Speak
When you are young,
Everything you say is true;
Seeped in meaning that's
Too clever for you.
When you are older,
The words aren't yours;
When you find them buried
In your CD drawers.
When you are old,
Everything you say is true;
But bloated with experience,
Who will listen to you?
Friday 5 June 2009
My Big Big Brother Rant In The Form Of An Open Letter
Dear Channel 4,
Now, to start off, this is not a rant that is anti-Big Brother. I don't hate Big Brother. There have been years where I have followed it, enjoyed it even. I see the appeal - laughing at stupidity, picking sides in arguments, water-cooler moments; and all the better because it's not fictional. I get that. I do. My rant is about you, Channel 4.
Now, again, love Channel 4. Queer As Folk, Hollyoaks, Friends, Desperate Housewives, ER... the list of shows I would never have seen without Channel 4 goes on for a LONG time. And it is by far the channel I watch the most. Hell, I was brought up on Jon Snow on Channel 4 News as his jazzy ties and Paxman attitude. But... with Big Brother, we fall out.
I understand the Big Brother show. I understand BBLB. I can almost get with the Big Mouth programme if I pretend the concept is not instantly annoying. And, again, I do not hate Big Brother. And I love you with my whole TV watching heart. Truly. But why do you destroy your E4 schedule with constant, mind-numbing Live Coverage?!
I get that maybe you have it constantly on digital, so people can choose to plug in at any time; or constantly streaming online in case your at your desk and want to be sure nothing monumental has happened, but deep down hope it has so you can tell everyone and be the hero. But turning E4 into a constant stream is annoying on so many levels.
Even when I watch Big Brother, I detest Live Coverage. The fun is the hour-long heavily-edited segment where you don't have to watch people brushing their teeth or cooking pasta. I trust your editors to show me the best bits, and cleverly edit it to show me who I should evict. So I find it hard to believe enough people are constantly watching Live Coverage that it is worth moving my shows around on E4.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you'll reply with viewing figures that contradict me. But the shows you put out every other day of the year must have viewers. Loyal viewers, who make up the basis on which your channel exists. And you are betraying us to people who will leave you when Big Brother ends? It's not right.
I don't have Sky+ out of choice, but now, thanks to your scheduling, I am prevented from watching Gilmore Girls, Friends, Scrubs et al at the times in which I have become accustomed. In fact, I will miss weeks of Gilmore Girls episodes entirely because some of us have lives which prevent us watching at 1.30 in the afternoon!
I just thought I'd let you know one girls opinion. For me, it is sad that a channel I hold so dear to my heart is taking away my opportunity to follow a show they helped me fall in love with. And that I will have to find other ways to spend that time other than watching death-defyingly dull Live Coverage.
I don't care if Big Brother goes on indefinitely into the void of time and space: just sort out how you present it to us! Because there are so many others ways to make Live Coverage successful and accessible than ruining the enjoyment of the many who do not wish to watch it.
Grace Organ
Loyal E4 Viewer
Now, to start off, this is not a rant that is anti-Big Brother. I don't hate Big Brother. There have been years where I have followed it, enjoyed it even. I see the appeal - laughing at stupidity, picking sides in arguments, water-cooler moments; and all the better because it's not fictional. I get that. I do. My rant is about you, Channel 4.
Now, again, love Channel 4. Queer As Folk, Hollyoaks, Friends, Desperate Housewives, ER... the list of shows I would never have seen without Channel 4 goes on for a LONG time. And it is by far the channel I watch the most. Hell, I was brought up on Jon Snow on Channel 4 News as his jazzy ties and Paxman attitude. But... with Big Brother, we fall out.
I understand the Big Brother show. I understand BBLB. I can almost get with the Big Mouth programme if I pretend the concept is not instantly annoying. And, again, I do not hate Big Brother. And I love you with my whole TV watching heart. Truly. But why do you destroy your E4 schedule with constant, mind-numbing Live Coverage?!
I get that maybe you have it constantly on digital, so people can choose to plug in at any time; or constantly streaming online in case your at your desk and want to be sure nothing monumental has happened, but deep down hope it has so you can tell everyone and be the hero. But turning E4 into a constant stream is annoying on so many levels.
Even when I watch Big Brother, I detest Live Coverage. The fun is the hour-long heavily-edited segment where you don't have to watch people brushing their teeth or cooking pasta. I trust your editors to show me the best bits, and cleverly edit it to show me who I should evict. So I find it hard to believe enough people are constantly watching Live Coverage that it is worth moving my shows around on E4.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you'll reply with viewing figures that contradict me. But the shows you put out every other day of the year must have viewers. Loyal viewers, who make up the basis on which your channel exists. And you are betraying us to people who will leave you when Big Brother ends? It's not right.
I don't have Sky+ out of choice, but now, thanks to your scheduling, I am prevented from watching Gilmore Girls, Friends, Scrubs et al at the times in which I have become accustomed. In fact, I will miss weeks of Gilmore Girls episodes entirely because some of us have lives which prevent us watching at 1.30 in the afternoon!
I just thought I'd let you know one girls opinion. For me, it is sad that a channel I hold so dear to my heart is taking away my opportunity to follow a show they helped me fall in love with. And that I will have to find other ways to spend that time other than watching death-defyingly dull Live Coverage.
I don't care if Big Brother goes on indefinitely into the void of time and space: just sort out how you present it to us! Because there are so many others ways to make Live Coverage successful and accessible than ruining the enjoyment of the many who do not wish to watch it.
Grace Organ
Loyal E4 Viewer
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