Michael Portillo is taking another of his excellent 'Great British Rail Journeys' for the BBC. Now I enjoy these gentle trips through the UK along rail lines old and new. These days I find more enjoyment from this than from a great many 'popular' programmes, most of which I consider to be rubbish! However as I watch I am annoyed by two things, and it takes a lot to get me annoyed! As the programme begins they waste two minutes and forty eight seconds telling us what is about to happen, and at the end of the programme another minute or so is wasted with what will happen tomorrow - JUST GET ON WITH IT MAN!
The other thing is the more important one today, his handshakes! Portillo is constantly meeting people, getting off trains, in fields, at stations, in buildings and on each and every occasion he greets them with a handshake as if they had met for the first time, rubbish! Almost, but not always, they have waited for thirty minutes while the cameraman worked out his angles and background, then they march together full of false greetings, STOP IT!!! You are wasting time with false politeness and absurd realism. JUST GET ON WITH IT MAN!
I like this programme and Michael is giving us some good documentaries on both TV and Radio these days but for goodness sake cut the crap man!
I've finished now....
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4 comments:
I agree with all of this. They are excellent programmes apart from the time wasting bits you've mentioned.
I think that the West Highlands may be coming up later and, given where Michael's been so far, a distillery must surely be on the agenda.
It does show that some ex-politicians can be rehabilitated and perform useful work in the community...
"It does show that some ex-politicians can be rehabilitated and perform useful work in the community..."
Well put! :)
Two minutes and 48 seconds? I have visions of you sitting there with a stopwatch. Don't forget the non-BBC ones with ads in the middle. They spend the time coming up to the ads with what is coming up, and the time after the ads with what has just happened. I sometimes reckon there's about 5 minutes of actual programme, but I don't have a stopwatch so I may be wrong.
A, You are indeed right! That is something that has crept in during recent years, possibly so the programme can be sold TO THE YANKS!:)
I do use the BBC IPlayer a lot. There are few programmes I watch now and many are on channels I canny get these days. There are minutes noted on the bottom of the picture.
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