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Old 12-03-2013, 12:04 PM
 
Location: Florida
7,217 posts, read 6,997,776 times
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Tony Robinson, as in baldrick?
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Old 12-03-2013, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Somewhere out there.
10,492 posts, read 6,105,970 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kab0906 View Post
Tony Robinson, as in baldrick?
That's the one.

In the UK he's as famous for presenting archeology programmes as for his portrayal of Baldrick in Blackadder.

He's been presenting an archeology series called 'Time Team' every year since 1994. I hear the last series will be in 2013 .
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Old 12-03-2013, 01:29 PM
 
Location: Ontario, Canada
31,374 posts, read 20,025,917 times
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There's some fine nature-related programming on Oasis.
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Old 12-03-2013, 01:55 PM
 
Location: Somewhere out there.
10,492 posts, read 6,105,970 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TroutDude View Post
There's some fine nature-related programming on Oasis.



You realise you just made my day by helping me to a glimpse of my No1 hero (apart from my husband obviously) who is featured here in 'Wonders of the Universe' when I clicked on 'Space week' (no worries I've already got that series on DVD). Is this a Canadian channel then? How does that work? Can we get it in the US?
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Old 12-03-2013, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Ontario, Canada
31,374 posts, read 20,025,917 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruithne View Post


You realise you just made my day by helping me to a glimpse of my No1 hero (apart from my husband obviously) who is featured here in 'Wonders of the Universe' when I clicked on 'Space week' (no worries I've already got that series on DVD). Is this a Canadian channel then? How does that work? Can we get it in the US?
Glad you got to see your #2 hero.

I guess it is a Canuck channel. I didn't realize that 'til I poked around the site a bit today. As to its availability State-side, couldn't say. If no cable company down there has picked it up, perhaps one will.
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Old 12-03-2013, 05:37 PM
 
Location: Sitting on a bar stool. Guinness in hand.
4,428 posts, read 6,486,690 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruithne View Post
So the reason the BBC is still able to produce such excellent quality programming is because of the unique way it has always been funded.
Every household in the UK has to pay a licence fee if they own a TV. (Technically the licence fee only counts if you only watch and listen to BBC broadcasting but in reality everyone has to pay it.) It's around 145 pounds per household which generates about 5 billion a year. What this means is the BBC gets to make up-to-date high quality broadcasting on TV and radio and you also get to watch it advert-free. You can also download bbciplayer shows currently broadcast. Obviously if you live outside the UK they don't want you watching what you aren't paying for so if you go to the bbciplayer website you just get this message:

"Currently BBC iPlayer TV programmes are available to play in the UK only"

However, there is a way around it but if I told you I'd have to kill you (or I might DM you instead ).

In fact most of the programmes eventually do end up on YouTube but usually after a significant enough amount of time has elapsed for you to have forgotten or not known about it in the first place. Some of them are released on DVD and some of them are shown here.

I believe now there are services available that ask for a fee (about $5 a month) that will provide you with a UK ip address. I couldn't vouch for how reliable any of them are.
Here are a few I found after a google search:
Watch UK TV Abroad, BBC iPlayer, ITV, 4OD - My Expat Network VPN
UK Proxy Server

In my view getting a UK proxy has been well worth it- I felt like I was going stir crazy without it.

Here's one of my favourite series:
BBC Two - Horizon

this special currently showing:
BBC iPlayer - Horizon: 2013-2014: Comet of the Century: A Horizon Special
A lot the BBC stuff ends up on youtube fairly quickly.

Thank goodness for youtube. I got/get to see so many good Docs on youtube. Mostly BBC. But sometimes I get good stuff from Australian and Canadian TV as well.
As for the American stuff I can honestly say most docs as of right now, are just not that well put together and seem to not got into the same detail as a lot of foreign (from an American perceptive) docs.
Granted I still give PBS good marks for there on line docs at there web page. They seem to have been able to hold on to there integrity where most of the other "learning channels" did not.
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Old 12-03-2013, 08:00 PM
 
Location: Sitting beside Walden Pond
4,612 posts, read 4,873,164 times
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I really like the history shows like "Barbarians" or "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire" or "How the Earth was Made".

Today I watched an episode of "Conquerors" that told the story of one of my ancestors William the Conqueror.

Of course, I have to confess I watched a little of "Honey Boo-Boo" and actually found her house on Google maps. I'll go crawl in a hole now.
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Old 12-04-2013, 09:48 AM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,918,727 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tatooine View Post
Several weeks ago I was surfing for something to watch and came across a documentary on the History Channel. I was so excited - yay, a documentary! That wasn't about WW2 (it seems a few years ago that's all the History Channel would show, but I like older history), and yay it wasn't a reality show about people selling their old stuff. So I eagerly watched for a few minutes, then scratched my head, did a quick google on what they were talking about, and realized it was some pseudo science (pseudohistory?). So bummed. As an adult, I can enjoy it for the "what if" entertainment factor, but I wonder how many people actually believe all the stuff because they think it's a legit documentary.

I usually borrow documentaries from the library. I wish they'd order more.
I think I know which "documentary" you are thinking of. That was a pretty cheap shot. I'm sure there are plenty of people who think as you suggested--taking it as fact because it was on the History Channel.
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Old 12-04-2013, 09:58 AM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,918,727 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mordant View Post
Yeah, and CNN, supposedly a news channel in contrast to sister newstainment network HNN, is flogging a special on NDEs hosted by Anderson Cooper, a supposedly professional journalist who I should think would be better off being devoted to actual news.

I just look at it as a reflection of what people find interesting, combined with the side effects of needing to fill 24 hours of programming times 250 channels 7 days a week. I am very, very close to shutting down my satellite TV subscription and just relying on Internet feeds. We're not into sports, so if it weren't for the news channels I probably wouldn't bother; I could get by with the likes of Hulu and Netflix and such. Now that half the time the news channels either have pure fluff rather than hard news, and/or, I flip between the 3 news channels I have for a quick news fix and all I can find are commercials ... that combined with the reception problems for satellite in winter and the lack of good alternative services in my area, I may be able to convince my peeps to let go of the satellite service and save over $100/mo.

In my more philosophical moments I ask myself whether I should be discouraged that people want to watch shows about ghost hunts and the authenticity of some Catholic relic and such. I tend to think it's more a function of sheer boredom and the overall low quality of what is on, and that people are just passively vegging out in front of the TV and choosing something that is fractionally more interesting than the general drivel. My stepson is a staunch atheist, yet he loves Ghost Adventures for some reason. You can't really draw conclusions about people's intelligence based on their TV viewing habits when you know from personal experience that someone can be intelligent enough to call the likes of Zizek and Foucault his favorite authors, yet watches Ghost Adventures. Go figure. We all need our escapes, I guess.
Right by me. The news channels are disappointing to me as well. Adding "entertainment" like the antics of Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton is just not news to me. Neither is sports, but that's just because I don't follow any of them, and have learned to accept that as "news" to others.

BTW, I'm not sure I'd classify ghost stories with religion. Ok, it's supernatural, but not in the sense that anyone would worship it... I think!!

Yes, I also think a lot of it is just escapism, just like the science fiction I enjoy. Reality shows just rub me the wrong way because I think too many people see those shows are representing "reality"!!!
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Old 12-04-2013, 10:03 AM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,918,727 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by baystater View Post
A lot the BBC stuff ends up on youtube fairly quickly.

Thank goodness for youtube...
Granted I still give PBS good marks for there on line docs at there web page. They seem to have been able to hold on to there integrity where most of the other "learning channels" did not.

Agree on both counts!
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