Posterous theme by Cory Watilo as adapted by Jamie Graham

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Monday morning TV pres porn

written on Monday 25 July 2011 and filed under [bbc2] [logo] [porn] [presentation]

Television presentation these days is so... frenetic. WATCH THIS NOW A PROMO AFTER THIS THAT WATCH ANOTHER PROMO HERE'S THE PROGRAMME THE PROGRAMME'S ALMOST FINISHED HERE'S WHAT'S NEXT HERE'S A PROMO HERE'S ANOTHER PROMO HERE'S THE PROGRAMME, 24 hours a day.

It doesn't encourage me to watch. It encourages me to watch only what catches me eye in the paper and that only on BBC iPlayer, where I don't have to put up with some much LOUD DESPERATION all the time. I think Sky started this, with its interesting-at-the-time shrieky style of presentation in the 80s, shouting at you to watch 'Hogan's Heroes' or 'As The World Turns' as if they were new and good. Or new or good.

Slowly but surely, the rest of television decided it too needed to shout to be heard. So now it's all shouty and fast and none of it sticks in my head. It's also supposed to not give me time to turn over, although it does give me time to turn the bloody set off, but at least that doesn't drive me to other channels. It just drives me to pick up a book.

Slower, less-flashy presentation with programmes recommended rather than PROMOTED LOUDLY always suited me better (so it's not just a getting-older thing). For a start, a gentle ident sticks in my mind; a flashy, flashing, music-heavy ident doesn't. Having an appropriate programme recommended to me -- "If you enjoyed 'Some Aspects of Shrimps', tomorrow evening on BBC-2 we have a history of shrimp farming in the Hebrides. 'Some Aspects of Potted Shrimp' is at 9pm tomorrow" -- after the programme has finished works; having a scatter-gun promo over the end credits, advising me that since I watched 'Doctor Who', I'll love watching 'EastEnders', patently doesn't work.

So here's a brief reminder of earlier days. BBC-2 comes on air for the afternoon (yes, afternoon - if there was nothing to show, a channel showed nothing rather than 'Hunt the Celebrity in the Attic with a Hammer' repeats) with a simple jingle and form-up; the announcer calmly welcomes us; on with the programmes. Perfect - not least because 30 years later I remember this ident, I remember BBC-2's then-output, I remember watching television voraciously.

It has now been 3 weeks since I watch any live television.