BBC America is a Pile of Boring Testicles

Hey, nothing personal, but I pay a lot of money in order to get the set of channels that includes BBC America so that I can have BBC news in the morning. And hopefully other superior BBC programming. But what do I now get? Let’s look at this evening (written Jan 23). From 6:00pm to 2:00am there is an unrelieved series of “Top Gear” repeats. I’ve never watched one through, but it seems to be about a white man of a certain age (plus two more such buddies) and his obsessive attraction to motorized vehicles. Nuf said. So what breaks that boring stream of male combustion? At 2:00am we are offered James May's Road Trip. Not one, but three of them squished into an hour, before it is time to return to Top Gear at 4:00am.

Okay, so what about tomorrow? We’ve got the morning news from 5:00am for a few hours and then a couple of other loud white men and their shows – such as The Graham Norton show -  before settling in to a day-time of Chef Gordon Ramsay having abusive temper tantrums – from noon till 4:00pm and then again from 7:00pm till the following morning’s 5:00 newscast. To be clear – Ramsay is interrupted a couple of times for some-white-man-or-other’s road trip, but only for one segment.

And so it is as the days pass. Big swatches of time split between “Top Gear” and various incarnations of Ramsay, with the occasional interruption of lesser pale males.

So I want to know: Who is programming this cacophony of sameness? And who is watching this shite? And can I get my money back?

P.S. A BBC World News channel has lately begun broadcasting.

Comments

[Janet]

I agree! Most nights of BBCA are relentlessly annoying. I discovered the originals of The Office and Being Human on that channel. I also enjoyed Law and Order UK, complete with a smart and attractive 50-something lead FEMALE actor. I still like reruns of The Tudors (I don't get Showtime any more due to domestic cutbacks), even though Henry VIII and his crowd are in my mind eerily similar to the current crop of political and business "leaders" we see everywhere.

The biggest shame is that BBCA is no worse than most of the other channels on my rather expensive cable lineup.

[Sue Katz]

Yes, I'm a fan of the Tudors too - or was until I started having trouble keeping up with his wives and mistresses. Speaking of which, in past seasons I liked Mistresses too - but I saw the first of the new series and they completely ruined it by turning all the feisty and wild women characters into long-tressed weepy wide-eyed suck-ups. But such programming is very rare.

[Danny O'Dare]

You have my commiserations, Sue.

[Sue Katz]

Thanks Danny!

[Mike Evans]

Can't say that programming would inspire me either - but who said testicles were boring, hmm?

[Sue Katz]

Mike - allow me to interpret my title as BBC having the boring testicles - not that all testicles are boring. Because you, for example Mr Wonderful, are anything but boring. I miss hearing from you!

[Gema Gray]

In defense of Top Gear...

I've finally found a program that my husband and I can watch with our 15 yr old son, where we're all reasonably entertained. These are few and far between and I thank BBCA for it. Plus I've learned a lot about cars!

A lot of the show - while about cars - is actually very funny comedy (in the wry, dry, way us Brits do funny).

BBCA also airs the incomparable Dr Who, although I do prefer the Doctors I grew up with than the newer iterations.

None of which detracts from your central point that the programming is largely male-centered and white. But this is the BeeB...are you really surprised?

And BBC World News is wonderful - I watch it whenever I can.

[Sue Katz]

Can't you watch Mistresses with you son and husband? Just kidding. Okay, that's one way to look at it. The news is usually good - at least it's international, which no American newscast other than the incomparable Any Goodman on Democracy Now! ever does. Thanks for writing Gema. Always enlightening to hear your point of view. Hugs.

[Tim Kukler]

Never figured out how that James May got onto any show like a top gear nevermind a separate road trip. Our cat has sharper wit then this is boring old man. Sorry James it's the truth. She only says meow but her timing is impeccable.

[Sue Katz]

Well, obviously your cat is devoted to keeping up the high standards of the rest of your family, Tim!