit.

[Spikey M]

My friend works for a mortgage company and they managed to lose half of their staff inside a month last April, when they announced 2 things:

1) a reduced annual bonus owing to the cost of living crisis and the expectation of the business struggling over the coming year.

2) An increase in the dividend payment for shareholders.

Top, top capitalism. *chefs kiss*

[randomlegend]

:D

I was going to post yesterday wondering is it bad that I can't watch anything with Rosie Jones on or in it.

Unbearable. Watching her on panel shows with the other guests waiting for her to stumble through a shit joke before forcing out a laugh is horrific.

Who the fuck is going to watch her standup?

[Shindig]

The people who pity her, probably.

[Spikey M]

I prefer her to Katherine Ryan tbf.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Fuck off with the Katherine Ryan slander.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The Rosie Jones thing I find quite an interesting conundrum. A huge part of comedy is timing and delivery - I'm not going to say it's impossible to achieve those things while speaking like she does, but I'd say it's incredibly difficult, especially when you're in something like a panel show setting where there's loads of back and forth, and everybody else is on a completely different rhythm to you. I'd say that with the way she speaks she is by definition bad at panel shows. Her own stand-up, more possible to make work I think.

Is that fair? No, but life isn't fair. I can't be a pro basketballer or painter because I'm too short and lack talent. Rosie Jones can be a great comedy writer and, with difficulty, could I suppose in theory be a comedy performer but I don't think she can ever be good on panel shows.

She would probably say fuck you putting up barriers in front of me. I think that's how a lot of people think because of all the race and gender stuff that's drummed into us. You can't do it with every minority position.

[randomlegend]

Is that fair? No, but life isn't fair. I can't be a pro basketballer or painter because I'm too short and lack talent.

This is the crux of it.

[Spikey M]

It's 2023. Inclusivity matters above everything, including the enjoyment of entertainment. Yay.

[Yevrah]

The Rosie Jones thing I find quite an interesting conundrum. A huge part of comedy is timing and delivery - I'm not going to say it's impossible to achieve those things while speaking like she does, but I'd say it's incredibly difficult, especially when you're in something like a panel show setting where there's loads of back and forth, and everybody else is on a completely different rhythm to you. I'd say that with the way she speaks she is by definition bad at panel shows. Her own stand-up, more possible to make work I think.

Is that fair? No, but life isn't fair. I can't be a pro basketballer or painter because I'm too short and lack talent. Rosie Jones can be a great comedy writer and, with difficulty, could I suppose in theory be a comedy performer but I don't think she can ever be good on panel shows.

She would probably say fuck you putting up barriers in front of me. I think that's how a lot of people think because of all the race and gender stuff that's drummed into us. You can't do it with every minority position.

I saw her on Live at the Apollo and I could barely understand what she was saying. It's absolute lunacy that she's booked for a gig like that and I'd be genuinely curious to know how her solo stand up tour has gone.

[niko_cee]

It will have gone great as all the people in attendance are there in some sort of performative arsehole capacity. Or they suffer from the same thing and find it empowering/entertaining/whatever. Or, alternatively, all sorts of terrible comedians seem to go down well with the masses so there is always the chance that tastes are generally poor.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I can understand everything she says but I just don't find her funny. As Jim says it's about timing and delivery which she doesn't have.

Lost voice guy is a much better disabled comic.

[Spikey M]

Comedy- as with society - has just been ruined by everything being polarised. As such, everything either has to be "woke", which is just unfunny people talking about how they're massive victims, on a stage, earning a fortune, bless 'em. Or the performatively "unwoke" (asleep?) like Gervais who is just making a living saying "we're not allowed to say that anymore" whilst, you know, saying the shit he's apparently not allowed to say.

It's all very boring. Creativity is completely dead at the moment. Mainstream Music, film, TV, comedy, is all dross.

[Jimmy Floyd]

There's lots of creativity but none of it gets made because the money doesn't like to take risks.

[Yevrah]

It won’t matter anyway as having seen ABBA Voyage recently I glimpsed a dystopian future where nothing new will ever break through again.

[niko_cee]

I'm off to watch Basic Lee at the start of February so am hopeful all comedy isn't dead. His last show was a bit of a game of two halves though.

[Spikey M]

It will be resurrected at some point. This stuff always comes in waves. It wasn't long ago - as per the tread title - that we were enjoying ground breaking stuff, it's just that the industry leaders got their hands on "the formula", made it safe and ruined it like they always do. The same happened with Rock, Punk, Hip Hop, Grime, etc. Something new and interesting will pop up at some point.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm off to watch Basic Lee at the start of February so am hopeful all comedy isn't dead. His last show was a bit of a game of two halves though.

My sister said that it was good but the front row was full of weirdos who go and see his show every week, and he spent most of it genuinely berating them (as opposed to the act berating he always does).

[igor_balis]

When there's dozens of actually good stand-ups with shows online, I have no idea why anyone who isn't an idiot would choose to watch a Gervais show. He was never a good stand-up, and he's not even made a good tv show since extras, and that's being quite kind to the pretty shit second season of that.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I reckon he got quite lucky with The Office. I can't really explain why, since I revere it as one of the best couple of sitcoms ever made and has stood up to countless rewatches, but everything in his career since then points to the Office being his luck / someone else's judgement. Either that or he just ran really hot for a year.

