CHRISTMAS TELLY: a no yo-ho-ho zone

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CHRISTMAS TELLY: a no yo-ho-ho zone

December 30, 2017 - 15:38
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Christmas telly... I mean seriously, why do we bother watching it?

Mrs Brown's Boys

By Andy Simon

Christmas telly... I mean seriously, why do we bother watching it?

It's not much to ask is it? After a year's hard work and in particular, on the run up to Christmas, is it wrong of us to wish that we have some great entertaining telly to enjoy over the festive period?

Is it so terrible to look forward to enjoying some thrills 'n' spills, raucous laughter and good ol' family entertainment over the Christmas holiday? Is it really too much to ask for an hour or two of TV gold that made you feel it was well worth forking out for that overpriced license fee?

No, of course it isn't.

Trouble is... we invariably get our Christmas wish, and we end up with a festive TV shedule completely stuffed with heaps of repeats and so called 'New Shows' which to some, have absolutely no appeal at all!

My Facebook friend and Twitter follower, the well known TV Critic Kevin O'Sullivan summed it up perfectly, with a recent tweet, and I quote, "Many thanks to the BBC, ITV and terrestrial telly gang for their exciting festive schedules but here I am watching Netflix again..."

Says it all really, doesn't it?

When I think about it, Christmas telly hasn't really changed all that much over the years. We had repeats too, year in, year out. For example, in my day the big regular Christmas films were The Wizard Of Oz, Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins or High Society, with a James Bond movie or two thrown in for good measure.

Having said all that; we did have some TV gold this Christmas, like The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show for example, and The Two Ronnies which personally speaking, I enjoyed even though I had already watched them many times in past Christmases.

So is Christmas TV history repeating itself, only with more recent films and shows that supposedly appeal to the new generation?

Although having just asked myself that question; I find regular broadcasts of those damned Harry Potter films, particularly over this Christmas break, a step too far.

So too is Mrs Brown's Boys, the Strictly Christmas Special, and the equally depressing and poorly written Christmas episodes of all those TV soaps.

Mrs Brown's Boys... packed with the same old and easily predictable and revamped punchlines, and to be honest, when you've seen one episode of Mrs Brown's Boys, well, you've seen them all... trust me.

And as for the Strictly Christmas Special, full of footage you have already seen before from the series that's just finished, ending with a winner with two left feet no one in their right mind would have ever voted for.

So it's little wonder those like 'Mr O'Sullivan, justifiably turn to their Netflix or Amazon Fire Sticks for some entertaining alternative?

It seems to me the traditional gathering together as a family in front of the telly on Christmas Day has now become a Ghost of Christmas Past, thanks primarily to the rise of technology, smartphones laptops and tablets, where those who have them can then disappear to their own rooms and stream whatever they like via such services as Catchup TV, Netflix and Amazon Prime,

The other reason I think for the demise of this traditional TV Christmas Day family gathering, is TV's obvious and unswerving lack of imagination when it comes to creating new and exciting shows.

Most people I think, work very hard all year round.

And when they finally get some well deserved time off to enjoy the festive season in front of the telly, what do they find? There's little or nothing new to watch, just the same old trash they have already seen resulting in yet another rather disappointing and sadly, typical TV Christmas.

In summing up, TV, with the exception of a few fairly decent dramas generally speaking, is particularly dull throughout the entire year. So is it really a surprise that we end up getting more of the same at Christmas?

I admit there have been some silver three-penny's found over these festive holidays, but they have been in my opinion, very few and far between.

Personally speaking; Christmas telly has become as nauseating as all those so called classic Christmas songs you hear being played on the radio, year in, year out, on the run up to the big day.

After a few listens, they all get incredibly boring.

And on a final note, again, TV critic Kevin O'Sullivan hammers down the final nail into the Christmas 2017 coffin with his rather accurate tweet about the festive telly schedules, and I quote . . .

"Just been reminded by Facebook that this time last year I was moaning about TV's thin festive gruel. When are we all going to finally realise that telly is always useless at Christmas?"

Kev mate... I couldn't agree with you more.

So come next Christmas, I think I might just do as old Scrooge did in that famous Dickens novel, and completely isolate myself from Christmas telly. I mean who knows, I might also like old Ebenezer, get visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve night.

And if I do, I'm hoping they'll be Whiskey, Gin and Vodka!

But whatever spirits do come my way next Christmas, I'm certain they will be more entertaining than the telly.

Happy New Year everyone.

And thanks for reading.

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