Half of British Television Always Starts Like This

[@mrsundaymovies]

Love this show, glad they renewed it

[@TheCromptonParkinson]

This is the greatest crossover ever.

[@jomo999]

Green trivia time?

[@TheDisorderuk]

Rodney?

[@Funkeyman]

The show is called the blue Isle which is a reference to blue harvest the working title for the original star wars

[@HomeworkRadio]

@@TheDisorderuk RODNEY!!!

[@HannibalAfricanus]

My brain instinctively started to relax as it prepared itself for a slightly informative & quirky documentary.

[@brianthesnail3815]

Definitely agree with you there. Its uncanny. I knew it was a parody, but I could still feel myself relaxing. It's like morphine. After 20 minutes nobody remembers what the programme is really about. Nobody cares. It's all the chopped editing cutting it into small bite size drizzles of loveliness. Not enough to really get your teeth into and concentrate on and not so superficial you switch over the channels.

[@latteknowsbest6365]

Same 💀

[@ChineduOpara]

This thread is full of FACTSSS 😅

[@barbiedoll44]

@@brianthesnail3815 right! i found myself in the middle wishing it was a real documentary

[@Mussi93]

This personifies so well how people see Americans and Brits differently. American shows are loud, over the top, have severe ADHD and are cringy. British shows are gentle, well spoken, soothing and are also cringy.

[@catmando7262]

"I'm on a quest to find out the answer to a question the experts knew the answer to years ago..."

[@pawsonalpetcare]

"...and one that nobody is asking or cares about."

[@johnmartinez7440]

"Fortunately, we don't trust experts in this country anymore, so I've got a licence to talk shite"

[@oskar5724]

😂

[@thephoenixsystem6765]

Centuries, usually

[@danielhartley13]

"... answers you could probably google in 30 seconds ..."

[@baldrbraa]

Don’t forget the British walk-and-talk. You can’t see the best of Britain unless you walk while you talk.

[@finixmoon127]

Tom Scott is sweating in the corner rn

[@jkkay477]

It's not just "the best of Britain". It's "the best... (2 second pause)... of Britain".

[@Chris-fn4df]

Freedom to Roam, baby. Wish we had thought of that over here...

[@Alpostpone]

@@Chris-fn4df Freedom to Roam _and_ Ramble. Can't make a tedious yet relaxing traveling program by a famous presenter without Rambling.

[@StreamingSunrise]

not only is walking and talking visually stimulating, but also a great way to convey information.

[@ErikratKhandnalie]

"Sometimes taking a vacation in Spain is the only way to see the best of Britain"

[@thedrycleaners3086]

Best comment

[@badger6882]

you're not far off. it is very british

[@matiasrisso5917]

I'd say you see the worst of Britain, crowds of drunk tourists.

[@WojciechP915]

Sometimes *COLONIZING AFRICA* is the only way to see the best of Britain.

[@munjee2]

Algrave more like

[@theroaringdino7263]

"I've been up and down the country" is the default opening line for BBC scriptwriters.

[@capitalb5889]

It does sound better than “left and right”

[@aclark903]

Finding the 1% of rural folk who think like us liberals in London...

[@obergruppenfuhrer-]

Ah yeah, the propaganda channel that works for British government

[@Radi0he4d1]

someone explain the concept of north and south to them!

[@Nogli]

It is to British television what "in a world where..." is to US action film trailers.

[@AbsoluteMotivation]

Watching videos like this is really the only way to see the best of Britain

[@maxsuki75]

facts

[@finnkdy]

Yip, Dion Dublin can stay at home.

[@grovert4life]

have you tried walking?

[@Ron.S.]

It isn’t but it’s the best way not to notice the worst of Britain which is everywhere - Brexiteers

[@chloiecruz7475]

best comment here so far

[@classydays43]

I can hear my mum folding a blanket over her legs for this one.

[@liukang85]

😂😂😂😂

[@pndgetsmewetter]

😂😂😂😂

[@ashleyshim2078]

😂😂😂😂

[@fashionablylate888]

Lmaoooo!

[@teabagtowers3823]

With either a glass of wine or a cuppa

[@mattparkin7224]

"That might be the best thing I've ever eaten, I'm not even joking" was the most on-point line... I'm not even joking

[@Alex-hp2rs]

Especially the way he was leaning forward

[@Jcksn046]

999 likes, I’m not even joking

[@mattparkin7224]

@@Jcksn046 mental

[@bernardlicot2680]

Also with the background utensil sounds

[@mostafaa_dz]

And that subtle but intense munch

[@collectivecommentary123]

The other half of British TV is like "Sarah is a 23 year old nurse, living with a condition where half her face is slowly peeling off her body."

[@greenghoul157]

This, middle aged British people moving into houses way nicer than yours and channel 4 having a lot of naked people

[@alexixwb]

😂

[@cisium1184]

That's my favorite show after _The Crazy Old Lady Detective Whose Appearance at Any Village or Great House Inevitably Means Someone Is About to Be Murdered, Yet No One Ever Avoids Her or Asks Her to Leave._

[@cliffontheroad]

@@cisium1184 You inspire me Cisium. But I am not sure if inspire is the correct word. LOL or smiley face? I thought your titled spelled something, but it is just good. Your show title is Too Long to fit in the TV Guide

[@BAxeWarrior]

Any show about a rare disease that only 10 people on the planet have there always seems to be someone from the UK that has it.

