Sunday 22 November

BLOGS

blogCategory
Previous
Back to blog
Next

The X Factor

The X Factor judges Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole
  • Posted at 4:30pm
  • 08 October 2009
  • by AlisonGraham-RT
  • 3 comments

I love this time of year; the temperature is dropping and the nights are drawing in, so it's the perfect excuse to get cosy in front of the telly having of course first dug out my Big Slippers, the ones the size and consistency of fluffy canoes.

It's hard to believe but there are people in the world who are very sniffy about telly (who are these pinheads and what makes them think they are better than the rest of us?). They can't grasp the joy of that shared experience, when millions of us, all at the same time, get lost in the moment of a really unifying TV experience.

Which brings us to The X Factor. The live shows start on Saturday (10 October) which is when, I suspect, a lot of people like me will join in and stay for the ride. I never watch right from the beginning, I like the chaff to be sorted out for me first, that's what the judges are for.

Last week's instalment at the judges' houses, or the judges' posh hotels, more like, was a good taster of what was to come. I adore the melodrama, the racking sobs and the protestations that all will be lost if a contestant's dream is about to die and they are sent home.

Just once, it would be nice to see a rejected contestant smile ruefully and shrug his or her shoulders, before they thank everyone, tell us what fun they've had and say: "Never mind, it's only a talent show."

But the live shows are the best bits, where the real peril sets in. This is why I've never got on with Strictly Come Dancing - where's the drama? Strictly's contestants are comfortably off and there's no danger that any lifelong dream will be dashed to pieces on the rocks of the judges' panel.

Whereas The X Factor - and yes, I know emotions are ridiculously heightened by the overheated atmosphere and the general air of borderline hysteria - feels like it genuinely means something to those taking part.

**

Saturdays will be doubly wonderful from now on with the return to ITV1 of Harry Hill's TV Burp and occasional new episodes of the Hill-narrated You've Been Framed!.

Burp is superbly simple comic television - a few clips of generally ropey TV shows with Hill saying silly things. And no-one can say silly things quite like Harry Hill.

Framed, too, is a postmodern comedy classic in his hands. Any man who can reference author Will Self and US Vice-President Dick Cheney in the context of bad camcorder footage of people falling over at weddings is a genius.

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times - read her column in the latest issue of Radio Times magazine, on sale now.

Link to this post
Post a comment | 3 comments

Comments

  • Posted on 17 October 2009
  • at 2:31pm
  • by Phil

MazY: I assume you mean 'Strictly Come Dancing' which may not be everyone's cup of tea but at least the contestants know what they are letting themselves in for and are already sufficiently in the public eye to cope with the pressures.

  • Posted on 14 October 2009
  • at 8:26pm
  • by MazY

@Phil: There is a simple explanation for the X-Factor's popularity. Have you seen what's on offer from the other channels at the time it is on? Like many programmes we see in this low-budget era of television, it is the best of the worst. How sad that is.

  • Posted on 14 October 2009
  • at 5:42pm
  • by Phil

The X Factor is such a cruel progamme and I am rather disturbed that it is so popular. It encourages people to have dreams most of which will never be realised ending up with a lot of disappointed unhappy people.

And I'm sorry I have never found Harry Hill funny.

Post a comment

Do you have something to say about this post? Share your thoughts…

Post a comment

(first or nickname only)

Please do not include any personal or personally identifiable information about yourself or others (including email addresses). All information you submit about yourself or others can be viewed by others.

Thank you for your comment

Thank you for your comments. All comments will be looked at by a moderator, however, due to the numbers of comments we receive, we can't promise that all will be posted on the site.

Post another comment

More


Advertisement