On Fri, 12 Dec 2003 10:59:32 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote:

snip

As these programmes progress through their allotted hour, one can see
the producers' - and scriptwriters' - minds at work. All such
programmes comprise deliberate peaks and troughs, the most blatant of
which currently is the "No Going Back" series on Channel 4. It is
almost laughable how one can predict with uncanny accuracy when the
next ad break (on ITV/Five/Channel 4) is coming up, as there will be a
sudden downturn in the family's fortunes. And then the ads are over,
and, magically, the problem is solved! Everything is once again
sweetness and light, and the intrepid family are now marching onward
and upward on the sunlit uplands of progress... yada yada yada.

Another 15 minutes and boom! Another calamity, another ad break. And
to think that there will be many thousands of viewers all lapping it
up and nodding sagely into their cardigans, "How brave, how very, very
brave..."

And me and the Missus sitting there shouting "you ****ing idiots" at
the telly every 10 minutes when another 10 grand of savings is lopped
off the family's savings as the result of another boneheaded decision


"ah yes, we're going to up sticks to a remote part of the Tuscan
countryside to do (waves finger in the breeze) countryside tours, and
we're going to use local builders who are obviously very reliable 'cos
they have been on all the other programmes and they'll do our bidding
in (waves finger in the breeze) a month when in reality there's 3
months of work to be done but never mind we're going to be open in 10
days"

I wonder if there's a questionnaire you have to fill out before they
come to film you:

1) are you mind-numbingly naiive and being led by the man of the
house? (this week's was a typical example)
2) have you seen the other 'no going back' shows?
3) do you speak the language of the country you're going to?
4) are you **** with figures and planning?

If the answers they get back are yes no no yes then you're in!
--
cheers,

witchy/binarydinosaurs