Afterlife is complete, and I mean complete shite.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

It's all down to Merchant.

He's the real genius.

[Lewis]

What genius stuff has Stephen Merchant done since The Office?

[niko_cee]

That Christmas thing he did was alright.

Wasn't the office just a perfect collision of cast and concept?

Everyone peaked on the 11 o'clock show. Downhill from there.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Merchant isn't a genius. It's just possible that at a certain time and place in certain circumstances, that combination of people came up with something quite briiliant and the chances of that happening twice for the same people are remote. Also I think Martin Freeman's Tim did a huge amount of heavy lifting at times, without that character it's basically some zany jokes.

Gervais's success in America (in that he has made shit tons of money there) is a bit of a mystery to me. I suppose he must have an outsider thing going on that we can't see.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

What genius stuff has Stephen Merchant done since The Office?

Hello Ladies was very good.

Although looking at his Wiki page that's about it. I retract my genius comment, it seems they need each other.

[Giggles]

The Americans probably felt they owed Gervais something after going and improving the Office. Not a difficult one in fairness.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The American Office isn't a patch on the UK one.

[niko_cee]

Never watched it, but I would imagine it's more watchable in a light entertainment sense. The Office is just relentlessly excruciating.

[John Arne]

The Office US seasons 2-6 are fantastic. After Michael leaves it drops off a hell of a lot.

[igor_balis]

I reckon he got quite lucky with The Office. I can't really explain why, since I revere it as one of the best couple of sitcoms ever made and has stood up to countless rewatches, but everything in his career since then points to the Office being his luck / someone else's judgement. Either that or he just ran really hot for a year.

Afterlife is complete, and I mean complete shite.

Aye, I know people just have shit taste, but i can't work out why people like it so much. Especially when you hear that it helps grieving people and how 'relatable ' Ricky's terrible two dimensional self-insert protagonist is - like, sorry to gatekeep your own grief there, guys, but are you a fucking spaz? I don't think it's an overstatement to say that these idiots deserved whatever horrible tragedy they suffered in their personal life.

[randomlegend]

:D

[igor_balis]

My ex also said she thought Derek was really relatable because she was a nurse, which was possibly even more baffling.

[Spikey M]

Being a victim is the fashion accessory of the decade. The beauty of Afterlife was that it gave anyone that's ever lost a loved one a chance to tweet / insta / Facebook post about thenlmselves, their loss and how they're the biggest victim in the world ever.

All those "hope ur OK hun?" replies flowing in? Beautiful.

[Mike]

Never watched it, but I would imagine it's more watchable in a light entertainment sense. The Office is just relentlessly excruciating.
They’re very different shows. The American one is an easy to watch, multiple times, in the background show. The UK one is a masterpiece but I wouldn’t want to binge it.

[Kikó]

I've liked Gervais stand up in the past and he can deliver some decent jokes but the last two Netflix clips I've seen seem to suggest he just likes to take the easiest path and punch down. I've never really liked anything he's done sitcom wise -the bits of extras I've wasted are ok, Derek not seen and afterlife was unbelievable garbage.

Karl going abroad was excellent though

[Spikey M]

Karl going abroad was "punching down" too.

I think when I'm King of the Universe that might me one of the first terms I throw in the bin. This mindset of not being able to challenge ridiculousness because it's coming from a Trans-person or a "person of colour" is half the reason the world is such a festering shithole at the moment.

[Lewis]

He should stop punching down against everything that every major institution believes and do more jokes about starving kids and the religions I don't like.

[Spikey M]

He needs some new material desperately. The last 2 I watched were basically just him reliving his Twitter E-victories against Trans-people and repeatedly bringing up Caitlyn Jenner. I don't care if he's punching up, down or doing windmills, there's only so many times you can trott out the same tired bollocks before even your fans get bored of it.

[Lofty]

His award show trolling was amusing.

[Kikó]

He should stop punching down against everything that every major institution believes and do more jokes about starving kids and the religions I don't like.

Exactly.

[Yevrah]

Karl going abroad was "punching down" too.

I think when I'm King of the Universe that might me one of the first terms I throw in the bin. This mindset of not being able to challenge ridiculousness because it's coming from a Trans-person or a black woman is half the reason the world is such a festering shithole at the moment.

He's not even challenging trans people but more the ludicrous group of people who think JK Rowling is the worst person in the World. It's clear as day that's where he's coming from so it's disingenuous to claim he's punching down.

The Office was brilliant, Extras very good (but probably of its time) and After Life was alright until Season 3 where it turned into a saccharine mess. His stand up has been pretty good, up until the last two which have been shit and as you say, in desperate need of new material.

He's made a load of money in the US because he's a genuinely funny individual. His Golden Globe performances were great and I still maintain (when introducing Sir Mel) "I like a drink as much as the next man, unless the next man is Mel Gibson" is a line that's up there with the very best.