[@highdownmartin]

And as philomena says “ I’ll be starting a sentence in one place” “And finishing it in another “ AND SHOUTING AT HELICOPTERS

[@deadvodka]

I need to see this

[@H0n3yMonstah]

David Attenborough was the first to do it, so I've been told.

[@JustJessEdits]

@alex anderand only mere years before the release of unrelated Belgium techno anthem, "Pump Up the Jam".

[@pemo2676]

@@JustJessEdits the only useful timescale

[@ricarleite]

Yes this is pretty much Philomena Cunk

[@redhawkneofeatherman261]

This video is so accurate that they'll start making you buy a TV licence to watch it

[@mattwuk]

🤣

[@laurabarss3543]

“As I embark on a journey”, “in my quest to” and the scene of them dining or drinking with a group of the locals are musts

[@zonesquestiloveunderworld]

And of course smiling and laughing with the locals, whose smiles and apparent camaraderie immediately dissipate once the camera stops filming xD

[@JesseP.Watson]

That's my daily routine.

[@WinstonSmithGPT]

Thank God for the locals whose job it is to live locally. They’re always so different from the rest of us who are non local.

[@AI-di7ll]

So as we say in [insert rural English area famous for one thing here]! Have a good day and [insert regional colloquialism here]

[@Nathan-jt8zt]

Those who are ‘on the front line’ of the most recent ‘crisis’

[@CorridorJ]

The ‘cheers’ shot is so accurate haha

[@BigDominoakaGerard]

It was done so well I actually thought people were they with him.

[@Nigel4]

That was the best bit 😂

[@SagaciousFrank]

The fact that the "Cheers!" and laughter comes right after him saying, "And I've also been abroad doing all sorts of expensive things you could never afford to do" is brilliant, like he's really rubbing it in everyone's face.

[@chrisstucker1813]

The part where the awkward presenter tries to blend in with the human beings.

[@therealdatenshi]

Only thing this is missing is an occasional laugh to show that the presenter is a very nice and caring person who gets along with people

[@samaraisnt]

Yes they missed the necessary salt-of-the-earth type interaction where he converses with a cab driver or farmer, that’s where they usually get the human laugh in so that we know he’s not like other posh/middle class tophs…bonus if they do some kind of building and they show him doing exactly 30 seconds of it. He turns to the camera and goes “This is harder than it looks!” Dripping in sweat down his period piece tunic.

[@howardchambers9679]

I liked this comment to be the 75th person to like it. I don't like odds and even numbers, they make my brain itch. I implore anyone else to not add a like to make it 76. I couldn't bear it. Please be kind 😢

[@TedEhioghae]

0:41

[@dicksonwells4836]

@@TedEhioghae omg that’s it haha

[@JudyCZ]

​@@TedEhioghae Yeah, exactly. Thats obviously the scene where the presenter is having dinner with the wonderful local people he's instantly best friends with and who showed me the real [insert place].

[@YamiVT]

0:21 god that laughter is spot on

[@corinbryant]

There's also usually an emotional moment where they try really hard to cry and say "Sorry can we stop filming for a moment?"

[@entropybentwhistle]

To maintain the drama the film crew is sworn to secrecy that it was purely a potty emergency…”Montezuma’s Revenge!!!”

[@mostafaa_dz]

They’re too flabbergasted by the food 😭

[@BigDominoakaGerard]

Those are usually saved for the transformation shows.

[@Roddy556]

​@@BigDominoakaGerardthey'll slip one in whenever a poor person does something nice for them or they listen to someone's tale of personal hardship.

[@Sentymentkok]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@leopold7562]

As a Brit, I'd be offended by this generalisation. But I can't be, because it's so bloody accurate. Scarily accurate. In fact, I'm half expecting it to be a genuine series by September...

[@jack-a-lopium]

The Baby Boomer generation, you mean? Yes, they *are* affectionately known as 'the worst generation'. They'll all be gone soon enough, then humankind can be free!

[@5050TM]

I hope so. I'd tune in 😂

[@roadbone1941]

My parents are English, is this theme of 'sentimentality wonder' really common?

[@leopold7562]

@@roadbone1941 It must be, they keep making TV shows about it

[@Anna-hd5wm]

Only slightly inaccurate thing is: it’s also women like Fern Britton, Joana Lumley or Sue Perkins lol

[@Jaymetal95]

Within the first few seconds I was thrust back into my mother’s living room, having dinner after school waiting for this show to end so I could watch Top Gear this is so damn accurate

[@richardbound8335]

To be fair Top Gear is also a show about white men with tucked in shirts so fair play

[@Robertdbd20]

The good old days

[@lankyGigantic]

Wasn't Top Gear on a Sunday?

