Yes. In fact I think part of BBC3’s raison d’etre is as an incubator for new shows for BBC1 and 2. A lot of shows seems to start out on BBC Radio first, are adapted for tv on BBC3, then if they prove a hit they wind up on 1 or 2. Little Britain is the main example that comes to mind right now but I’ve not doubt there are others.
Yup, this is fairly common. Torchwood went BBC3 -> BBC2 -> BBC1 over the course of the UK three seasons, for example.
So which channel would When The Whistle Blows from Extras have been on? (Come to think of it, ISTR a joke about that in one episode).
This reminds me of the early, glorious, days of Channel 4. It was set up under a government charter that it offer alternative programming to the then three other channels. For a good few years after that, oh boy, it did, gleefully. Perhaps the highlight was the “red triangle” warnings they used to give onscreen for content of a nature likely to offend. Aye, right. A godsend for my generation.
Nowadays Channel 4 has lost its way a lot, but it still has the best early evening news show I think.
That crushed me. I still do ‘Njarnia’ every time we have to make a trip to Ikea…
Nowadays it would probably start on BBC3, years ago BBC2.
That’s the way PBS was over here in the '70’s and '80’s. Mostly because it was broadcasting highbrow BBC productions as part of Masterpiece Theatre. There was also a popular Nova episode about human reproduction. It all gets blurred nowadays.
–Cliffy
ITV.
Of all people, the Doctor Who writers make a joke like that at one point. One character says they should be in a detective show called “Sparrow and Nightingale,” but the other replies that the title is “too ITV” or something like that.
Occasional? Try EVERY BLOODY NIGHT!:mad:
Family Guy, of all shows, did a BBC4 joke about its highbrow status, suggesting that it showed dramas like this: Condensation.
That is only slightly unfair; BBC4 doesn’t show that sort of thing but it was certainly typical of a particular style of BBC drama in years gone by. Thankfully the Beeb has largely removed the stick rammed up its ass and even the highbrow stuff is (mostly) not as tediously pretentious as it used to be (although it may feature Professor Brian Cox sub[/sub] which is almost as bad).
double post
I think the major issue that the BBC has with respect to its science, nature and documentary output is finding presenters. The slightly stuffy image of some of their older programming is somewhat unfair, I think; give me David Attenborough doing a voiceover with gravitas any day of the week over Julia Bradbury and Richard Hammond’s over the top enthusiasm and witticisms, even though they are ever so approachable. The obvious route is to get actors to do voiceover scripts and let the images do the work for them - but that’s not the style anymore is it? They seem to have reversed the maxim “Show, don’t tell”.
It’s not just the Beeb though - I’m not bashing, as the other channels are worse in many respects - but finding someone to strike the right balance in this area is going to be bloody challenging. Unless they just get Rory Bremner to “do Attenborough” or Olivier from The World At War on voiceover for the next 20 years.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy started on the radio.
BBC4 is also the location for the original Scando-gloom police drama “Wallander”. A real gem, you have to say “Tak!” to them for that.