[Lewis]

Meet Ricky Gervais was mega as well (or was when I saw them years and years ago) to say him and Merchant seem to be ashamed of it.

[phonics]

I still maintain (when introducing Sir Mel) "I like a drink as much as the next man, unless the next man is Mel Gibson" is a line that's up there with the very best.

Really?

[Yevrah]

Nah, you've changed my mind.

[Manc]

The main problem with shit comedians (Rosie Jones included) is that they pop up everywhere. Cooking shows, podcasts, book clubs, quizzes (hosting or contesting), late night talk shows. It's fucking relentless.

[SvN]

Saw this on the RickyGervais subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/rickygervais/comments/18tikpx/i_met_ricky_and_asked_him_about_after_life_he/) and it genuinely made me lol. You'll need to be an Extras fan to understand it.


I met Ricky and asked him about After Life. He sounded like Patrick Stewart...

Ricky - "So I play this guy who's wife is dead and I run into these street thugs and I hit one with a tin of dog food but before they run off, I've called them c**ts."

Me - "OK. It's a comedy, is it?

Ricky - "No…… It's about what would happen if my power fantasies were possible".

Me - "What's the story though, what's the....?

Ricky - "Well, I do other stuff like there are these other street thugs riding their bike and I grab their hammer but before they ride off, I've called them c**ts."

Me - So it's mainly you going around calling people c**ts?"

Ricky - "Mainly..................And I do other stuff like I play squash with my brother in law and he's 20 years younger and 10 stone lighter and I wish I was able to beat him and suddenly I am. And I score the winning point, and I'm drinking and vomiting and my brother in law starts having a heart attack but before the ambulance comes...."

Me - "You call him a c**t?

Ricky - "Instantly"

Me - "Sure"

Ricky - "And he doesn't know what's happening but I've called....."

Me - ....."him a c**t...."

Ricky - "Again"

Me - "Good....is there a narrative at all, is there like a story in the show, or is it just...."

Ricky - "Well I'm a sort of James Bond figure...."

Me - "Right..."

Ricky - "And I have to walk around my town because everyone loves me and they're all women telling me I'm amazing, even though everything I say and do is horrible. And one of them is on a bench calling me an angel, two are in the office saying they love the story about my dead wife"

Me - "They've turned lunatic"

Ricky - "Yeah because I've been talking about her for so long"

Me - "That can happen. Well good luck with that. I've just written a sitcom. I wondered if you could give it to anyone you know?"

Ricky - "Is there any swearing in it?"

Me - "Not really"

Ricky - "Oh...." (looks downcast)

Me - "Well there could be"

Ricky - "C**ts or f**ks?

Me - "Either"

Ricky - "Errh..." (looks downcast)

Me - "Well, just c**ts"

Ricky - "RIght" (beaming smile)

[Manc]

S5 of Fargo is brilliant.

[phonics]

Nah, you've changed my mind.

You'd enjoy Don Rickles.

[Lewis]

'Why is he here, is the war over?'

[Jimmy Floyd]

'Fool Me Once' on Netflix. Absolute tripe, but strangely enjoyable, and I could watch Adeel Akhtar in anything.

[Waffdon]

And Michelle keegan.

Joanna Lumley not so much

[Jimmy Floyd]

Joanna Lumley's scenes are all in one room and clearly done in a single afternoon after about 10 sherries. A magnificent turn from her. Michelle Keegan keeps saying WHYYY in that Karl Pilkington Manc way and leaning over tables to show her cleavage. Ep 4 sees a Chinese shrink called 'Dr Wu' (I swear every Chinese person on TV is called Dr Wu) pointlessly introduced to complete all the major ethnicities. It's pure Netflix.

[Waffdon]

The show just feels like every other Harlan Coben show. Utter shite but alright to binge over an evening or two

[Manc]

'Fool Me Once' on Netflix. Absolute tripe, but strangely enjoyable, and I could watch Adeel Akhtar in anything.

Back to Life is well worth a watch.

[Boydy]

Finished season 3 of Slow Horses. It's so good. Gary Oldman is brilliant.

[Baz]

My dad was raving about that. He’s watched it through twice now. Might give it a go.

[Ben]

We're just onto the last episode of series 1. Agreed it's great, Gary Oldman is magic.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've wanted to watch that for a while but there are only so many monthly subscriptions that can be justified.

[hfswjyr]

I thought the recent season was the weakest to date (too many bangs, too little spy craft for my taste), but still very easy watching.

Almost finished The Crown, just four episodes to go. I think the critics are right that the final season is not as strong in terms of storylines, but it's still a good watch.

[Lofty]

Yeah I feel like they got a bigger budget and went a bit Spooks with it, hopefully the next storyline goes back to it's roots a bit.

[Alex]

I've wanted to watch that for a while but there are only so many monthly subscriptions that can be justified.

I recently got a three month free trial of it by signing up for "Currys Perks", which itself was free to sign up to. I assume it's some sort of reward scheme for the store in question. I just immediately opted out of the emails a soon as I had got the Apple trial though, which came through after a couple of days.

https://www.currys.co.uk/perks.html

It would appear they are still doing it.

