Monday, February 18, 2013

Great British Trash

As they say, you live and learn. Case in point: earlier this evening I realised something about my attitude to a certain kind of programme on the telly that I don't think I've ever quite consciously understood before.

The revelation came to me after watching a couple of wonderfully trashy British programmes back to back on the Granada channel we get on cable. In order of viewing these were the embarrassingly hilarious Come Dine With Me, and the even more hilarious and painfully embarrassing Coach Trip. It's difficult to think of much if anything to say in their defence. This is reality tv at its most frivolous. There aren't even worthwhile prizes involved. The participants just get to air their flaws for all the world to gape at for no real reason I can see other than to have their ten minutes of fame.

And it all works wonderfully well. A great way to pass an hour. But the puzzle is this: I just can't stand the equivalent trash from other nations - and I'm thinking primarily of the US here. Five minutes of something like Jerseylicious just makes me gag. So therein lies my great insight. We Brits do rubbish better than anyone else in the world. Fact.

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