Has the Dumbing-down of British TV Become a Blight Upon the World? (Slow Decline Beginning c.1976?)

[GammaGlobulin]

Dear Friends,

 

Do you recall what British TV used to be?

British TV was once a gift to the whole world.

 

Here is just one exemplar of what I am referring to:  “Laurence Olivier Presents”, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Olivier_Presents

 

I’m talking about decent SYNTACTIC COMPLEXITY in the script!

 

I’m talking about something fit for the Upper Crust, and don’t be ashamed if you side with the upper classes, My Friends.

 

Here, I am not speaking of pretentiousness in the least, but just a bit of intellectual stimulation which has now become a rare commodity.

 

Why has British TV become so dumbed down since 1976?

 

I believe that this circumstance is directly attributable to the Americans, and their 1976 Bicentennial Celebration of the American Revolution, and the dumb-dumping of good tea into the Boston Harbor.

 

When the British witnessed the dumping of so much good tea into the sea, this became just a step too far, and British TV began its long decline resultantly.

 

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then maybe watch this number from Laurance Olivier Presents:

 

Now do you see what I’m driving at?

 

I wish I could now return to 1976, and then travel to London, and never leave.

I once had the opportunity to remain in England, but chose to return to the US where I spent my university years.

 

It was a toss up at the time, because I had toyed with the idea of engaging in studies at the University of East Anglia, after reading some old novels, back then.

 

I would have made this post longer, as usual, but this morning I am feeling a bit petered out.

 

Regards,

Gamma G.

 

Please Note:  As a true Anglophile, I do not blame the British for becoming a bit miffed at the sight of so much wantonly wasted tea in the sea.

 

Note2:  Here in Thailand, instead of Leo, why not try a Gin and Tonic while watching via UTUBE all of the dramas uploaded on Laurence Olivier Presents?  No doubt, your better half will love these too, maybe even better than Thai Soaps; she might find them!

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

While watching "The Collection", please be on the lookout for the BEAUTIFUL harpsichord (33:25).

 

I think it must be a harpsichord and not a piano.

 

As you know, JS Bach wrote almost exclusively for the harpsichord and NOT the piano, which was, at the time, a newfangled thing.

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Dumbing-down of almost everything.

And don't forget the trigger warnings... 

[JonnyF]

Benny Hill is still doing great in Spain, they love it.

 

https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/world-news/959369/benny-hill-enjoys-a-revival-in-spain

 

The decline has happened in the last few years unfortunately, where political correctness has ruled out most forms of humour to the point that most re-runs need "trigger warnings" and comedians get cancelled or even assaulted on stage for telling jokes. More serious shows/series have also been affected, where historical figures have to be played by someone of the opposite sex, race etc. just so the producers can prove they are "right on".

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Should anyone, these days, be wondering what made Olivier so special, then maybe no need to look any further than this:

 

 

Magnificent!

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

So then....

 

Is the instrument shown in The Collection (1976 Drama) a harpsichord or a piano (UTUBE 33:25)?

 

And, for that matter, what is this:

 

(https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-harpsichord-and-a-piano/)

 

 

Interesting, right?

 

 

 

[bluebluewater]

The "world" does not care one little bit about British TV.  

[Lacessit]

38 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Should anyone, these days, be wondering what made Olivier so special, then maybe no need to look any further than this:

 

 

Magnificent!

 

 

I felt privileged to watch Sir Antony Sher's live performance in Richard III, it was mesmerizing. RIP.

 

TV has always dumbed down, as it caters for the lowest common denominator in the audience. Occasionally a gem is found in the byre's muck.

 

One such example is "Sun on the Stubble", a 1996 coming of age TV serial set in the wheat-farming belt of Australia's Eyre Peninsula.

 

My pet peeve is the canned laughter which is used on almost every American TV show to support the notion it is comedy.

 

 

[brewsterbudgen]

It is noticeable how most truly great TV now comes for the US (Succession, Better Call Saul) or South Korea (Squid Game).  

[GammaGlobulin]

20 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

So then....

 

Is the instrument shown in The Collection (1976 Drama) a harpsichord or a piano (UTUBE 33:25)?

