BBC license fee proposals...

Basher · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:30

Faustus said:
Drama - The Fall is back later this month to name just one. Comedy, Mrs Browns Boys, Two Doors Down.

I could fill pages and pages of the very excellent programming the BBC produces - need I go on?

Please don't categorise Mrs Browns Boys as comedy.

The BBC make perhaps one decent drama per year - there are hundreds available on Prime/Netflix.

Faustus · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:37

Basher said:
Please don't categorise Mrs Browns Boys as comedy.

The BBC make perhaps one decent drama per year - there are hundreds available on Prime/Netflix.

I have Netflix including access to the overseas versions and with the exception of Longmire and River (which in relation to River) was a Netflix and BBC co-production would absolutely disagree. I want home grown TV not things like Orange is the only Black etc.

SixTwoSix · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:40

Faustus said:
just American import drivel.

Band of brothers is hardly drivel, neither is Breaking Bad but is very marmite.

Tefal said:
We have nothing from.the bbc that compares to say,

Friends,
Game of thrones,
Band of brothers,
Breaking bad,
The walking dead.

Luther, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, The Fall...as good as just about everything on that list.

I can see the argument from both sides.

Basher · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:40

Faustus said:
I have Netflix including access to the overseas versions and with the exception of Longmire and River (which in relation to River) was a Netflix and BBC co-production would absolutely disagree. I want home grown TV not things like Orange is the only Black etc.

Each to their own. The point is that if someone doesn't like BBC content (so chooses not to watch it), why should they have to pay for its production?

413x · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:47

This is the thing.
For entertainment you should not have to pay what you don't consume.
You shouldn't have to pay for the BBC at the expense of all the other channels.

The BBC would die if people simply had the choice to have everything except the BBC or pay for the BBC.
This is what they are trying to avoid.

You pay for sky you get sky.. simple
You get free view for free.. Except for TV licence.

BBC should just be like sky but they can't compete.

It's not the NHS, it's not the police. Its entertainment

Burnsy2023 · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:50

413x said:
This is the thing.
For entertainment you should not have to pay what you don't consume.
You shouldn't have to pay for the BBC at the expense of all the other channels.

The BBC would die if people simply had the choice to have everything except the BBC or pay for the BBC.
This is what they are trying to avoid.

You pay for sky you get sky.. simple
You get free view for free.. Except for TV licence.

BBC should just be like sky but they can't compete.

It's not the NHS, it's not the police. Its entertainment

It's not just entertainment though, it's public information. BBC News both TV and Web, the rest of the BBC website and Radio often inform just as much as they entertain and that's important for society.

Basher · 5 Sep 2016 at 16:52

Burnsy2023 said:
It's not just entertainment though, it's public information. BBC News both TV and Web, the rest of the BBC website and Radio often inform just as much as they entertain and that's important for society.

True, but if you choose not to consume it, why the need to pay? It's not like the BBC is some kind of magical unbiased news service!

413x · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:19

Burnsy2023 said:
It's not just entertainment though, it's public information. BBC News both TV and Web, the rest of the BBC website and Radio often inform just as much as they entertain and that's important for society.

It is a tricky thing. But if it was valued people would pay.
And now there are enough sources of news etc BBC isn't needed (as essentially a tax)

I think everyone knows it's not popular enough to exist like sky. Thus to keep it alive you have to practically forego all live TV etc or pay.
Yes there are ways around it but it's pretty clear that to most people it seems like TV = TV licence.

Tefal · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:22

Faustus said:
I suppose it depends on your age demographic. However, the list of programmes you name above. I wouldn't give any one of them airtime. I would rather have a trip to the dentist for some light relief than watch what you are watching. Oh! and none of them are British, just American import drivel.

fair enough, despite them being some of the most critically acclaimed programs in recent history/now a part of our culture.

Comedy, Mrs Browns Boys, Two Doors Down.

dear lord, Mrs browns boys seems like the result of giving 12 year olds a camera.

Tefal · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:23

413x said:
This is the thing.
For entertainment you should not have to pay what you don't consume.
You shouldn't have to pay for the BBC at the expense of all the other channels.

all the other channels run on technology developed and often fronted by the BBC though.

SKILL · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:25

SixTwoSix said:
Band of brothers is hardly drivel, neither is Breaking Bad but is very marmite.

Luther, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, The Fall...as good as just about everything on that list.

