Gogglebox
Even though British TV is very good (and the BBC is commercial free!!), I haven’t developed much of a TV habit. Not yet. Even though there’s a new version of Poldark that everyone (mostly women) is ga ga about. And even though there’s a series called Victoria that everyone is raving about. I just don’t have the discipline (or time) to keep up with more than two shows at a time. Right now I’m following the Great British Bake-Off and Cold Feet, which includes Ulster actor Jimmy Nesbitt.
The first time I heard about Gogglebox, I had one of my quickly dismissive opinions. Given that I don’t spend much time watching TV, why on earth would I watch a reality TV show where you watch other people watching TV? The concept seemed bizarre and like a complete waste of time. And then I watched it. I absolutely love it.
Basically they show a clip of some major event of the week (a celebrity on Strictly Come Dancing, a news conference where a politician said something daft, a tense moment in a popular drama) and then they show the reactions of TV viewers in their living rooms. Part of the appeal is all the crazy accents from all over Great Britain: Essex, Hull, Liverpool, somewhere in Wales I can’t spell, Wiltshire, etc. Part if it is the contrast in opinions, although there is consensus on a few things. Part of it is seeing parents and their adult kids watch TV together, as is often the case. They get into intrafamily debates that are interesting. I think my favourites are a gay couple from Brighton, who say outrageous things about everyone. It’s just interesting to see people’s instant opinions of a variety of news and entertainment events. I will say to the TV: “Exactly, you nailed it,” or something similar when someone speaks my mind for me. When someone disagrees with my point of view, I find that interesting. Sometimes I see their point, sometimes I disagree, but it’s interesting to see the range of interpretations of, say, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of Labour or Boris Johnson’s leadership of Brexit. God help us on both accounts.
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