The BBC tv programme have got contractors renovating a house in a nearby street. Various company vans and lorries have been parked in the street since the weekend, so that kind of destroys the pretence that the programme makers appeal for volunteers from the community. It's not even local companies they are using.
Are you in Orpington by any chance?
I was under no such illusion. Everything on TV is contrived to one degree or another.
Well, I think this tends to depand on the where when and wat they are up to. Are you suggesting they have contracts with certain firms?
Brian
Well they need the work done properly or there would be all hell on. They might still be volunteers, depends on if they are being paid or not. Might be looking for free advertising. Fat chance from the Beeb.
I've often wondered about Ground Force. When Tommy starts building that deck at midday on 'daaay won'.
No way can 2 blokes build decks those sizes in a day & a half.
Oh I don't know; a long lingering shot on the signage on the van, a shot of the company logo on a tee-shirt, then a shot of the guys doing an excellent job (the fact that it is the best workmen the company has is not mentioned) is good advertising. How much would an advert cost on prime time TV? And this is 'better' than any advert as it doesn't appear to be one, the host [usually trusted] saying "what excellent carpet laying/carpentry/kitchen fitting", isn't skipped on recordings etc.
depends on how hard they work. We had a vegetable bed with redundant fruit bushes that needed clearing. A local "garden contractor" reckoned on 3 days for 2 men. We didn't accept the quote and did it ourselves in one afternoon - no tea breaks.
I thought the beeb pixelated them?
One Hour Makeover OTOH ...
Does it really come as a surprise to you?
MBQ
The camera always lies.
You can't expect them to spoil their make-up doing actual work, can you?
No! Next you'll be telling me Melinda Messenger doesn't get all the stuff for free, and there IS a week that goes by that John Russell doesn't uncover a major setback that could scupper the whole build!
If they spend all day working rather than hours on the internet they can :)
When 'er with the Big Arse was making a similar programme some years ago, a friends company had visited the site and priced their work weeks before the filming started.
Yeah
That'll probably be the same week the cowboy says "It's a fair cop, have the money back!"
I know that the programme will only show dramatic cases, but it is pretty disheartening to see how many crooked builders there are around, seemingly beyond effective control, even with a string of unpaid CCJs.
Chris
Well, I'd prefer people to do the work of their own volition rather than conscripts.
JGH
depends if your face fits
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