So there is a yearly tax levied on each tv set in a household and it is quite a sizeable sum. Definitely an incentive to have only one tv! The tax goes towards public broadcasting (BBC) and, I must admit, I think I prefer a yearly tax to millions of commercials! Whenever we watch American tv now we are amazed at how frequently the show is interrupted. Most shows here have one or two short commercial breaks, and sometimes they don't have any at all - which can make it tricky for a pregnant lady to know when to escape to the loo!
Over the Christmas holidays Aaron and I enjoyed seeing what the "hot items" were that they advertized. We are used to tons of American commercials for technological gadgets, fashionable clothes, movies, and the like and were expecting to see much of the same. Surprise - the majority of commercials were advertizing music (and not itunes or other such downloadable ditties but CDs!) and perfumes! The perfume commercials were actually beautiful pieces of cinematic artistry; very dramatic, romantic, and always starring a recognizable movie star such as Matthew McConaughey or Audrey Tautou. The other thing we noticed is that restaurants rarely advertize on tv but there were loads of commercials for grocery stores and "pre-made meals" available there.
Now that it's January, however, commercials revolve around weight-loss programs, furniture sales, and insurance plans...kind of reminds me of the good ol' USA!
As for tv programming, if you have not seen BBC's Top Gear you are seriously missing out. I mean really, it's about cars but it is hilarious...even I watch and enjoy it! It's BBC's number one rated show and deservedly so.
There are many soap opera type shows that are EVERYWHERE and EVERYONE talks about them - people in stores, radio djs, talk show hosts...we are obviously missing out on a huge piece of British culture by not tuning in to Coronation Street, Emmerdale, or Hollyoaks (just to name a few).
The shows that crack me up the most are the ones that seem so stinking cheap to make! Two that pop to mind are "Come Dine with Me" and "May the Best House Win". Both are competition shows with very average people trying to impress their guests with either a home cooked meal or by a home tour. They take turns judging each other and the competitor with the highest score wins one thousand pounds. There is cheeky narration too.
Finally, they have shows like "X-Factor"and "Britain's Got Talent" that storm through the country when they're on but mercifully are not as long and drawn out as their American counterparts. "The Biggest Loser" started it's first UK knock-off this year but I don't know if it will be as much of a success as the US version...we'll see!
Well, that's my telly review...and while I've been enjoying flipping the channels while staying warm inside, I am quite excited for better weather and more outside adventures!