[wullie]

I've watched the first episode of Fool Me Once, based on how much the Irish chap has been in it as a cheery friend he's got to be the big baddie. I've not seen or read any Harlan Coben stuff before so I hope it's just the schlocky nonsense I'm expecting rather than stupid supernatural stuff based on the weird cult bit at the very start.

[Boydy]

I thought the recent season was the weakest to date (too many bangs, too little spy craft for my taste), but still very easy watching.

Yeah, fair point. I did think the end of season 3 was a bit unrealistic but I still very much enjoyed the whole thing.

[Yevrah]

Mr Bates vs. the Post Office is excellent and the story truly horrifying. All involved from the Post Office senior management should be in prison.

[Lofty]

It's mental they don't have to involve the police in prosecutions.

[Shindig]

At some point they need an accuser to come forward before they can do owt.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Mr Bates vs. the Post Office is excellent and the story truly horrifying. All involved from the Post Office senior management should be in prison.

I need to find time for this to see if Toby Jones can maintain his 100% record (obviously he will).

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

'Fool Me Once' on Netflix. Absolute tripe, but strangely enjoyable, and I could watch Adeel Akhtar in anything.

I've started on this and I'm 3 episodes in now.

I'm not sure why I enjoy it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I'm midway through 7 now, it's almost like there are two concurrent shows going on with Adeel absolutely acting himself off the screen, and everyone else putting in the most wooden turns imaginable.

The intermittent car product placement gets the biggest laughs.

[Waffdon]

Still don’t get the point of the Irishman in it all.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I wouldn't mind being wrapped around Michelle Keegan's little finger tbh.

[Yevrah]

1 episode down for me and absolutely with the absolute tripe but enjoyable take.

There's something about Harlan Coben adaptations that mean they're always littered with characters who don't seem real and not in the unbelievable sense (as that's a given) but more that they're being played by aliens or robots pretending to be humans.

[Yevrah]

I need to find time for this to see if Toby Jones can maintain his 100% record (obviously he will).

He does. He basically plays the same character in everything he's ever in, but fuck me is he good at it.

[Yevrah]

I wouldn't mind being wrapped around Michelle Keegan's little finger tbh.

You want her to finger your arsehole?

[phonics]

The irony of this miscarriage of justice being brought to the forefront is that, isn’t this exactly the same period where that postman managed to nick like 6 million quid from the post office to bet on under 16 Taiwanese tennis?

[Lewis]

He does. He basically plays the same character in everything he's ever in, but fuck me is he good at it.

'Vaguely disabled-looking man'.

[Lofty]

I need to find time for this to see if Toby Jones can maintain his 100% record (obviously he will).

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was a low point.

[Bernanke]

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was a low point.

As Sir Christopher said, "Every actor has to make terrible films from time to time, but the trick is never to be terrible in them.".

[Yevrah]

Into the 7th episode of Fool Me Once and it's turning from enjoyable bilge into interminable bilge.


Joanna Lumley's scenes are all in one room and clearly done in a single afternoon after about 10 sherries.

This is soo bang on. :D

[Jimmy Floyd]

The 8th and final episode is absolute pure nonsense. I got to the end though so I suppose that is to its credit.

[Yevrah]

I'd assumed it was 10 episodes, so 8 is excellent news. On the final straight.

[Baz]

Why you all watching it if it’s no good?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Because it's strangely gripping.

[Yevrah]

The 8th and final episode is absolute pure nonsense.

Fuck me, isn't it just.

I've just realised there's another 4 or 5 of these Coben things on Netflix I haven't seen. :eyemouth:

[Jimmy Floyd]

As mentioned earlier it is / they are the purest distillation of the Netflix drama model. Gripping plot with more holes than a moth-eaten Emmenthal. One big name, a couple of recognisable faces phoning it in and a few fit birds/hunks dressed in upper-mid range fashions. Every ethnicity and sexuality represented to make sure no viewer feels excluded (no lesbian in this one, though could have missed one). Vast amounts of product placement. Quick cuts and vast cuboid houses in pastel colours. Kitchen islands the size of Sicily. Crucially - and this is the most important bit in many ways - fictitious and generic world-building. You cannot afford to establish a realistic sense of place, as this will only serve to alienate some viewers. You're not going for the relevant national market here, you're going for generic viewer from generic country because Netflix is everywhere and Netflix is everything. Stay indoors, glued to your sofa. You are a unit of humanity, you are a potential statistic, and you must retreat unto yourself.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Oh so much lol at episode 7.

[Baz]

Has anyone watched Loudermilk. Saw a clip on Instagram and it looked okay.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

The eighth episode :lol:

[Waffdon]

Fuck me, isn't it just.

I've just realised there's another 4 or 5 of these Coben things on Netflix I haven't seen. :eyemouth:

Do not watch The Shelter on prime.

[Yevrah]

Oooh, there's a new series of the Tourist out. I quite enjoyed the first one and loved how dark as fuck it was.

