The TV Covid Crisis

by Rachael Haines 

Do you remember the first lockdown? You know, that thing that happened in March cancelling our exams, shutting us off from loved ones and making us prisoners of our own homes. Seems like years ago, right? One thing that got me through those tough 6 months of hell was my favourite Netflix shows. My family gets triggered whenever they hear the F.R.I.E.N.D.S theme tune playing because it was watched a ridiculous amount of times a day from March onwards. However, television shows like Love Island were completely cancelled for the remainder of 2020 which led to the TV covid crisis. This meant thousands of jobs were lost- causing more and more families to struggle through this cruel joke of a year. According to an article by the Guardian, 120,000 jobs have been lost in the film industry during the pandemic shutdown. Would we ever see attractive millennials taking over our screens again? Or Graham Norton grilling celebrities on their personal lives? 

Football – give it a chance!

Football is an interesting subject; it’s one that divides opinions between those who love it and those who hate it. It’s fair to say that it’s the marmite of the sporting world. Me? Well I’m very firmly a lover of football, and I think I know why some are haters.

I admit I never used to like football for a long time. I had already lived through three World Cups and during all of them I had never really paid any attention to the coverage on TV. I didn’t understand why the other male members of my family could be so entertained by it.

That was all to change when, at the age of 10, my dad took me to watch Yeovil Town play Crewe Alexandra at Huish Park stadium. I wouldn’t say I was instantly hooked but it did give me an insight into what made the sport so appealing: the singing and chanting, the roar of disapproval every time the referee made a bad decision and the deafening cheer when a goal was scored.

Fads

Millions of people tuned in to watch the 50^th anniversary special of Doctor Who. Whilst I never really watched the series – neither the original or newer series – I can understand the hype behind it from the fans.

Some were left satisfied with the episode whilst some were disappointed, but there’s no denying that it was the defining point in the show’s history. That is, high viewing figures – over 10 million at its peak – with plenty of debate and discussion following that.

It’s safe to say that Doctor Who is one of the biggest “fads” of this generation – and a couple of others as well. That’s a generation where it rivals other huge franchises such as Twilight, Harry Potter, and even One Direction (yep, you may hate them but their fanbase is one of the most prominent that there’s ever been).

Julian Fellowes causes audience split with shocking storyline in Downton Abbey

Last weeks episode (series 4, episode 3) of the hit ITV show Downton Abbey has caused it’s loyal fans to split. What will the rest of the series see? And will this show lose it’s high ratings?