Am I getting older and/or harder to please

[Postdog]

but in my opinion the Christmas fare on telly this year has been dire. Not even a decent never shown before (on terrestrial) film.

[DTCwordfan]

Even the Christmas University Challenge has been dire, and challenging to watch at times. Yet to see anything half decent.....though Midsomer's wasn't bad as I hadn't seen that Christmas episode before.

[cathfromsaron]

am v selective (with age) and have a recordable freeview box full!

hope i'm not disappointed!

cath x

[Buenchico]

>>>Not even a decent never shown before (on terrestrial) film

Channel 4 might like to point out that they showed Hairspray (which the Radio Times awards 4 stars to) on Christmas Eve.

The BBC struggled a bit but still managed G-Force (3 stars, BBC1) and Son of Rambow (4 stars, BBC3) on Christmas Eve, together with Ratatouille (4 stars, BBC1) on Christmas Day.

The BBC has suffered well-publicised cutbacks. Commercial TV stations are all operating 'close to break even point' (with ITV1 having come extremely close to closure several times over the past few years). The increasing number of stations (through the advent of digital TV) has resulted in a finite amount of advertising revenue being spread very thinly across different companies. That has come about at the same time as advertisers are moving away from TV to using online advertising. Throw in the effects of the current economic climate (with companies cutting back on their advertising budgets) and its not hard to see why the TV companies can't afford to buy in the rights to show recent movies.

Chris

[JonnyBoy12]

I beg to differ as they showed "Monsters vs. Aliens" on BBC1, or has this has been shown already?

[Ann]

I enjoyed Downton Abbey - the only thing I have seen this Christmas.

[Buenchico]

JB12:
Thanks for pointing that out.

I missed the 'Premiere' symbol alongside that film when I scoured the Radio Times.

You're correct. It was the first terrestrial showing (and rated as 4 stars).

[chelle7272]

Agreed, we haven't watched anything of note, except on dvd :)

[smurfchops]

Stock up with plenty of DVDs off ebay at Christmas ... nothing on TV.

[boxtops]

we don't watch films very often either though :-(

[seadogg]

Us too Ann. We enjoy it as an up market soap. As to the rest, it was "Not again, we've nearly forgotten the words".

[cazzz1975]

tv has been dire over christmas, I have struggled nearly every evening to find something in the realms of just acceptable to watch

[Postdog]

Channel 4 showed hairspray

I rest my case of not even a decent film (I omitted that for some reason) shown for the first time. I lasted five minutes with hairspray.

and monsters v aliens has been shown before (though I still watched it and thought it better than hairspray)

[boxtops]

we've just missed Brian Cox on BBC4, damn!

[erin-x]

Hairspray is brilliant! There has been a lot of repeats but I love all the Christmas adnd Disney films :) I'm watching Home Alone as we speak!

[Postdog]

On the bright side, the royal institution lectures start tomorrow - science aimed at kids so I can understand too.

[mickrog]

garbage films thats all.....other than the odd great like Gladiator which i have on blueray anyway

[Postdog]

horses for courses innit! wasn't a lover of hairspray in the first five minutes so blew it out, can't stand downton or EE, and some programmes on some channels (5) would be best shown on yesterday.

[deggers316]

well we thought "lapland" was a brilliant programme
the only good one on tv this xmas the rest apart from emmerdale and coro were dire

[Jemisa]

Agree completely PD.

jem