BBC Changes: Improvement or Dumbing Down?

----- Original Message -----

To: "BBC News Channel"; "BBC Newswatch"

Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 3:52 PM

Subject: My 2 pence worth of comment about the BBC changes and news reporting such as it is.

This is my own personal input and probably does not represent a generalised viewpoint, but who knows?

As far as general programmes go, I don't watch very much of the BBC's programming these days and haven't for a few years. This may be a personal proclivity, but I am attracted to NCIS, CSI, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds, Law and Order (Criminal Intent & Special Victims Unit) along with bits of Cold Case, the Mentalist and even Medium which has been on the BBC I might add. And, let's not forget House.

I am attracted to these programs largely because of their scientific based crime solving or medical diagnosis with all the pitfalls of human interaction that go along with these activities. We need more and more of an objective determination, I believe, which I think accounts for a great deal of these programmes attractiveness. Plus, they are drawn from real events then tailored to dramatic presentation and, even in some cases, toned down a bit from reality.

I actually think these programmes are quite educational as I find them relevant to experience which I've been relating to you since September 2000 that has been going on here from 1998 to the present including this surveillance technology which is seeping into these dramas.

The only place I've seen this on the BBC has been Spooks of late which makes it fascinating for me as well as their drama in terms of power struggles which I believe to be quite relevant although most would not want to accept this as valid given the replacement of government by agents or those controlled by the intelligence agencies.

Except for Spooks none of this is on the BBC where I would have thought that the BBC would have been a natural home for scientific observation and thought along with mathematics and forensics with respect to crime solving. Behavioural analysis is extremely important in understanding our world and those around use to avoid being sucked into criminal enterprise by the manipulative.

These programmes, while fictional, have really touched upon my experiences in a profound way making them most meaningful and relevant.

The BBC is a failed organisation when it comes to investigative journalism which leaves this country vulnerable to the violent and those who would allow violence to flourish. The BBC does this by default in its journalism in not reporting the problems taking place right here. There is a decided lack of real public service where it counts the most at the BBC.

I'll wait and see how the £600 million is re-channelled at the BBC. In the meantime I'll keep watching these other programmes elsewhere and tune in from time to time to the BBC News Channel. I do not like commercials at all, but they are endurable when the programming is brilliant.

The BBC has basically dumbed down across the board. As a result, the public is being dumbed down. These US programmes do not insult the intelligence of their audiences and treat them to esoteric knowledge which becomes a learning experience.

NCIS of late is the No 1 rated television show in the US. Why do you suppose that is? Is it "Abbey" in her lab with all that gee whiz stuff? Is it the MIT geek with his computer skills? Or, the offbeat non-PC approach to inter-actions among staff or for solving crimes with a medical wizard (Scottish origin dramatically) in the autopsy room?

Why are there these English actors in these programmes such as House and CSI (at least for a time anyway)? Why can't they find work in the UK?

Why has the UK talent gone over to the US to find expression? Is it because they cannot express themselves here in writing, production, acting and directing? It's not the size of the market that matters. It's the ability to get something done. That's all these people care about. The quality of productions in the UK at the BBC is hurting.

So what is really wrong with the UK?

Could it be related to the surveillance technology abuse dumbing down and destroying which I've been experiencing and the general inability to portray what is happening in this country?

Is the UK generally suppressed especially by this control freak Labour government? Is so, why isn't the BBC digging into this and reporting it?

Is the BBC part of the problem or a solution for it?

Gary