[Waffdon]

Oooh, there's a new series of the Tourist out. I quite enjoyed the first one and loved how dark as fuck it was.

Watched it last night.

Not great. Full of hilarious wannabe Irish gangsters. Like a shit BBC rip off of Kin (BBC needs to hurry up and release that 2nd season)

[phonics]

+1 for Slow Horses is fantastic. Ripped through 2 seasons in 48 hours.

[Lofty]

Oooh, there's a new series of the Tourist out. I quite enjoyed the first one and loved how dark as fuck it was.

I don't even know how it merits a second season, never really struck me as anything other than a one shot.

Season 4 of Slow Horses should just be just 6 hours of Jackson Lamb abusing everyone, whilst being a mess. Fuck the exotic locations, that's the real gold.

[Kikó]

I can't get past how much Jackson would stink.

[Lofty]

Top, top spycraft.

[Yevrah]

It's staggering how much good (and rightfully so) this Post Office tv drama is going to do, to the point where I'm struggling to recall anything similar that's had as big an impact.

[Jimmy Floyd]

With the newspaper industry having been whittled down to a grotesque husk of itself, and TV news lacking the patience for nuanced and detailed stories like this, ones concerning ordinary people like this that lack the eyeball hook of a famous name, is there any other way of holding the powerful to account other than making drama or very accessible TV docs about their wrongdoings? Especially in an era when people are not going out and reading or finding things out for themselves and require their entertainment to be shovelled into their homes for them.

Obviously even then you have to be able to convince a massive network to put your show on the air, which must stack the power games against you as well.

[Lofty]

Especially when one of the Royal Mail culprits now works for ITV.

[Kikó]

It's genuinely disgusting that it took a TV programme to make the police do something about this considering it's been non stop reported on for ten years (especially by PE). What a disgrace of a situation.

[Spikey M]

Can someone get on with making an ITV Drama about Epstein Island please?

And yes, It is some rage inducing TV. Unbelievable that they are STILL using the same system, too. How could anyone have any faith in it?

[Yevrah]

I think the most refreshing thing about it was that in a World where almost everything made these days comes with a MESSAGE, the directors/producers/actors in this had clearly kept at the front of their minds that first and foremost they were making a piece of entertainment and that the more people were entertained, the more the message would land. Many others could take note of this.

[Yevrah]

It's genuinely disgusting that it took a TV programme to make the police do something about this considering it's been non stop reported on for ten years (especially by PE). What a disgrace of a situation.

Another thing that absolutely has to happen is that their powers to prosecute people without involving the police need to be revoked.

[niko_cee]

It's good to see a bit of heat coming on to Crozier, a man who has failed upwards his entire life and is pretty much a poster boy for everything that is wrong with the way the executive world works in Britain. Jobs for the boys. I remember lolling about his role at Royal Mail to someone seconded there in the early 2000s when they were still in their ludicrously lavish Unilever Building riverside offices in the wake of whatever shitshow he'd just overseen at the FA. Taxpayer value for money and all.

Also lol at Gillian Keegan's husband being CEO/Chairman of Fujitsu for some of the latter period. Absolutely mired.

Apparently there is also some stuff going around that internal policies stated certain 'types' were more likely to be dishonest.

Will be interesting if any of the professional standards bodies, chiefly the SRA, end up doing anything about the people they are apparently investigating or have had referred to them. Self-reg probably says no, but there has clearly been some industrial malfeasance by quite a lot of people along the way, so it would be good to see at least a few sacrificial lambs up against Boydy's Wall.

[niko_cee]

Although, on the subject of the programme, as good as it was, it did seem a bit naughty that most of the central legal actions where made to appear as if they were contemporaneous with the general timeline of the piece, ie from the formation of the action group/the computer weekly piece etc in around 2009/10, and therefore under the stewardship of this hapless Vennells character, when they were mostly from the early/mid-2000s when she was probably shilling hard somewhere else. Also interesting that both central evil characters are women and at one point it is commented "aren't there any men at the post office?" or some such. Interesting narrative choice, unless there weren't.

[niko_cee]

For fans of all things miscarriage of justice:

1744630555797291226

[Dquincy]

On that post office tv show, Radio 4 did a great podcast series on it a couple of years ago with recent updates. Definitely worth a listen.

The Great Post Office Trial - BBC Radio 4

[Kikó]

For fans of all things miscarriage of justice:

1744630555797291226

It's a complete travesty.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, it's all completely batshit, along with some of the other stuff getting ranted about on twitter. The unfairness of the bottomless pockets of the state versus no help for, essentially, victims. Institutionalised abuse of process, institutionalised arse covering.

One of the interesting things about the post office thing is that the early period of it clearly demarcates the transition between the ability of a large body to effectively cover something up and the reality of the modern information age which makes it all but impossible. Broadband becoming commonplace in the early 2000s and then the growth of social media in the latter part of the decade made it impossible to isolate indivudals form each other. They had a means to know they weren't the only ones. I wonder, if in a similar way, the growth of the whole crowd funding thing hasn't taken another string from the bow of those who seek to surpress and cover up by legal means. The sub-postmater mob could probably raise tens of millions of pounds to cover legal costs on the back of this latest round of publicity. In a similar vein a reasonably small youtube channel [c.1m subs] was instrumental in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help with this case (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-67447254), although it was all for nought in the end as the government always has the power to not just change the rules of the game but deny participation in it entirely if they want. For all the shit that social media has inflicted on the world, and in balance it probably is still a bad thing, it has done some good things too.

