Oh joy of joys, a glance at the new edition of the Radio Times informs me that a new series of 'X Factor' begins this evening. This means that with judicious use of my DVR, I will be able to fill my whole evening with 'reality' vote-off shows like ‘Last Choir Standing’, ‘X Factor’ and ‘Big Brother’.
Big Brother; whose idea was this exercise in collective madness? People sit down and tune in to watch a group of individuals who at best belong in some sort of counselling, and at worst in a psychiatric hospital or prison. These characters (known as housemates) are then teased, goaded and provoked into committing various activities of a dubious moral or sexual nature with other housemates (mates?). Some of these acts seem specifically designed to speed up an admission to one of the afore-mentioned psychiatric hospitals or prisons. For some reason for next three months (yes THREE months) the tabloid press the become obsessed with this drivel until thankfully a phone-in vote determines the winner and we are given a few months respite until it all begins again.
For those among us who bemoan the passing of bear-baiting, cock-fighting and dog-fighting as a legitimate pastime we now have the option of the ‘X Factor’. For those that have had the good judgement not to have tuned into this programme. It is a ‘talent’ show where people, mostly with anything they might have had approaching talent, genetically substituted by some sort of medical, physical or psychological disorder, are paraded for public humiliation. These unfortunate creatures are then ‘judged’ by a panel of ‘celebrity’ has-beens, themselves of little or no talent and an over-inflated view of their own worth. The adjudication is seen by these irritating twerps as an opportunity to further mortify those that they do not want to get through or to give unrealistic expectations to those they do. The former then further degrade themselves by begging or pleading with the judges to change their mind; and the former embarrass themselves by displays sycophancy not seen since the days of Saddam Hussein. After weeks of shows where the producers have sought to find and broadcast the most hideously embarrassing incidents of the pre-selection process, they then move to the knock-out stage where performers are voted in or out (I’m not sure which) by the public using an 0900 phone-in voting system (most of these have been discredited over the last year or two but people still seem prepared to use them.
What I'd like to know is what number do I have to call to get them all off the air?
No comments:
Post a Comment