[@bobbyboyderecords]

Same and your mother was bringing me a nice cup of tea

[@gleedameister]

And then you hear the godly theme song come on

[@archive6094]

I want to play this on my tv to see how long it takes my parents to notice

[@Animefan8050]

Until the jokes in the second half, you genuinely can't tell it's a parody, this is probably the most accurate parody I've ever seen! Top job!

[@meerkat5818]

Should've left the jokes out and made it more discrete, like the old Onion News parodies, would've been much funnier imo

[@NobuxD]

@@meerkat5818the joke tends to die if you let it linger for long, the jokes actually made me chuckle. I was expecting to see a DrWho commercial coming up next.

[@burneraccounthandle]

'looking at lots of things which are nice' didn't clue you in??

[@traceya9615]

​@@burneraccounthandle😂

[@NephBikes]

lol, the jokes start immediately

[@dorkbrandon4422]

This tells me that we've practically been watching the same show over and over again since early 2000's

[@imamoronand9199]

information is useful and people like it being presented in the a familiar predictable way. for Americans this is an overly excited man with a deep voice who repeatedly teases what’s to come in the episode, for Brits this is this. I wouldn’t say it’s the same show, just the same package for new information

[@dorkbrandon4422]

Yeah I know I know I was taking the piss , it's actually Nostalgic in an annoying way

[@ngorangbo]

Yes

[@colonelsanders4006]

If you want to watch quality, non-pretentious British docs check out any series with Fred Dibnah from the BBC. Mainly focused on industrial heritage/steam age but great mid 00s nostalgia and well worth a watch.

[@MNizamee]

You are noticing Stuck Culture.

[@c2fish1]

“As I travel, one extraordinary place at a time” “Seeking stories in every corner of the British Isles” “I discover how traditions are kept alive in the bustling, modern landscape” “Finding the unsung heroes and hidden treasures” “Each place has its own story to tell” Following which: • The presenter will knock on someone’s door and be greeted like an old friend, with the camera crew already be inside the house. • The presenter will reflect on their life choices by staring into a lake • They’ll get “lost” in a local market or trail, only to bump into someone who helps them out • Said local will be conveniently an expert in every topic being discussed, but the presenter will ask lots of questions that imply they already knew the answer • The presenter will ‘stumble across’ a local cultural event, which they will then be invited to play the central role in • They will meet a local artisan who invites them to have a go at crafting something, which will be surprisingly good • They will go on about how things have been “unchanged for centuries” • the presenter will come across an injured animal that needs saving • The presenter will finish by talking about the unbreakable bonds they’ve formed with those they met • They will also leave holding a priceless souvenir

[@nicholasvladd]

I'm speechless you pretty much nailed it

[@boiledelephant]

James May is on his way to your location as I write this.

[@londonalicante]

@@boiledelephant James May? Script leads to him randomly bumping into this guy called Jeremy. I just can't imagine clarkson fitting the role of the charming, authentic rustic. "Jeremy is a rather opinionated old soul, who knows a lot about transport machinery. Jeremy invited me to watch him punch a runner for failing to sort out a decent meal, as is tradition. He lost his job for this, and immediately got a better paid one on another channel, as is tradition in these parts."

[@DaDocDuck]

You're behind all these TV shows there is no other way you could nail it so well

[@Oueax]

This perfectly sums up not only British but I think most of European traveling TV shows.

[@tutacat]

You can never tell if its a rerun

[@AndreaJones-eh3sd]

But it usually is

[@davidpanton3192]

Did you not have the budget for standing on top of a hill being filmed from a helicopter?

[@Espen.Johannesen]

And an unlimited budget for employees to make your intro/outtro grphics ?

[@clarewillison9379]

Helicopters are so last millennium. Drones are the only way for middle-aged white men to be seen from on high in the 21st century. 😉

[@auxmobile]

we've got drones for that now, so all the budget goes to new shirts, always tucked in of course...

[@Blitterbug]

Like Brian Cox, eh?

[@milesmcquillen1885]

@@Blitterbug Does Brian Cox always tuck his shirt in?

[@SneedFeedAndSeed]

"Sometimes being abroad is the only way you can see the best of Britain."

[@sawyernorthrop4078]

British food made british men the best sailors on earth

[@seymouragora7698]

@@sawyernorthrop4078 really? I thought it was the Dutch or the Italians, I don't know...

[@_jpg]

@@seymouragora7698 The Italians?!

[@henghistbluetooth7882]

I’ve often thought the best way to see Britain is from the Maldives.

[@Ghoosteny]

Sometimes being Britain is the only way you can see the best of abroad

[@ProfFido]

If you could define weekdays on BBC2 at 6:30pm, then it would be this

[@ClothesCat]

As a foreigner that has watched a lot of BBC: This is accurate.

[@lws7394]

Not quite . No programme without a reference to one of the many wars of the glurious empire ...When Brittain was 'Great' .

[@ModelsExInferis]

@@lws7394 Sovrinty, innit!

[@SpywareEverywhere]

He still hasn't "escaped" the BBC yet as is evidenced by his ethnic self-derision at the end. Organizations such as the BBC smile with satisfaction at a job well done when they see that.

