Why I Got Rid of My Television, and BBC Licence too!

One of my viewers wanted to know why I got rid of my television and what life was like without one. I try to explain ...
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[@annperry579]

I stopped watching television about 6 years ago. I started writing instead. In the last 4 years l have had 2 poetry books published, 1 book of short stories and, most recently, a childrens book. I am now halfway through my first novel.

[@fifthof1795]

Brilliant ! Well done and congrats !

[@jerribee1]

Good for you.

[@lorenheard2561]

More value in your life is creating more creative value in others! 💖☘🕊High Five!✋

[@matthewweaver5610]

Awesome! Keep it up. I grew up with no TV in house as a child. My family are avid readers

[@dylansturm8065]

Awesome. Just got rid of my playstation. Stopped weed. Stopped eating junk. Stopped drinking. Working on tv next. you inspired me to get back into my story telling

[@johnoakley6362]

It is wonderful and heartening to hear that more and more people are purging themselves of television. I gave up television in the autumn of 1972, and followed that up a few years later by giving up reading newspapers, I still consider it the best decision I've ever made.

[@123gillam]

Books, music, SILENCE, Anything BUT the TV !!

[@TheRealLagatha]

Stopped watching the news in 2003. My mental health has improved somewhat 😂

[@mavis3916]

Abstinence is no great virtue

[@johnoakley6362]

@@mavis3916 I never once mentioned virtue, I did say I gave up consuming mass media in the 1970's.

[@Nook747]

@@TheRealLagatha Mine too !

[@Elfwald]

As Rik Mayall once said "for the sake of humanity turn off your television sets"

[@oldbrasso808]

I did- whenever Rik Mayall appeared.

[@MyScottyboy1]

one by one

[@katjahuth9536]

Rik is so missed!

[@JesusLordOfLords455]

@@oldbrasso808 Rik was a beautiful soul

[@johndean8944]

Hi. It’s not called programming for nothing. Mainstream mockingbird media.

[@janelledowney]

In my mid 50s I moved into a house by myself. I had never really lived alone before. I made the decision to get rid of TV altogether. It's been almost 6 years now and other than a few moments here and there I don't miss it at all. Now I'm appalled at how much other people pay for TV and all the time they waste watching it.

[@Gamergirlyoshi]

What do you do since you got rid of your tv? Because you are watching yt isn’t that the same?

[@Jack-bs6zb]

JustAddColour … fair question. YT is more community oriented and allows for easy feedback and discussion. Also the choice of material is truly vast. Television is essentially one-way transmission of limited choice rubbish.

[@colinlakin]

If I am subjected to listening to TV ( if working in a house where it is on ) it makes me realise how awful it is, I think smart phones are worse than TV though so time consuming and addictive.

[@mchobbit2951]

@@colinlakin Fully agree. At least the TV stays at home. Smart phones turned everyone into a zombie, all day every day no matter where they go. Every time I'm in a waiting room, on the bus, restaurant etc. etc everyone who comes in sits down and immediately pulls out a smart phone. Instead of enjoying anything, people just take endless pictures of it they then post on social media. I used to not have a smart phone for a long long time, so I got to spent some time observing that and thinking "No, I don't wanna be like that". I purposely use a pre-paid card. No unlimited data or any of that. I have the Internet turned off on it and basically use it as a dumb phone. I think there is something wrong with me/my brain chemistry though because the desire to go online and type on that tiny screen (or any touch screen) is just not there. Of course there are the "game" apps, which I purposely didn't try as I do feel like I could have ended up addicted to those. I think I want to downgrade when my smart phone dies. I have been seeing dumb phones again and they are waay cheaper and will do what I want/need. Plus battery life was better, they were sturdier and they were smaller (carrying a smart phone in your pocket is annoying).

[@lingfengge6666]

KZbin videos are better than TV programmes

[@raven-sf3di]

But can also have the same problem as tv it becomes your babysitter, I found when I finished work would spend most my time online I'm trying to change that now and become more of a proactive craftsman

[@lingfengge6666]

@@marcse7en I agree there's more crap on KZbin than on TV, but you can always find something interesting on KZbin whilst on TV there are some moments you find every channel boring...

[@Viator19]

The big difference is that viewing on YT is much more selective.

[@bctvadifferentvideographerwith]

youtube creators are way more interesting than msm has ever been

[@theclumsyprepper]

So true. I love to put on something about ancient history when I potter around the house.

[@badger509]

I've not watched TV for about 10 years now because it's absolute poison. You're absolutely right about the messaging which has taken over society to such a point that you can't even discuss it without fear of being punished.

