Anyone else fed up with......

icanhandthemback

I would love to see travel programmes with ordinary people fronting them. If you look at Gogglebox, they have managed to find some real characters to engage the public. It would be lovely to see some families who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford to go on these holidays given the opportunity. The gasps and thrills would be more genuine and it would be life changing in a small way for the people who went.

What an absolutely brilliant idea, holidays for the least able to afford them. Now that would be good.
Can I also wholeheartedly sympathise with the person who mentioned the Shangri-la effect on Cornwall. Where I grew up in Snowdonia the next little town is very picturesque and sits on a beautiful estuary. In the winter it's dead, like a ghost town, the locals can't afford many homes because tiny places get snapped up by wealthy second home owners. Summer is heaving and far, far too busy, the shoulder seasons are getting extended too. I now travel in November and February on my own except for the dogs, to the most obscure places I can. If I want to feel like I'm in a busy supermarket aisle I can go to Tesco anytime, that's not my idea of a holiday.
Other supermarkets are available?!

DH & I watch Michael Portillo's train journeys. I also like Simon Reeves programmes, which I thing are more documentary than straight travel programmes. Other than these I avoid most travel and cookery progs although I watched some Place in the Sun during deepest lockdown.

I avoid anything with celebrities as they inevitably bore me and are just promoting themselves.

Too many jumping on the' my favourite /my this /that etc
Prefer 'Draining the Oceans'. Remarkable that we are able to observe the past in such great detail.

We quite like a bit of sex and swearing ?
Enjoyed Miriam Margolyes in Australia and Jeremy Clarkson’s Farm. But we don’t like the sew off, bake off, pottery off, Strictly or soaps.
We’re all different, thank goodness, it’s usually possible to find something we like, or it goes off

I agree about the Richard E. Grant travel programmes - very interesting. I like his style of presentation; he provides historical background, rather like Michael Portillo.
I must admit though, that I watched ‘Withnail & I’ at Christmas, one of Grant’s early films, after reading a recommendation; what a load of rubbish! ?

Kate humble I find is getting more and more smug and very irritating especially the programme about her farm

Nvella

I agree about Richard E Grant. He is so delightful- and I had been to one of the places featured in each programme

I must say it's more interesting if you have visited one of the places featured in a travel programme.

For me, the most cringeworthy celebrity ever has to be Michael Portillo. I don’t know where he conjures up his ghastly clothes from, he only ever seems to travel with his Bradshaw’s. Simon Reeves and Michael Palin I will happily watch for hours. Each to his own I guess!

I’m with Eloethan, Bluecat and Lucca. Tend to mostly watch the BBC channels, glance at Netflix occasionally but seldom find anything I want to watch. Dd and her partner, by contrast, seldom watch anything but Netflix.
My pet hate at the moment is BBC 1 transferring over to BBC3 after the News, which looks like an attempt to win over ‘yoof’ viewers. There seem to be mainly superficial programmes full of profanities. Our DGC wouldn’t be seen dead watching them, not sure just who the BBC think they are attracting.
Re celebrities touring the country; can’t think it is actually much of a holiday for them, they are working. Anyone who has been interviewed for TV will confirm it is quite a stressful experience, even allowing for the fact these celebs are professional entertainers. Though I daresay they get their evenings off!
And I love proper chefs’ cookery shows, and learn a lot and enjoy getting ideas for meals, which I often cook afterwards. Less keen on random celebrities, many of whom I have never heard of, cooking in competitions, of which there seem to be several being aired.

EdithW I will sign up for a gin tasting panel if you know of one

My pet hate at the moment is BBC 1 transferring over to BBC3 after the News, which looks like an attempt to win over ‘yoof’ viewers. There seem to be mainly superficial programmes full of profanities.

I agree Oofy^

Why didn't they transmit all the sport on BBC3?
It is a load of old rubbish and I doubt it reaches its target audience because they would just not be interested in anything on BBC - it's rather like a 20 year old shopping in M&S.

sodapop

Many programmes seem to be made on a small budget, comparatively speaking. I do appreciate that 'Downton Abbey' and similar dramas and entertainment must swallow a large proportion of a TV company's funding, but there does seem to be an over compensation in the 'cheap to make' sector. The cookery programmes drive me absolutely mad. On Saturdays, it doesn't seem to matter what time you might switch the TV on, you will almost certainly find a team lamenting their lack of skill and flinging ingredients about in the studio - again, fairly cheap to put on.

It sounds like once a celebrity is over exposed - in too many programmes, NOT naked - we start getting sick of them.
Fiona Bruce and Kirstie Allsopp were heading that way, but yes certainly Kate Humble. She isn't a particularly restful presenter either.

I quite like the merton and webster one that has just started

Yes, I agree. Recorded someone recently who was supposedly going to tour Dorset to see chefs.

Foolishly thought it was going to show parts of Dorset.

No, just the Bournemouth area
which used to be in Hampshire anyway,
and is not typical of Dorset.

On a secluded beach somewhere.

Probably Sandbanks.
Just rich territory , not true Dorset territory.

Now deleted so can't remember who the celebrity was.
Most disappointed by the content.

i imagine with the limitations of Covid they don’t require too big a crew to make the program

EdithW

It sounds like once a celebrity is over exposed - in too many programmes, NOT naked - we start getting sick of them.
Fiona Bruce and Kirstie Allsopp were heading that way, but yes certainly Kate Humble. She isn't a particularly restful presenter either.

As DH says "All over the place like a rash!"
(Although that was about Carol Vordermann a few years ago)

Personally I like these programmes, nice to see all the beautiful places in this country
I suppose if you don’t want to watch them there are plenty more programmes to peruse, and a lot of good drama’s are on iplayer and the itv hub

I do not watch any of them. Bradley and Barney were bearable as were Fred Gino and Gordon but the others make me want to turn off. Handmaids Tale on Channel 4 on Sunday eve is my go to at the moment.

TV on a budget ?

We use a phrase we once heard and it seems very apt " I haven't watched it but I've got an opinion about it". Plenty of opinions here about things unviewed. A bit like trying new food- don't like the look of it, won't try it. How many delicious things would you miss if you didn't try things outside your comfort zone. We didn't think we'd enjoy Michael Ball's series on Wales but it was refreshingly done, very interesting and with just one song at the end so you could turn it off if you wanted. Yesterday we thought we'd try its replacement on Channel 5's schedule, the motor home series with Paul Merton & his wife. They were just like any couple new to driving and using a motor home, could've been anyone- enjoyable & quite fun. It's very easy to walk in a straight line and never veer to either side - go on, give it a go or are you frightened of losing your street cred and admitting you actually enjoyed a celebrity travel show??

I saw the sandbanks one but can't remember who it was either

Perhaps all people who are complaining about these programmes should perhaps realise how difficult it has been to produce programmes in the difficult times we have had and we have been lucky that they have managed to keep us all supplied with viewing material.