Xmas day tv - not like it used to be?

Richard Dower

Maybe i'm just getting old, but i don't think Xmas day tv is good as it used to be. TOTP is gone, no Fools & Horses...even the Xmas day movies are old, like we've all seen them

And since i'm 36 i can't use the excuse or get excited about the scale-xlectrics set i used to get , i want that old Xmas day child vibe back....not it's just another day with half cooked turkey and trifle that dosen't look like the pic on the box

Elmo

The Incredibles (RTÉ One)
Devil Wears Prada (RTÉ One)
Ocean 13 (TV3)
Once (RTÉ Two)

Perhaps big movies are on the TV more now then years ago.

Richard Dower

Seen them all, meh.

mike65

Its very formatted these days

Disney flick
Dr Who
Eastenders misery
Sit com special
News

Elmo

Richard Dower wrote: »

Seen them all, meh.

I have only seen The Incredibles.

But we also perhaps tend to go to the cinema more.

I am not old enough to remember Cinema from the 1970 and 1980 but from what I gather we had a system were you would see the release of Star Wars in 1977 in major city, (possibly 1978 in Ireland), and that film stock would then travel the country for the next 3 years going to regional smaller cinemas, it could still be running in some areas by 1985. When was it first shown on Irish Television?

Now we see a movie release on the same day nationwide, 6 months later in shops as a DVD, six months later on PPV (sky box office), 3 months sees it on Sky movies and then 6 months later on FTA TV. I expect that A Christmas Carol will air on Terrestrial TV in 2011, Christmas Day.

Richard Dower

I'm just getting all Scrooge....bah humbug!

SoupyNorman

It's a bigger picture really. The multitude TV channels/providers/internet stations has diluted our appreciation of TV. Gone are the days when we had 'Cablelink' which gave us a max of about 20 channels (those were my rich friends who had sky movies!!).

Back then it was more about TV events rather then shows...sure even Blind Date Xmas specials drew massive audiences.

It's all OTT these days.

So I think xmas TV content is not the problem, it's the volume.

steve 0

Richard Dower wrote: »

TOTP is gone

I believe there's 2 specials just like last year, one is on BBC 1, Christmas Day @ 14:00. Nice Christmassy number 1 too

Skid

Richard Dower wrote: »

Maybe i'm just getting old, but i don't think Xmas day tv is good as it used to be. TOTP is gone, no Fools & Horses...even the Xmas day movies are old, like we've all seen them

And since i'm 36 i can't use the excuse or get excited about the scale-xlectrics set i used to get , i want that old Xmas day child vibe back....not it's just another day with half cooked turkey and trifle that dosen't look like the pic on the box

Top Of The Pops is on BBC1 at 2pm.
Movies are rarely going to be much of an event on TV anymore, If you really want to see it you have ample opportunity at the cinema, Sky, rent or buy DVD etc.

In the last decade the big events have been specials of TV shows. You have Doctor Who or The Royle Family on BBC1, that'll do nicely for me.:D

RTE1 is poor enough though, e.g. 7pm documentary about John Huston, 9.30 The Devil Wears Prada. They are hardly the kind of shows all the family would sit down together to watch, on the one day when all the family are around..

anotherlostie

I am going to try my hardest to get my Mum and Dad to watch the Devil Wears Prada:D Perfect viewing on Christmas night, I reckon!

Again I think the reason for perceived dilution in quality is that we are saturated with TV from all angles all year round. 25 years ago, we had 6 channels to watch - it took longer for stuff to get around then, and the big hitters could always be reserved for Christmas. Now with the plethora of satellite channels, programmes are aired earlier and more frequently than before. It's the same with soccer - Match of the Day used to be event TV - now it's just one of many soccer shows on telly.

kc66

Is the Goonies on this year?

Elmo

anotherlostie wrote: »

TV from all angles all year round. 25 years ago, we had 6 channels to watch

I must be the only person here who grew up in 2 TV Land.

RTE1 is poor enough though, e.g. 7pm documentary about John Huston, 9.30 The Devil Wears Prada. They are hardly the kind of shows all the family would sit down together to watch, on the one day when all the family are around..

Perhaps the family need to sit around a play some boardgames or something!

Also anyone else remember the 1.2million viewers who tuned into Xmas day Network TV Priemer called Speed, Ultimately end up with many people ring in saying that granny wouldn't be able to get back on a bus after seeing that movie.

