Let's hear it for the funniest sitcom supporting roles

I have watched them in my time. P-whipping. Never again.

Actually, I think you know they're garbage within 5 seconds of tuning in; but you can train yourself to tolerate anything if you work at it for long enough.

Johnson...how could I forget Johnson...

Sou'Wester & Nuge, Ok we know Kevin won't take the moderate line and that kids, women and a lot of the gay community (broad strokes, I know, just going on those around me) enjoy soaps and reality TV......but left to our own devices...........would we really miss them, do they really 'inform'? Or as Kevin alludes is it really just lazy banter that help office workers bond, The water cooler effect as I believe it's known. I don't think for one minute it's to do with personal IQ or social scale but everything to do with social bonding and 'fitting in' with co-workers. Personally I loathe both the shows and the sheep-like behaviour but that's my problem.
Cheers
MC

Point is Nuge i wasn't attempting to diss the people who watch them...I'm dissing the moronic programme MAKERS who dumb everything down. Apologies to you and anyone else offended if my point came over with the wrong tone.

Modern TV makers are producing lazy dumbed down tripe and do not have the innovative skills of previous generations of programme makers who produced clasics such as Doctor Who , Monty Pythons Flying Circus , the Avengers or Colditz. All we have is endless formularistic "vote them off" shows, lazy slobs on shows like Big Brother and repetitious storylines on soaps. The PC Brigade have ruined TV comedy.

My other point still remains though ..I hate reality TV and soaps ..and I don't need to watch a new one to KNOW I will hate it.

..and MC ... , I would , (as I'm sure you already knew :-) ) far rather be the odd one out than bond or fit in with other worker s (or society come to that) if i don't agree or prefer to call rubbish, rubbish!. I have my own sdtandards and I won't change them to become a sheep or a follower. Point is though , I'm not the odd one out....these shows attract audiences of between 6 - 10 million (less for those on C4 or satellite) ...but that means upwards of 50 million are not in the slightest bit interested in them. To go OTT as most tabloids do and pretend that they actually have value or to produce rubbish propeganda like that crazy BBC trailer a few years back (Eastenders ..everybodys talking about it..........well no they were not actually!! Over 70% of the country didn't doesn't and never will !!!) is disingenious and downright lying.

What it comes down to, and especially in an economy that's on its knees, is that programme makers opt for the least cost/maximum revenue model. Why invest in an expensive drama series when a reality show will bring in more dosh from advertisers? Are they lazy or just financially astute? After all they're are in it to make money. That said the BBC is still putting out some quality dramas and docus e.g. Wallander and The Men Who Made Us Fat being two good examples...IMO.

In times past, when there were only two or three channels, TV shows could command huge audiences so it was worth investing the resources needed to put on good quality programmes. Today, with so many channels - and much more competition from other types of entertainment - the incentive to invest in quality programming just isn't there. I think it's also true that our collective palate has become jaded through a surfeit of TV over the years. I used to drink in loads of TV in the 1960s because the medium was still fresh and new, as were many of the programmes. I can look back fondly on "The Avengers", "Z Cars", "Secret Army" etc.etc., but if they were putting these on as new shows today I don't think we'd rate them anywhere near as highly as we did then. Even in those much more lucrative days for TV there was still a colossal amount of dross, most of which has thankfully now been forgotten.
There are still good programmes; I've quite enjoyed the BBC's recent Shakespeare plays (even if they did cut them about mercilessly), but it does take much more effort to search them out amongst the sea of dross that constitutes most television output. The other big plus today is that there's a huge range of DVDs from which to select a decent evening's entertainment, a facility that wasn't available at all in the "good old days".

yes, it's bandwagon television these days - copycat series - each channel has to have its Fashion/Home/DIY Makeover show, Talent Competition, Satiric Current Affairs Show, Celeb Cookery and Reality programmes. originality is rare or perhaps they aren't brave enough to give it a go

Oh, thank you, Sou'Wester !
I've been trying to remember the name of that great series, "Secret Army" for ages !
Geoffrey Palmer at his best. :o)
Thank you, so much !

Well said, Kevin !
Spot on, my friend. :o)

The problem with soaps, is that they are trying to mirror the sordid aspects of 'reality', & condense it down to half hour episodes.
Trouble is, us mere mortals are constantly LIVING with this 'REALITY'. It's happening all around us, ALL the time !
What we REALLY want, on TV at least, is a BREAK from all the sordid 'reality' going on in our midst.
The choice however, remains. Either switch your brain off & sit through mass produced artificial 'reality'. Or, get your hat & coat on, & venture out into the REAL world to experience REAL life !
Guess which choice I regularly make . . . . . .? :o)

You're right Bubbles and this def applies to the utter dreck that is Eastenders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. To some extent Corrie did go down this route in trying to compete with Eastenders and they did forget to add in lighter storylines and characters. And true that some storylines go over the same old ground. But, there are also those that are quirky, humnourous and light in touch to balance out the heavier stuff. Those other soaps are all totally devoid of humour and light but are only about anger,confrontation, jealousy, revenge etc. Not good for the easily impressionable.

Haven't seen "Corrie" for years, but I did use to "drop in" quite regularly in times past. Today's sitcom writers could do worse than dig out old tapes of "the street" because it used to have plenty of wry humour, plus the odd one-liner which would put any stand-up comic to shame. It's something that's always seemed to be lacking in "Eastenders" which revels in misery (odd, because most of the people I know from this neck of the wood are very funny). What little I've seen of "Emmerdale" seems to emanate from Theatre Of The Absurd! ("Hollyoaks" I don't know at all, though I'm told you get the odd pleasant view of Chester).

Mrs Overall in Acorn Antiques, does that count? Anyway she was the bl@@dy hilarious.

Not that you'd know it was Chester, Sou' as nearly all the Hollyoaks characters have southern accents...and me speaking as someone who used to live up the road from there.

Annette Badland as Dawn Faber in Two Point Four Children. The bank manager with the crazy upward inflecting voice.

Yes but what about Bulldog at the radio station - person I mean.