First up, although I worked for the Beeb nearly twenty years ago I’m no particular fan-boy.
Nevertheless would any of you good dopers exchange one of your National TV networks for say BBC 1 or 2, or say a best of currently transmitted BBC TV. Network Sched here:
BBC iPlayer - BBC One Guide - Fri Jun 30 2023 sorry I can’t make neat and tidy hyper-links!
Peter
If I were a parent of young children two advert-free channels (CBBC) would be important.
I doubt if people unfamiliar with the programming would be able to tell from looking at the schedule. Some of the docs are first class and I’m willing to bet that people would enjoy shows like University Challenge and Only Connect. There is already a a mix of BBC programming in the US called BBC America although it’s not really the same as a UK BBC network. And it tends to show the more mainstream side of the BBCs output.
I’m willing to bet that many people here would love to be able to watch BBC Four which is the BBC’s “high brow” channel. Every year it has to broadcast at least 100 hours of original arts and music programmes, 110 hours of original factual programmes and 20 international films. The music documentaries in particular are quite brilliant and I love the way they mine the BBC archive for interesting programming. Many of the science docs don’t pull their punches.
I already watch far more BBC programming than US network programming.
Sure, if you’ll accept FOX. I’d like to keep FX though, as that’s where they keep all their good programming.
I’ll gladly take BBC over here and you can have BBC America in return. Instead of getting great shows like QI, we end up with Star Trek: the Next Generation, which is quite a stretch for sticking it on that network. Hell, The Walking Dead has more British actors than ST:TNG.
Got one of those already. What else you got?
Yeah, BBC America is rubbish. Luckily I can get most of the UK programming I like on YouTube, including QI, Only Connect, Great British Bake Off, etc.
I recently regained access to BBC America’s on-demand channel. Yay!
Will you take NBC in exchange for a genuine BBC channel?
They have been showing The Patriot a lot lately for some reason. In my house we call it the Top Gear channel. I love Top Gear but try to shuffle up the programming a bit.
I recently discovered Only Connect on youtube. I’ve even solved a few of the walls on their website. I would love an American version, though. It’s difficult enough already, but the culture-specific questions push it to another level. It’s disheartening to struggle over a question and then find out I never had a chance in the first place, like if the answer is “Blue Peter presenters.”
My cable company doesn’t carry any BBC channels, but occasionally C-SPAN carries your parliament stuff. I love those! Watching your statesmen throwing insults at each other is way better than the boring speeches we’re treated to.
I would gladly trade all of the ESPN channels for BBC channels.
I’d probably swap the (Canadian) CBC for the BBC. I can’t even remember the last time I watched something on CBC.
You can have just about anything in exchange for the BBC. While I think NBC does not do a great job as a network, at the moment they still have Community, so I’ll have to keep that. I like a lot of USA shows, so that’s on my keeper list, too. And I’ll save AMC. Take anything or everything else, and I’ll still pay the licensing fee, too.
Sorry, but both of these options are vetoed. NBC has Sunday Night Football, which might confuse the Brits, who’d be expecting something entirely different. ESPN has Monday Night Football, as well as lots of college football. We’ll be keeping these channels.
I will, however, be willing to put all of our Jesus channels plus all of our shopping channels into a package deal for BBC.
We call it the Gordon Ramsay channel in my house. His shows seem to make up the greater bulk of BBCA programming.
I’ll give you all of the Jesus channels, plus the Jewish channel (which requires special equipment for some reason, so I’ve never actually seen it) and the infomercial channels. Is the country music channel worth anything to you?
Seeing as I found plenty to watch on BBC 1, BBC 2, and ITV as a kid… you got yourself a trade.
BBC America is absolute shite. And I’m an Anglophile.
PBS does a better job of bringing us Yanks high quality British telly. A Bit of Fry and Laurie and EastEnders aired on our local PBS station yonks ago.
Thank God for the internet. That’s how I discovered The In-Betweeners and EastEnders about a decade ago. And Peep Show!
Only whatever someone would give me for it.