[@lws7394]

@@ModelsExInferis 'Get Inspired !'

[@7yep4336dfgvvh]

Bbc? You rascal

[@captainross4706]

Always that emotional moment 2/3 of the way in, “so my great grandfather helped lay a part of this track?! Omg I’m going to need a moment to take this all in”

[@GullibleTarget]

"Yes... and if we look here on this page....Can you make out the writing? It's very faint. We see that he actually fulfilled his dream of becoming a machinist. It's in german but I will translate: " Johan K. Raut drove trains from west-to-eastern Europe between 1941 and 1945....oh...."

[@SGProductions87]

@@GullibleTarget spicy

[@HuckleberryHim]

@@GullibleTarget K. Raut, lol, brilliant

[@marks9351]

"I literally cannot get my head around it"

[@Nojj-w7s]

Can we stop filming for a second please but emotional

[@AI-di7ll]

If I had a quid for every time the word "tapestry" has been used in intros for these lone man exploring type programmes 😭🤣🤣

[@Abominatrix650]

I swear, I've heard a female voice doing that as well

[@MaritimeFox]

Don't forget 'holistic' 😂

[@markmolloy1497]

has there ever been a tapestry that wasn't rich? Can we not experiment with poor tapestries?

[@ma_86]

@@markmolloy1497😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@nickporter574]

Spot on. Haha. The music, the perfectly times cuts to him talking, and the voice over. Superb.

[@finnlawrence-knight221]

Michael Portillo has been really quiet ever since this came out.

[@Mr3keestylee]

which is not unwelcome

[@Tao_Tology]

He's not quiet, he's just very far away, doing expensive things.

[@hg82met]

He's wintering in Spain. Rich, middle-aged, white men do do that.

[@peterrenn6341]

It's his trousers which are loud

[@Tao_Tology]

@@hg82met 'middle aged' ? Maybe 15 years ago.

[@alchemispark7751]

The worst Thing is is that 90% of the time I would still actually watch it because no matter how formulaic it is, it works

[@MagicCardboardBox]

Hey, chocolate cake has a formula everyone follows, it still tastes great

[@WhirlwindHeatAndFlash]

@@MagicCardboardBox Exactly, everyone makes the same chocolate cake every day and it still tastes delicious.

[@christosyal5883]

I’m guilty of this 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@waynedexter]

How often are you eating chocolate cake though?

[@carstarsarstenstesenn]

watch anthony bordain instead. rip to the legend

[@hg82met]

You should ask the BBC to commission a series in which you dig up a bit of broken pottery from your garden and over eight one-hour episodes, you build from it an entire backstory for civilisation based purely on conjecture and hearsay.

[@RichWoods23]

"Ritual purposes!"

[@Espen.Johannesen]

Theese potteries is not from England, but from central Europe, and must have been transported here. But how?

[@EricaNernie]

Oh briiliant! Can't wait for the Geophys machine thingy to do its bit.

[@RichWoods23]

@@EricaNernie Is that the machine which goes 'Ping!'?

[@ModelsExInferis]

I used to watch a lot of those, I really like them! And because I've watched a lot of them, I am now an expert in... Pretty much anything that ends in "ology" (there's an old BT joke there for anyone as old as me!).

[@kot_on_the_road]

The first half of video was so well made that I did not even think it was supposed to be a joke.

[@hg82met]

You "travel around again" so us poor plebs won't have to. We thank you for your service.

[@Sorrely1]

What with ticket prices , petrol prices, rail strikes and a lousy bus service, it’s only tv companies who can afford to bypass all the chaos.

[@ahartify]

And saving us having to fill in all the Brexit travel forms.

[@Brs-od8mx]

​@@ahartify I've travelled alot since Brexit. Aint filled in one single form...

[@pulchralutetia]

Us poor plebs cannot afford to travel anywhere.

[@manmoth4]

Yeah but one time a rich pleb sent a poor pleb and we got An Idiot Abroad

[@hughjass8430]

I particularly liked the host clinking glasses and saying cheers with owner and head chef of the local eatery and numerous off screen locals that he has befriended moments ago.

[@Mesty-sq3hg]

Wow, how can he make friends so fucking quickly? He is like magically charismatic, as we can obviously tell! It has nothing to do with cameras being awkwardly shoved in people's faces, right?

[@BrooklynBigAl]

As an American with admittedly limited exposure to British Television, I can confirm that every Brit docuseries that makes its way over here follows this blueprint for an opening. From the music to the voiceover to the driving to the food-tasting and finally to the tucked-in shirts. Nailed it!

[@micmac99]

Let me guess, you saw it on a PBS station during pledge drive, and they offered a tote bag with the show's logo on it, or an artistically rendered drawing of the host

[@christosyal5883]

@@micmac99 As a Canadian, that’s just one option available to us. We also have CBC, TVO, and Knowledge Network

[@samhilton4173]

Why wouldn't you tuck in your shirt?

