Well Done British TV!

[Hap Hazard]

Well the 17th of December is almost upon us and is of course the anniversary date of what could be considered one of the most historic moments in mankinds technical achievements.
How is the British channels commemorating the day?(terrestrial)
What historic event!!
Not one channel has programmed one programme to mark the occasion!
We have to endure the normal rubbish like East Enders who's script has been penned by left wing social workers who try to convince the public that this is real life or yet another dreary episode of Coro....and in the meantime sets low standards for our younger viewers.
I would have expected at least one 1/2 hr programme to be aired but sadly TV chiefs see it otherwise, I guess they are only concerned with viewer numbers as a nation that now seems to derive their entertainment through watching half a dozen people locked in a small room bickering..so thats entertainment, or so we are told!
Not even BA's managers had the foresight to retire Concorde on the 17th, so we are left with our thoughts on this historic occasion!
:*

[Dop]

Typical lowest-common-denominator for god's sake don't make people have to use their brains rubbish, if you ask me...

Lord Reith must be spinning in his grave.

[vintage ATCO]

The Listener crossword in today's Times Weekend Section is all about 'firsts' in aviation, so I am told!! It may as well be in Chinese as far as I am concerned! :D


VA

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

About on a par with national TV coverage of the very last Concorde flight - stuff all:(

I really think it's time this bunch of luvvy jessies who run BBC TV had the licence fee taken off them and had to earn a living in the real world. They do not provide 'public service broadcasting', so, ho hum, they are just another media company IMHO.

SSD

[No comment]

Thats about all I've seen related to the event and even that was a repeat (i think). Three teams built replicas of vintage aircraft using scrap to see if they could fly. Quite a good programme in the end.

[Batchy]

The BBC did show the Percy Pilcher programme as part of the Horizon series last week. Otherwise the only option is the discovery Wings on Sat/cable.

[treadigraph]

There was a programme last night on BBC2 - The Natural World or something, which appeared to compare firsts in aviation with natural flyers... unfortuantely I can't tell you how good it was as the moved it from the scheduled1810 to much earlier in order to air a "We Got Him" special... now, I can understand postponing it, but making it EARLIER? Grrrrrrr...

[Kolibear]

Treaders,

It was high on birds, bat, insects etc but low on aircraft. I enjoyed it but then I like anything with wings.

[newswatcher]

Errr, not quite true Hap Hazard! :p

BBC4 are doing a "Flight Night" to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight.

8.30pm Flight Night: Days That Shook the World The Wright Flight - The First Flight: To mark the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers achievement, we chart the events leading up to the first machine powered flight, a journey that lasted all of 12 seconds
9.00pm Flight Night: The Talk Show - Jonathan Freedland and guests discuss how the technology of aviation has changed the world
9.30pm Flight Night: Time Shift The Jet Set A look back at the glamourous heyday of the jet set from the 1950s to the 1970s, examining a time when the notion of the rich and famous flying to exotic locations around the world was a source of fascination and admiration for the general public. Racing driver Jackie Stewart, psychologist Dr Martin Dyer Smith, columnist Ross benson and Concorde pilot Christopher Orlebar reflect on how society's attitude to celebrity has changed over the years"
10.10pm Flight Night: Time Shift Whicker's World -- The First Million Miles Legendary reporter Alan Whicker looks back over his travels to exotic locales around the world, and recalls notable interviews conducted during a TV career spanning 50 years
10.55pm Flight Night: Hong Kong The unique experience of flying into Kai Tai airport in the heart of the city, before it was closed in 1998
11.40pm Flight Night: Days That Shook the World Marconi/Concorde The story of two historic events that bridged the Atlantic ocean. In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi successfully transmitted a radio signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland, and in 1977, Concorde made it's first transatlantic flight from Toulouse to New York, in the face of vociferous protest over the dangers of supersonic flight. With the aid of first hand accounts, these two groundbreaking moments are recreated

Plus:
15/12 21:00 History Channel - The Wright Challenge (George Cayley)
16/12 22:00 UK History Channel - Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers journey of Invention (Part 1)
17/12 22:00 UK History Channel - Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers journey of Invention (Part 2)
19/12 20:00hrs Discovery - Wright Brothers First in flight