[@katherinekinnaird4408]

Social media is trash and most of TV ad well. You have been a breath of fresh air. Yep you nailed it.

[@RichardVobes]

Thank you.

[@meijiturtle3814]

You are using social media to make this comment.

[@mantrafiscus]

@Athos Aramis Fakebook, Twatter and Instasham, I don't bother with any of them now.

[@airzulu2733]

I think you did the right thing .

[@mttfboy]

Spot on Richard! I barely watched TV as a child because I was always outside playing all day. The MSM basically wants you to believe and accept all the rubbish they put out, NO THANKS. Also, I think social media has become a bad obsession for many and I certainly can do without it. Thanks Richard :)

[@RichardVobes]

Cutting that 'noise' from your life clears your thinking! Well done.

[@Gamergirlyoshi]

Yes social media has gotten worse I think.

[@TheRealLagatha]

Me neither, but when we did watch it we were exposed to nonces like Savile & Harris 😳

[@robintripp8164]

Television was designed from its inception for one thing only, and that was and still is social engineering.

[@RichardVobes]

I couldn't disagree. We are certainly more benign and ready to agree with the government's will.

[@mikanfarmer]

I remember my father using a phrase banded around in the early days of television, that it was to be 'the third parent in the home'. In later life he certainly realised how spurious that statement was. As for today, it's just an advertising and propaganda portal.

[@dcarbs2979]

@@mikanfarmer It's now the 2nd parent, where there are so many one-parent families!

[@mikanfarmer]

@@dcarbs2979 ..........Sadly !

[@stuartliddle7228]

Thats an extremely paranoid opinion. I have had no tv for years . Basically because im not about to pay for something i dont use. Tinfoil hats are an optional extra.

[@MrNas42]

I'm old enough to remember when television was socially cohesive (two-three channels with enormous audiences that lead to lots of social discussion for days afterwards). Now it's often divisive (although FAR less so than Social Media) and devalued by its content being available on demand.

[@richm2835]

Yes Nigel ,TV now seems to pander to the want everything now attitude . I remember watching Dr Who as one example , which would always have a cliff hanger ending , and you had to wait a whole WEEK to see what happened next. That usually meant using our imagination envisioning various scenarios. All those channels 24 hours a day now have to be filled and there just is not the content to do it . I've switched on TV in hotels to see 1970s /80s soap operas showing with acting of a standard usually seen in a school play .

[@ciaran6171]

@@richm2835 The cliffhanger is dead. Strange to think that it used to be one of the central feature of our lives.

[@nancyelizabethewin2902]

@@ciaran6171 The soaps still have cliffhangers! Love Young and the Restless.

[@brondahawkins9264]

Oh for the good old days. Was certainly more sociable.. used to discuss the programme with friends and colleagues and really look forward to the next episode.

[@TurdFerguson101]

@@brondahawkins9264 I know exactly what you mean. I was watching an old B movie from 1978, last night called "Corvette Summer" staring Mark Hamill. It was a "B" movie, and have to admit it was pretty dumb, but it made me long for those days, when people just talked to total strangers, and would become friends. Now everyone just keeps staring at their "smartphone". I've often thought if there was an accident, or a clear danger, I would be the only witness.🍁

[@NootkaSeaGlass]

I absolutely loved watching this video. You highlight so many key areas. 4th July 2015 was the day we took our TV to the tip and got rid of our BBC licence. This was the best decision we made. We call the TV 'the devil in the corner' and by ridding our lives of this box we felt we had exorcised a demon, due of the very areas you highlight in the video. In addition the frequency at which programmes are pumped out to the masses have a hugely damaging effect on mental and physical health by suppressing the independent thought process, which is happening now with the compliance of people 'staying home' and being constantly spoon fed the government propaganda. It's mass control at it's finest and so so easy to achieve. Great video.

[@TheRamblingsofBry]

I am nearly 38 years without a tv, not missed it yet.... People are happy to let the government and the media do their thinking for them.

[@gluecksdrache2054]

Additionally the people watching TV learn a certain role model to comply, fight against the others instead of pushing themselves forward. The rise of rules and regulations and the extreme profit the legal profession makes wouldn't have happened with the TV spreading anger. 😞

[@janerobertson8950]

So well put! My sentiments entirely! We are being pushed into thinking in certain ways more than we think!

