BBC Canada
 

Just got BBC Canada through satellite last week ... I've finally realised just how awful north american TV really is :D

Been glued to the beeb for four days now .... wondering when the novelty will wear off.

Re: BBC Canada
 

So what are you watching that I'm not? I used to think it was great but I feel the programming has gone abit down hill....way to many reality shows.

Re: BBC Canada
 

It will wear off around the time you realise how many repeats there are on BBCC! (And dreadful home improvement shows)>

We just subscribed to BBC Kids, even though we don't have any! There's still Thunderbirds, Top of the Pops, Blackadder, Dr. Who .....excellent! :)

Re: BBC Canada
 

I like BBC Kids too ... haven't seen Thunderbirds yet, but I've managed to catch the others.

How long did it take for the novelty to wear off?

I did say we just got it ... before last week we were watching five channels with an antenna ... before that we had cable, which really wasn't worth the money - that's why we ended up with an antenna.

There is a LOT of home improvement shows ...

Re: BBC Canada
 

Hi
are there any advantages in having sat rather than cable?
Do you get better/more channels than with cable.
mike

Re: BBC Canada
 

We've got StarChoice ... we get every CBC, CTV, etc region from across Canada ... we've got young kids, so it's actually convenient for us to be able to travel across time zones to catch a show.

Satellite worked out cheaper for us than cable ... to get the channels we wanted we would have had to shell out $150 just for a digital cable box ... satellite was effectively "free" ... $100 for the reciever ... $50 off with an instore promotion and $50 programming credit ... the dish itself and installation were free ... the monthly charge is also slightly lower ... we're probably saving $10 or $20 per month, which adds up.

Cable is actually pretty expensive for what you get and unless you go digital, you don't get parental controls.

Per pay view is comparable to a visit to Blockbuster ... $4.99/movie ... special events and adult stuff are more expensive ... I saw a footie game at $14.99 for PPV ... you wouldn't even get the option of watching that with regular cable.

Re: BBC Canada
 

[glaswegian

The novelty will wear off, but if you are anything like us, it is the first channel we check each day.

There are some terrific shows on like Spooks, casualty, mersey beat and Sunday night brit flicks. I have become an Eastender fan since I moved here and I hated the show back home.
The downside is the repeats.

Our kids ask us why we are always watching shows from Britain!

Glaswegian, can I ask where in Glasgow you hail from?

Re: BBC Canada
 

I didn't realise just how much I'd missed Casualty ...

Tried watching Corrie on CBC ... I just plain don't like it ... looking forward to watching my first Eastenders in 3 years in a few minutes.

The south side :cool:

Re: BBC Canada
 

Well..my offer still stands....if you want to write my presentation about tidal pools........ :D

Re: BBC Canada
 

In BC we are fortunate enough to have 2 great BBC stations - one from Detroit and the other from Seattle......in their last newsletter they said that there was such an incredible demand for the "old" BBC programs that they have started to run them again....all creatures great and small, as time goes by, keeping up appearances, yes minister (my personal favourite - talk about good english humour)etc.....great classic shows.....you can certainly tell how old they are...by the wear and tear on the tape.

PBS stations are all my husband and I watch generally speaking (although we seldom watch TV).....there is far to much garbage on TV. Luckily, our kids are young enough that we still have complete control on their TV watching......and so they don't watch any at all....but by the time their school age.....I'm sue it will be different. :D

Re: BBC Canada
 

Don't be daft! He can't! He's still glued to his television set. The novelty still hasn't worn off. :D

Re: BBC Canada
 

It'd be amusing if it is three years behind England - you could then start where you left off. Or is it pretty much up-to-date?

Re: BBC Canada
 

I loved it when we first got it!

Then realised all they do is repeat the same episodes over and over, so cancelled it!

The only good thing was 'enders, but I got over not watching it.

Re: BBC Canada
 

Coronation Street is at least a year behind England....and living in BC....we probably get it 1 1/2 years later...........but it's also really changed over the last year.....with alot of the old characters gone....not the same program....... :D

Re: BBC Canada
 

Phil and Lisa were just argueing over the baby in a cottage near the top of a cliff ... does that give you a clue?

It's sometime after Lisa shot Phil ... we haven't seen Walford yet so I don't know what else is happening.

Re: BBC Canada
 

That must be a couple of years ago now, I think. It is one of the few things I really enjoy on television and actually make an effort to watch. Why, I have no idea.

Re: BBC Canada
 

You must be on a different timescale to us as 'enders is only 18 months or so behind here in NS. Phil is back from Portugal with Lou and I beleive he is now with ex copper woman...Kate!! (You can tell how interested I am with it!!!lol)

As for Coronation Street, we are just upto last Januarys episodes. I know that because I have just watched the episode I watched the night before I moved to Canada so it's about 9 months behind so not too bad (though dont do what I do and catch up with it on itv.com and ruin it for yourself!!!)

As for BBC Canada, I am not overly impressed with it. Apparently they have to put a certain percentage of Canadian programmes but it is now to a point where every time I switch it on it is always Canadian. I have 100 other channels to hear that for gawd's sake!!!!!! They do re run after re run of Due South which does bring back memories of me thinking every copper from Canada walks around in a traditional RCMP uniform. How wrong I was!!!lol

Re: BBC Canada
 

Hope you weren't too disappointd to learn the truth. ;)

Re: BBC Canada
 

Just dated it by Roy's death ... we're up to late March 2003 ... about eighteen months.

Looking at the BBC website there's a few more deaths to come ... something go wrong with contract negotiations?

Re: BBC Canada
 

They dropped Eastenders on BBC America. The ratings weren't good enough. BBC Canada swear up and down the same thing won't happen here.

