Orange Girl World

Coming from America, state sponsored television is a bit of an odd concept.  It takes a while to get used to the fact there are no ad breaks and you have to wait until the show is over for a bathroom break or to fix a snack.  However, the one thing that won me over to paying a license fee  is the stellar reputation of the BBC.  However, there is no doubt that reputation has become a little tarnished.  Earlier this week David Cameron proposed putting a freeze on the rate of the license fee, and after watching some programs you got to think that he might have a point.

For example: the entire output of BBC3.  I could comment on it, but I won’t because it’s so bad.  I will, however, highlight one show that was on last week – Lauren Laverne hosting a show about Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.  Did they make this show on a dare?  Did the BBC think it would be a good idea to put the hellish dregs of their output together in an unholy alliance?

I could also point out the Comic Relief coverage.  Comic Relief is a great idea and supports great causes.  I contributed to the record breaking amount they raised this year, but I am sure that people only donated in the hopes that the would stop the Comic Relief shows early.  The celebrity Apprentice was deeply fake and nowhere near as funny as the real thing.  Top of the Pops was weird and distinctly un-top-of-the-pops-like.  Even with David Tennant hosting, I couldn’t watch it.

On the either side of the coin, here’s one reason I am happy to pay the license fee no matter how much it is – Baroque! on BBC4.  No one can do art programming like the BBC.  The only shame is that they hide away such top notch programs on BBC4.  Surely, it should be on BBC2.