It’s good to keep in touch with the modern world. There’s so much going on out there, it’s handy to have a televisual filter on international happenings – and by golly there are a plethora of options out there…
Whether you take your info-blasts dry, stoic and delivered with a decorous sense of menace or if you prefer your newsflashes sensationalised, with dumbo graphics illustrating even the simplest points, you can be sure you’ll be served with up-to-the-minute updated updates on a readily available channel, 24/7.
Which of these genuine reality outlets do you most rely on? And which do you most loathe?
Do you find you can only trust in the withering tone of Paxman’s Newsnight, or do you favour Trevor MacDonald over Gavin Esler, any time?
You might find Kay Burley is the only reliable voice out there in her Sky News feature spot, or perhaps you prefer your news and discussion served warm and curdled, from the people over at The Wright Stuff?
You’re used to this now… and probably a bit nauseous over the never-ending questions.
All the same – let us know your best and worst current affairs shows of the last ten years below!
*end of football comment*
82 Comments
Channel 4 news wins out for me. Certainly the best news and current affairs program out there.
I’ll happily nominate Dispatches as best current affairs programme.
As for the news, I don’t watch it; I listen to the end of Today and the end of PM and read the papers
I’ve a fundamental problem with watching someone sat passing on information before passing over to someone stood in front of a place that may or may not be pertinent to the item at hand. It’s a waste of energy, just listen to Radio 4 or read, the information goes in without the unnecessary effort of having to look at dead-eyed newsreaders and dribbling politicians
Dispatches is a series ain’t it?
The thing about c4 news is that they discuss the news with well informed guests. I also feel there is a touch of the Woodward and Bernstein in their investigations. It is reliable and daily. Many of the channel 4 news stories are featured in Dispatches.
I’d plump for Question Time and This Week, m’self.
Except for:
School’s Question Time
Welsh Question Time
Scotch Question Time
Irish Question Time
BNP Question Time
‘Dispatches is a series ain’t it?’
It’s a current affairs programme, which is why I nominated that and not ‘Wallander,’ which is a series.
Channel 4 News = 50 mins
BBC Today = 3 hours
BBC PM = 2 hours
Piqued = wins
They dedicate 3 hours to Today and 2 hours to PM. 5 hours a day
I like QT but it depends on the questions and the panel. Sometimes it can be a bit slow. Any questions is also good on r4.
Ignore the last sentence, it slipped through the net
No piqued PM is one 1 hour, followed by the news at 6.00 and then a jokey satirical show from 6.30 – 7.00.
Hello!
I’m with Piqued on this one. Getting your news ‘n’ views from the TV is just so darn inefficient. Without wanting to come over all The Day Today, the rate of information flow just can’t beat text.
Also, DINLT, it’s depressingly easy to get yourself on the expert list for any of the news and current affairs programmes… I’m not saying that the commentators that are wheeled on don’t know what they’re talking about, but they do tend to represent the mainstream.
I wonder what happened to all those kremlinologists? And has anyone ever seen a copy of Jane’s Defence Weekly in the newsagents? Presumably it’s on the top shelf, which I’m too shy to look at.
You’re right (I don’t get in from work until 5.45)
I’ll use my World at One ace to make up the time
Hello, Pilchard!
WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?
Yes but this is website is about TV…not radio.
Hey Pilch…your back…the girls will be happy! They have been asking about you.
Best for me is The Late Edition… when it’s on at least. Failing that The Daily Show (Upon which The Late Edition is based). If someone has a problem with those 2 because they happen to also be funny then SCREW YOU and instead my vote is for Question Time.
Worst is ANYTHING on ITV… the current affairs black hole. Watching the News At Ten (or when-ever it is now) is like have someone perform a puppet show using pictures cut out of The Sun about 3 inches from your eyes.
DINLT’s got a point. Piqued, far from winning, has made himself look like a bloody fool.
That’s why I mentioned the Dispatches ’series,’ DINLT, before explaining why I didn’t like TV News and thereby implying reasons for my lack of nomination in this category.
(I’ve just read that back and noticed I’ve not said ‘fuck’ in a while)
There’s so little on ITV worth watching. The Tim Spall thing this weekend looks great AND it also stars Bobby Ball!
Cutting Edge is great.
Hi Pilch…
*runs out crying*
anyway..I reckon we are looking at an election in March. Does anybody else sense the behind the scenes manoeuvring?
Fucking hell.
That’s why I mentioned the Dispatches ’series,’ NC, before explaining why I didn’t like TV News and thereby implying reasons for my lack of nomination in this category.
Yes, but you’ve made y’self look a right fool with all that radio talk, Piqued. It’s telly on ‘ere, like, not fusty old radio from off of the olden days, grandad.