Unfortunately I suspect the unfettered wild west of an internet which evened the playing field somewhat is probably going to be degraded over the next 10 years or so, if it hasn't already been, meaning we'll never get to a point where simply trying to lie and delay and cover something up isn't the go to option for most organisations.

BBC should commission a show about the commissioning of the Mr Bates show and cast Crozier as the central bad guy making sure he isn't in any of it.

[Jimmy Floyd]

The conspiracy-sympathising part of my brain, a very small part, has often wondered if the Musk twitter takeover wasn't mainly about closing it off as a democratic avenue. It certainly hasn't made much business sense, let's put it that way.

[Lofty]

Ironically on the crowdfunding point professional internet clown Man Behaving Dadly tried to piggy back onto this by setting up a GoFundMe campaign independent of the main one for some reason and was rounded on so quickly he deleted his entire internet prescence :D

[Kikó]

LegalGengar is killing some real grifters - it's heartwarming.

Re: Musk / Twitter. I think he wanted to use it for the big data opportunities (for his shitty AI) and then also relive his dream of having a payments platform while also having a place where everyone thinks he's cool. Unfortunately he's failed on all of them and X is now a spam bot and porn ridden website.

The right to compensation thing is crazy as it asks you to prove you're innocent which is a very high burden to prove without doubt (and completely swings the justice system after you've been exonerated.)

[niko_cee]

Under the system every person on the planet is presumed guilty unless they have an ironclad/evidence-able alibi. :happycry:

And for what? To save a few million quid a year?

[Yevrah]

He’s admitted as much no? Which may well be arse covering given how it’s gone.

Jim

[hfswjyr]

It's interesting to me that even though Musk has managed to almost single-handedly kill twitter/X, as far as I can see the userbase hasn't shifted anywhere. It looks like Threads isn't catching on, and nothing else has risen to take it's place.

At the end of the day, the whole thing just seems superfluous? What did we need this particular platform for anyway?

[Jimmy Floyd]

Connecting / information sharing. I find it very useful / interesting because I can read in one place what all kinds of different people are thinking and saying about different subjects.

[Don]

Real-time information dissemination fuelled by memes means it's engaging enough to withstand most bs criticisms, it'd need a big change like charging users for them to move to another place. These things presumably only die when they stop getting the new generations to engage.

[Giggles]

I've got access to BBC again for the first time in 2½ years. Richard Osman has really changed.

[phonics]

Its absolutely useless as a community now because the first 45 replies are ChatGPT replies trying to make 0.000000003 cents per impression or porno bots. Every post looks like this within 3 seconds of it being made

https://i.imgur.com/iHR4lRY.png

[Jimmy Floyd]

We need a posting moratorium on Richard Osman, I feel like penning a 3,000 word hit piece every time anyone mentions his name.

[Manc]

Raced through The English in recent days. Without a doubt one of the best shows the BBC has ever made.

[Bam]

I can't see the problem with that Phonics.

[Spikey M]

Liked and followed.

[wullie]

Finished Fool Me Once and agree with everyone saying it's addictive nonsense. Do all the other Harlan Coben things follow the same pattern of endless cliffhangers and twists that eventually render the previous episodes pointless?

[Waffdon]

Pretty much. Some are okay and some are beyond bad

[Boydy]

This new Gladiators is gonna be a bit shit if regular people don't stand a chance against these roided up freaks.

The old gladiators weren't that bad, were they?

[Waffdon]

Mattdoesfitness :cool:

[Ian]

The old gladiators weren't that bad, were they?

I reckon they were still pretty huge just not as obviously shredded. Given these lot on as contestants are all gym rats it's probably not that big a difference when you think a lot of the old contestants were, like, somebody's dad who jogs.

[niko_cee]

Yeah, they were as bad, but there was always Wolf to even it up.

Diamond. :drool:

Not sure the early evening softcore element of the original is so much of a draw in 2024.

[randomlegend]

From a quick google image search reminder, the old ones look as big if not bigger on average.

[phonics]

One of them comes in my shop all the time. She is massive.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/944xn/p0h2t5pj.jpg

[Boydy]

Yeah, had a look too and so they were. Fair enough.

I think it was mostly that game at the start where the guy got knocked off the podium after two seconds that made me think it was gonna be shit. The rest has been alright.

[wullie]

I like the gladiator who was described as moody in his little video and just spends the whole time putting a mean face on.

[Spikey M]

Is there a disabled and a trans-gladiator?

[niko_cee]

Have they made the eliminator much smaller or am I just bigger now?

[randomlegend]

Yeah, had a look too and so they were. Fair enough.

I think it was mostly that game at the start where the guy got knocked off the podium after two seconds that made me think it was gonna be shit. The rest has been alright.

