Whatever happened to relationships?

Changing the subject a bit. I wouldn't ever want to live in Midsommer1 Never seen so many murders in one sleepy village!

I don't agree that fairly normal lives cannot be portrayed in a way that engages and entertains people. Many years ago I used to watch Coronation street regularly, as it was amusing and engaging, and mostly true to real life .
Then disasters, murders and I can't remember what else were introduced and I stopped watching,

I agree Maw B but what really gets me is why we have to see so much sex. I am not a prude but I feel it degrades everything. I am old but still I prefer when the scenes just ended with the bedroom door closing. Married for nearly sixty years only one for me.

Lol ditto. Xx

I think it a cowardly betrayal to "have your cake and eat it" - Prince Charles and Camilla haven't set the trend, but they helped to normalize it and made it acceptable...

I am afraid its a swith off for me, it seems storyline of having affairs are termed as entertainment. I know I have been scarred, my dad had an affair and it certainly affected me badly so yes I know where you are coming from. Why have an affair, if there's something wrong with the marriage then split and divorce, I guess it's not black and white, just my opinion.

I don’t watch Eastenders or ‘Corrie’ watched them a few times years ago but I found them so depressing.I do remember getting my GD2 to watch the episode in ‘corrie’ about 20+years ago when one of the very young daughter’s got pregnant my GD2 was 10 the programme was half way through when she turned to me and said are we watching this rubbish because you want to warn
me not to get into the same sort of trouble because we’re wasting time.I know all about this and no way am I going to be so stupid.
Thankfully she never did but I felt a twit lol

The BBC continues to be very successful in selling a whole range of its drama output across the world including SPs adaptations and Call the Midwife ( despite ‘boring’ or because of ‘sexy’ Dr Turner).

Maybe try your local U3A

I think the recent Sarah Phelps adaptations of Agatha Christie stories are a case in point.

She seems to feel honour bound to introduce affairs, sordid behaviour and destructive relationships into what were gentle and escapist stories.

Even when met with considerable criticism from the public, she and the BBC continue to write and screen these distorted versions of well loved books, unable to believe that people still actually like the values and moral tone of the originals.

The documentaries I watch often have terrible cruelty in them. I only watch them when I feel upto coping with them. I’ve got ones on Universal Credit waiting for my being in the right mood. OTOH I’ve loved the Canal Journeys with their bitter sweet testament to enduring love ( but I think they got together in less than ideal circumstances).

East Enders has always been so far from the truth of life in the East End of London; I watched at the bginning but every episode seemed to end with a screaming row and insults, and with what my parents would have called 'very unsuitable behaviour' (!!) My upbringing was among dignified people who shared each others happiness but private matters were just that. It seems TV dramas and soaps embrace crisis after crisis to keep people watching; I don't understand this as the early Coronation Street episodes were a masterclass in observation of human nature, with excellent scriptwriters turning out believable and often witty stories. I do think TV influences - what is fed into the home becomes 'what other people do' for the impressionable.

I've not watched "The Split" so I know nothing about it, but the title does suggest the content!

dragon what do you mean, you haven’t got a button box?? I remember my grandma’s button box and sitting watching her take buttons off clothes before they were demoted to rags. Sometimes there would be a really sparkly pretty button. My own button box is I think a homage to her and my childhood. It doesn’t get replenished so much in these days of charity shop donations but it’s a necessary part of my sewing basket. And anyway, useful for when there’s nothing on TV ?

I quite like Dr Turner in Call the Midwife!! I know he’s very craggy and wouldn’t appeal to everyone, but he has a lovely “bedside manner” - he could tuck me into bed anytime as I find him very sexy in a strange way!!

@Davidhs - I loathe Eastenders, watched it in the early years but the constant fighting, arguing, niggling, I walked away and felt the better for it, haven't and wouldn't watch it since. I do truly fear this is how people think life should be!

Affairs have happened since time began, but I do think there is a case to answer for the stuff we invite into our homes on the TV.

when I was young.. o.k a long time ago LOL we had good stories, nice stories,,, pleasant things... kids playing outside.. nature..

my dh and I used to watch detective type films,, now he has died, I find I have no desire to watch them,, well a few...

but even those with good actors,, Vera, Endeavour,, for example have such cruel,, yes, cruel stuff in them... no wonder the knives are out , literally, with so many people..

I find I am watching documentaries... ARGH! never watched them... at least no cruelty, blood and yuck!

our writers need to get out more and write some good, heartwarming, interesting stuff... Heartbeat?

I remember watching one of the early episodes of Eastenders when a pregnant 16 year old decided to keep her baby. I’m sure that encouraged other unmarried teenagers to do the same. What we see on the screen can influence our life styles.

Maw they don't have it all though they are recovering from the husbands infidelity -not that tit for tat affairs are a good idea

Last night I caught up on Cobra, which is on Sky. The relevant bit to this thread is a couple with very high-powered jobs who only get together occasionally.
She met up with a man she had been in love with before she was married, who had then disappeared for years. And slept with him. The husband had had several liaisons over time, and she knew about them and had not done anything about it.
There was a short discussion when nothing was settled, when the main plot took over again. There are 2 episodes left.
Why I am putting this here is that, even in real life, having an affair does not mean the end of the marriage. If the marriage is the most important thing, playing away is not
the end of the world. People are not made to be monogamous.

I know there are situations where splitting up is the right thing to do - in the case of domestic violence, for example.

But I do think that many people don't actually work at making their relationship work and that some youngsters go into marriage thinking that if they don't like it they can get divorced. Consequently they give up before they've had time to resolve issues and the 'grass is greener' idea then looks attractive. The media just promotes this.

Are we really so influenced by TV dramas?

Watching a murder mystery doesn’t make you want to murder does it? So why should watching someone having an affair make you want to do the same ?

I don't think morals are included in everyone's makeup.

Either that or they're so loose they're not worth having.

I haven’t got a button box Suziewoozie ?

Exactly suziewoozie, the more these actions are shown, the more certain people think it is the norm. Businesses pay money to brainwash others. I also think the same on basic grammar was/were. I found the off button after the first ten minutes of watching Split.