[@frailvoid5844]

@@samhilton4173 nice to air out the torso every now and then

[@dickJohnsonpeter]

I am confused about the tucked-in shirt bit. I always wear shirt stays attached to my shirt and socks when tucking in a shirt and they're brilliant. Oh well.. have to look your best.

[@MichaelJ44]

“The good, the bad … the extraordinary”

[@nathansharma87]

This gives me immense 2008 era comfort. Watching British television on a cold wet grey winters day.

[@PantaloonTV]

as someone whose never been to the UK, I also used to watch british television on a cold wet grey winters day.

[@jackm5564]

You hit the nail on the head

[@re57k]

This video is oddly nostalgic to me because as a child, I've always had a weird obsession with television programmes from abroad.

[@topsuperseven7910]

I'm with you.

[@Luftkenza]

@@PantaloonTVone of us,one of us

[@ayeitburns1]

I have to keep telling myself this is a skit and not a real show, it's too real

[@rosiefay7283]

Yeah, some of those early shots were scarily similar to Coast.

[@trevorholland5032]

You made a mockery of British Television that is so accurate, it's basically the intro to a Travel Man episode. Well done

[@gleedameister]

Wdym Travel Man is the antithesis of this show

[@stephenoxf]

Travel Man is literally a parody of these kinds of shows, it's supposed to be everything that these shows aren't. Why bring that up rather than anything else?

[@emmajean8631]

@@stephenoxf I think that was the point - this satire of a travel show (the video) sounds like another satire of a travel show (Travel Man).

[@TheKitMurkit]

Why they put so much emphasis on White? Native british is white anyways.

[@xoire9754]

@@TheKitMurkit What? What's nativeness got to do with it? The emphasis on it being a white middle-aged man is because it's only white middle-aged men that can make a show about nothing just because they want to make a show. It's not really any deeper than that. It's not even about being white, since a show made by a 21 year old white woman is never about travelling Britain under some vague conceit. In short, it's because it emphasises that these shows are cookie-cutter and all the same. And also, they put as much emphasis on being white as they did being middle aged or a man. I don't know why you honed in on race.

[@MrThreescoops]

Or if it’s a cooking show they’ve always “BEEN ON A MISSION!”.

[@JosephByrne]

"Rich tapestry." Classic.

[@nicholasvladd]

That one made me wince

[@TheThingoftheSky]

Gotta use the word tapestry here and there.

[@FarnazShaheen]

Hi Joseph

[@jimmythe-gent]

I’m just a middle aged white guy haha (most Jewish guy ever)

[@classydays43]

Named after Sir Richard Tapestry.

[@CelestialBunnyPaws]

I absolutely broke at "Tree." The expression, the single word delivery, my gosh, as a Brit I can confirm that you've nailed this. 😂

[@mittyxxx8791]

me too hahahahh

[@kotence]

that's the best bit! #tree

[@collodion1884]

The subtle head nod is perfect

[@sasha7966]

I would've liked your comment but i'm not a brit

[@davidripley2916]

. . . I saw a tree once. It was nice. 🎄

[@co9221]

"So join me on a journey" is the most accurate part of this

[@paulbrooker5203]

They always go into a bar with a roaring fire and a few guys playing folk tunes in the corner with traditional instruments

[@TS-jd9qs]

00:31 the walking up and putting a hand on tree perspective to only say a sentence or two is PERFECT😂

[@221b-Maker-Street]

Yes, I loved that bit - it's _so_ familiar! 😂

[@ParisianWeetabix]

I got a lot of respect for this man because there's no way i could say the line "this might be the best thing I've ever eaten, I'm not joking!" without immediately wanting to punch myself in the face

[@GoggledAgog]

Is the Weetabix good in Paris?

[@ParisianWeetabix]

weetabix is good everywhere

[@smashbrew2039]

Why would he punch you in the face all you did was eat weetabix in Paris and with the fellas

[@zonesquestiloveunderworld]

Sounds like you just can't handle the Best™ of™ Britain™

[@Frank-wr2nf]

Weebatix

[@PurpleNurpleSPN]

As someone who's worked on shows like this, I can say this is 100% true

[@Talisman09]

What

[@silverstate-x1v]

Same. I think I've ground my teeth down behind the camera from all the forced cringe I've had to film because the executive insists on limiting the rest of us to their paltry imagination.

[@CrampavanAdventures]

You know what would be great. If producers/executive etc listened to the ones behind the cameras. You know the ones that went to college/uni etc to learn the art.. instead of some office dweller. Haha. It's the same in any media company. It's always the higher ups that ruin the art. @@silverstate-x1v

[@jpip1382]

@@silverstate-x1vname names - which programmes? Would love to know!

[@caravanlifenz]

@@jpip1382 Anything made by BBC.

[@Ivan-nj1hu]

All that's missing here is starting a sentence in one location and ending it in another

[@RFPEJ999]

😂 it's just missing the " despite living in poverty the locals are so welcoming and generous "

[@elaineclift2227]

Don't forget to start each programme showing us where you are going, go in to the break showing us where you went and what is to follow, come out of the break reminding us what we have seen, and finish the programme showing it all again....(repeated on Wednesday....).