[Kolibear]

reflect on how society's attitude to celebrity has changed over the years

and then Alan Whicker telling us about people he has interviewed.


pardon me, but how relevant is this to aviation?


thanks for posting it Newswatcher, fortunately I've just noticed its BBC4

[Windy Militant]

Considering that over the years the BBC have made some excellent documentaries about aviation this is really weak. Surely they could have included some of the "Reaching for the skies" Or "Diamonds in the Skies" series which would have had more relavance than Whickers World. :*

[treadigraph]

Sadly, BBC4 is useless as I don't have digital. I would have thought the event merited at least a couple of hours on BBC2 during the evening seeing how big an impact aviation has had on civilisation.

But I shall be in the pub early in the evening and will toast the Wright Brothers (in loco Pearse et al) with that pint!

[Hap Hazard]

Newswatcher, I did say terrestrial. I was referring to the 5 mainstream channels, not everyone can get sat or digi TV but thanks anyway.:ugh:

[newswatcher]

No probs Hap Hazard. I did wonder how useful references to BBC4 would be. With the price of set-top boxes down to less than £50, it would be good to see more people taking advantage of the "Free-to-view" channels, through "normal" aerials . Let's face it, when analogue is turned off, there may not be an alternative. :{

[treadigraph]

Agree with you Newswatcher, problem is that reception in my area is very poor, despite being only a few miles from the Crystal Palace transmitters and having a bosster transmitter nearby. I have a poor line of sight along a valley plus, as yet, no aerial on the roof - a new roof is needed first!

My mother has much better reception, yet the digital channels keep freezing momentarily.

So I think the Beeb will have to be very sure that decent reception can be had by all before they turn off the analogue - I can still watch the telly at the moment despite snow and ghosting! Mind you, I can't see Channel Five, but then again...

(But no matter, one of me mates is going to tape BBC4 for me tomorrow!)

Treadders

[teeteringhead]

A bit late in the week to post but I've only just seen the thread. BBC Radio 4 have been doing very well this week, with a number of "Wright Stuff" programmes, including aviation themed drama productions!

Live coverage from them tonight (2100Z) of events at Kitty Hawk - and as they say: the good thing about radio is that then pictures are better (and free!).

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I complained to the BBC and got a reply pointing out all the coverage on BBC 4 and Radio 4. I replied pointing that that confirmed what I was complaining about - this important anniversary relegated to a fringe low-coverage channel. Nothing at all on the two main public service channels.

Bah humbug!

SSD

[Hap Hazard]

SSD Doesnt surprise me, what do you expect from these TV social workers?;)
By the way the programme, Days that shook the world is a re-run and the discussion that followed was frankly boring, but I guess it was a start..........
Anyways, I am off to celebrate Orvilles acheivements tonight by going flying in one of Mr Boeings finest, cant think of a better way!

[newswatcher]

Shaggy, BBC posted an item yesterday which stated that 50% of UK homes would have access to "Digital TV" by the end of this year. Guess that's why their reply to you was complacent. The sale of Freeview desk-top boxes has topped 2.5m, with sales currently running at 100k/week. Looking at these figures, they must also be including Sky viewers.

Govt. still plan to turn off analogue by 2010!

Sorry "treadi", no mention of quality problems! :mad:

[ShyTorque]

Freeview doesn't reach us either, we are between two distant transmitters and our present four channels (sometimes five) vary in quality despite the choice of two aerials pointing in opposite directions!.

Broadband neither! I'm obliged to run an internet connection that is considerably slower than was available to me 5 years ago.

And what's more, the water pressure isn't nearly as good as it was 15 years ago! :}

What's the country coming to?

[BEagle]

Where I come from, TVs are powered by electricity, not water!

But the terrestrial analogue signal is awful; I guess that no-one is bothering to sort out the Beckley mast near Oxford ever since they cocked it up a few years ago...

Perhaps you should consider Sky? I recommend the Sony VTX-S760 which is the only receiver which doesn't look as though it was assembled in a garden shed from a Practical Wireless article! But hard to find these days.

[ShyTorque]

Beags, you're probably right but what with the DVD, Video, Play Station and x-Box there's no more space near the telly.

Or the water tank....:\