A Little Bit of Telly

We do not watch much television at The Manor.  I'm not implying that we watched a lot at The 407, but it was often on for noise whilst in the kitchen or even down the hallway bedrooms.  The layout of The Manor is a big reason that the telly is not turned on very often.  Our television is in the reception room, which is an actual room, with a door, so the sound does not travel far.  

Happy New Year 2014!

What's different about the telly in the UK?

The shows on the BBC do not have commercials.  Our annual TV license covers what would typically be paid by advertisers.  This is good and bad.  Great because you can immerse yourself into a documentary about WWI (which there are many) or salivate over the Great British Bake Off.  The bad is no built in commercial toilet breaks.  Yes, we can pause live TV, but that kind of kills the momentum of the show (yes, this is a first world problem).    

When we watch American shows on non-BBC channels (How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory) they only show half of the commercials. Which leads to my next fact.

BBC coverage of the Polar Vortex in the USA

TV shows do not always end on the hour or half hour.  It is not unusual for a show to start at quarter past or quarter to the hour. 

The Wii does not get much of a workout

The number of documentaries on at any given time is astounding.  The Brits love WWI and love to make documentaries about it.  

The Brits also like the Bake-off and Sew-off type shows.  The Great British Bake-off with Paul Hollywood & Mary Berry (baking celebrity) starts tomorrow.  This was copied in the US with Jeff Foxworthy.  I am quite excited to watch the series.  

This documentary had some action shots

We have several American Channels available to us including: TLC, Discovery, E!, Travel Channel, and Animal Planet.  The Travel Channel is only on from 6pm-10pm, not sure why.  Unfortunately the shows on these channels are not a good representative of what you can watch in the USA.  It makes me sad to think that Brits see the worst of American TV, such as the no talent siblings and their brainless escapades in LA & Miami.

Some of the American shows are dubbed with British voice overs.  I don't know why they do this, but it always makes us laugh.  Do you know the deep voice of the narrator on Myth Busters?  Well he's been replaced with a Brit.

What's the best thing about British telly?

Downton Abbey starts months before the US.  The next season is set to launch in the fall, but no date has been released.  No more waiting until January!

Grand Designs shows how one can spend a few million on their home in mostly classy style.