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-   -   War Zone on Channel 5 (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/356262-war-zone-channel-5-a.html)

Al R 2nd Jan 2009 15:58

Seldom,

To confirm then, get a takeaway or get taken away.

Seldomfitforpurpose 2nd Jan 2009 16:01

Al,

As I said, it was always going to be a bit to subtle for you :ok:

Al R 2nd Jan 2009 16:45

.. sorry mate - for not making sen-se.

Grabbers 5th Jan 2009 20:55

Well

I've been flicking it on in between doing the ironing and reckon:

a) The RAF Regt are professional, well humoured guys.
b) The REMFs lounging around looking 'cool' while the rocket attack alarm sounded did more PR harm than they realise, especially with our sister services.
c) The Welsh 'HR' guru is almost perfect - she can't run too fast, quite fit, and as thick as a horse on toast.
d) No bandspeople - Hurrah!

November4 5th Jan 2009 21:08

Oh dear oh dear......

Not helped by the commentator making the programme the style of a "Brits on holiday" series.

Not helped by the "stars" giving the impression that they are Brits on holiday...

Melchett01 5th Jan 2009 21:10


The Welsh 'HR' guru is almost perfect - she can't run too fast, quite fit, and as thick as a horse on toast.
To very roughly paraphrase - "I'm taking ages to put my make up on before I go out, cos I like doing girly things. I don't want to feel like I'm too military"

:confused: Forgive me if I've missed something, but you are in the military, and you are on ops. I dread to think what they are saying on ARRSE.

But agreed, the Rocks came out of the first episode very well. However, the whole thing looks very tabloid; the BBC documentary following the SH crews that was on a while back was far far superior and gave an indication of what it's really like out there.

As for ARRSE, just had a look - without repeating any of the more personal insults here, the comment "so far back they send their laundry forward" really does seem to sum up the impression of life at KAF given by this programme so far.

dogstar2 5th Jan 2009 21:15

Poor. It does not show the serious hard work which goes into providing CAS to the troops and SH to get the guys there and to resupply them. It needs a real burst of serious stuff to show what really happens rather than the inane stuff which panders to the celebrity TV culture we now inhabit. Yes there are burger kings etc but from that same base are guys and girls working their butts off. They do not get to swan about!!!!! Could have done to be edited a bit more!! How about getting across the reason we are there perhaps!!!

Grabbers 5th Jan 2009 21:17

Does anyone hold out hope for more substance to come? Or are we in for more of the same?

Mr C Hinecap 5th Jan 2009 21:23

Do you think the public will think all Sqn Ldr Aircrew look like that? :}

Not the best TV we've ever put our names to. There is a lot of space between 'any fool can be uncomfortable' and 'fluffy'. We've erred on fluffy there.

newt 5th Jan 2009 21:53

Once again the Press seem to have been let loose with no editorial control. We had the same problem at Brawdy when they filmed the Fighter Pilot series.

We spent hours giving them acres of film both in the air and on the ground. What made the headlines? A student pilot cooking his chips in off-base accommodation saying he hated living in the Mess!! This time they spent more time filming a pretty little Welsh girl than they did filming the operational side of the Base!

Will their "Lordships" ever learn their lesson??

Well thats my rant. Just glad I recorded it so I could watch a wonderfully attractive redhead in "Above Suspicion" on the other channel!!

Shall now retire to my bunker with a glass of whiskey!! Tomorrow I must get a haircut and remove my sideburns! Oh! and do some PT to work off the excess of Christmas, polish my flying boots and press my trousers!!

Al R 6th Jan 2009 06:39

I was in no fit state to watch it after watching Vicki Butler Henderson state; ".. a voluptuous derriere is perfect to play with.".

I guess I came to at about midnight. I have recorded it though, and will offer my valuable input later. :ok:

stickmonkeytamer 6th Jan 2009 07:39

I switched off shortly after the commentator stated that Kandahar lay 100 miles from Kabul... only two thirds short! :ugh:

Such a wasted opportunity for the British Military again. The one over Christmas was fantastic.

