spouse of scouse

It's crap in Oz as well - even Foxtel (cable) has advertisements now, although not as many as the free to air channels. Our cable package costs $102 a month - apart from the odd movie we only watch 4 or 5 channels - UK TV, a crime and drama channel, BBC world news and a couple of sports channels.

I believe cable telly's cheaper in the UK.

christmasoompa

Do you not watch all the excellent dramas, documentaries etc? There is some seriously good tv in the UK, no need to pay Sky for it either (although £50 a month - blimey it must have increased in the past two years as we used to pay £28 a month which included line rental, unlimited broadband & unlimited calls!).

Don't bother with the soap operas, try things like Broadchurch, Sherlock, Luther, or any wildlife documentary, just amazing quality stuff. And if they're on the BBC (as the best stuff seems to be) then you can sit and watch for an hour with no commercials.

LoveFortheUK

Wow a lot of information about cable in the UK. I heard of sky but not freeview.

We do get BBC World News in the states and I do like the fact that there are no commercials during the program. BBC America however has so many ads, the only way a show can fit in the time slot is for that show to be edited. Very annoying.

Anyway, during my research today, I saw photos of the Canterbury Cathedral and the Canterbury River (I thought St. Patrick's in NY was amazing but the cathedral is just beautiful IMO) I also saw some pictures of Dartmoor National Park as well. All of these treasures only make me want to come to the UK even more. Hope I get there soon.

christmasoompa

Freeview isn't like cable, there's no monthly subscription to pay for it.

Canterbury and Dartmoor are both gorgeous places, good choices.

robin1234

North America has some beautiful cathedrals. Episcopal cathedrals in NYC, Minneapolis, Burlington, VT., and Chicago, for instance, and Anglican cathedrals in St. John's, Newfoundland, Ottawa and Montreal are all splendid and have interesting histories. But they are each about the size of a decent English parish church. (Well, except NYC which is big.) Visit the cathedrals in England. They are huge, ancient, and very impressive. Each one is completely different too. Probably the most impressive ensemble (cathedral, spire, all the associated buildings and the cathedral close) is Salisbury.

LoveFortheUK

Hi Robin1234
Please don't get me wrong. There ARE some great cathedrals in the US but nothing like what I saw in those pictures of Canterbury Cathedral.

This is why I want to visit the UK. I have traveled all over the US and the only country I have visited outside my home base is Canada. It's time to get out of my box and soak up some real culture.

Sally Redux

BBC America is not part of the BBC.

scrubbedexpat097

BBCAmerica is mostly crap unless you like Gordon Ramsey or Top Gear

Sally Redux

and Graham Norton marathons

Slightly redeemed by Orphan Black.

scrubbedexpat097

Yeah, occasionally they put something good on there, but then ruin it by repeating it a hundred times


I liked the UK Law and Order.

Sally Redux

It's all a bit slapdash, things get shown in the wrong order or missed out.

But the occasional gems keep us coming back

Got to be better than stuff like Honey Boo Boo and Extreme Cougars.

scrubbedexpat097

Combined, that might make for an interesting reality show

Sally Redux

It'll probably get picked up now

scrubbedexpat097

Could be worse. How about Dog the Bounty Hunter family versus The Kadashians on The Biggest Loser

Sally Redux

With the Ghost Adventures crew 'talking to spirits' while the Gold Rush lot try to tear up the garden and run it through a wash plant held together with old coathangers