This blog seems to be becoming a bit telly heavy but it’s important.
The relaunch of Film 4-with brand new snazzy emblem-has brought a few hip hoorays from some and ‘how can they make it free i’ve paid for it since it launched’ from approx. 10 people. Coupled with the launch of Film 4 as a free service on Digital Satellite/Freeview was one of the omnipresent Channel 4 ‘50 things to talk about on camera with Edith Bowman and Justin Lee-Simba before you die’ lists, this time 50 films you just have to watch.
And what an interesting list it was, full of some old favourites (‘Erin Brokovich’) and some lesser known classic fare (‘Alien’). Most intriguingly was the tally of how many of the films are owned by Channel 4 and its evil subsidiaries. I put it at 28/50 which can only be seen on the small screen through Film4, Channel4, More4, More4+1 and E4+1. Staggering.
What gets on my wick is how Channel 4 has been able to stylise itself as BBC2’s kookie little brother, with a quite ludicrous mix of cheap yank tat One Tree Hill, to utter bollocks watched by 50,000 people ‘Chantelle’s Dream Dates’. Mixed in with this is their sense of justice with Channel 4 News and More 4 News, dumbed down to an alarming rate with pretend interaction through caption competition, email sifting and text surveys. 
Over on E4 you are confronted with the madcap craziness of MTV circa 1995 with truly mental Estings-the matchbox dog who sets himself on fire!-and that old man who says things in an old man accent like ‘Listen up you muddyfunsters, some kick arse American teen trouble in Angel, enough to get you rumpelstiltskinning up your curtains screaming come and take me, HALLELUIA’ which was funny when it launched but is now too annoying for words.
More 4 is a re-run haven of the West Wing-cos it’s poli’ical innit-and the truly terrible ‘30 Days’, a Morgan Spurlock-fronted delve into American life ‘Can a Mom get drunk like her 20 year-old daughter for a month?’ who cares? I don’t, and just because you have that moustachioed vegan fronting it means bugger all, it’s a crap programme. I hope More 4 goes the way of ITV News Channel soon, the only thing that is half interesting is the Daily Show but like every other successful American it has been pushed too far, never had a holiday and is too tired to justify itself now.
Tags: film four, Justin-Lee Collins, media, television, freeview, film
Good rant. I don’t really know what most of means
I’m quite pleased film four on freeview now. There is the odd film I want to watch.
The rest of E4, M4, whatever seems to be mostly Big Brother so we don’t bother with that.
Actually, since we got a harddisk equipped freeview box, we just watch House, the odd documentary, and any films that catch our eye. I don’t think we’ve watched live telly for months… as consequence of that, the concept of watching adverts is now alien to us. And good riddance.
Does pose the question: where is finance for these “free” channels going to come from when everyone has subscription telly as well as a subscription web (rss), and subscription radio (podcasts)? Broadcast flags… DRM is dead, long live DRM, etc.
Comment by Niall — August 2, 2006 @ 1:14 pm
Hopefully more amusing product placement, OB from Hollyoaks swigging from a Dr. Pepper can wearing a ‘Tower of London’ baseball cap.
Comment by tablcloth — August 3, 2006 @ 10:46 am