Are we really this stupid?

It seems that TV producers consider viewers to have the memory of Alzheimic goldfish. Whilst watching 'The Hotel Inspector' last evening, at beginning of the hour long show we were treated to a précis of what was about to be shown, including a brief curriculum vitae of the presenter (in spite of the fact we are nearing the end of the series and most of us could probably recite her qualifications backwards), as we approached the first commercial break we were reminded of what we had just seen and told what would happen after the ads. (This included much of the information we were given at the start of the show).

Having sat through five minutes of inane advertisements for loans, hair products, cars and life improvement products for geriatrics, accompanied by music and sound effects played at 20 decibels above the rest of the broadcast; the programme recommenced. And, just in case we had forgotten, we were given a run down on what had gone before. The programme briefly continued before we were presented another reminder of what had happened before the break and a clue of what to expect after the next interlude.

Following a repeat showing of the same commercials at the same ear-splitting volume as before; the third section began with, yes you guessed it, a summary of what had gone before and a hint or two of what was to come. A few more minutes of the actual programme content and then, wait for it, yes more scintillating indications of what to expect after the third break of deafening adverts for products that by now you wouldn’t buy if they were the last on the planet.

When the fourth section of the programme commenced our memory was jogged yet again about what we had seen and what we were about to see before we moved on to the weightier matters of what the programme had been attempting put across. By this time, most of us had lost the will to live, and were beginning to imagine we had been reincarnated into a remake of ‘Groundhog Day’.

I suppose you might call this a déjà review.