SMT

BEagle 6th Jan 2009 07:40


We spent hours giving them acres of film both in the air and on the ground. What made the headlines? A student pilot cooking his chips in off-base accommodation saying he hated living in the Mess!!
Yes - that stupid clip of the whingeing ex-milkman (who also mumbled something about "It's just a job like anything else" in his dull FNM monotone) brought about the edict that all first tourists had to live in the mess for their first year on the squadron..... With house prices going up at the rate they were in the early 1980s, this amounted to something like a £5000 fine for prospective house buyers.

A typical over-reaction by the worthless Airships.....:ugh:

plans123 6th Jan 2009 10:35

Some interesting comments on some of the other sites...

Arrse

E-Goat

Rum Ration

Cringe worthy TV if I've ever seen it. :D

TiffyFGR4 6th Jan 2009 11:44

I only saw the last half-hour of it. What I seen of it, was............Ok....Well....Poor...

That commentator that babbles through it just gets on my frikin nerves, he talks through it like he's commentating like the way he would for an advert for Disneyland.

Sorry to say, but! The lame "Dutch-Disco" looked like a Friday night out at the bigmarket here in Newcastle! Rough as f**k & full of p**s-heads! But without the couple of door-head US Marines in the mix!

Why don't they show us what our lads & lasses are REALLY doing?...Rather than making it look like one of those crappy "Boozed-Up Brits Abroad" or whatever the hell it's called...

Disappointed!!! But NOT with our lads & lasses, not at all, but with the makers of this show...

Len Ganley 6th Jan 2009 12:35

Wrathmonk

I just have a horrible feeling that there may be the odd "PR shot to the foot" moment and one that may backfire (again) on the light blue

How right you are.

Phil_R 6th Jan 2009 12:39


I did find it surreal that the possibility of RMP's being concerned over the wearing of faded combats
I on the other hand was quite pleased to hear this as it completely validates my decision not to join the military because it is, as we say on the internet, full of stupid.

P

(Yes, yes, I know, running away, donning tin hat, avoiding flame...)

Jumping_Jack 6th Jan 2009 12:51

A missive doing the rounds at the mighty HQ AIR Request (well it doesn't Command does it!) says that the series gets better....heres hoping!

StopStart 6th Jan 2009 13:47


Why don't they show us what our lads & lasses are REALLY doing?...
Er, like what? As anyone who's been to the great self-****ting nappy that KAF is knows, that is what "our lads and lasses" :rolleyes: do do. Some people fix aircraft, some fly them, some do dull admin & stores and some other people guard them. In the evenings they eat pizza and go to the gym. Why? Because there's cock all else to do. There are the odd rocket attacks there but overall the opportunities to fix bayonets and charge stark-naked at Terry are pretty limited down on the Boardwalk. I'm sure those of you horrified at the dutch disco wouldn't avail yourselves of all the US/NATO facilities that are there but would probably just stay in your rooms sharpening your boot knives.....

The producers pick up on the pretty/thick-as-a-whale omlette lass and the young, slightly nervous Regt Gunner because they are the sort of people C5 makes programmes for. It's just a bit of lowest-common-denominator, matey boy commentary, seafront telly that the likes of ITV and C5 revel in. It's not gritty, Ross Kemp type stuff but that's because their jobs aren't, er, gritty, Ross Kemp type stuff. Still, who knows - perhaps the young lad will get his leg blown off whilst out sweeping the approach and the admin girl will get horribly burnt when her office gets rocketted - might make for better TV eh? :ugh:

I don't see it as a PR disaster per se; this is, I'm afraid, what the majority of UK forces in theatre do - 98% dull stuff. No matter how many dutch discos there are there, it's still a ****ehole and still time away from friends and family; nobody wants to be there but people make the best of a bad lot. I think I'll give the series the benefit of the doubt - there are still several more episodes to go and I suspect future ones will perhaps shine some favourable light on the less glamourous, but nonetheless vital corners of the UK deployment out there.

PS. Why oh why oh why oh why oh why oh why did the Air Commode have his fg suit wings patch sewn onto his deserts......? :yuk:

Storminnorm 6th Jan 2009 14:09

After a quick read through all this Guff. It's not changed much
since Aden.
Glad I got The F out of it then!


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