[@anhaicapitomaking8102]

The aristocracy knows we plebs are a bit thick...

[@dobythedog]

That drives me mad. Before the ads, they tell us what's going to happen after the ads, then when we're back from the ads, they spend 10 minutes showing us what they did before the ads. Do they think we have goldfish memories?

[@Pur9leRain]

That’s so Channel 5, am I right!

[@lukejay]

The Mitchell and webb show did a sketch just like this

[@danielhartley13]

I'm looking for a gift for my aunt

[@ProjectFlashlight612]

"I've been driving around a lot and not looking at the road." Every second of this is totally accurate, and hilarious.

[@petegarnett7731]

Not looking at the road--I'm still waiting for the accident.

[@johnysharki5694]

I love how this is basically every Rick Stein food show😂

[@RC79100]

As a TV composer of several hours of factual entertainment, I can confirm the accuracy. I’m incredibly impressed you did this without notes from the execs, commissioner, finance department and two dogs that were shitting outside the offices during the viewing though

[@MarkJT1000]

This is so true. You get a 2 minute intro telling you what the series is going to cover followed by another 2 minutes telling you what this episode is going to cover. And then about 5 minutes in the show starts. All too often you're not actually seeing Britain or whatever but the presenter doing various acts or stunts like milking a cow, making pottery or flying a zip wire. Its not about the scenery, its all about how great the presenter is.

[@lindamay1]

That was so funny! 😂

[@f_worst_nightmare4499]

And then if your watching on Channel 5 you get an ad break right after the hour long intro 😂

[@Miners666]

But before the ad break you get a “coming up” segment for 30 seconds, then after the as break a “recap” for 30 seconds. That way you’ll have heard one small clip of, say, a woman talking about how windy it is in episode 4, in the series intro of episode 1, then the series intro of episode 2, then the series intro of episode 3, then the end of episode 3’s preview of episode 4, then the series intro of episode 4, the the episode intro of 4, then in a “coming up” segment before the adverts, then finally you hear the clip in context, then in a recap after the advert, then in the series intro of episode 5, etc.

[@sparky4878]

0:53 got the obligatory wistful stare into the distance spot on.

[@5MadMovieMakers]

Inspiring, and challenging at the same time

[@6lancmange]

Dear god. My dad watches a lot of these travel/cuisine/architecture/whatever documentaries from BBC. This video really catches the essence. I was squirming while watching this.

[@louiseogden1296]

Yours too, eh??? Lemme guess, he has a sixty inch telly which makes the BBC2 logo induce seizures in the entire village? Because you just know this is BBC2 in a nutshell.

[@fromthefountofyouth]

Say what you want but Grand Designs is brilliant though!

[@jack-a-lopium]

They'll be gone soon enough... the BBC that is. I used to say that we'd be worse off without them, now it's become painfully obvious that we'd all be better off when they're gone... surprised BoJo got rid of them, they are mostly his press-office, seems like a bit of an own goal...

[@LittleShepherdBoy]

It's PAINFUL how accurate this is.

[@plixplop]

As an American, I can confirm that my old parents would definitely stumble across this show at random while channel surfing, be instantly enamored and set up the DVR for the rest of the season.

[@Bubble170]

What about your new parents?

[@aimee9478]

I'm neither old, nor an American, nor a parent, but I feel so seen. xD

[@unlokia]

God bless them. That made me feel really warm towards them. ❤

[@scarletcrusade77]

@@Bubble170 They'd do the same but ask for Spanish subtitles

[@edmerc92]

I'm impressed that your old parents knew how to set up the DVR

[@neeravnaik]

Missed the scene in the pub. Because sometimes the best way to see Britain is to meet the locals in pub

[@videomaster8580]

I would pay to watch this tv programme. Also don't forget at some point "This changed the world FOR EVER!"

[@JustA.J]

the actual awful thing is, this is one of the best intros ever and would have me instantly hooked

[@falcon989]

Yes, waiting expectantly for the "Tree" episode.

[@rachelcookie321]

I feel like I could imagine Jeremy Clarkson or something genuinely doing an intro to a tv show just like this with the parody intact.

[@victorleoncio1079]

@@rachelcookie321 I think all those series starring Philomena Cunk in various settings are quite the parody of shows like these, only with a twist: instead of someone knowledgeable, they put an utter moron as host

[@ChristinaFromYoutube]

Me too ❤ I love these shows. They would play on PBS in North Carolina when I was a kid

[@therisashow]

As a Canadian kid, this was pretty much how every wildlife show started. It kinda gave me goosebumps. My brain hasn’t heard this before, but it’s HEARD it before 😮

[@Roddy556]

I remember all the Canadian wildlife living hard lives (according to the narrator) and thinking damn this is depressing.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

@@Roddy556Well, all of them except the crack spider.

[@Roddy556]

@@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co apex predator/gangster

[@hannahk1306]

Except we don't just do this for wildlife documentaries in the UK, it covers so many different genres for no discernible reason! Some of them I wouldn't even call documentaries, they're just minor celebs doing "stuff". It even covers renovation or home improvement programmes or even people looking for a house or people buying / selling other things. So many different programmes I can't even put into a category.