[@martynlejeune5191]

Well done Richard. I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and reasoning and have had a very similar philosophy for a very, very long time. I also believe that unfortunately that is the trouble with a lot of society today, that we have become brainwashed. In so May ways we have made giant steps forward, but I also feel that the older ways of life had far greater values. Oh well that’s only my opinion. 👍

[@lesmatthews6684]

You're opinion mine also,and an awful lot more.👏

[@barryrice4957]

My TV stopped working about eight/nine years ago, I've never replaced it as I hardly watched it anyway.

[@RichardVobes]

Good for you.

[@alanhammans306]

I whole heartedly agree with you. I have lived on a narrow boat for 5 years without a tv best move I ever made, I am never bored living in the middle of nature and love my life

[@RichardVobes]

Good man - sounds perfect!

[@jorybennett5932]

I couldn't agree with you more about switching off the TV and doing something more productive. 👏

[@stephengardiner9867]

I completely stopped watching television 12 years ago. Prior to that I had been gradually watching it less and less as I found that I was being increasingly offended by programming that assumed that I was an idiot.

[@mrsnrub9780]

I honestly can't remember the last time I watched television. I spend my down time (REAL down time, hobbies are a systematic pursuit) listening to The Beatles and watching channels like this. There's just nothing of value on TV - even the exploration type shows come off as disingenuous and horribly over produced - and I NEED that feeling of camaraderie and sense of authenticity in order to become invested in something. That's why KZbin is so great.

[@richm2835]

I agree with what you say about the exploration type tv productions they was never any spontaneity which came across . After a certain point in time I also found that even David Attenborough seemed to be subtly pushing a certain agenda throughout his highly acclaimed wild life epics.

[@mrsnrub9780]

@@richm2835 EXACTLY. There's nothing in the way of spontaneity or EVEN excitement. I wouldn't think to binge watch David Attenborough but I HAVE woken up in the night - not been able to fall back to sleep, and have watched Richard's videos on a loop with a small glass of whisky until I drift back off. In the age of woke culture and controversial 'edgy' (attention seeking) content, I honestly just want to escape to the land of good vibes.

[@Gamergirlyoshi]

I can’t stand the commercials

[@icdgyixifyinstereo]

@@Gamergirlyoshi To be fair, some of the actors are white people.

[@shirleylynch4420]

Very true. Very wise comments. I agree with you. Plenty things to do without TV. Thank you for this chit chat morning.

[@RichardVobes]

I hate the fact they stick old people in front of the TV and wonder why they go down hill so quickly.

[@gregnixon1296]

I stopped watching tv in my mid-teens. I’m 57 now. One aspect of tv use that I’ve noticed is that it’s a glue to give friends and strangers something to use as fodder for conversation. It’s a venue for cultural literacy…or for cultural illiteracy.

[@Thebluezman]

As someone born in the 60s going to the library was something we did as a family and so reading is something I still love to this day. I cancelled my licence around four years ago as I was fed up with all the reality rubbish they now fill their schedules with.

[@richardpurvis8999]

No tv in my house for 25 years. No social media. Love to read. My mother said that you should Not start and end the day with Bad news...it feeds depression. Rather start the day with one Of your fine videos. Richard... You are appreciated! Thank you.

[@matthewstokes1608]

I’ve been able to mix with celebrities and tv people occasionally over the years… All I can say is that it is of little wonder that tv output (like much film and music) has become so vapid, uninspired, shallow, crude and spiteful. I’m afraid the talent is no longer to be found in those powerful circles… I enjoyed watching this! God bless -and keep going!

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks, Matt. It been an odd journey.

[@bosiex]

Very well said Richard. I got rid of my TV in 2019, my friend kindly took it to the tip for me. I hadn't watched it since 2012!

[@RichardVobes]

Well done that man!

[@nicolek4076]

The history you recount here, is so similar to mine. I no longer have a television, which gives me a lot of time to do useful things. For example, I have realised my teenage ambition to read a foreign literary classic in the original language. I've gone beyond that, and now read several European languages totally fluently, almost without noticing. It's no loss, having no TV. I'm absolutely with you over social media - I don't do it - and find my views very often run counter to received "wisdom".

[@nicolek4076]

@@stokes8626 It rather depends on the author. I find that authors have a word set that they select from. I have to resort to a dictionary (I tend to use ones that only deal with the one language, not English-whatever ones, because these often lose the subtleties of usage), it's more often with an author that's new to me. I try to make a stab at extracting a meaning from new words, based on my knowledge of other with a similar root - which often leads me seriously astray. There is something to be said for not looking up the word, because that tends to lead you into translating what you read in your head. It's far better to understand what is written as intended by the author. The result of this is that I find it almost impossible to quickly render non-English texts into the kind of English I'd use every day.

