h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Anyone else think that if they had, say, 1 hour of Eastenders a week, they could turn it into a damn good drama? Instead of the rubbish it is now.

Does seem diluted now it is on 4 times a week. I reckon a Sunday or Wednesday edition is just around the corner.
BBC have got a new drama to plug (with Liza Tarbuck) It's so overplayed that, like the last one, I'm sick of the sight of it before it's begun. They are even plugging it on Radio Five Live.

Yeah, I noticed that.

Still, only one more Baby Father episode to go and it'll be gone forever.

Hurrah!!!!

They're also starting to plug attachments to death, which is a shame, because I quite liked that last time.

My parents have also pointed out to me that the Beeb have a habit of trailing a programme that's JUST ABOUT TO START!

I mean, what's the b****y point of that?

A 'promo' is built in-house and therefore counts as national content. For every minute of non-commercial (ie: programming, public service or program promotion) content created in the UK, the law allows them another minute of foreign content programming.
So you have to watch 22 minutes of home-made trailers to enable the showing of one 'half-hour' (22 minute) of the Simpsons or other American content.

Please, someone, tell me that's not true.

Wish I could. Fact is I am making an assumption based on policies used internationally but of which I really only know the Canadian details. Most countries impose content regulations on national broacasters.
Here, by law, a full 50% of all broadcast content must be Canadian in origin. An exception used to be made for other Commonwealth sources at a rate of one-half value - so a one hour English or Aussie program counted as 'one-half-hour-Canadian'. That's why we got to see so much of Coronation Street and Fawlty Towers.
But for every minute of American programs carried, we have to broadcast one minute of Canadian program content. By running 'promos' in unsold advertising space the 'Can-con' could add up fairly quickly over the course of a broadcast day.
I am certain the UK has similar regulations to protect the culture from Yankee influences, but the details are beyond my ken.

Nnarrr Haaaarrrr Harrrrrr Harrrrr!
Then they've failed! They've left the back door open! Chased out of America by the Canadian Conspiracy, the Yanks have infiltrated the BBC online!
Which leads to a circular influence of cultures because the only culture we can access that is not spelled with a 'K' is found on PBS, which shows predominently British, Canadian and Bostonian productions, with the only American influences being 'Barney', 'Sesame Street', and 'Stretching with Amy, a guide to Geriatric Aerobics'.
And, on the Fox Network and the WB and the UPN, they often show the ads for the show they're running! Not only that, but their automated programming thing will sometimes take a fit and show the entire satellite download for the ads, which means you get to see the 15 second, the 20 second, the 30 second, and the 60 second ads, one right after the other. Which makes it very essential to tape, so you can fast forward later.
Yet these inventive gremlins work around even that. When the show returns from the exhibition of the entire ad feed, they very often run a segment from a different episode, a different program altogether, or they rerun what they just ran before the ad glitch.
If this made any sense to you, please explain on a post card and send it too....

I'm not talking about Eastenders either. Mind you, I am in Canada, but I wasn't talking about it when I was in England either.