The Canadian programming is because of CRTC regulations. Even a specialist channel like BBC Canada has to air 30 per cent Canadian programming - and it has to be in prime time as well (they can't just pawn it off on a Sunday morning or the daytime).

Re: BBC Canada
 

Never mind 'Eastenders', keep your eyes peeled for a comedy called 'Little Britain'

You will love it. It may take a year or two for you to get it. It started out on BBC3 here, them BBC2 and now BBC1 for the third series.

It's not very politically correct, everyone gets a bashing, gays, transexuals, unmarried mothers, every colour under the sun, disabled, benifit fraudsters, slimming clubs and so called celebraties.

Its written by Matt Lucas aka George Daws of Shooting Stars fame and David Walliams. They play all of the parts, worth a peep when it comes your way!

Re: BBC Canada
 

Eastenders are even in trouble here in the gud olde uk. the ratings are at their lowest, its getting slated in the press, it amazed everyone it picked up some awards at a recent do, and it has another new head who is trying to sort it out. So yeah some more "disappearances" will surely come, if it runs to the fate of Elderado (remember that one?!!) who knows.

Re: BBC Canada
 

[QUOTE=mrs. liftman]Never mind 'Eastenders', keep your eyes peeled for a comedy called 'Little Britain'




Little Britain is the best thing on the telly IMHO. I cry with laughter every time I see it. You find yourself reciting lines from it a la monty python. My friends call me Vicky Pollard :D

Re: BBC Canada
 

Must confess for being a bit of a telly snob, that's one of the chief things I'll miss about the UK. You don't realise how lucky we have it until you live overseas for any length of time. Not that I watch very much these days, it's all ruddy gardens, auctions, redecorations, relocations, reality nonsense which, when it gets tired, just has "celebrity" tacked on the front and wheeled out again. Yawn.

Still in the UK (hoping to be over in '06) and though I used to be a 'beeb fan I think Channel 4 is the one I'd miss the most. Certainly for world news (C4 news is the business), original drama (No Angels, etc.) and original comedy (Green Wing, what a gem!). Obviously there's big brother to drag things down, but at least that's only once a year. However, with the Channel 4 broadband service and a PC hookup to the telly, things like C4 News and Bremner, Bird and Fortune are only a mouseclick away - Technology's a wonderful thing.

I do watch Spooks, I must admit, but that's about the only value I'm currently getting from the license fee. Actually, that's not true, I get reasonable value from the radio and the streaming radio services from the BBC will prove invaluable in Canada. That's an excellent service.

Cheers, Iain

Re: BBC Canada
 

Is the TV in Canada really that bad !!!!!

I subscribe to Sky Digital and have the honour of paying them £41 per month.

It is full of constant repeats and I can never find anything worthwhile to watch, so me and her indoors always end up watching a DVD or video.
The only reason I have it is because of the kids, Disney channel, CBeebies, Nickelodium, Recess, Lizzy MaGuire. etc etc.
What a sad git I am ryming off all the kids tv programmes. :o

Do you get these kids channels in Canada, as I think my kids will be devastated if they cannot get their daily fix of the Disney channel

Eddie

Re: BBC Canada
 

[QUOTE=Voyager970]Is the TV in Canada really that bad !!!!!

Yes, it is.

Your kids will get all of the Disney channels on satellite and cable. Our kids watch all of the same stuff as yours, but their favourite channel at the moment is BBC Kids.

Tonight for instance on TV, its Waking the Dead and Ballykissangel for us, as with satellite, their isn't anything on that we would watch. We could have watched the Greatest Canadian, but personally speaking when I saw that Don cherry was nominated I almost threw up. So BBC Canada it is for us again.

Re: BBC Canada
 

[QUOTE=ramac][QUOTE=Voyager970]Is the TV in Canada really that bad !!!!!

Yes, it is.

Oh yes it is. Really bad. Still, we had Waking the Dead tonight on the Beeb and I have Spooks to look forward to later. I watched Rob Roy with Liam Neeson last night.... :o Babyfather is back soon I think...droooool...

Re: BBC Canada
 

Hi

I have been watching it for 2.5 years and the novelty still hasn't worn off. Get up to date eposides in most of the dramas.......what can be better on a winters Friday to curl up with a bottle of wine and watch Merseybeat or such like, much better than the North American crap!

Also like watching TOTP's on BBC kids........


JJ

Re: BBC Canada
 

[QUOTE=dingbat][QUOTE=ramac]......I loved that babyfather, when is it back on?

JJ

Re: BBC Canada
 

The thing that really gets to me about the tv here is that you settle down to watch a good program and as soon as the credits are finished you get a bloody commercial!!!!!!!! And then if that wasnt bad enough, you get more commercials within 5 minutes of that one and then it goes on until the end of the program. Very irritating!!!!!!!!

Re: BBC Canada
 

I have got hooked on London's Burning on CBCcountry.Gosh the London fire department is like being in the Army! I also enjoy watching Merseybeat, but other than that there isn't alot on BBC Canada...unless I am missing something. I used to like Clocking On on showcase but that is gone, and I can't get into Footballers wives!
Funny you mentioned the advertizing...while in Uk I thought there was alot of adds on, more than I remember. Funny thing is to see the same ad over there with the same people just a different accent!

Re: BBC Canada
 

My little sister in the UK told me how awesome Little Britain was. I emailed BBC Canada and they told me that LB is coming up in the new season. So v. soon, although that could be November or February or....?

Re: BBC Canada
 

That rings a bell with me

My last time my wifes relatives were over from Vancouver, her Uncle spent as much time as he could watching TV.

Why, he loved that fact that there was not a lot of commercials on during a programme, particulary BBC

He hated TV in Vancouver, to many adverts compared to UK TV

Eddie