[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

Oh ITV is fucking shit.


Full of shit, shit, and more shit.

Oh ITV is fucking shit.


http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-09-27-itv-confuses-ira-attack-with-arma-clip

[dave]

No shit sherlock. ITV has always been shit. I recon you could count the number of decent ITV programmes ever on the fingers of one hand. Touch Of Frost, obviously.

[tomtom]

No shit sherlock. ITV has always been shit. I recon you could count the number of decent ITV programmes ever on the fingers of one hand. Touch Of Frost, obviously.

Touching Cloth more like... they've shadazzled up their act in the last year or so with some more drama's... but the case against is strong. For the prosecution I present Xfactor, Britains Got Talent, Im a wanker send me into the Jungle and Million pound trouser drop. I rest my case m'lud...

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

They did once do stand out television though.

Randall and Hopkirk [Deceased]

The Avengers.

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

And

[slackline]

Err, isn't most TV (subjectively!) wank these days anyway?

It doesn't matter though as we've all got more channels than we used to have to choose from (and more than anyone needs anyway), and can record and watch back what we do want to watch don't think is wank when we want via PVR/on-line.

Monumental cock-up on ITV's behalf though (although I bet there's some geek having a right laugh at pulling it off).

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

Err, isn't most TV (subjectively!) wank these days anyway?

It doesn't matter though as we've all got more channels than we used to have to choose on, can record and watch back what we do want to watch when we want via PVR/on-line.

Monumental cock-up on ITV's behalf though (although I bet there's some geek having a right laugh at pulling it off).

No. There's some good stuff on, surely?

(I don't have a television, so only tend to see it when I'm staying away somewhere.)

Downton Abbey - every bit as good as The Forsyte Saga, for example?|

[slackline]

The good stuff are the bits that people record and watch at their leisure though.

The ratio of wank to quality has increased with the proliferation of channels.

Can't beet BBC Nature though, churning out quality documentaries for decades 

[dave]

Actually they did also have the Sketch Show, which was a bit hit and miss but had some bangers:

Downton Abbey - every bit as good as The Forsyte Saga, for example?|

Aye, its as good as any costume drama every made.

Which means its still shit.

[tomtom]

Downton Abbey - every bit as good as The Forsyte Saga, for example?|

Aye, its as good as any costume drama every made.

Which means its still shit.

+1

[grumpycrumpy]

They also had Jeeves and Wooster ........ Which had one of my  all time favourite  title sequences ......

[moose]

Personally, I think ITV's much improved compared to, say 5 years ago and most people who blanket criticise its output haven't given any of it a chance on principle or prejudice. 

Okay, it broadcasts a hell of a lot of reality-show moron fodder but you're not forced to watch it in these days of catch-up TV etc.  What's important is the decent stuff it does broadcast and ITV have definitely been investing a lot in original drama of late: lots of 2-4 part short run stuff that's usually watchable and occasionally very good.  Marchlands, Collision (written by Anthony Horowitcz) and Injustice were interesting. 

Some of their detective dramas, whilst formulaic as all these things are, are often perfectly watchable too.  Scott and Bailey was their best recent one: strong female characters who were'nt the usual ball-braker cliches and a fairly interesting story.  Whitechapel was at least a try at something different (League of Gentleman meets Taggart?!).  Maybe I've got low standards, but frankly, when I'm knackered from work, I just want a pre-bedtime diversion, so I'm perfectly happy to watch anything entertaining and competant enough not to make my eyes bleed.  So, in that respect stuff like DCI Banks, Kidnap and Ransom (I'm a sucker for ranty Trevor Eve performances) and Vera have been okay.  I'm making no great claims.  None of this stuff is the Wire, or the Shield, or Madmen, but sometimes that's not what I want and ITV's efforts are frankly no worse than the BBC's.  Christ, that the Body Farm on BBC on Tuesdays - unbearable, even for the purposes of background noise whilst I'm reading...

Oh and ITV does Tour de France coverage too.