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

Had a phone call last night, during which the person apologised for interrupting X factor.

I was shocked and offended that anyone would think I watch that drivel, then this morning heard that 10 million people watch it! I think of it as cheap tat for the masses. The pound shop of the tv. Key meters for utilities.

Am I a bad person?

Depends how well they know you. I'd be annoyed at any of my friends who would think I'd watch something like that, because they ought to know me better.

If it was a complete stranger I think I'd also be annoyed because I don't like people making assumptions about me and about what I do or like/dislike.

From what I read - 17 million people watched it, not 10. That's getting on for a third of the UK's population.

I used to have the displeasure of it until about a month ago, when, with the Jedward 'scandal' my other half finally cottoned onto the fact that it's all a con. So she refuses to watch it now.
Sadly, the penny has clearly not dropped with others yet.

As someone who has never watched anything that Simon Cowell has had a hand in I can see how you'd be a bit ticked off about that...

Thank you Kelli!

Ooh, what scandal? So I do have some interest apparently...

It was a customer who called, so she doesn't know me at all really and should be forgiven. But to me it feels as if she has a low opinion of me because she thinks I watch it! Even though she probably watches it otherwise how would she know it was on!?

17 million??? People need to get out more...

Apparently more people voted in X Factor last night than voted for the Labour party during the last election.

I'm not an X factor viewer either, but it shows how many people do.

I see where politics are going wrong! They need a catchy tune, a makeover and a phone number for voting...

Things can only get better..

I heard on breakfast news that Cowell wants to make a politics x-factor to screen in the run up to the election

The fact you don't watch X-factor is a thing to be proud of... and yes, it is possible for 17 million or whatever people to be utterly wrong. Its terrible. the very notion of the show and that type of show is terrible. It'd be less morally aporant if people were ringing in to vote for who got electricuted to death in death-row.
Just one of the err mainly two reasons (the other being the BoB-awful 'thing' that was big Brother), which has lead to my lifelong pledge to never again own a television set.... The fact that more people vote on this kinda crap than do in a general election for the actual elected government just makes me want to cry
Actually, about the only downside to not owning a TV is that as yet, there is no single inkling no matter how small in my entire life that would suggest we're as close as we are to Christmas... without a TV and without ever daring set foot near the town center, I manage to miss all* that crap and just have the 'family thing' of Christmas, which only starts once I'm at the parents small blessings eh

And a cheesy, talentless money-grabbing bimbo to vote for..

Oh hang on, they've got that bit right already.

Peta - 'Apparently more people voted in X Factor last night than voted for the Labour party during the last election.

I'm not an X factor viewer either, but it shows how many people do.'

I'm inclined to think there were probably more votes cast but not necessarily cast by more people. We only get one vote each in the general election.

I was too busy reading the #notwatchingxfactor tweets on Twitter to watch it. :p

I was too busy trying to make a request show work with 12 requests last night thanks to the bloody X Factor. With the exception of the Leona Lewis request, we managed to play records from talented people, who got to the top by hard work.

To be fair, standing in front of millions of people while three people tell you how crap you are and one pathetically defends their 'choice of song' rather than the contestsant does sound like fairly hard work. Although not of the same kind of course.

When I see these TV-bred music stars what strikes me are all their weird hand gestures. I think that if they'd got into music by playing in pubs etc, they'd have had those nervous habits kicked out of them.

Half the people on X-factor *have* done the work already I reckon. Certainly JLS did - they turned down record contracts before they were on it last year. Good on 'em for using it rather than the normal, artist-gets-gets-used-by-Simon-Cowell boswellox.

I certainly don't think they pull these people out of the blue. Susan Boyle is an example, she was definitely known about before the 'completely different show to the X-factor' that she was on.

Cheaters!

It would never cross my mind to apologise for interrupting a TV programme when calling. I always assume that if people actually care about the TV programme they won't answer the phone - like we don't during Doctor Who (or during dinner, for that matter. If it's important, people ring back, or leave a message).

With daughters aged 11 and 12 we've not managed to avoid X factor completely this year. I have at no point sat down to watch it but have instead done the disapproving mum thing of wandering into the room, asking them why they are watching this dreadful stuff (which I *know* is totally pointless), and walking out again. Most of the contestants couldn't sing *at all* as far as I was concerned and I *really* dislike the baying mob.

I did like Stacy, I thought she was quite sweet - empty-headed, but in a good way. I got the impression she'd just really, really enjoyed this episode of her life and now she'll go back to doing whatever it is she does.

But people are very strange ... my party clashes with the Strictly final and it seems that some people would rather stay in for that!

Mol

I did sit down and watch the final of X-Factor when Leona Lewis won. I'm a firm believer in Arnold Bax's dictum that everyone should try everything once, except incest and folk-dancing. To which I'd add 'Big Brother'. I have *never* seen a whole episode of Big Brother: I did catch part of one once where this stupid woman was sunbathing in the garden and talking utter banalities about herself as if it were a profound psychological insight.

I could be accused of being an intellectual snob at heart, but I don't think that would be fair as I don't see why *anybody* should waste their time wallowing in the banal when there are better things to enagage with. Kinda why I got rather pissed off with 'other things'.

There's nothing wrong with having standards FM Although I truly hate the X Factor, I've been guilty of watching some really terrible car crash TV. We all have our guilty TV pleasures, although I think I'll keep mine under wraps for now

There are only two or three things I really miss not being able to watch by not having a TV... night garden.... telly tubbies, the simpsons, and maybe some of the sci fi stuff (but DR who is on the net so I'm pretty-much covered on that front anyhow) I do miss the night garden though

I confess: I have a massive LCD TV, but the reason behind this was because we got so pissed off with the old one and the room it took up. The new one is less obtrusive.

Most of the viewing, though, is crap. And that includes stuff on the BBC. There are some good docs on BBC4, such as The History of Christianity which, for a heathen like me, makes surprisingly interesting viewing. I also have caught the odd Episode of Life. The BBC Natural History Unit can do no wrong.