ITV 50: ITV’s 50 Greatest Shows News Posted by John Hoare on 10th September 2005, 20:36 And Spitting Image was at number 10! So… DVD release? Please?
AND ANT AND DEC’S CUNTING SATURDAY NIGHT SODDING TAKEAWAY WAS NUMBER TWO! Which just proves that people who vote for things are STUPID. Apart from the people who vote for SFX polls about the best British sci-fi shows, that is. I mean, SNT is alright, but it’s hardly the second best ITV show ever! And where was TISWAS in the list, eh?
Oh, bloody Coronation Street. Of course. I’m sorry, but that is the worst list of anything. Ever. With the exception of The Prisoner (and even that had some cack episodes), I wouldn’t sit down to watch any of that.
Oh, man. I loved a lot of the list. The Sweeney, The Muppet Show, World In Action, The Avengers, The Benny Hill Show, Rising Damp, The Kenny Everett Video Show, Girls On Top, Cracker… I loved most of the lower 40. But some of the Top 10 was a bit wrong. I can’t really argue with Coronation Street being Number 1, even if I’m not that keen… but Saturday Night Takeaway is just stupid, for instance. It’s a fine, funny show… but it belongs nowhere near the Top 50, let alone 2. And let’s not pretend it isn’t just a rip-off of Noels House Party… although strangely, a lot of people love Takeaway and then slag off NHP, despite NHP being the better show by miles.
It is shameless; virtually every aspect of Takeaway was done by Noel Edmonds ten years previously; Gotchas, NTV etc. And now Ant and Dec are doing a show which recycles old gameshows. How are they getting away with this? Rising Damp, I always compared unfairly to The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin which I loved as a young tyke. I have a few vague memories of laughing at Kenny Everett but I find Benny Hill an abomination. The Muppets…I can take ’em in small doses and The Muppet Show was far superior to Muppets Tonight. Their films have largely ruined their reputation (except A Christmas Carol, which rocks). But, Coronation Street, eh? The problem with democracy is that every silly bastard gets a vote…
I don’t really mind Ant and Dec doing old gameshows… because at least there’s a reason for it – a celebration of ITV’s history. I’m hoping it’ll be really good. They are great presenters. Not that any of their shows belong in the Top 50, mind you. Speaking of presenters, Phillip Schofield was great yesterday, but then he always is… but is Cat Deeley was atrocious. Fine on SM:TV, but bloody awful at this kind of thing. Was she really the best they could come up with?
“The problem with democracy is that every silly bastard gets a vote” That doesn’t really apply in the U.S., although U.S. democracy is quite different to anywhereelse-democracy. Let’s not get political, even though I just did and so am contradicting myself like a nob *makes note to lower future morphine doses*. I still like Cat Deeley so suck on that *wishes she would*. As for the list itself, it wasn’t going to be pleasant was it? After all, it is ITV, and it must have taken them a while to try and remember shows other than Corrie, The Bill and Emmerdale ’cause they’re the only consistent shows they have, ratings wise. Apart from the utter shite inclusions there were some decent shows given credit like the amazing Cracker (that’s how to make a drama, ITV!), and basically anything else with the 9th Doctor in it (Hillsborough). But all the rest of the countdown did was prove how shite ITV have become compared to even 10 years ago. Granted, you might want to take my opinion with a pinch of salt considering I personally would have put Catchphrase and Bullseye in the top 10……but I believe that anyone working on anything for ITV should be forced to watch this whole programme all the way through to remind them of what history the channel has…….Saturday Night Takeaway…….
Nah, I would have put Bullseye and Catchphrase in the top ten, as well. And The Krypton Factor, for that matter. ITV’s finest hours have been the odd brilliant hard-hitting drama (Cracker, Hillsborough, Second Coming etc.) interspersed with some wonderful gameshows. When they do those things at their best, the BBC can’t compete; just as ITV simply can’t get comedy or current affairs right.
