What's happened to BBC dramas?

[Crackle]

I was watching Outcasts last night and thought, this has the same look and feel as every other BBC programme that's been made recently. So I started to go through them in my head. Survivors, Day of The Triffids, The Deep.

Then I thought of other stuff that felt the same, Being Human, Spooks even and I realized that they all merged in my head, I had trouble sorting out what had happened in each and even what had happened. Even the character cast merged but it's more the look, feel and script.

Where they all filmed and written by the same person, the only one that stuck out was Day of The Trirfids but that was because I knew the book and it was a frankly poor screen adaptation. Totally mediocre is my final verdict. What does anyone else think?

 

[yello]

What do I think? I think maybe I'm old and don't realise 'what the public want'. Because I do think the beeb output lacks both depth and variety. Not saying I want endless repeats of 'Upstairs Downstairs' or 'Onedin Line' but I do find myself missing things like 3 dimensional, complex characters. Characters motivated according to their personalities and ways of being, rather than just as a plot device. Script that mirrors how people actually speak to each other, rather than clever clever one-liners or (again plot device) dialogue that serves only to inform the audience of what is going on. All is now seemingly about driving a story line, believable characters are unnecessary. This week's coward is next week's hero should the plot demand it.

I blame the new Dr Who. Seriously. The beeb seemed to take it's success as a road map for the future. Lord theres been some tripe since, some of it gets here... Nick someone or other and the doors of something... unmitigated bilge.

'The Survivors' was shown here in France last year (in English). I was looking forward to it because I remembered the original and liked it, was interested to see a modern take. Well, I guess I got a modern take. Car chases, explosions, lots of running around and people getting captured, shouting, etc etc etc. Character and dialogue only used as plot compliements. For me, profoundingly disappointing. I found myself wanting them just to stop still for an episode. You know; feed some chickens, grow some carrots - stuff like that.

 

[Crackle]

What do I think? I think maybe I'm old and don't realise 'what the public want'. Because I do think the beeb output lacks both depth and variety. Not saying I want endless repeats of 'Upstairs Downstairs' or 'Onedin Line' but I do find myself missing things like 3 dimensional, complex characters. Characters motivated according to their personalities and ways of being, rather than just as a plot device. Script that mirrors how people actually speak to each other, rather than clever clever one-liners or (again plot device) dialogue that serves only to inform the audience of what is going on. All is now seemingly about driving a story line, believable characters are unnecessary. This week's coward is next week's hero should the plot demand it.

I blame the new Dr Who. Seriously. The beeb seemed to take it's success as a road map for the future. Lord theres been some tripe since, some of it gets here... Nick someone or other and the doors of something... unmitigated bilge.

'The Survivors' was shown here in France last year (in English). I was looking forward to it because I remembered the original and liked it, was interested to see a modern take. Well, I guess I got a modern take. Car chases, explosions, lots of running around and people getting captured, shouting, etc etc etc. Character and dialogue only used as plot compliements. For me, profoundingly disappointing. I found myself wanting them just to stop still for an episode. You know; feed some chickens, grow some carrots - stuff like that.

This I've heard before and it seems to chime true but I'm sure the trend was already beginning. They still do period stuff very well but their view of the future lacks imagination or courage.

 

[magnatom]

[QUOTE 1324233"]
Outcasts has been moved to a graveyard slot because nobody is watching it.
[/quote]

I noticed this.I've been watching it, but I have to admit it is pretty poor quality, which is a shame, as so much could be done with it. The acting really is about as bad as it gets.

I still watch it though, as it is good to watch some 'mind rubbish' every once in a while!

 

[colly]

It's a pity. Outcasts could have been so good.

The idea of colony on a new planet is such a blank canvas to write on. Exploration of a new world, the initial setting up of the new town, establishing a safe workable environment, organising farming and food production, the local flora and fauna, the obvious interplay of the various characters and personalities, the back ground as to how and why they got there, what the future holds.

As it is all it seems to be is the same old tired sterotypes (plus a few ghostly/GM characters) picked up and plonked elsewhere in the galaxy and left to carry on the same old battles. Even the wepons they have are 20th century.

Missed trick.

 

[Ravenbait]

Please don't get me started on Outcasts. It is absolute drivel. Yet another instance of plot driving character rather than the other way around, and artificial groupings of people being created just to provide the conflict and drama that all the writing tutorials tell you that stories must have. It's not sci-fi. It's just a soap opera where the alien planet is used as a device to give an excuse for a bubble population. It could be set in a desert, or on a ship, or anywhere really. Being offworld is neither here nor there and the stereotypes are painful. It has introduced genetic mutants just so there's an excuse for apartheid, and put a woman in charge of security so you know that it's the future. In space. Because it's a nice, easy clue that it's the future if women are doing a "man's job".

Gah.

I gave up. It was making me so angry.

Sam (and don't blame Dr Who, either. It's just that the money only gets spent on things that are safe, and all of the above dramas follow the same sort of idea and are therefore "safe".)

 

[pedallingpasty]

Got to agree with the above, have been watching OUTCASTS and now wondering if its an Eastenders spin off. With sci-fi they have a clean canvas, but the same old stuff of them and us again. Think they better off adapting an already written book that wouldn't need a lot of CGI that would bring a bit of intelligent writing.
Its a shame, BBC can do it. Not usually into Dickens, but i did enjoy their Bleak House adaption a few years ago which had a bit of a modern twist (oddly starring Gillian Anderson and Johnny Vegas to name but a few). Just need to get some writers that don't write soap operas.

 

[Davidc]

Sadly Crackle, I think you're right.

Until TV audiences vote with their feet (or remotes) it'll only get worse.

The one thing in the BBC's favour is that they're not as bad as the rest.

 

[tyred]

This is why I no longer watch TV




Apart from Formula 1...

 

[Melvil]

Someone I know described 'Outcasts' as 'Spooks in space' which is a little harsh considering, but it does have the same feel (as well as similar actors) and the beeb's dramatic output does all seem to be merging into some kind of falsely inclusive, plot driven, too-slick-by-half, formulaic mess. We need shows that are genuinely original and for the beeb to actually take a risk or two and be prepared for a critical slagging on one or two shows with the upshot that one or two of the others will be cast-iron gems, instead of having a constant stream of 5/10 programming.

 

[MacB]

I've watched Outcasts and it's painfully bad, even the kids think it's cheesy

 

[rich p]

The last series of Silent Witness -I know, God help me - had pathologists chasing around Budapest shooting guns, fighting Chechen rebels and faking deaths. Totally ridiculous sensationalism.

Waking the Dead was unremittingly grim and every week one of the team had a personal connection with the case.

Crap, crappier, crappiest.

 

[beanzontoast]

Just the trailer for Outcasts and 5 minutes of the first episode was enough for me. From your comments it appears I've saved myself a wasted viewing.

And I thought Blake's 7 was bad...

 

[pedallingpasty]

Just the trailer for Outcasts and 5 minutes of the first episode was enough for me. From your comments it appears I've saved myself a wasted viewing.

And I thought Blake's 7 was bad...

Yeah, but that was so bad it now has a cult following.
Outcasts cannot even do that right .

 

[Crackle]

Just the trailer for Outcasts and 5 minutes of the first episode was enough for me. From your comments it appears I've saved myself a wasted viewing.

And I thought Blake's 7 was bad...

So bad it was good.