those of you who read all that i do here and have, look you see, a pretty good sense of memory, may well want to skip this post. why? it's pretty much going to be a repeat of this one from roughly this time last year. nature willing, a similar repeat shall come at this time next year too.
you're continuing to read? that does my heart good and makes me happy, but don't be moaning to me when it dawns on you that the above is quite correct.
this is the first time i have willingly bought a TV guide since the, with apologies to Wham, last Christmas edition. no, it's nothing wanky like "i don't watch television"; it;s just that i tend to only put on the channels what have constant repeats of CSI and NCIS on for some reason. that, and the electronic variants of TV guides work fine.
what's that? you want me to repeat much if not all of the sentimental hygiene from last year? sure.
i do fondly remember the excitement of the Christmas editions coming out. back then you did have to buy both that were published, for once the Radio Times carried only the BBC listings, whereas the TV Times featured the commercial, aimed at peasants joys of what was on ITV and Channel 4. at some point in the late 80s or early 90s a deal was brokered which saw both publications listing all channels. at least 25 years later you would have thought one would have gone bust, but no, they would appear to be about the only two magazines with strong sales figures these days.
Christmas TV did used to be magical back when we had all of four channels. All stations seemed to save a substantial part of their budget in order to screen a major blockbuster On Christmas Day, something that had only finished its cinema run 18 or so months earlier. this was, dear reader, a time when the video release of a film was usually only three years after the cinema run. these days it's usually about three months from it being on at the movies to it being on the shelf at HMV. and, of course, three hours from its first screening to being on the shelf at various illicit download sites.
would i want to give up the substantial freedom of massive choice and relatively easy availability of absolutely anything you could want to watch whenever you wished to for a return to the nostalgia going on in my head for the big Christmas TV listings? absolutely not. that would be foolish. but, still, the price for that seems to be that all broadcast entertainment has become disposable, whereas some always carried with it the shine of being downright essential viewing.
a look at the Christmas Day listings for the five major channels? surely.
there is very little chance of much of what is on being watched, and only marginally more chance of me actually reading it. why did i buy it, then? see above writing, i suppose.
in retrospect, perhaps i should have purchased the TV Times instead, then. that is available for £2.80, whereas the Radio Times cost be £4 on the nose. i just like to maintain the illusion of me having a bit of sophistication and class when i do business with the ladies at Tesco; i did not want them to think of me as an uncultured peasant, which is precisely what would happen if i bought the cheaper one.
i will, however - as was the case last year - certainly be making sure i watch one thing.
yes, once again Channel 5 are broadcasting the seminal, celebrated Chas & Dave's Xmas Knees Up!, the 1982 special that has never ever been equalled. i am guessing the owner of Channel 5, who i believe is some sort of pornographer (or was at the least), really, really likes Chas & Dave, and what's not to like.
i suppose i can spend Christmas Day listening to my class Chas & Dave CD right up until the point at which this special is once again broadcast to the world.
right, let me be off to flick through the Christmas edition of the Radio Times, then.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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