Episode 18 Points of View

Good afternoon and welcome

to Points of view, where you, the audience,

review what you've been watching on TV over the past week.

And with dancing and cooking and drama and documentaries and sport,

there has been plenty to comment on.

Hello and welcome to Remembrance Week.

I'm in Camp Bastian,

the base of British operations here in Afghanistan.

To mark Remembrance Sunday,

we'll be meeting some amazing people and reflecting

on their stories of bravery, loss and survival.

A week of remembrance on daytime BBC One,

paying tribute to British soldiers of the past

and present through some emotional and personal stories.

Much appreciation for this, with only one complaint.

Why was the programme not aired

when there would be a bigger audience available to watch?

Now, you may remember last week some viewers told us

they were finding it hard to understand exactly what was

happening on the new series of Ripper Street. Do you remember that?

Many of those who got in touch complained the dialogue

was just too mumbled.

(I hear you've been getting loquacious.)

(What was I to do, Inspector?)

Well, it would seem things have got a whole lot clearer

in the East End of London.

You were happy to remain at the side of a man whose hand

is suspected in that friend's untimely demise.

So, what about that?

Ripper Street's dodgy dialogue has disappeared,

hopefully never to return.

The 19th-century drama is not the only culprit.

You have been reporting sound problems with lots of others, too.

I'm extremely frustrated when watching television,

because I can't understand what the actors are saying.

They either mumble or talk too quickly.

Music is also being played while the actors are talking.

So please, can you cut the music

and ask the actors to speak more clearly?

And, Nancy, you are not alone in your frustration,

trying to understand what is being said.

Here is just a selection of some of the programmes prompting

viewers to ask, "What did they just say?"

It's no skin off your nose. No humans involved.

But an exchange does you a favour.

Luther, with George Stark occasionally mangling his lines.

And Peaky Blinders, already criticised by PoV-ers

for its accents,

also had some dodgy indecipherables of its own.

In this house? Here?

You always used to do voices when we were kids.

We actually had to go to the transcript to figure out

what was being said in some of these.

Now, the drama department insists they do take this issue

very seriously. We shall see.

But rest assured, it's something we will be keeping a very close eye,

I should take ear, on in the future.

CONTINUITY ANNOUNCER: Rugby League World Cup here on BBC One.

Coverage of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup

has left some of you feeling a little left out.

The BBC has the rights to televise all the England matches live,

plus one quarter final match,

one of the semis, and the final.

I'm guessing that most of us,

when we looked at the fixtures before it all started,

would not have picked Italy versus Scotland as a really good game.

Highlight programmes cover other nations' matches,

but some of you are calling foul play on this one.

You can't please everybody all of the time, can you?

Quite a lot of unhappiness at this one.

We put your comments direct to the sports department.

This is what they had to say.

And if you're a rugby fan who wants to catch up on the action

you may have missed,

there is a highlights programme

tonight on BBC One at 11.45.

TV and theatre came together on BBC Two on Saturday night

for an extravagant celebration of half a century of performance

at the National Theatre.

I don't get confused that easily. Yes, I do. I'm my own worst enemy.

Stop being negative. I'm not being negative! I'm being realistic.

More than two hours of live performance from the Southbank

featuring some of our best-loved actors.

You're the cock up!

Don't you call me a cock up, you cock up!

A standing ovation for live theatre, then.

And standing ovations every week, it seems,

for the performers on Strictly Come Dancing,

now well into its 11th series and regularly winning

the weekend ratings battle,

with audiences of over 10 million.

The success of this sparkly series shows no sign of waning.

And while many of you may tune in for the fun, entertainment

and extravagance that Strictly offers...

# Let's do the time warp again...#

..with popularity comes strong feelings,

and there's no putting these critics in a corner.

Returning next week will be...

Representing the views of quite a few who think

the voting system doesn't guarantee the best dancers

go through to the next round,

it's viewer Catherine Keith.

So is it time for a revamp of the voting system?

We asked the Strictly team, who were keen to point out first

and foremost that this is an entertainment show.

They told us the responsibility for who stays in

lies with the audience.

And while the judges give their professional opinions

on the dancers, the audience is free to vote

for their favourite celebrity

to save them from the dance-off.

Some of you think the studio audience are ruining

the enjoyment of the music. Cue Steve Bird.

I'd like to know why it is

we have to listen to the sound of the audience

clapping along so loudly with every piece of music,

except the waltz.

APPLAUSE

It's destroying the performances of the musicians and singers,

and you can't tell the difference between the rhythm of the samba,

the quick step or a tango.

The response here?

This is one the team at Strictly say they can't really do anything about.

They say the audience reactions are spontaneous

and are appreciated by both the band and the dancers.

# Maneater

# Make you work hard

# Make you spend hard

# Make you want all of her love...#

Is there any reason why almost every year,

one of the couples ends up dancing to 'Maneater'?

Even this series, 'Maneater' has made two appearances,

which is one more than Tony Jacklin.

Surely by now there are no men left to eat?

Now, Sarah, we think you have nothing to worry about here.

While the song titles might have been the same,

they have in fact been two different songs.

So we think your favourite men will be safe.

OK, if Strictly is the entertainment show in pole position,

then MasterChef leads the way for cookery shows.

And it returned this week, causing the usual stir.

Staying in the kitchen, and fresh from Bake Off,

Paul Hollywood is back on our screens

with his pies and puds.

Ooh, ooh.

Hey, hey.

Look at that.

Actually, it looks a bit like corned beef.

Serving up some of our best loved dishes with

a sprinkling of foodie facts,

the master bread-maker getting

a half-baked reception from some of you.

It would seem that, in the world of chefs, money is no object,

a point made by viewer Glynne Owen,

who's noticed they don't often pay for the ingredients.

Well, is he right?

We did our own unscientific research

and found quite a few examples to support the theory.

MUSIC: "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits

This is alfresco dining at its best.

Oh, to be a chef in a world where money doesn't matter.

You wouldn't catch a doctor not paying for his food,

especially not a respected one like Dr Sharma,

who returned in The Indian Doctor this week.

I can only hear some sheep. Exactly!

Mr Rawlins, if you open the door, maybe I can help you...

Viva Italia!

And speaking of moving schedules...

It may not satisfy you, Jenny,

but the show was moved to make way for Africa,

the new nature series.

And it's actually not the only programme on the move,

because next week WE are on the earlier time of a quarter past two.

Don't forget, as well, that in a few weeks

we will be interviewing the BBC's director-general, Tony Hall.

You can give us your questions and comments for the DG,

the main man, and any other comments you might

have on the programmes you've been watching.

And there are a number of ways to get in touch.

By post at...

# ..Nothing but blue skies from now on. #

A war of the imagination.

Strange Days, part of the Cold War season.