Neil S

As you know, it's tradition in the UK to show slightly better progs than the usual c**p at Christmas time. Whats strange here at the moment is nothing is being plugged at all, suggesting it's just the usual fare of NCIS, CSI Miami, Law & Order etc etc etc over the Xmas period. Is it that the TV bosses think everyone is going to be at the beach on Xmas day, so why bother?

brisnick

usually they put their worst programs on over xmas, because most people are out, and they only measure ratings for 42-ish weeks of the year, and the weeks they don't measure fall over the summer, so they can get away with playing crap. the ratings are used to set advertising costs.

anyway, this year they are supposed to be making an effort to put better programing on. i am yet to be convinced!!

Pollyana

They also seem to stop lots of regular stuff - series like Casualty; TV here is dire at the best of times but it does go downhill between now and Feb. They aren't so big on the "Christmas Specials" and that kind of thing, which is odd, but maybe they do believe we are all on the beach.

Shellfish

Dec/Jan/Christmas time is the big holiday period in Australia, like August in the UK....these periods always have shows on which leaves a lot to be desired

eatstatic

Ah well, time to heed the theory of the WANNABEE poms to practise then. Forget the TV and head down the beach, with the UV index of 12(Extreme) and the flies. After all who needs TV with all that lovely weather and future skin cancer clinic attendance.

Seriously though, if you want decent TV in OZ at any given time, you will have rather a long wait.

Quinkana

What takes your fancy?

BBC What's on

eatstatic

OK so UK TV has a mundane selection on some evenings. I happen to believe that a lot of TV is tripe (reality TV, endless property shows etc).

However only the most one eyed narrow minded Aussie would claim that UK TV such as the Beeb and channel 4 are inferior to Channel 7,9,10 etc. The only half decent channel is ABC and we all know where all their output is purchased from.

One example I can think of straight away are some classic channel 4 films from the last 20 years, care to tell me about any world renowned output from channels 7 or 10??

Shellfish

Why so aggressive?

I don't WANNABEE anything, I AM very proudly S.African.

walla

TV companies have promised us better TV than the usual crap the serve here. Anyway who needs the telly? I've hardly watched it in 12 weeks since arriving here except for the football on Foxtel

wombat42

Britains have a higher death rate from skin cancer then Australians,
because of a higher detection rate,also if you read the article below being out in the Sun for a reasonable amount of time is good for you and that Britains unlike Australians lack Vitamin D because of the lack of sun in Britain.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/...306885,00.html

However regarding Christmas TV in OZ , at the risk of sounding like a whinging Aussie and having to agree with Eatstatic-Kong for the first time,
l have to say its total garbage.

Quinkana

So nothing of interest on Aunty Beeb ?

Anything on SBS or ABC ?

Channel 7, 9 and 10 are known the world over for obnoxious adverts aimed at the VCR illiterate.

ABCDiamond

I agree with you today.

I came up with this great idea for TV program selection ..... Only watch what I like the look of, and spend the extra time doing better things.

The lack of "watchable" TV in Australia is a positive thing to me. Even my daughter gets the benefit of going outside and playing with friends instead of being glued to the TV

I just wish that OZ TV was as bad during the rest of the year as it is at Christmas time (the non-rating season)

Jaykay

I can honestly say that in nearly all of my 20 odd Xmas's in Oz, we rarely have the TV on during the day (even more so if the weather is good).

We're nearly always outside on the back verandah enoying lunch, the company we're with and watching all the kids enjoying themselves with their new toys and games. Then in the evening we're normally sitting on the verandah, enjoying leftovers, watching the kids enjoying themselves.

This year (the first time for me ever!!) we are going to the beach on Xmas Day. Him outdoors has not had an Xmas in Oz before, so I thought it'd be a laugh to go there for the day (as long as the weather is fine).

Saying that, I used to really enjoy watching the Christmas specials that were on. Cilla always made me cry, Eastenders was always a good one, and Only Fools & Horses was great to watch too.

mlbonner

It doesn't actually say that there is a lack of sun in the UK (though no doubt many will argue there is ) Just that Britons have been educated 'too well' and now avoid what sun there is.

"Sometimes successful health campaigns can have quite unexpected repercussions. The years of warnings about skin cancer mean that Britons are happy to cover themselves in sunscreen or stay out of the sun altogether, but it also means that most of us are not getting enough vitamin D."

Ushas

See! Now this is why I don't understand the ex-pat thing of moaning about how crap Oz TV is! My hubby (English) can prattle for hours about the programmes he watched as a kid. I (an Aussie) can't. I never sat inside watching telly. I was always out and about with my friends. And to be honest, since coming to the UK (6 years ago) I do watch far too much TV. Because it is too bl**dy cold to go outside. Bring on the sunshine!

At last I understand ...