OT: Made in Britain

Blimey, you have never been to Brighton then! Seriously often the shows seem to reflect the views of such a wide diversity, that its painfully obvious to me at least that the people making it were bored with the subject so wanted to try to make it interesting for other reasons. Also I did not see the program in question, but some time ago I and a sighted friend when getting rid of videos, machines and tapes, had a look at old editions of Horizon. Blimey, many of them were actually interesting, and not full of special irrelevant graphics and strange sounds and music nor shots that changed every 2 seconds all the time. These were in the 70s etc, you could in fact see the rot setting in. About the only sort of show where these things are not so obtrusive are wildlife ones where Mr Attenborough is involved.

Its no wonder some of the older ones still get repeated. Of course with social comment shows, the rot set in a long time ago, as with those based on economics. In those you get bias one way or another, as often the person behind it has an axe to grind.

I'll have to watch/listen out for this one, sounds like it might be fun spotting the real person and not the ones that 'make got TV's as they would see it.

I'm waiting for Strictly go Twitching where a load of celebs go off with Ornithologists and have to come back with pictures of rare birds. Brian

Presumably she wasn't black or that would have raised more issues.

Having just skipped through it on iplayer, I can fully understand Bill's angst. The program is actually titled Made in Great Britain. Talk about really taking the piss. Not much difference between a black female and one on the show.

p.c. or targeted to increase the ratings?

Just like having a minor celeb open / attend your village fete?

If you have some specific group represented on any public forum is it not likely to increase the 'circulation' as it will *then* be consumed by others from those groups and they wouldn't not view the program when the other groups had the stage?

Cheers, T i m

Yes.

A long time ago, a friend of mine, a reporter on a local newspaper, used to painstakingly write down the names of everybody who attended the council/w.i./art club etc meetings because there was a pretty good chance that they would each buy a copy of the rag if their name was in it.

...the rotten sod once forgot my last name and put me down as "Nick Smith" and of course, that's the news clipping I've still got.

Nick (not Smith)

Would a picture of a very slender, very young female blacksmith qualify?

Exactly. So, the more (range of) boxes you tick, the bigger the potential clientele. ;-)

Horrible isn't it (if it's something good). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

In the defence of young blacksmiths, being young does not necessarily mean inexperienced... take for example Alec Steel, who started aged 11, and now:

I saw her first! :-[

We've been discussing this elsewhere:

(in no particular order)

Rachel Riley Miranda Krestovnikoff Alice Roberts Liz Bonnin Helen Czerski Aleks Krotoski

I saw Melinda Messenger on Celebrity First Dates the other night; she was pretty good and came across as very nice and great fun too.

Yes I agree.

Bill

Eager by name and eager by nature

Bill

But they did no someone who knew their way round an old-style forge: the young lady blacksmith. But an older stronger blacksmith would have been better.

Bill.

Some more (academic/historian) spots of softness:

Suzannah Lipscomb Janina Ramirez Kate Williams

Saw Alice Roberts last year, plugging her book - started the show dressed up in furs ...

How about Mary Beard ? They don't all have to be eye candy ...

There was a programme not that long ago about making a samurai sword. Incredibly skilled. But none of the (Japanese) smiths could have been more than a featherweight.

You're asking a lot to find a presenter who is good at both the subject and appearing on camera. Very thin on the ground.

My uncle was a traditional blacksmith. He was quite small and wiry. He was very strong though. After my aunty died he set to work drinking himself to death. It didn't take long.

Bill