This summer I successfully weaned myself off Big Brother, and didn't watch one minute of the old tripe. I suspect I'm not alone there, based on its dwindling viewing figures. The only reason Channel 4 keep it going is that advertisers like the demographic profile of the mostly teenage viewers.
I haven't turned my back on trash completely, I'm afraid to say, although I have decided not to get a Sunday tabloid any longer. I've always had the News of the World and the Sunday Times, apparently the most popular combo. But the NOTW has gone so much downhill that it nowdays has very little news or crusading journalism and I don't want to read about bimbo models and which "celebrity" footballers they managed to dupe into bed. Even the quality of scandal has gone downhill. Their few exclusives come when they dress up as sheiks and deceive people.
On the subject of trash, I've also been watching Hell's Kitchen this year. To start with, I just wanted to see what Marco Pierre White is like, as he's never done TV before. He's a very successful chef and businessman with several successful restaurants to his name, and he famously made Gordon Ramsay cry.
To start with, I thought he was fascinating: very charismatic and an inspiring leader. But as the days have gone by, I've got disillusioned with his daily pep talks and how he keeps repeating the same phrases: "allow me to take you by the hand and guide you," "keep pushing," "nature is an artist."
Plus he became very friendly with the repugnant Jim Davidson, the former comedian. I have to question Marco's judgment here. Last night Davidson was sent packing after his homophobic attacks on Brian Dowling. What made it particularly distasteful to watch was that Davidson justifies his attacks with arguments that he is now in a minority (fat middle-aged misogynist and homophobic bigots inc) and where does he, and those with the same views, go from here? He asserts that now we are all "PC" you cannot express any views these days without getting into trouble.
Yes and no. Firstly, he used to have a big following and he's now struggling to find work. What does that tell you? We are tired of his brand of humour and his risque and repulsive jokes. And that's not just the "PC" among us but his target audience, presumably a lot of whom were middle aged men.
Secondly, I'm against "PC" when it becomes ridiculous, but I do believe that everyone is entitled to respect and dignity. We must put an end to people being bullied or humiliated. Where I do resent the "PC" culture is when it comes to loony left wing councils and organisations and ridiculous court judgments. Two examples: a loony council recently failed to challenge two homosexual men who were accused of abusing the children they fostered, purely on the grounds that they didn't want to make it look as if they were persecuting homosexuals. And then there was the RAF typist who received massive damages for injuring a finger while typing, while the most horribly injured soldier to ever recover received a derisory sum that won't pay for his care for the rest of his life.
ITV took too long to step in to evict Davidson. The bullying was even more loathsome than that suffered by Shilpa Shetty in Celebrity Big Brother. We shouldn't even have had to see and hear Davidson's unsavoury and prejudiced views. Hopefully now the death knell has been sounded for his career and we won't see him again. He'll go into the trash can occupied by Michael Barrymore and John Leslie (and until recently, Bernard Manning). Brian Dowling, meanwhile, will now probably win Hell's Kitchen.
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