I mean that specific gladiator - Giant, aptly - is just massive by current or 90s standards.

[Ian]

I have to say I enjoyed Gladiators there. They got the vibe right and basically just made it a lot like the original barring some new events.

Hopefully they bring back The Wall.

[wullie]

Not sure Bradley Walsh's son should be there, rabbit in headlights look about him

[Boydy]

I have to say I enjoyed Gladiators there. They got the vibe right and basically just made it a lot like the original barring some new events.

Hopefully they bring back The Wall.
Yeah, same. I only put it on because it happened to be on when I was flicking through the channels and I thought I'd see what it was like. Ended up enjoying it.

[Ian]

And it's not just the nostalgia talking because while I watched the last reboot they did I did also immediately recognise that it felt a bit off-brand.


Not sure Bradley Walsh's son should be there, rabbit in headlights look about him

He has zero charisma. Looks like a wish.com Stuart Broad too.

[Shindig]

I reckon they were still pretty huge just not as obviously shredded. Given these lot on as contestants are all gym rats it's probably not that big a difference when you think a lot of the old contestants were, like, somebody's dad who jogs.

Liverpool Housewife Eunice Huthart.

[Jimmy Floyd]

They've done amazingly well with it when you think what must be involved in getting a show commissioned and produced these days. All the slightly camp fun of yesteryear.

[Lofty]

One of them comes in my shop all the time. She is massive.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/944xn/p0h2t5pj.jpg

Have you not took your shot at seeing her cigar cutter?

Walsh's son is the ultimate nepo kid, his entire existence is defined as son of Bradley, no solo achievements to his name.

Was there any shithousery tonight? The leg greasing controversy in the original was top tier.

[randomlegend]

One of the gladiators cheated on one of the events and got disqualified, but it felt a bit contrived.

[wullie]

He was the mean one with the face on, although one of the other ones seemed to be playing the villain in the interview as well. Can't have two, if they're going proper old school there can only be one Wolf.

[phonics]

Have you not took your shot at seeing her cigar cutter?

Walsh's son is the ultimate nepo kid, his entire existence is defined as son of Bradley, no solo achievements to his name.

Was there any shithousery tonight? The leg greasing controversy in the original was top tier.

I could barely look her in the eye she was so much more alpha than I'll ever be. Was like a woman from the Amazon walked in. Jane Reacher.

[Kikó]

I reckon they were still pretty huge just not as obviously shredded. Given these lot on as contestants are all gym rats it's probably not that big a difference when you think a lot of the old contestants were, like, somebody's dad who jogs.

Shadow wasn't only jacked but addicted to crack. Wouldn't fancy that chasing you down.

[Don]

I'll give this a watch, certainly after that Phonics linkage.

[Kikó]

https://youtu.be/NT1tXqxNVUU?si=ZvQJDIeIGPoXTf1V

[Lofty]

I could barely look her in the eye she was so much more alpha than I'll ever be. Was like a woman from the Amazon walked in. Jane Reacher.

:wub:

Immense.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Into S3 of Lupin, enjoying it so far although it does still have that Netflix silliness. The lead is so good though that it seems to be able to power through even the silliest plot points.

[Ben]

Oh I didn't know a third one was out. Lovely.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://youtu.be/NT1tXqxNVUU?si=ZvQJDIeIGPoXTf1V

He looks like he's had a night out with Waff.

I went to a recording of the old Gladiators as a kid, it was immense.

When Wolf came out :drool:

[Kikó]

How lupin can be a man who creeps around unnoticed when he's a fucking Wall of a human is another one of those things that's hard to suspend for.

[phonics]

Into S3 of Lupin, enjoying it so far although it does still have that Netflix silliness. The lead is so good though that it seems to be able to power through even the silliest plot points.

When I moved house the Netflix put the dubbed version on and it was so bad it was almost racist. The actual stuff though is pure class. I love heist shows in general but that's a goodie.

[phonics]

Meanwhile I'm onto Season 2 of Reacher I am in love with Dixon/Serinda Swan. I would die for her.

[Jimmy Floyd]

When I moved house the Netflix put the dubbed version on and it was so bad it was almost racist. The actual stuff though is pure class. I love heist shows in general but that's a goodie.

If people are voluntarily watching things dubbed then there's nothing I can do for them.

[Ian]

Shadow wasn't only jacked but addicted to crack. Wouldn't fancy that chasing you down.

Funny thing is I genuinely remember from the time how the people I knew who also liked Gladiators talking about Shadow looking so intense when staring people down at the start of doing Duel. Then we learned why he never fucking blinked. :D


Into S3 of Lupin, enjoying it so far although it does still have that Netflix silliness. The lead is so good though that it seems to be able to power through even the silliest plot points.

Elba in Luther sort of situation? A show that's probably naff on its merits propped up by a charismatic lead?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I wouldn't say it's naff. It's a heist show though so you just have to suspend your disbelief the odd time, but it definitely wouldn't be anywhere near as fun without him.

If you haven't watched any of it I would definitely give S1 a go.

[Lewis]

He looks like he's had a night out with Waff.