 

And, for that matter, what is this:

 

(https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-harpsichord-and-a-piano/)

 

 

Interesting, right?

 

 

 

This, below pictured, is a piano.

But, have you ever seen a Loooooonger one?

There must be something wrong with the video's ASPECT RATIO, here?

 

András Schiff is even better than...The Ghoul!

 

Leeds was once such a great city.

I used to read old novels which mentioned it.

Now, Leeds is all about football, a sign of our declining times.

God do I ever detest football!

And American football is even worse, by a hair.

 

 

 

 

 

[GammaGlobulin]

41 minutes ago, bluebluewater said:

The "world" does not care one little bit about British TV.  

This is what's wrong with the world, these days, among a few other things.

 

I would have wished to see the culture preserved rather than dismantled.

 

Football has become the new opium of the masses, and I refuse to be drawn in by either religion or football.

Football, and the reporting of football, should be banned on the BBC.

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[GammaGlobulin]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I felt privileged to watch Sir Antony Sher's live performance in Richard III, it was mesmerizing. RIP.

 

TV has always dumbed down, as it caters for the lowest common denominator in the audience. Occasionally a gem is found in the byre's muck.

 

One such example is "Sun on the Stubble", a 1996 coming of age TV serial set in the wheat-farming belt of Australia's Eyre Peninsula.

 

My pet peeve is the canned laughter which is used on almost every American TV show to support the notion it is comedy.

 

 

Speaking of "muck", I have always felt that we humans have not yet fully raised ourselves out of the swamp.

And now, with AI on the horizon, perhaps we never shall.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by GammaGlobulin

[AAArdvark]

Everyone moved to Thailand and stoped paying the taxes

[Purdey]

There has been a plethora of intelligent TV series from the UK over the years. Not sure which can be classified as dumb.

Prime Suspect

The Thick of It

Killing Eve

Luther

Yes Minister

Sapphire & Steel

Every Le Carre drama

Mastermind

 

 

 

[sqwakvfr]

Compared to American TV shows British content is still Golden.  From Inspector Morse and then Lewis to Line of Duty and Doc Martin reruns are better than the crap that comes from ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox.  Oh yeah and the classic BroadChurch with the great David Tennant and Olivia Coleman(the next Judi Dench) are shining examples of great television and acting. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by sqwakvfr

[LALes]

Corporate control of all Western media for 40 or 50 years has resulted in the dumbing down of the cultures.  Especially evident in this century with the express intent of making a world full of ignorant wage slaves.  Pravda and Izvetsia could only dream of such total control of the populace.

[Gandtee]

On 7/18/2023 at 9:39 AM, GammaGlobulin said:

This is what's wrong with the world, these days, among a few other things.

 

I would have wished to see the culture preserved rather than dismantled.

 

Football has become the new opium of the masses, and I refuse to be drawn in by either religion or football.

Football, and the reporting of football, should be banned on the BBC.

 

 

Having left England over thirty years ago I had been lucky enough for over fifty years to experience good TV drama. Dramas that gave food for thought and in an English language that was clear and understandable. Much the same as the films that came out of Hollywood in those days. Nowadays the dialogue is almost unintelligible sometimes. But then maybe, I'm a "It wasn't like that in my days" old <deleted>. I'll be downloading Alan Pinter.????

[Chongalulu]

Plenty of good quality programmes -- plenty of dross too- just as in the old days ,but you have to be able to learn to how to discriminate. AND it's on demand at your convenience.

Sounds like a cry of " nostalgia ain't what it used to be”. 

[GammaGlobulin]

16 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

Plenty of good quality programmes -- plenty of dross too- just as in the old days ,but you have to be able to learn to how to discriminate. AND it's on demand at your convenience.

Sounds like a cry of " nostalgia ain't what it used to be”. 

NOPE!

(But I would balk at being so bold as to say that you have no perspective, because I am sure that you do.)

[thaibeachlovers]

Not just in the UK. TV in NZ has become so appallingly woke and humourless that I will not watch any program made in NZ.

Used to be some excellent shows back in the 70s, but that was long ago.

Also, the ads are so frequent and annoying that even if it's a movie I won't waste my time with NZ TV.