DINLT. Yes.
What’s a ‘radio’?
That’s why I mentioned the Dispatches ’series,’ NC, before explaining why I didn’t like TV News and thereby implying reasons for my lack of nomination in this category.
I noticed it about 3 months ago DINLT, but that’s because I listen to radio 4, with my ears
It’s a wireless device for picking up rousing songs and speeches by Mr. Churchill to help us get through the war nearly seventy years ago, Mr. Green.
Altogether now …
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye! Cheerio, here I go, on my way! Etc!
I agree with piqued, tv news is unwatchable. We have the Sky one on at work, so bad so very bad….
You say that, Piqued, but all that talk of radio hasn’t ‘alf made you look like a dust-covered old relic from the last century! Radio? That mouldering medium from before the First World War? Who listens to radio these days?
ARP wardens?
Well I listen to radio 4, but the elections drums are beating at a louder noise. This was not the case 3 months ago Nick. Most likely scenario 3 months ago was a May election. Never any chance of a pre Christmas election.
I have noticed Sky tend to beat the BBC to the latest story on the 24 hour news channel.
What ho!
Is that Mr. Churchill I hear on the wireless?
He’s a jolly fine chap, what! He’ll see us through these dark times.
Now, any of you chaps here need stockings for wives? Very reasonable price! I’ve got knicker elastic too. You can’t get this stuff for love nore money! There’s a war on don’t you know!
I don’t suppose you’ve got any spare petrol coupons, have you? I need to get home to listen to Sing As We Go on the Light Programme and the Wolseley’s dry as bone.
I think by suggesting that hearing the news over hearing AND seeing the news says much more about the state of TV News than lots of wurdsz
“Hello, Pilchard!
WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?”
I second that (e)motion.
*wanders in dejectedly*
Oh…you’re all….right….er…..yes.
I think you’ll find printing was around for hundreds of years before the Radio.
Reading is so Gutenburg Press isn’t it.
We do not see the goriest pictures on our news. Spanish and French news carry more grusome pictures fron Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe that’s why these wars are not popularly supported in those countries?
I don’t know, Piqued. If Bobbers Geldofferson hadn’t seen that report on that famine, we’d have never had Live AIDS back in the 19AIDSdies. Admittedly, Freddie Mercury wouldn’t have caught The AIDS off of that French cabin crew fella wot had fucked a monkey in an Air France Boeing 747 toilet, but we wouldn’t of also saved all those lives thanks to buying that shit Christmas single where Status Quo are clearly drunk in the video.
Swing ‘n’ roundabouts, see?
Hmm … lovely use of English up there.
*farts*
On the news the other week when they did the story about the woman who was attacked and had her hand chopped off in the street, they zoomed in and concentrated on the puddle of blood she left behind. Any need?
Was it The AIDS monkeys wot did that, Clarry?
‘Swing ‘n’ roundabouts, see?’
well, not really, no
Do you not see, Piqued?
I see.
I think you’ll find this is a TV-based website not an AIDS/Quo one
No, not this time Naps.
You’ve got to watch them AIDS monkeys, Clarry.
I get all my news from News in 60 Seconds and Viz, but if i miss that, i sometimes manage to catch up with Channel 4 News with that nice John Snow and Krishnan Guru-Murthy. That or Newsnight.
I’m going pick Newsnight as the best of the best.
dunno about the worst – Newsround hasn’t been the same since Ellie Crisell left.
I’ve never seen Fox News, is it as bad as they say?
I nearly missed that ridiculous discussion over on the other page. 4* you are a pillock.
Am I Clarry? I was just questioning the idea that people who don’t want to eat meat deliberately choose to eat things that look, feel, smell and taste like meat. It makes no sense.
*goes lentil hunting*
PILCHARD!!! *falls to knees*
I have to get a new boiler. Even though my old boiler is less than a year old. Due to cowboys. There’s some current affairs for you. Sorry.
It makes perfect sense 4*. I don’t eat meat on ethical grounds NOT because I don’t like the taste/texture/smell of it. In a day and age where it is perfectly possible to live sans meat, I do, and occasionally I eat a meat substitute which helps to add a little more variety into my diet. What’s to ‘not get’ about that?
Thank you Clarry, that makes perfect sense.
I’m struggling to see what’s ethical about all that, Clarry. Does my dislike for the taste/texture/smell of tripe ‘n’ onions mean I’m being ethical by not eating them?
I actually hate the taste of meat but choose to eat it because I know the suffering it brings
Plus this 4* “Riiiiight. So vegetarians want to eat something that has the flavour of turkey and the texture of turkey. Not really taking that very seriously, are they.” irritates me, as I would say my not eating meat for the best part of 15 years, is taking it quite seriously.