[@JanEncounterBay]

Thoroughly enjoyed this walk down memory lane 😊 Thank you Richard 📺

[@CoatsandGaiters]

That was really enjoyable to watch and listen to Richard. Loved the calmness in which you spoke. Couldn't agree more with you. I have always fought smart phones and managed to survive a year without until applying for a job and they insisted you have to have one. Like you, we don't watch the commercial channels and haven't done so for a while. It tends to be repeats and to be honest the really good comedies of the 60's, 70's and possibly the 80's are long gone I feel. Comedy today seems forced and they try to be funny by being outrageous or swearing. The quality of the content on KZbin is so high today that in some ways it's far superior now to commercial TV.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks so much, so pleased you enjoyed the video.

[@paulwood7798]

We still have a TV but watch nothing made by or associated with the bbc . I could give you a 1000 examples of why but this is about you Richard. For me choices well made well done sir Respect.

[@RichardVobes]

Good man, and thank you.

[@johnbrownboots9884]

What are your thoughts on adverts

[@charlesscottkelly]

Totally agree

[@dogtemple26]

that was great, thanks for doing that. my reasons for chucking the tv were much the same, it certainly frees you up for the more fulfilling pursuits and the bit at the end, I very much agree!

[@finandfriendsdogwalking8234]

Nice video Richard. i can relate to this. i am 37 now and having left home at 16 and struggled for many years with housing situations, the only tv i ever had was the free ones. i was very late in getting the internet compared to others but, when i finally settled in a flat in durrington (i grew up in littlehampton so i am local to you) about 5 years ago, i was so excited to get the internet and all the movie streaming services i jumped straight on it. a couple of years down the line and it suddenly dawned on me that i had become a bit of a hermit just coming home from work and staring at the screen so i ended up getting rid of the tv and the internet and started walking and running more and doing arty stuff that i used to like. i managed about a year with out it all, so now i have the internet and watch a bit of youtube or movied with my daughter and i am starting a psychology and counselling degree next month with the open university so that will be all online. i think the world is just addicted to screens now, i say as im staring at my screen. haha. i am still hoping to see you out on a walk and get in a video!

[@RichardVobes]

You are so right - we consume so much via screens.

[@mchobbit2951]

I was just about to ask if you were writing this using public wifi/the library and then read that you have internet again but keep your usage in check after your detox. Congrats on that and finding a balance.

[@hArtyTruffle]

Couldn’t agree more Richard. I do have a tv for the occasional video or game, but I don’t watch tv anymore. Best thing I’ve done for myself. Been much more creative. Painting, drawing, writing and making music. I like the fact that with KZbin I can watch what I like, when I like and have learned much from creatives. I read more too. My ability to concentrate has improved over the years. Now I just need to get out more ☺️ Being a creative has made me rather sedentary. Love to watch videos like yours as they do encourage me to do just that. Working on it 🤓

[@RichardVobes]

TV land keeps telling us we have lost the ability to concentrate and the long format programme doesn't work - but KZbin will host long debates that people lap up. Well done you for reducing your viewing time on TV.

[@rogerpritchard]

Hi Richard, your comment about the TV being used as a baby sitter is so true. What a pity so many of those wonderful years are so often wasted.

[@gpat64]

I have to confess I was sitting here glued to this video. So much wisdom and truth and honesty. I agree about today's media being relentless and biased and dangerous. And as you say yesteryear has far more reality to it than the virtual worlds we have created. I thoroughly enjoyed that sir, thank you.

[@RichardVobes]

So pleased it resonated with you - thank for watching, Graham.

[@williamhuband7913]

Thank you Richard. This was well appreciated -keep up the good work !

[@christinemckay5949]

Not bought a newspaper or watched the news for years and years now and gradually stopped watching TV altogether a few years back. My son watches it now and again and watches football so if it wasnt for that I'd get rid of it altogether, I hate how the media rules the world and that people dont think for themselves any more xx

[@keithkent8565]

Well said Richard. Most tv these days is 'woke' garbage. I'd much rather watch The Bald Explorer on You Tube.

[@Stringtrees]

I cancelled my TV licence when the BBC dropped Formula 1 which I was a huge fan of. It went to Sky and there was no way I was going to be forced to pay for multiple channels of twaddle. I don't really follow the sport any more but instead I pursue my interests and life is better for it.

