Television programmes about television programmes

[DaveCinzano]

There is so much television out there, but seem to be surprisingly few programmes about television, and of those there are mostly in one of three broad formats. Any more for any more?

People talking about TV

• Clive James On Television (1982-1988, 1997-1998) - Australian essayist says witty things about telly clips
• Floyd On Television (1989) - dipsomaniac telly chef Keith Floyd takes over from Clive James briefly
• Tarrant On TV (1990-1996, 1998-2006) - ex-Tiswas host takes on the mantle from Clive James, gives it back, has a second go
• In Bed With MeDinner (1992-1999) - comedian Bob Mills goes on flights of fancy over obscure bits of old VT, mostly documentaries
• The Haunted Fishtank (1998) - comedian Ed Hall quips about the week's television
• TV Burp (2001-2012) - comedian Harry Hill quips about the weeks television
• Ponderland (2007-2008) - comedian Russell Brand quips around a theme bolstered by archive telly clips
• Paddy's TV Guide (2013) - something or other with Paddy McGuinness, probably for contractual reasons
• Gogglebox (2013-present) - ‘ordinary people’ filmed at home watching television (curated by the production company)
• It's Clarkson On TV (2020-2021) - jeezuz titty fuck I can't be arsed with this bullshit worst fucking thread of 2024 shoot me now someone put me out of my misery

Quiz shows about TV

• Telly Addicts (1985-1998) - Noel Edmonds referees a quiz show about telly featuring family-based teams
• TV Showdown (2021-2022) - Paul Sinha presents a revived version of Telly Addicts

Feedback programmes about TV

• Points Of View (1961-present) - a rolling roster of presenters summarise viewer feedback on BBC programmes that week
• Right To Reply (1982-2001) - Channel 4 version of Points Of View

 

[Elpenor]

It’s only tv but I like it, Jonathon Woss presented late 90s panel show

 

[Santino]

Screen wipe, which was both commentary upon and an investigation into TV.

 

[Silas Loom]

You’ve forgotten the rash of cheap talking heads shows where people like Kate Thornton feigned excitable nostalgia at whatever clips the research team could get rights to and collate as the 100 best telly moments within a particular genre.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

drop the dead donkey - sitcom set in a TV station

 

[DaveCinzano]

Some Haunted Fishtank, which wasn't groundbreaking, but certainly watchable:

 

[DaveCinzano]

Screen wipe, which was both commentary upon and an investigation into TV.

Ah yes, and its progenitor, Victor Lewis-Smith's TV Offal (1997-1998)

 

[Silas Loom]

Willo The Wisp was a television cartoon about a television (Evil Edna) so nearly counts.

As might the Teletubbies, if their tummies are bona fide television receivers, but that’s not entirely clear.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Willo The Wisp was a television cartoon about a television (Evil Edna) so nearly counts.

After consulting with the VAR your nomination is IN

 

[AverageJoe]

That's Life?

sausages

 

[DaveCinzano]

That's Life?

sausages

Doesn't meet the threshold I'm afraid - needs to be minimum 66% TV-related material, and there's just too high a proportion of vegetable/heart-rending sick children/shitty bawdy song content in That's Life! (exclamation mark obligatory)

 

[PTK]

"TV Nation". A project associated with Michale Moore.

 

[Santino]

A couple of episodes of Columbo when the murderer worked in TV.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Quite a decent interview from 2020 with Bob Mills about MeDinner:

Bob Mills on the guilty pleasures of In Bed With MeDinner: 'It wasn’t for anyone discerning'

TV shows full of unintentionally funny TV clips are now everywhere. But in 1992, Bob Mills did it first – until Richard and Judy complained

www.telegraph.co.uk

Unpaywalled

 

[Artaxerxes]

Dead Set

 

[Epona]

What about TV dramas about the creation and filming of real life TV shows?
There was one about Doctor Who (An Adventure in Time and Space)
There was one about the whole Crossroads thing (Nolly)
There was one about Coronation Street (The Road to Coronation Street)

Probably others, but those are the ones that were off the top of my head.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Quite a decent interview from 2020 with Bob Mills about MeDinner:

Bob Mills on the guilty pleasures of In Bed With MeDinner: 'It wasn’t for anyone discerning'

TV shows full of unintentionally funny TV clips are now everywhere. But in 1992, Bob Mills did it first – until Richard and Judy complained

www.telegraph.co.uk

Unpaywalled

Here's the clip mentioned in the Telegraph piece about the fella who labelled his son's picture ‘FUCKING GRASS’:



The bloke was Ken Keating (mentioned in posts here over the years up until his death in 2011, due to amongst other things his involvement in Class War in Salford) and the clips were from a documentary called ‘Family Feuds’ on Channel 4's Cutting Edge documentary strand, reviewed here:

Not even the sound of tears

WHEN the British prime minister of the day, Harold Wilson, visited Aberfan in October, 1966, he claimed to be lost for words

www.irishtimes.com

 

[DaveCinzano]

What about TV dramas about the creation and filming of real life TV shows?
There was one about Doctor Who (An Adventure in Time and Space)
There was one about the whole Crossroads thing (Nolly)
There was one about Coronation Street (The Road to Coronation Street)

Probably others, but those are the ones that were off the top of my head.

Nope

 

[Epona]

Nope

Rejection sucks!
(Just applied for a job where everyone knows me that I think I'm unlikely to get and feeling a bit sensitive)

 

[pesh]

The Newsroom

 

[DaveCinzano]

Dead Set

Nope (I mean, it's good, but if we let dramas and comedies about fake TV shows in here then it's a slippery slope and we'll end up with KYTV and the Grumbleweeds)

 

[DaveCinzano]

A couple of episodes of Columbo when the murderer worked in TV.

See above

 

[DaveCinzano]

Rejection sucks!
(Just applied for a job where everyone knows me that I think I'm unlikely to get and feeling a bit sensitive)

Don't take it personally, I'm noping lots of others as well

 

[DaveCinzano]

The Newsroom

NOPE

 

[DaveCinzano]

What about TV dramas about the creation and filming of real life TV shows?
There was one about Doctor Who (An Adventure in Time and Space)
There was one about the whole Crossroads thing (Nolly)
There was one about Coronation Street (The Road to Coronation Street)

Probably others, but those are the ones that were off the top of my head.

Here y'go:

TV shows (dramas/comedies etc) about TV shows (real and fictional)

For Epona :oldthumbsup: What about TV dramas about the creation and filming of real life TV shows? There was one about Doctor Who (An Adventure in Time and Space) There was one about the whole Crossroads thing (Nolly) There was one about Coronation Street (The Road to Coronation Street)...

www.urban75.net

 

[WouldBe]

It'll be alright on the night

If you're allowing Gogglebox then surely The royale family counts.

 

[DaveCinzano]

If you're allowing Gogglebox then surely The royale family counts.

Don't make me draw diagrams

NOPE

 

[danny la rouge]

Screen Test!

 

[danny la rouge]

Don’t people know I use New Threads and if you create a similarly named thread I’ll inevitably post in the wrong one!

<shakes fist at universe>

 

[danny la rouge]

Screen Test with Micheal Rodd. (Rudd?)

Clips of films are shown to kids and then they’re asked questions about them, like “how many times did Stan Laurel spill the cups of tea?”

Rodd.