The worst TV program ever made?

October 10, 2009 6:51 PM

"What is it you like about chicken?"We all know of the often excellent BBC but what of it's poor commercial cousin ITV, forced to earn its crust from paid advertising? It was once mighty though in the current advertising apocalypse it's fallen upon hard times. Production budgets have been decimated nationally meaning regional branches are truly scraping the barrel. UTV, the local television station in Northern Ireland has made something so nosebleed insane it deserves a wider audience. A half hour program which reveals Irish people like potatoes, sometimes chicken, occasionally seafood. The interviews *INTERVIEWS* are priceless.
posted by Damienmce (31 comments total)

This seems like something that would make a good post for your blog, but I'm less sure of its general interest.
posted by killdevil at 6:55 PM on October 10, 2009

Sorry there, should I put in something about Obama or Twitter?
posted by Damienmce at 7:00 PM on October 10, 2009 [19 favorites]

Um. Okay. I have to say, for all the lead up to the local TV program about food being horrendous, it's actually not bad. The production values are lightyears beyond local TV here, and I learned some things about cooking Irish food. So, um, yeah. Thanks?
posted by lazaruslong at 7:01 PM on October 10, 2009

Obama or Twitter...what? You are actually just trying to antagonize folks attempting to read the post?
posted by lazaruslong at 7:01 PM on October 10, 2009

Your definition of nosebleed insane is clearly different from mine.
posted by desjardins at 7:06 PM on October 10, 2009

Is it because they used Comic Sans? Because you're right, that IS insane.
posted by desjardins at 7:07 PM on October 10, 2009

Is this really worse than Flavor of Love, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire, and Glen Beck?
posted by unmake at 7:09 PM on October 10, 2009

This wasn't even interesting.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 7:10 PM on October 10, 2009

"What is it you like about chicken?"

Man, I just spent way too long looking for the animated chicken-fucking gif. Now that's some bad TV.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 7:16 PM on October 10, 2009

The "it was once mighty" link just goes... right here? Huh?
posted by smcameron at 7:23 PM on October 10, 2009

Is that supposed to be bad TV? I thought it was pretty interesting and the production values are pretty similar to the local public TV documentaries that we get here about local history and such.
posted by octothorpe at 7:38 PM on October 10, 2009

s/insane/inane
posted by signalnine at 7:38 PM on October 10, 2009

That was too OK to be horrible enough to be good.

However, oh so worth it for this comment
posted by xthlc at 7:50 PM on October 10, 2009

If nothing else, it really cemented my desire to travel to northern Ireland. My mom's grandfather came over from Tyrone somewhere around 1895 and I'd love to go back and see where that part of my family came from.
posted by octothorpe at 8:01 PM on October 10, 2009

It takes a tough man to make a tender FPP. Keep fucking that chicken!
posted by ludwig_van at 8:24 PM on October 10, 2009 [3 favorites]

how are american's the fattest people in the world? we don't even pour chinese curry over french fries.
posted by snofoam at 8:37 PM on October 10, 2009 [1 favorite]

oh, maybe i answered my own question. the food is incredibly bad for you, but perhaps it is too gross to overeat.
posted by snofoam at 8:40 PM on October 10, 2009

nosebleed insane

Insane mucous membrane!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:43 PM on October 10, 2009

Somehow I've managed to be miss the very existence of Chinese Curry until now. In retrospect, I'm sure I've seen it in the corner of a menu somewhere, but it never called out to me. I certainly wasn't aware that it was anything special enough that an entire strata of takeaway existed to meet Ulster's ravenous demand for it. So hey, thanks Damienmce and UTV! Something new to try.
posted by mumkin at 9:08 PM on October 10, 2009

All the Chinese curry I've had has been bland, so bland. It didn't deserve to be called curry.
posted by zinfandel at 9:26 PM on October 10, 2009

I suspected as much, zinfandel. Japanese curry doesn't deserve the name either, if you ask me, but it's a thing. Hope springs eternal.
posted by mumkin at 10:19 PM on October 10, 2009

Yeah, doesn't seem so bad for what it is, and I do love even a brief peek at the gorgeous country in the north. What's that folly on the cliff-top in the opening seqeuence?
posted by Abiezer at 2:07 AM on October 11, 2009

Local TV - does anyone think it's good? Anywhere?

Is there something about one's own local TV that seems particularly bad?
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 2:11 AM on October 11, 2009

Needs more Glenn Beck and Birthers to pass as worthy round these parts.
posted by fire&wings at 2:14 AM on October 11, 2009

Abiezer: Downhill beach near Castlerock. The folly is actually Mussenden Temple. If that's the bit you're talking about.
posted by The Ultimate Olympian at 2:15 AM on October 11, 2009

Yes, that was the one; thanks TUO.
posted by Abiezer at 2:24 AM on October 11, 2009

Local TV - does anyone think it's good?

Granada, in it's glory days, was world class
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:28 AM on October 11, 2009

Quicker overviews of Granada (for anyone who lacks an hour and a half to watch that film in my previous comment.)
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:46 AM on October 11, 2009

I was all ready to come in here in a state of righteous indignation, but you're all being nice. I'm shocked.

The primary school you see from 6:13 is the one I went to, many years ago, and the woman they interview in that section is the headmistress and my favourite teacher from that school.

So yeah, champ, roast dinners, chicken, Irish stew and the like are all great! Pah.
posted by knapah at 4:47 AM on October 11, 2009

... so nosebleed insane ...

Having lived in Ireland for a while, I've found Irish people are pretty fond of hyperbole generally. Something mildy out of the ordinary is "craazyyyy", thanks for a negligible favour is "thanks a million", that's fine is "that's perfect", etc.
posted by snoktruix at 5:37 AM on October 11, 2009

sorry, not AWESOME!!! enough to be of general interest here.

also, crap regional tv is crap.
posted by the cuban at 6:22 AM on October 11, 2009