ScrubsfanChris

Soccer AM Chrsitmas Special
Doctor Who
Mabey some NFL

Thats all that I'm going to be wactching Christmas day.

Allison91

I don't like The Devil wears Prada or Once. Last year or the year before(can't remember!) Inside I'm Dancing was shown I like the film but kind of depressing for Christmas Day! I think I'll play with my presents

TarfHead

Richard Dower wrote: »

And since i'm 36 ..

I wouldn't have thought that, from your published opinions on TV programmes.

Listen, this is an old argument. The primacy of Christmas TV has being gradually and irreversibly eroded over the years by VCRs, DVDs & multiplex cinemas.

You think of the glory days of OF&H Christmas specials, conveniently forgetting the last time they produced something, it was muck. As was last year's Royle Family Christmas special.

And if you are nostalgic for those programmes, get them out on DVD for the day and watch them on a 19" CRT TV

And TOTP is on Christmas Day

Elmo wrote: »

I must be the only person here who grew up in 2 TV Land.

2 TV ? Luxury ! I was 10 when we got our first cable service; before then it was just RTE. RTE2 didn't come along until 1978.

Lemondrop kid

Allison91 wrote: »

I don't like The Devil wears Prada or Once. Last year or the year before(can't remember!) Inside I'm Dancing was shown I like the film but kind of depressing for Christmas Day! I think I'll play with my presents

Yes The Devil Wear Prada (Prava?) was the worst film i've seen in a very long time absolute tripe! Unless you're a pre-teen girl perhaps

And Oceans 13 is a complete insult. The boys on hols basically. terrible line up this year.

Elmo

Lemondrop kid wrote: »

Yes The Devil Wear Prada (Prava?) was the worst film i've seen in a very long time absolute tripe! Unless you're a pre-teen girl perhaps

And Oceans 13 is a complete insult. The boys on hols basically. terrible line up this year.

I was surprised that RTÉ didn't hold off showing Superman Returns until Christmas Day. What is Christmas without Superman?

Last year or the year before(can't remember!) Inside I'm Dancing was shown I like the film but kind of depressing for Christmas Day! I think I'll play with my presents

RTÉ generally show Irish and Alternative films. TG4 will be showing Kings, RTÉ will shows 32A and Once and TV3 will show Kisses this Christmas.

rovert

Just hope I get some new Blu Rays for Christmas

Elmo

TarfHead wrote: »

And if you are nostalgic for those programmes, get them out on DVD for the day and watch them on a 19" CRT TV

Record this years TV on the VHS and next year re-watch them on a CRT TV.

TarfHead

Elmo wrote: »

.. RTÉ will shows 32A ..

I hadn't known that. Thanks for the heads-up.

I remember it being filmed - like The Van, I enjoy watching movies set in places that I know.

Richard Dower

32A....most female Boards posters boob size?

**first flight outta the country**

who the fug

TV back in the day, one fecking channel showing the Sound of Music folled by them bells , followed by Guns of Naverone , followed by the National Anthem and close

If we was lucky we got Wanderly wagon at 11.00 , but that would be heavy on the judge and light on sneaky snake

Biggins

Yep, sucks bug time.
Probably will only turn the Tv on for Dr Who then turn it back off again.

NormanNicetouch

who the fug wrote: »

TV back in the day, one fecking channel showing the Sound of Music folled by them bells , followed by Guns of Naverone , followed by the National Anthem and close

If we was lucky we got Wanderly wagon at 11.00 , but that would be heavy on the judge and light on sneaky snake

I seem to remember there always had to be a bit of culture thrown in at some stage with Bernadette Greevy or somesuch singing a bit of opera then there was always something As Gaeilge. Granny always pretended to be interested in watching them while everyone else started hitting the bottle big time.

Kids today can't imagine the excitement when we got RTE2 in 1978 with proper English telly like Top Of The Pops, Blankety Blank and Coronation Street.

Actually there is far more decent TV this Christmas than there was in the so-called golden age of 20 or 30 years age. It's just that you have to make a bigger effort to search it out instead of it being handed to you on a seamless plate.

who the fug

Some of us did't get RTE 2 till 1984/5 and don't start me on Radio 2 (Music station my arse)

6th

i'm gonna gather my family around the imac and just watch youtube clips of americans falling over.

baalthor

Elmo wrote: »

I have only seen The Incredibles.