Your other brilliant observation “I think if they’re frantically finding ways to recreate meat, then yes, they’re probably pretending [to be vegetarian].” is even better. Scientists are inventing that NOT vegetarians. Besides it sounds gross (see description below) and I’m fairly sure that it does require some animal tissue to start with, so I for one wouldn’t be eating that. Ok?
“The first samples are a flabby material appetisingly described as a ’soggy form of pork’ which, though undeniably flesh, will need to be exercised before gaining the texture of what we will hereafter be forced to refer to as ‘natural meat’. This creates a grim picture of enormous meat factories kitted out like gyms where uncounted thousands of muscles silently work, unencumbered by bodies. But leaving aside a vision halfway between The Matrix and Fitness First, we’ve certainly crossed a line here. There is a future where animals need not be involved in meat production.”
Scratch all that – I read your post wrong. I’ve been on a meat bender and I’m word-blind.
S’ok Nap.
Soz 4*, that came out in a bit of an anti 4* splurge. No offence.
Clarry, you’re quite right, it looks fucking revolting. Nothing dies as well which really gets my goat, or lamb.
I never liked turkey, I wouldn’t want a quorn version.
The new quorn bacon is pretty nice.
The linda Macartney roast is vile
I’d give some science lab-created Frankenstein muscle food a go, I reckon. It’d probably be lovely with some evil Monsanto roast potatoes and lashings of worse-than-Hitler corporate devil gravy.
Did you know, by the way, that Nestle is as bad as Ming The Merciless off of Flash Gordon?
*eats Milkybar*
Mmmm … evil Milkybar …
Hey Clarry, it’s fine, at least you can justify your decisions. I’m just not sure all vegetarians are coming from the same angle; it can get a bit holier-than-thou in our office.
That soggy pork sounds quite good though.
Piqued, you plum…
That bitch I used to go out with was a ‘vegetarian’ (the meat-eating variety). She introduced me to Linda Macca’s Southern Fried Slices, which were very nice, surprisingly. Dunno if they still make ‘em – they new ‘n’ improved them to the point where I was unable to distinguish them from chewing on a piece of cardboard.
Of course, come the revolution when the pigs are in charge, don’t think any of us will be spared their lustful carnal desire for human flesh.
Just saying.
So you judge ALL vegetarians using the ones from your office as your reference….
..sauce. Lovely with duck
“Linda Macca’s Southern Fried Slices”
Boss Hogg would be turning in his grave.
What has this to do with Jon Snow?
Why does Panorama have to be introiduced form outside the office?
Good one about postmen last night.
*steers back on topic*
4*, of course not. People do it for all sorts of reasons, some more logical than others. I hate anyone shoving an opinion down your throat, including militant veggies. I also don’t understand why some people seem to find the idea of being vegetarian so perplexing.
Personally I’m with Ex (I think it was Ex who said it over the page) I wish that everyone would eat meat more responsibly and treat it as a luxury. At a higher cost, people might also reconsider the amount of wastage.
Nick, that makes my blood boil. What’s the point of Jeremy Vine?
Nick – yes, as they are the only ones I know, except (now) Clarry who gave a reasoned argument as to why I might be wrong.
Clarry – it’s not the idea of being vegetarian I find perplexing, so much as the idea that you would make that important life-decision and then spend your time seeking out things that are just like meat. But we’ve been there now…
Jon Snow is a vegetarian, piqued, it said so in TV Quick.
Is it home time yet?
Today has dragged for me.
If you take out the ‘n’ he’d be Jon Sow and I’d be forced to knack him with a lump hammer for festive pigs in blankets
*secretly changes Jon’s name by deed poll when no one is looking*
6 mins, Clarry
I find vegetarians perplexing in the same way I find all loony leftie pillocks perplexing. You’d think they had better things to do with their lives than not eat meat or vote Labour, but no! Well come the revolution (a fascist one, not a commie one, obviously), I’ll be first in line for my uniform and machine gun so’s I can mow this pack of namby-pamby, frizzy-haired, ‘elf ‘n’ safety, so-called politically correct bastards down. With their Quorn turkeys and their meat-free Guardian newspapers …
Especially last night P, standing out there with his scarf on!
WHY?
Nick – He’s outside so they can save on studio costs, I’ll wager. Why he’s there at all is another question entirely …
I’m outta here.
BYE!
Hey my clock is slow…
Right, sod this; free drinks tonight.
And pork scratchings.
Night all.
byes…
That’s my bloody office he stands outside. Not even his office. The knitted sod.