Watch what you want but..............

Luckily DH and I tend to like the same things on telly, but if there's something that appeals to only one of us we decide to either not bother or we happily watch it together. Or maybe one of us will read or listen to music in another room, or have a soak in the bath. Never have tv arguments.

Watch it on a laptop with earphones but honestly if someone thinks it’s OK to watch their program but then refuse to let a partner watch theirs they are used to getting their own way for too long.

We don't have 2 TVs but we do have 2 Sky remotes. We tend to agree on programmes up to 7 (Pointless and news if we are not busy doing something else) then 7-9 is my choice and he decides from 9 on. Over the years that has meant that he actually gets quite involved in soaps and Sewing Bee etc and if I get fed up with constant Newsnight later, I go of to bed with a book.

It works quite well for us, although he does constantly expect me to know all the soap back history and also repeat all conversations that he hasn't heard properly. My main bone of contention is 2 seconds into a trailer for a new comedy and he will say "Thanks for warning us about that!" Every time!! Puts me off trying new stuff as I know he will be hating it from the start, but I do pick up things like that on my laptop in bed if I fancy it.

My husband thinks there are too many cooking programmes and I think there are too many televised sporting events. Aside from those we are pretty much at one with what we watch, although these days we can all watch things individually on our lap tops/tablet so it isn't an issue. I do get out of the room if golf is on though thank God that's not too often!

If we don't want to watch the same thing DH watched his thing on his laptop and earphones. Perfick.

DH controls the remote. As soon as a programme ends he turns over to another one; it doesn’t bother him that we have 20 mins of Midsomer before tuning into the main programme we want to watch eg Endeavour, then back to Midsomer, or whatever. They are nearly all repeats for the umpteenth time anyway, but he doesn’t remember them because he sleeps through most of them anyway, until I try to change channel!
Occasionally we watch something new and really good eg the A word, but whereas there are documentaries that I would enjoy he prefers endless antiques. More repeats.
We do have a TV in the kitchen but I don’t want to sit on a hard chair to watch it. He hates the news, I have just asked him to wait until a short news bulletin ended and he didn’t like it. He likes to be in control. That is my conclusion.

You could have another in a bedroom/kitchen. Doesn’t have to be spare

I guess i am lucky. My DH has a 'man cave' he goes there in the evenings to listen to rock music, play online gaming or trawl through ebay on his PC for things to buy.
Meanwhile i sit in the lounge, watching what ever i want doing my knitting. He comes down for the news at 11pm then proceeds to talk over everything that is being said telling me his version and opinion on the topic of the day. If we didnt seperate like this in the evenings i think i would have lost the plot by now as he would be doing the same over every program. He does it when we have the 6pm news on the radio whilst having our evening meal, he just cant stop himself!!!!!

if no other room put a small one in the kitchen!!

something to be said for living alone then! Put a tv in another room!

Just be thankful you have a husband to watch with but separate TVs sounds the answer if you can arrange that.

We may not all have spare rooms, but we have bedrooms. Before anyone says they could never have a TV in the bedroom, is the alternative of constant bickering preferable?

It is of course one of the standing jokes about men dominating the TV remote control ? .... please don’t anyone start about the “women are perfect garbage” that we had to endure the other day. It’s as others say, it keeps the peace if you have 2 TV’s. You don’t need another separate room, just a bedroom will do, and it keeps harmony in the household, watching some things together, and some apart.

War movies, car restorations, police action, golf, train programmes etc. etc.. They all bore me silly. Solution, record what I want to watch and take myself off to do some craft work or read in peace.

What we both watched last night was Sacred Wonders ...amazing programme and we then watched another episode on player.

I've learned to enjoy war movies, rugby and cricket (in moderation). But he searches and downloads all sort of things that he knows I like, and we watch them together. He's become as fascinated as I am by paleoarchaeology and genetics, but does go to his workshop while I watch home improvement shows. Give and take.

I appreciate maybe it’s not possible for everyone, but if it is, just watch in separate rooms.
DH and I watch the national and local news together, then I disappear into spare bedroom and watch what I want, or read, or watch stuff on the I pad.
Why is it assumed tv has to be viewed cosily sitting together on the sofa, hands entwined?
If you’re Harry and Meghan, probably.
For the rest of us, probably not.

Thank goodness it’s not only happening to me! My DH just wants to watch car sos, dangerous catch and anything relating to these themes. He of course has to make sure I don’t want to watch anything else by grunting about rubbish programmes. It’s a godsend having an extra tv.

My problem is slightly different, in that my DH will happily watch what I might choose (or he'll go off and commune with his computer) so no major fallings-out. However - before retirement he was a television lighting director and now cannot watch anything without commenting on how programmes are lit! Gets somewhat annoying, I can tell you.

Trisha57, I second kircubbin2000 in that you obviously need your own TV in another room - asap!

We don’t all have spare rooms

I'll second that.

One of the huge advantages of living alone...watch whatever rubbish you like without anyone commenting!

Ps : YABU - to give in like that.

"Shut it! You've watched your programme, now I'll watch mine." would be my response, Trisha57.
In a pleasant tone of voice, of course.