 

At least the BBC didn't have ads when I was living in London, and did have repeats of great shows.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, Gandtee said:

Having left England over thirty years ago I had been lucky enough for over fifty years to experience good TV drama. Dramas that gave food for thought and in an English language that was clear and understandable. Much the same as the films that came out of Hollywood in those days. Nowadays the dialogue is almost unintelligible sometimes. But then maybe, I'm a "It wasn't like that in my days" old <deleted>. I'll be downloading Alan Pinter.????

One of the best dramas that was ever shown on British TV was "Edge of Darkness" with Bob Peck ( not the American remake, which was garbage ) in 1985. I doubt anything that good will ever be seen on tv again.

[PremiumLane]

On 7/18/2023 at 7:53 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Dumbing-down of almost everything.

And don't forget the trigger warnings... 

Fancy being triggered by a trigger warning 

[Walker88]

At least some things are available on YouTube.

 

Here is a 1978 BBC production with the late Julian Bream teaching a Masterclass on playing Sevilla. Watch the last few minutes to fully appreciate what skill and passion are.

 

 

 

It was in the 1980s that BBC had Reilly: Ace of Spies and Rumpole of the Bailey, both of which occasionally appear on some cable channel in the US. The actor playing Felix Dzerzhinsky in Reilly is riveting, while Leo McKern shines in both productions.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Compared to American TV shows British content is still Golden.  From Inspector Morse and then Lewis to Line of Duty and Doc Martin reruns are better than the crap that comes from ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox.  Oh yeah and the classic BroadChurch with the great David Tennant and Olivia Coleman(the next Judi Dench) are shining examples of great television and acting. 

Depends what you like though. Blacklist was very enjoyable. Even CSI was entertaining.

 

Not all newer shows are a waste of time. I liked Game of Thrones as much as anyone. However, I've moved away from western shows to Japanese and Korean ones, which are not yet bogged down with wokeness.

Netflix has a reasonable selection.

[BarraMarra]

On 7/18/2023 at 3:25 AM, brewsterbudgen said:

It is noticeable how most truly great TV now comes for the US (Succession, Better Call Saul) or South Korea (Squid Game).  

lol yes just like the Yanks tried to do Faulty Towers. Everything they have tried to copy from UK TV is abysmal and comes with a Cringe factor of 10. Id like to see the Yanks copying Benny Hill or Till Death us do part.

Edited July 20, 2023 by BarraMarra

[jor]

2 hours ago, BarraMarra said:

lol yes just like the Yanks tried to do Faulty Towers. Everything they have tried to copy from UK TV is abysmal and comes with a Cringe factor of 10. Id like to see the Yanks copying Benny Hill or Till Death us do part.

They did copy Till Death Us Do Part - they renamed it Archie Bunker but Archie was but a shadow of Alf. 

[BarraMarra]

Some Brit TV Shows can never be copied jor. There was a comedy in the 70s called Love thy Neighbour Hillariouse but in today's Snowflake culture it would not be allowed. 

 

[sqwakvfr]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Depends what you like though. Blacklist was very enjoyable. Even CSI was entertaining.

 

Not all newer shows are a waste of time. I liked Game of Thrones as much as anyone. However, I've moved away from western shows to Japanese and Korean ones, which are not yet bogged down with wokeness.

Netflix has a reasonable selection.

Blacklist was an exception and it is now ending after 10 seasons.   James Spader will be missed.  I think the entire CSI franchise has been overdone (the original, Vegas, NY and Miami).  CBS appears to be out of new ideas because some of it's programs are rehashed from the past (Magnum, SWAT, CSI and even the three FBI shows were done before and beforeI).  I have never seen a single episode of Thrones and I dropped Netflix a few years ago and the only show I miss is Fauda.  

[Mr Derek]

That's what happens with multiculturalism. You end up with no culture at all.

Language, idiom and centuries of accumulated sophistication are all dumbed down to cater to the lumpenmass.

[Andycoops]

Thankfully I don't have access to any mainstream UK TV and nor do I want it.

I only watch BBC news and any documentaries and sports feeds, like the current Open that are available on my Truevisions satellite feed.