Restoration Man on C4

[grimly4]

Just watching the couple who did over a Victorian water tower near Congleton. It's a very interesting conversion and looks good - a project close to my heart as I entertained an idea of doing just that on an old water tower near where I lived, so I'm curious to see how others do it.

A source of intense irritation is the needless blurring out of number plates, contractors' names, signboards, etc. FFS, the dopey wankers in the edit suite even blurred out cars' reg plates on a public road at the beginning.

[Vic]

Saw a progamme the other day - sorry, can't remember where - but every bit of writing seen anywhere was blurred out - T-shirts, shopfronts, vans and lorry graphics, number plates, even street names - the lot ! What utter bollox. Gave up watching after 5 minutes.

[Ian Jackson]

In message , Vic writes

Indeed, this new fad is very annoying. Presumably it is the result of a misplaced paranoia about being sued for infringing personal privacy (Google Street View, and all that). I guess that the producers of such programmes now have a new toy which automatically recognises faces (especially children's) and text, and still haven't found where the 'off' button is.

[MM]

I've stopped watching many documentaries for this reason and for several others. One is that modern TV production is just too slick. It's as if there is a checklist of things that must appear -- person of colour, a goodie, a baddie, a dilemma, a resolution -- and all within half an hour or an hour tops. Then there's the music! Why on earth does ~any~ documentary have to have a music soundtrack that is often so intrusive it totally detracts from the nub of the documentary? The camera work, too, is often distracting with various 'tricks' designed to make the cameraman look clever. Finally, the presenters: How could anyone be more annoying than Matt Allwright, Dom Littlewood, Kevin McCloud et al? I can just about tolerate Sarah Beeny, but because she's actually grafted herself.

MM

[Huge]

My finger hovered over the "Off" switch while I was watching "Ice Hotel" the other night. It sounded like someone was building an ice hotel during a Rammstein gig. Now, I like industrial metal, but not at the same time as a documentary.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd suggest you look up a bit of Kevin McCloud's history.

[MM]

Sorry, I find his presentational style so uninteresting that I really cannot be bothered.

MM

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Fairy nuff. But it's as well to get the facts straight before slagging someone. I'd say he's by far the most practical in real life of all these presenters. Which as a breed generally couldn't change a wheel on a car. But could talk about doing it for hours.

[TheScullster]

"MM" wrote

I can just about tolerate Sarah Beeny, but *because she's actually grafted herself.*

Yeah right!

[grimly4]

An intensely annoying little man.

[MM]

But we do at least see Sarah getting down to it often, wielding a hammer and so on. Kevin OTOH just wibbles on, seeking out as much doom and gloom as he can find. It's as if he hopes the project (whatever it is) will fail and always acts kind of surprised when it doesn't. I cannot stand his attitude.

MM

[Dave Plowman (News)]

He was seen building a straw bale wall outbuilding on his own premises on an early episode of Grand Designs. He also quite commonly 'lends a hand' on other episodes. And usually shows himself up - for the purpose of humour.

Each to their own. At least he doesn't give the impression things are his own work like in so many of these progs.