[@shreyu1312]

I love british documentary type shows so much

[@sandraholmes7002]

This is exactly why I don't watch television anymore, instead I watch your videos showing me what I have not missed. Absolutely brilliant, and spot on.

[@sausagembape677]

It's so insidious, it permeates everything

[@sandraholmes7002]

@@sausagembape677 so very true, but it dumbs down the masses in order for them not see 'reality', its active in promoting hyperreality.

[@djdonnadolittle]

Yep! Cancelling my tv licence was one of the best things that I did in the last 2 years! XXX

[@sandraholmes7002]

@@djdonnadolittle Me too, I felt free to think for myself! xx

[@djdonnadolittle]

@@sandraholmes7002 ❤️❤️❤️

[@Pepespizzeria1]

Terrifyingly accurate, up there with we going to tediously watch someone buy a house and live in it

[@boiledelephant]

"So, as we covered previously, David, who you don't know, has bought a house and is now living in it, which I think we can all agree is basically a good thing."

[@youcanlearnalotfromlydia]

@@boiledelephant Will David put up the shelves of his dreams? Find out next time on Coverage of people buying a house and then living in it!

[@LouisWinthorpe622]

That and it's evil twins: 'looking around 3 houses and deciding not to buy any of them' and 'getting 2 designers to do a virtual reality mock up of how they would like to decorate your living room and then taking a few cues from both their ideas and adding a few of your own'.

[@FringePrincess]

@@boiledelephant I love finding m&w fans in the wild

[@FilmSetView]

Oh yes, the reality shows. Yuk!

[@jasonthejazzman8521]

You forgot the part where he says his name as if you are supposed to recognize him from somewhere, but this is his first television programme

[@Ash-bc8vw]

I actually l love that show he is referring to, it's quite relaxing and doesn't bomb you with lot of information.

[@無教会内村]

As an American, I always thought this was just our own stereotype of the British shows that managed to become famous over here. I didn't know many of them really were like this!

[@backpackbattles4176]

Yeah they really are and we are hopelessly in love with them for reasons I cant explain.

[@neanda]

@@backpackbattles4176 because they're the perfect type of bland when one is hungover

[@hereyougofirst]

me too

[@scooterdooter]

@@backpackbattles4176 Well, they ARE all about YOU, so ... narcissism?

[@backpackbattles4176]

@@scooterdooter haha yeah probably. Though also love a good foreign adventure too. Used to watch a lot of BBC’s Simon Reeve who does this exact style but around the world.

[@channeltotalplane]

Nothing beats the classic: TONIGHT I wear a hat Richard wears a hat and James, wears a hat

[@en2p187]

Heck, let's get that tree in on our hat wearing

[@CamiloSperberg]

And on that bombshell it is time to end

[@TheEvilCheesecake]

gets a tiny bit hungry and punches a producer

[@Mister_Fancypants]

*try's to light a rocket* " It must be damp 🧍‍♂️ "

[@caribstu]

And James wears a stripy jumper.

[@elektra81516]

I actually love these little documentaries about idk... how cheese is made in a small rural town

[@ShanghaiRooster]

The funny thing is sixty or seventy years ago these are the kind of short films which would have been made by the COI for showing (mostly) abroad, presenting a rosy view of Blighty. The difference between then and now is that then the older film would have had a disembodied voice-over, whereas now you have to put up with a celeb and often the show is as much about the presenter as it is the subject; sometimes more so.

[@cherryflutterr]

same! i love watching that kind of stuff

[@michaelbread5906]

I won't watch a nature documentary if it has people in it. Sir David Attenborough's disembodied voice or bust!

[@milliegirl2005]

SAME

[@Canadish]

Life is about small pleasures, I think that's something that is innately understood by most British people.

[@Alliwantedwasapepsi]

It's midday and I'm in a doctor's waiting room.

[@isaaclai1636]

The fact I'd unironically sit down to watch this and have 0 complaints

[@pendafen7405]

1:03 "this is...stunning" as he ambles across what looks like a scabby Sunday league footie pitch-cum-local-park (a bit of crap field, really) somewhere in the North-East

[@timotheatae]

PITCH WHAT LOCAL PARK

[@willimeister2553]

You really captured the essence of it because I almost thought this was a legitimate show

[@neanda]

💯

[@BlaBla-jj6sh]

My favourite part is always when the presenter just coincidentally happens to meet someone in a small town he's visiting who is also, very coincidentally, an expert in whatever the subject of the program is, like how to bake an egg in a neo-classical style in a quant old building in Scotland with some wine to match and how that age old tradition somehow tells us something seemingly very important about how we are today, like the fact that we like scrambled eggs.

[@ohwhatworld5851]

At times tedious, sometimes repetitive... But somehow I always find it comforting to watch.

[@kingpickles8762]

Right?? I love it

[@hamishanderson6738]

Because Britain is beautiful.

