BY ANDREW SOUTHWOOD
I might get rid of our television. Okay, so that won’t actually happen, but its use is decreasing at rate inversely proportional to the number of new channels that appear.
This decline is clearly ed by many factors, including hectic family life, maintaining a reasonable sense of order in house where 2 small kids and a baby are continuously drawing us towards chaos. ‘Free time’ is limited and precious – which makes it even more frustrating that the box has virtually nothing on it that interests me.
I don’t think I am alone in my intense dislike of any; soap, ‘celebrity’, reality, or voting based programme? However, remove those genres from the list and you are left with only a few scraps, most of which are re-runs. Even ‘The Big Bang Theory’ loses its appeal on the 12th viewing. I could of course switch over and watch the ‘Transformers’ or ‘2012’ movies from start te frankly I haven’t the energy. Besides, I could piece them together in my head as I’ve seen them all in their entirety, just in random 30 minute snippets, over the last 12 months.
I enjoy live sport, but realistically I can’t watch it during the daytime, so aside from the odd evening football match, I don’t really see much. Needless to say, I won’t be helping Sky or BT fund their obscene £5bn Premier League contract. I’ll leave that for people with more surplus money and much more spare time.
Like most of us, I can record programs with an ease that I could only have dreamt of not more than 10 years ago (remember when ‘VideoPlus+’ was the very latest in recording technology?). The fact remains, aside from the odd classic film, not much finds its way onto the hard disc other than kids programmes.
This brings me onto children’s tv – a subject I should probably avoid, but won’t. From what I can gather, it seems my kids are clearly leading a very sheltered life. At nearly 7 years old, my son honestly has no concept of television, in its true sense. He only sees the list of things we recorded for him, maybe the Octonauts, or maybe some of a BBC Four documentary on Tutankhamun (don’t ask). Essentially, screen time is limited to less than 30 mins a day, every day. They have no idea how to turn on the television. Thinking about it, that is probably one of my proudest achievements as a parent!
One day, I’ll lead a more leisurely life and maybe have the energy and inclination to watch a gritty drama series again, but for no an hour slouched on the sofa in silence at the end of the day is probably the best option.