I can see the argument from both sides.

Not watched Peaky Blinders and The Fall, but with Luther and Sherlock whilst both great shows there's a bit of a difference between 10 episodes a year (GoT) or even more, and 3 or 4 episodes every other year.

Frankly the TV Licence for Sherlock and Luther is an absolutely terrible deal, if they had even 6-10 episode seasons and actually bothered every year then maybe but their current output is laughable.

Tefal · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:25

SixTwoSix said:
Luther, Sherlock, Peaky Blinders, The Fall...as good as just about everything on that list.

I can see the argument from both sides.

sherlock was pretty decent granted.

one thing is though nearly all bbc programs just seem pathetically low budget and amateurish.

nothing like the polish and scale of the large network programs.

take even something like firefly, it was quite a small/low budget production yet it managed to come across far better than any bbc sci fi like say dr who despite over a decade of technological advances and a higher budget.

leaskovski · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:30

Tefal said:
What good programing is there on the bbc though?

Theres the occasional decent thing but most of it is mediocre at best, trash at worst.

We have nothing from.the bbc that compares to say,

Band of brothers,

Err, you do realise that the BBC picked up BoB and aired it first in the UK?

Tefal · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:33

leaskovski said:
Err, you do realise that the BBC picked up BoB and aired it first in the UK?

errr you do realise they didn't make it though?

that's my point, content creation.

if its just who buys the rights and broadcasts it then any commercial station could do it.

413x · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:38

Tefal said:
all the other channels run on technology developed and often fronted by the BBC though.

That's fine, bundle it in with the council tax.

Tefal · 5 Sep 2016 at 17:52

413x said:
That's fine, bundle it in with the council tax.

but then the people whop dont use TV serives have to pay too

For entertainment you should not have to pay what you don't consume.

as you said people who dont consume shouldnt pay

stopper · 5 Sep 2016 at 18:05

edscdk said:
how can anyone justify taking so much cash from the public and giving it to a big company?

Because the public have been brainwashed (ironically by TV programming) and scared into allowing governments to control their lives, and they worship money to the point where they will actually pay money, not to have more money taken from them, IE; BBC license, dog **** PCN's, parking tickets, etc.
People are a cash cow, and it starts as low as the BBC license level.

Faustus · 5 Sep 2016 at 22:10

Basher said:
Each to their own. The point is that if someone doesn't like BBC content (so chooses not to watch it), why should they have to pay for its production?

You can say that about taxes is general can't you? There are lot's of things where my tax pounds goes to that I vehemently disagree with but I can't opt out of and so it is with the licence fee.

V F · 5 Sep 2016 at 22:29

Tefal said:
What good programing is there on the bbc though?

Theres the occasional decent thing but most of it is mediocre at best, trash at worst.

We have nothing from.the bbc that compares to say,

Friends,
Game of thrones,
Band of brothers,
Breaking bad,
The walking dead

Etc, on the drama front the bbc is very poor.

On the comedy front they are absolutely appaling.

What is with the BBC and Goodnight Sweetheart as well as Young Hyacinth.

Hyacinth Bucket fans were always going to be a tough crowd to please when it comes to the comedy prequel of Keeping Up Appearances – especially when the original Hyacinth herself Patricia Routledge didn’t even think much of it.

But many viewers settled in on a Friday night with an open mind – and really liked what they saw.

Let alone the horrible canned laughter.

All the comedy stuff feels like something from Johnny Vegas. Cheap and trying too hard.

Faustus · 5 Sep 2016 at 22:31

Tefal said:
fair enough, despite them being some of the most critically acclaimed programs in recent history/now a part of our culture.

dear lord, Mrs browns boys seems like the result of giving 12 year olds a camera.

They may be part of your culture but they will never be part of mine. I retire next week so as you will gather I'm totally the wrong age demographic.

I could sit and watch BBC 4 documentaries from morning until night. I like television that informs and educates me. I'm not much interested in a load of American make believe.

I get that younger people don't understand the slapstick of Mrs Browns Boys and maybe Two Doors Down. Again it's comedy from a different era, but having said that it's very very popular.

Personally I think American imports ruin television but that's my personal opinion. The good ones are few and far between. At the end of the day if we all liked the same things the world would be a very dull place.

One of my smartest moves however was the day I got rid of Sky - I have never regretted it for one minute and neither has my wallet.