[@anyagee9467]

@@hamishanderson6738 also Not Britain is beautiful too - where he did Not grow up

[@hamishanderson6738]

@@anyagee9467 l still don't feel unlucky for not not living in the UK.

[@tims7639]

My favourite line of this excellent parody made me spit my tea out. “And I’ve also been…..walking about”. So dry, so well delivered!

[@CheeseYourself]

0:25 if you're British, this counts as a lovely compliment as Michael not looking at the road is the only way he can see you, the best of Britain

[@solitudeguard5688]

The accuracy brings a teardrop

[@ethzero]

Michael's finally met his Portillo.

[@RevStickleback]

The celebrity travelogue thing really was kicked off by Michael Palin going round the world in 80 days, and it's amazing how different that was. It was actually about him travelling, as in the actual travel part, and who he happened to meet, and the things that happened while he was doing it. Now they go to other countries, driven from one pre-arranged set-piece to another, no doubt staying in top hotels, with virtually everything scripted.

[@Fernweh1965]

That's because these are more people that will do them harm than there used to be

[@RevStickleback]

@@Fernweh1965 It's not. Many places in the world are not more dangerous, and often less dangerous, than they were back then. Nobody going to film in Japan or Korea, for example, needs to be protected. It's because the people who make these shows want guaranteed 'segments' of things they think the viewers will find interesting, which typically involve reinforcing stereotypes or doing something bizarre. They have no interest in showing the country as it is. They just want to show them what they think the viewers expect to see.

[@Fernweh1965]

@@RevStickleback I can see you've given this some thought but travel with a known person with extremely expensive equipment makes you a target. Certainly the middle east, Africa, South America and the USA are not places you can go without substantial risk. It's a lot different to going there solo or as a couple.

[@RevStickleback]

@@Fernweh1965 That is true, but the same, completely contrived set-up, clearly just being bussed in from hotel to location and back, applies anywhere in the world, regardless of the danger in each country. Zero spontaneity, and zero insight, as they just reduce each country to a picturesque cliché.

[@barkershill]

Very true ,and what’s more the finished program is usually all about THEM , and the amazing places and people they have travelled so far to film are just kept in the background

[@Tom_Bee_]

Needs more slow motion clouds that appear to boil menacingly in 4K. Apart from that small oversight... Splendid work, old chap!

[@samaraisnt]

I’ve never heard of clouds boiling, lovely.

[@Arthur-pc1eh]

You mean fast motion clouds... Clouds already move painfully slow enough, slowing them down would be like forcing the audience to watch paint dry.

[@Tom_Bee_]

@@Arthur-pc1eh yes. That's exactly what I meant! Oops lol

[@WhatIfJojoSiwaWasGay]

*upbeat, adventurous glockenspiel music intensifies*

[@itstimeforham]

Don’t forget randomly learning a local dance

[@0DTEVIXCALLS]

Stunning. Breathtaking. Tree.

[@stevenpremmel4116]

This will be your fate in twenty years. Walking Canal Paths with Joe Swash and Michael Spicer.

[@meh3247]

"In our next episode, I will be confounded by seven different regional dialects, with hilarious consequences!"

[@digitaal_boog]

Honestly if it wasn’t for the occasional line I’d believe this was an actual intro

[@Vineguts2]

When the video first started I thought it was a genuine ad for a new documentary. Congratulations on managing to capture the essence of British tv

[@joedredd1168]

Let's be honest, we all love programmes like this.

[@smaller_cathedrals]

I really, really don't.

[@caiden3396]

I hate them.

[@jakechat2716]

Agreed. For me it's because they're just easy to watch lol and i don't have to put effort into paying attention. They make good background noise.

[@harisshakil2040]

Nope

[@YourCRTube]

Lol, no, this a commercial at best and a propaganda at worst.

[@Rufus835]

Brilliant ! Not just white men -think of Susan Calman and Joanna Lumley. Also they always visit a really tedious local museum , go painting with a local artist and marvel at some painting they've produced then join a troop of Morris dancers and chuckle at what fun it is in the local pub afterwards!

[@oight]

hahahaha

[@celestialgurl12]

Finally someone mentioned Susan calman- in all seriousness I really like her travel programs This video is also accurate lol

[@alistairthompson8311]

I think we can blame Michael Palin for starting this trend. One of the better ones is Paul Merton.

[@kimjarvis7355]

I love a tedious local museum 😅

[@Jamesharveycomics]

Sounds ace

[@emma_margaret]

This might be the funniest most accurate thing I’ve ever watched

[@sandraholmes4306]

I am just surprised you can make a travel programme about Britain. Takes me 2 hours to travel four miles along the A377 into Exeter, and that's on a good day.

[@ANGLO-GERMAN96]

As guy from Exeter I know EXACTLY what you mean! 😂

[@pegasusactua2985]

*Laughs in American*

[@kernowbysvyken5600]

0:07 this is the point mum says "we've had enough shows about Cornwall pick another county"

[@jamesl9371]

The model for all of Anthony Bourdain and Michael Palin’s shows

[@hydromokuba]

You really nailed the "show to watch when nothing else is on" atmosphere