I went to a recording of the old Gladiators as a kid, it was immense.

When Wolf came out :drool:

I went to a recording of itm and I remember not understanding why it felt like fucking forever between events when it was so quick on the telly. I think it got to about eleven when my parents had the bright idea of lying to me and my brother that they filmed the Eliminator another time and we only had tickets for that night.

[Ben]

Watched it last night.

Not great. Full of hilarious wannabe Irish gangsters. Like a shit BBC rip off of Kin (BBC needs to hurry up and release that 2nd season)

Me and the wife have just watched the first episode.

What the fuck. It’s mental. :D

[Dquincy]

Meanwhile I'm onto Season 2 of Reacher I am in love with Dixon/Serinda Swan. I would die for her.
Absolute babe. And she's 40 this year.

[Waffdon]

Me and the wife have just watched the first episode.

What the fuck. It’s mental. :D

Kin or Tourist?

[Ben]

Kin or Tourist?

Tourist (series 2). It's like they mashed together all the James Bond plots whilst on acid so far.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I've never watched Love Island but I might have to start:

1747009672828125318

:drool:

She is incredible.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Some meaty tackles in Powerball (the best event) here.

[Ian]

There was a decent Rock Bottom at the start too.

[Ian]

"I'm a one trick pony!.. No, wait..."

You're meant to say you're a whole field of ponies, mate.

(RIP Baggs the Brand.)

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

She's made up for it with a reverse worm.

Scotty 2 Hotty would be proud.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

A coal carrying champion?

Also, Sabre, Diamond and Fury :wub:

[niko_cee]

Do you think they specifically don't pick contestants who are absolute units? They must apply. Would love to see a Jonah Lomu type in powerball. Would just absolutely wreck the Gladiators.

[Ian]

https://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/showthread.php?3173-Fuck-it-let-s-have-a-Gladiators-thread

This deserves it's own thread.

[Don]

Binged through Big Boys yesterday on All4. Very solid bit of TV and boys bumming boys wasn't the main focus which is ofc very rare in this day and age.

Season 2 is out. A few episodes through, not quite as good but well worth a watch.

[Lofty]

Started True Detective Night Country having not seen anything since the first series and whilst it sets up a strong premise it has been infected with this new trend of using slowed down covers of songs as the soundtrack (also see The Traitors) and it is very distracting. Given the perma night Alaska setting they could have just Bear McCreary-ed it to better effect.

[Bernanke]

Fargo S5 is great. I found Juno Temple incredibly annoying in Ted Lasso but she's amazing in this.

[Manc]

Jennifer Jason Leigh stole the show imo.

[Ian]

Started True Detective Night Country having not seen anything since the first series and whilst it sets up a strong premise it has been infected with this new trend of using slowed down covers of songs as the soundtrack (also see The Traitors) and it is very distracting.

I believe it was car adverts that really started this incredibly tedious trend of slowed down versions done by waifish sounding girls like they're about to faint.

[niko_cee]

Not John Lewis back in the mists of time [or even Donnie Darko/Gary Jules]?

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've never understood how the music industry manages to recruit so many sub 5 stone female singer-songwriters, all called things like Ainsley Luche and Patty Guedes, all wearing woolly hats regardless of the prevailing climatic conditions, who all have identical weak and breathy singing voices that without being within 1mm of professional sound recording equipment could probably only be heard by bats.

[Shindig]

Game trailers still trade heavily in slow cover versions. Just Cause 3 (or was it 4?) coming out to a country version of Firestarter was probably the worst/best.

[Dquincy]

I really like the slowed down acoustic versions. Don't know anyone would be perturbed by it.

[Bernanke]

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/jan/24/masters-of-the-air-review-spielberg-and-hankss-band-of-brothers-follow-up-is-absolutely-classic-tv

:drool:

[hfswjyr]

Feels like we've been waiting decades for it. Wait, because we have?

Finally out tomorrow!

[Boydy]

Good documentary on channel 4 tonight about the miners strike. Two more parts to come.

[Jimmy Floyd]

My old man, as a young man, briefly policed during the miners' strike. The story I always remember him telling me about it was when they were in some town in Derbyshire, maybe Heanor or Matlock or somewhere like that, and in a particular few streets of terraced housing, where all the miners lived, there was just one old boy who wanted to carry on. In order to go to work every morning, he had to walk from the housing area about half a mile across a park, to where the pit was. He did this every day - half a mile in, half a mile back - and, being a strike breaker, was absolutely despised by the striking majority. At first he just got dirty looks, then after a while spat at and shouted at, and eventually a whole load of them would take their dogs and follow him to work every morning and follow him back. The police, under orders to stop any intimidation of those breaking the picket line, ended up securing the entire park every morning and afternoon, deploying about 30 officers, just so that this one guy could get to and from work hassle-free.

I always thought that to be a perfect microcosm of the whole era in British politics, no matter where your sympathies lie. State power deployed to undermine the solidarity of the workers and enshrine the freedom of the individual. I find it quite moving. Many probably find it chilling.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Now onto Slow Horses. Utterly sublime.