# UK Dopers: What's popular on TV right now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066 "2010-08-12T17:52:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/41 "2010-10-13T18:03:02Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > New water cooler convos: _The Apprentice_. We can’t claim this one as it’s a UK adaptation of the American show. > > A more arrogant bunch of idiotic clots I’ve never seen in my life. > > What I don’t get is why they persist in behaving in such a nutty way when the damn program has been on for years? Don’t they realise that by being completely pig-headed, non-collaborative, shouty and just generally stupid, they’re not going to win? Is the ego of the business-oriented ‘reality show’ contestant impervious to reason and precedent? Thanks for the heads-up, I caught this episode. I watched the first two seasons of Apprentice UK, and I know it’s an import from the US but I prefer it to the US version. Seems to me everyone was operating under the point of view of “how can I cover my ass in the boardroom when we lose?”, rather than “if we work together we’ll have a better chance of winning, then we don’t have to worry about the boardroom.” Nobody was willing to step up and take on any responsibility. “Okay, who’s working on this part?” Silence. “Well, then who is taking care of that?” More silence and staring at shoes. I guess they figure if they don’t do anything, then nobody can pin any blame on them for failing at their task. Anyway, as an aside, what’s that glass, bullet-shaped building that’s almost always shown whenever there’s an aerial shot of London? For example, The Apprentice has it in the opening, and X-Factor shows it every time they’re auditioning in London. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/42 "2010-10-13T18:47:10Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > Anyway, as an aside, what’s that glass, bullet-shaped building that’s almost always shown whenever there’s an aerial shot of London? For example, The Apprentice has it in the opening, and X-Factor shows it every time they’re auditioning in London. Everyone just calls it [The Gherkin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe), but it’s really 30 St Mary Axe. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/43 "2010-10-14T10:36:29Z")
It also used to be called the Swiss Re building but I believe Swiss Re are no longer occupying it. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/44 "2010-10-14T14:17:16Z")
Re: The Apprentice. I appreciate that the point of programs like this is that they work to a formula, but when they become as predictable and moronic as this, it should be allowed to die a quiet death. Although the point was always moot, it is quite clear that working for the Sugar man is really not what this is about. Nor is it about, in any meaningful way, achieving the tasks they are given. It’s about putting those loud, shouting people in close proximity and watching the sparks fly. The reason that that girl got fired this week was (as I think Lawd Alan said) because she didn’t contribute enough. I think he was talking about the task. Everyone else was, I’m sure, thinking it about her character. In this program, he who shouts loudest, lasts longest. It used to be great. It’s now reached its sell-by date. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/45 "2010-10-14T14:40:31Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > > [@Taomist](#): > > > > I’m confused; what could be ‘adapted’ to US tv about Being Human? It’s fine as it is. I’m really sick of vampires with \ southern accents, and don’t want anymore, tyvm. 😕 > > Just show us the british versions. We’re not idiots; we can get the accents. > > Being Human is fantastic, I think they shoud just export it as it is. The whole point is about the three main characters living in a small house in Bristol. I can’t see that translating well to a small city in America. If they based it in New York it would just end up a schmaltzy Friends type show with vampires, ghosts and werewolves. Shrug, didn’t they do something like that when they adapted “Queer as Folk”? I understand part of the problem with the original in that one was the age of one of the main characters, who was too young for the Americans (even though he would have been “legal” in a large part of the country). > [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > > [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > > > Anyway, as an aside, what’s that glass, bullet-shaped building that’s almost always shown whenever there’s an aerial shot of London? For example, The Apprentice has it in the opening, and X-Factor shows it every time they’re auditioning in London. > > Everyone just calls it [The Gherkin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe), but it’s really 30 St Mary Axe. Ah, yes, Brits are so polite. A similar building in Barcelona is known locally as The Supppository. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/46 "2010-10-14T15:06:12Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > yes, Brits are so polite. A similar building in Barcelona is known locally as The Supppository. It’s worth noting here that “Gherkin” is a shorter form of “[Erotic Gherkin](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/893161.stm)”. No, I’m not kidding. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/47 "2010-11-02T06:46:53Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > Ooh, I’m loving Downton Abbey. It’s perfect Sunday evening viewing - the televisual equivalent of sinking into a warm bath. Just found this show on line. So entertaining!! Loving Maggie Smith!! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/48 "2011-01-10T05:24:25Z")
Alas, _Downton Abbey_ has been cut by a fourth for the American audience: [Downton Abbey 'downsized' for American audiences](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8235719/Downton-Abbey-downsized-for-American-audiences.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/49 "2011-01-10T05:43:21Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Alas, _Downton Abbey_ has been cut by a fourth for the American audience: [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8235719/Downton-Abbey-downsized-for-American-audiences.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8235719/Downton-Abbey-downsized-for-American-audiences.html) That’s a pity. > [@](#): > > American actress Laura Linney will explain the principle of inheritance before the show begins. This is rather amusing though. Why Laura Linney? Does she have a legal background? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/50 "2011-01-10T06:00:37Z")
Ah, but apparently it hasn’t been cut after all: [In Defense of \Downton Abbey\ (Or, Don't Believe Everything You Read)](http://www.televisionaryblog.com/2011/01/in-defense-of-downton-abbey-or-dont.html) Linney’s just a fine actress. Not a lawyer as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/51 "2011-01-10T09:12:32Z")
There’s a new version of Upstairs Downstairs been on over the Christmas period. It’s a continuation of the 1970s show. It stars Keeley Hawes _swoons forever_ ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/52 "2011-01-10T09:18:09Z")
The new BBC detective miniseries, _Zen_, is pretty good. It stars Rufus Sewell as Aurelio Zen, an Italian detective working in Rome. The episodes are 1.5 hours long, and IIRC, there’s only three of them (with two already been broadcast). ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/53 "2011-01-10T10:05:10Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Shrug, didn’t they do something like that when they adapted “Queer as Folk”? I understand part of the problem with the original in that one was the age of one of the main characters, who was too young for the Americans (even though he would have been “legal” in a large part of the country). He was 15, not legal in the UK or US now or then - but the older man didn’t know he was so young. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/54 "2011-01-10T10:13:07Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Ah, but apparently it hasn’t been cut after all: [In Defense of \Downton Abbey\ (Or, Don't Believe Everything You Read)](http://www.televisionaryblog.com/2011/01/in-defense-of-downton-abbey-or-dont.html) I am shocked, shocked to learn that the Daily Mail published an inaccurate and prejudiced article about American TV viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/55 "2011-01-10T14:13:51Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > I am shocked, shocked to learn that the Daily Mail published an inaccurate and prejudiced article about American TV viewers. So it’s happened before, has it…? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/56 "2011-01-10T14:33:43Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > So it’s happened before, has it…? The Daily Mail does indeed publish the occasional inaccurate and prejudiced article, but it probably only happens two or three times a page. ---
**Author:** ![LurkerInNJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@LurkerInNJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkerInNJ)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066/57 "2011-01-10T15:30:01Z")
> [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](#): > > Being Human is fantastic, I think they shoud just export it as it is. The whole point is about the three main characters living in a small house in Bristol. I can’t see that translating well to a small city in America. If they based it in New York it would just end up a schmaltzy Friends type show with vampires, ghosts and werewolves. The first two seasons were on BBC America. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-whats-popular-on-tv-right-now/550066.md?page=2)