British Expatriate Network

It seems to me to be no new thing, but the more I switch over to BBCA, then the more i find myself switching off. Granted, it is a luxury having cable and all, but you'd think that maybe an all day benny hill marathon or an all day cash in the attic marathon would be a bit less at the forefront of programmers imaginations than it is. Anybody else fed up with re-runs of shows long since cancelled for obvious reasons, or is it just me?
I mean with everything thats going on in the world i know this is trivial and whiny and all, but still, just a few good shows, please, pretty please...

I don't have BBC, I have comcast but not the digital, it looked as though I would get a much better picture of the same rubbish, for a lot more money. This one program wall to wall seems to be the thing now. I used to watch Bravo but now you get West wing all night on Monday, the D list wall to wall on another couple of days, some guy named bobby something another night, still there's Monday Night Football tonight.

A lot of these smaller independent channels have what i call *catch twenty two * .difficulties .

They have a very low viewer rating so they dont get a lot of advertizing, they cant buy more programming cus they dont get enough income from advertizing to pay for it .

nobody wants to invest cus its such a cutthroat bisiness, in fact if many of these small independents if they where not included in a * viewer package * would cease to exist.

I have a digital TV package from Comcast and frankly, I think it is quite poor.

The picture is the same as with analog service - you only get a better picture with HD compatible sets and an HD channel. I believe satellite digital TV offers a better picture as standard, weather permitting.

I wish you could buy channels a la carte, as Senator John McCain has been pushing for some time now. There are hundreds of stations I have never and will never watch but apparently I pay something for them each month.

A lot of us gave up on BBC America years ago - when I first came here in the late 90's, it was a nice novelty but it's not a patch on the real BBC and another bad case of American franchising.

BBC America has occasional flashes of brilliance.

However, 18 hours a day every day of house porn wears real thin.

Pity the BBC doesn't have any say in BBC America.

I emailed them on the sad state of their programming, and here's the generic response

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us. BBC America takes the
opinions of viewers such as yourself very seriously. Rest assured we will
forward your remarks on to the appropriate department(s). Thank you again
for your comments."


So, now they'll probably put even more episodes of changing rooms on (from 1999 - or something like that)

Actually they're really sneaky - tucking things away in the middle of the afternoon when they are sure that nobody's watching. Caught the final episode of League of Gentlemen yesterday, cracking show, no laughter track, thats a bonus and no language edits either cos the accents are so thick anyway! twisted Marvellous!
They've still a long way to go tho.. ???

It bites that they took Eastenders off BBCA. I gather there is a channel on one of the networks broadcasting it now, but it should be where it is meant to be, on BBCA. Ah well, I'll just have to read the synopses and download the occasional episode.

At least I've got someone back home who will be taping Little Britain series 3 for me. D

We subscribe to Comcast digital as well, and thought the picture and sound were really not that good for the extra fee. We have a normal set, with stereo sound and were only receiving in mono. We actually bought some extra wires and hooked them up from the box - sorry, can't remember what they're called even, I know there are three connectors, one for picture and two for sound - now we at least get stereo, and the picture quality is a little better.

As for BBCA - well just forget it, although I did enjoy watching Hyacinth get a drenching last night!

This is why y'all need tivo.

A while back when I looked at cable I wondered about BBC America and looked at their schedule. I was surprised to see that there was not a single show I was interested in watching.

What I did instead was sign up for NetFlix DVD rental. They have most of the DVD's that the BBC release in the US.. Our local library also have a wide selection of Brit DVD's.

I just finished watching season 1 of the UK version of The Office.. very funny stuff ! ..

I agree that BBC America is a load of rubbish. When I realised I could actually GET BBC America, I was thrilled - What a disappointment. Every day the same programs.........I used to like Benny Hill.

3.00 AM Saturday they showed the entire first series of Black Books. At 3.00 AM, - I think I'm begining to sense a pattern here - they've got all these good shows, but they're worried that somebody, somewhere might get offended if they show them in place of Benny *&^%^%$$# hill, just like the real BBC!! Substituting shite for stuff you would actually watch and enjoy, instead of vaguely devoting ten minutes to between commercials.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHH!!!!! evil

They showed most of series two last night, starting at about 2.30am.

thats what i'm talking about! In the middle of the night! Not at any normal time of day when you might actually see them!! evil