But we also perhaps tend to go to the cinema more.

I am not old enough to remember Cinema from the 1970 and 1980 but from what I gather we had a system were you would see the release of Star Wars in 1977 in major city, (possibly 1978 in Ireland), and that film stock would then travel the country for the next 3 years going to regional smaller cinemas, it could still be running in some areas by 1985. When was it first shown on Irish Television?

Now we see a movie release on the same day nationwide, 6 months later in shops as a DVD, six months later on PPV (sky box office), 3 months sees it on Sky movies and then 6 months later on FTA TV. I expect that A Christmas Carol will air on Terrestrial TV in 2011, Christmas Day.

I remember the first showing of Goldfinger on TV when I was a kid. I can't remember the year but it must have been the late 70s. Goldfinger was released in cinemas in 1964. So at least a 10 year interval before the movie made it to the TV screen.

Seeing a James Bond movie for the first time at Christmas was a HUGE event; the whole family would sit down around the TV to watch Moore or Connery battle whoever was taking over the world this year ...
It's hard to imagine any TV film having the same impact today.

At Christmas you also had:
A special from the current top sitcom: the characters would usually leave their normal setting and travel to somewhere exotic like France or Spain. This culminated in the xmas battle between "Only Fools and Horses" and "Minder".

Singing and Dancing Entertainment specials hosted by the likes of Morecambe and Wise or Val Doonigan.
There was a program on about these on BBC4 a few days ago. One clip showed what appeared to be the Black and White Minstrels travelling through the snow in a sleigh:eek:

ballsymchugh

Richard Dower wrote: »

32A....most female Boards posters boob size?

**first flight outta the country**

i was talking to a girl that i was trying to score and she told me she went to the cinema to see this movie. i asked her if it was about a bus route!!

NormanNicetouch

who the fug wrote: »

Some of us did't get RTE 2 till 1984/5 and don't start me on Radio 2 (Music station my arse)

Beatcha! Some of us didn't get electricity until 1986. Before that it was an old black and white portable wired up to a bloody great car battery.

"Radio 2 comin' at ya!" "Comin' right back at ya, Gerry"

free gaff?

i never liked xmas day tv. it was always the cool movies on rte 2 and tg4 that i loved. xmas day is a crap day really, the fuss over dinner and all that and then stupid relatives get in the way. i love nothing more than putting on a good teen comedy on tg4 on the 27th. jjust awesome.

MikeC101

Richard Dower wrote: »

32A....most female Boards posters boob size?

**first flight outta the country**

More likely that of the target audience for all the shows you seem to adore

THEDONWALDO

god i wish the pubs were open on xmas day....

im not looking forward to the drivel on tv on christmas day, same crap on every year

Elmo

ballsymchugh wrote: »

i was talking to a girl that i was trying to score and she told me she went to the cinema to see this movie. i asked her if it was about a bus route!!

It is about a bus route and a bra size. It is set in Raheny but not filmed there. It is about a young teenage girl on summer holidays.

phasers

I've got Dr Who to watch, that's all I'm interested in!

The routine is usually:
A few episodes of whatever show's box set I got that year
Dr Who
Random comedy christmas special
Die Hard
More DVDs

This year I'll probably just watch Dr Who and an Inbetweeners marathon

TarfHead

Elmo wrote: »

It is set in Raheny but not filmed there.

I saw them filming in Saint Annes one day, down by the playground.

Amberjack

I watched 32A last night and quite enjoyed it. A lot of it seemed to be filmed in Raheny so it was interesting to see the local area.

moe_sizlak

SoupyNorman wrote: »

It's a bigger picture really. The multitude TV channels/providers/internet stations has diluted our appreciation of TV. Gone are the days when we had 'Cablelink' which gave us a max of about 20 channels (those were my rich friends who had sky movies!!).

Back then it was more about TV events rather then shows...sure even Blind Date Xmas specials drew massive audiences.

It's all OTT these days.

So I think xmas TV content is not the problem, it's the volume.

up untill the late nineties , it took three years minimum from its year of release at the cinema for every movie to reach the tv , i distinctly remember watching indiana jones and the temple of doom ( 1984 release ) on xmas day 1987 , back to the future ( 1985 ) was premiered christmas day 1988 , everything was more simple back then