[@KR-ie9im]

I’m sorry the comments were turned off on your latest video, but I wanted to say that I think your wonderful, and I enjoy the honest perspective and framing of your discussions. Thank you for being you, and keep doing what you’re doing! I’m British but living in Australia and it deeply saddens me to what is happening in both countries, but to see the UK heading down this particular path breaks my heart. Don’t let them silence you!!

[@timjw5704]

My wife & I have not had a TV for almost 3 years now. So much rubbish on, fake news & semi pornographic advertising! It also takes up so much valuable time. Carry on with great content Richard

[@steveb1972]

Good points indeed! I was born in ‘72 and remember all my Dad’s electrical selections from Radio Rentals, including an enormous Grundig Video 2000 recorder, our first colour tv, then one with a REMOTE!😱 LOL!

[@dedestephens4229]

I’m glad you put this out. Young people today lack imagination due to being fed tv all the time. It’s tv and video games. We went about six months without a tv and we got more projects done and read more. We utilized the free time we had. I think the kids even enjoyed it to some extent.

[@folksurvival]

Search for the poem Television by Roald Dahl.

[@MrJohnnyseven]

Hey I lived in a cull de sac that had a large mine behind our house...such great times...and only an hour of "TV" for kids...paradise.

[@photocrazy2012]

Thank you for this video! I was debating to stop watching TV and have been slowly reducing this. By reducing TV , I am writing a journal now, visiting museums, etc…I think that I will take the challenge now… awesome video

[@robinjones6999]

Absolutely brilliantly summed up- glad I found your channel -The Whitewicks sent me!

[@bryanhilton7360]

Thank you for saying exactly what I think, I still have a TV but really I barely watch it these days, just dumbed down trash. Growing up in late fifties and early sixties, we had a small TV, but watching was strictly controlled by my parents, Also I was encouraged to amuse myself, reading was and still is something I greatly enjoy. 😊

[@pearlmiddleton4509]

So agree 100 percent with your comments. Life is to live and not be controlled by a box.

[@shadowhall1501]

I am nearly 56. It is 13 years now that I haven`t got a TV anymore. It was due to the separation from my former partner and it happened to me quite "naturally" somehow - the TV had been a big and often used thing in the livingroom, it was his and he took it with him when we broke up - until now I live a happy creative and conscious life. I have a PC and YT is what I watch and enjoy mostly - among some other channels where I can choose reports and films of my interest, in different languages ( it is training, I study them) and without any commercials. I am a novel writer, so I do not spend time just consuming anything, some of it is only for research for my novels, for resurch YT is a good source also. And yes, Richard, when I watch your videos, I first really watch them, but not just once, I love to repeat them all again here and there because they really cheer me up and make me laugh, and I enjoy the theatrical way you present your topics (I have a loving relationship with theatre, had stage training myself). When a video starts to become familiar to me ( I have an ear for text and content, so it happens anyway) I start to just enjoy your way of speaking and the words you choose, just listen intensely and .. crochet a bit! :-)) I always must be creative in a way or have a good talk with interesting and inspiring people, if I wouldn`t I feel my time would be wasted. For my creativity, for my writing and my imagination there has been nothing more valuable than never letting a TV (with its thousands of possibilities to consume rubbish and be manipulated) into my life again. Until now people do not understand how one can live, have lovely evenings and weekends, never feel bored but not know anything of the actual TV program. I don`t care about their TV stories - but maybe they will know and enjoy my stories one day, who knows. ;-) It is a fact that writing flows better without such distraction. I also forget to have a look on my mobile fone, often I forget to take it with me when leaving home - It is about one year that I even have one. Before it had been about 9 years that I had none and I never missed it. It worked fine enough with my telefone and email on PC at home and it was fun to explain it to people. Actually I needed one to receive the tans for my online banking, that`s all. Because of no TV and having a mobile that is NOT another body part, an addictive thing or an outsourced brain of mine I am called a crazy person. They say I do not make use of all the options that my fone offers and they are right. But I make use of all what my brain offers and this is a thing I cannot forget when leaving home. Memory, creativity, concentration spun, patience with situations and people, communication, everything`s fine and I won`t give it away for a close relationship with a technical thing. 🙂

[@davidmills636]

Quite right Richard. We did the same two years ago - no TV - no BBC licence and further more no BBC Radio 4 - not missed it and listened to more music, read more, laughed more for sure, discussed more, picked KZbin content we want to watch and felt better for it! As an aside, on your podcast you were talking about minimalism - we're minimalists and feel we have more headspace as a result - I would recommend a great book to read - 'Goodbye Things - by Fumio Sasaki - a quite radical approach, and not one we adopted, but it makes you thing about your 'things'

[@RichardVobes]

Interesting book -will have to have a read. Cheers, David.

