Goggle-box

Today

Paul spends a fair bit of his time these days grumbling about the quality of TV, at least freeview TV. And he has a point. Along with deadly reality TV shows in which attention-starved individuals parade their failings in front of the viewing public, we have seemingly endless quiz and game shows, talent contests and soap operas. There are dreadful Japanese and American cartoon shows (and even the Simpsons are getting a little stale by now) and shows giving celebrities (some of whom really ought to be older and wiser) plenty of opportunities of making prats of themselves. There seems to be little new drama and much of the day is given over to repeats of old dramas, especially crime and police. Although I admit to a weakness for "The X Factor", Strictly Come Dancing" and "CSI".

And it may look like we have 999 channels to choose from but actually most programmes are duplicated about 20 times.

So we have a beautiful LCD, digital, HD-ready TV and all we really watch is the News and The Bill. "I've a good mind to stop paying for a licence," said Paul "There's nothing worth watching."

And they say that British TV is the best in the World which doesn't say much for the rest.

In My Day

It is, of course, possible to live life without a TV at all. Our friends the Lovells brought up their 6 children without TV and their eldest boy was officially "Britain's Brightest" after he got 12 a* grades in his GCSE's a few years back. The newspapers made a fair bit out of the fact that there was no TV in the house.

I was brought up without TV. We had a radio and I wasted a good deal of my time listening to such intellectually stimulating shows as "Ray's a Laugh" "Round the Horne" and "The Clitheroe Kid". And later I listened to Radio Caroline.

I did occasionally get to see a TV; our upstairs neighbours, the Evanses had one and sometimes I was invited up to watch "Andy Pandy" "Bill & Ben" and "Muffin the Mule". Puts the Tellytubbies to shame, really. And I think we watched the coronation on television.

I can't now remember whether Mamma and Daddy had any objection to telly or whether it was simply not regarded as a priority. It did, however, mean that we spent a lot of our time reading or pursuing hobbies, which is arguably better at developing the mind. Long evenings were enlivened with various games: Consequences, Hangman, Just a Minute (well, our version of it), definitions, as well as the more ordinary board games.

I recall one Sunday evening when we were all at home, sitting by the fire reading. The room was deadly quiet. Suddenly Daddy put down his book and told us to put down ours, He then asked us each to give a resume of what we'd been reading to the rest of the family. It was undoubtedly good for our brains to do this, but he could equally well have played the same game over our favourite TV shows. So I don't think I can lay claim to a superior intellect by virtue of not having TV.

Paul and I didn't really get a permanent TV, other than of a very scrappy variety, until about 1989. Although I remember Beatrice hiring one in time for the 1978 Olympics and us all much enjoying TISWAS on Saturday mornings, the chief feature of which seemed to be the chucking of buckets of water over caged-up students.

What I find disturbing is that Paul, who was brought up with TV, has a photographic memory for all the early advertising jingles and is prone to start singing them if I don't put a stop to it.