[@snacklofter]

Jumper Rating: Hand knitted mustard ensemble complimented by light coloured shirt. Combined with gravitas: 9/10.

[@dave20thmay]

I want to know if that was made at home?

[@weebolddavy]

You struck a chord there when you said some folks get up in the morning, first thing they do is switch on the TV (a baby sitter) and last thing they do at night is switch it off. In between many have their noses pressed into their smart phones, for many, the only communication they have all day, is on social media. We never had a TV at home until I was 14. Our home was always full of conversation, music and all sorts of imaginative and creative ways of filling our time. We gained lots of knowledge by fortnightly visits to the library, in my case reading non-fiction books, a love I still have almost 60 years later. I never could understand the concept of having 372 'friend' requests on social media, friends you've never met and probably wouldn't ever want to meet! I remember seeing a photo of 4 young couples out for dinner in a restaurant and all 8 of them were sitting looking at their phones! To be honest I wouldn't miss our TV (although my wife would!) In the early days of TV we had 3 or 4 channels and usually could find something worth watching, unlike today there's times when there's nothing worthwhile on literally hundreds of channels.

[@OKMmike]

Hi Richard wonderful to see and listen again. I like you and you are of similar age as me, do not watch television. I am widowed so television, and I have 4 around the house are never switched on. Most of my entertainment comes through KZbin on my computer. Never bored, always something to do or watch, but I never miss any TV crap, because that is what it is. Love that stove in your kitchen.

[@gileswhiteheadartist]

Wise words Richard and so well put. I wonder, do you get intimidating letters from the licence people who never seem to believe you don’t have one?

[@RichardVobes]

Not yet. So far they have left me alone.

[@CosmicClaire99]

Just coming up on ten years since I ditched my tv licence and stopped watching it. Absolutely right Richard, best thing I have ever done, it has freed my mind from its clamour and I am much happier with my own thoughts or the things I choose to see online, even that I limit to a few hours in the evening. I love reading and my garden. When I see telly at someone else's house it is like a view into a dystopia dimension. Also, if you had carried on watching telly we probably wouldn't have the wonderful Bold Explorer videos to watch, quality that isn't to be found on the BBC!

[@UniversalVibesTV]

BBC - British Brainwashing Corporation

[@RioSmith12]

Good for you. I haven’t owned a television and haven’t turned one on in ~10 years. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything at all and get so much done after work each day and on weekends. I’m amazed at how many hours every day most people waste sitting in front of the “boob-tube”.

[@Daisy-tl2lh]

I turned off the telly nearly three years ago, don't miss it, I listen to gentle music and was appauled sitting in a hospital waiting room at the racket coming from the walls so much so when the dr said my blood pressure was up I said it must be from the dreadful noise in lhis waiting room! he just grunted as they do!

[@denniskavanagh3075]

It is probably an advantage for us who watch your Videos on You Tube that you do not have a TV. Otherwise I fear that that you would not have the the time to do the excellent editing of your videos which makes them so interesting, and then later spend time to read your viewers comments and then reply to the comments, that I for one do so appreciate., Thank you Richard.

[@RichardVobes]

Sorry, what did you, say - so busy catching up with all the programmes on the telly! (Joking!)

[@denniskavanagh3075]

@@RichardVobes You had me worried for a moment!!

[@tammieparrishmiller3669]

I am laughing at myself right now! The reason I'm up at 1:25 a.m. which would be 7:25 a.m. your time, is because my television was off in the middle of the night and I do sleep with it on as a sort of white noise and I've done that since my early adult years due to having trouble falling asleep which is something you recently spoke of as well. I feel a bit guilty having watched your video now because Tim and I watch in the mornings. Oh boy! See what you've gotten me into now! Haha! I'm going back to bed and will be watching again in a few short hours while Tim and I have our morning coffee. Hoping you have a wonderful day! Cheers! Tammie

[@andyjarman4958]

Tammie, try listening to podcasts. I have Bluetooth ear buds. I listen to a BBC discussion series called "In Our Time". It lasts an hour, involves a bizarre breadth of subjects and speakers. Most of the time I've fallen asleep before the end of the programme. Knowing you can listen to the end means your aren't that concerned about missing the last part - it's always there to go back to.

[@tammieparrishmiller3669]

@@andyjarman4958 Excuse my ignorance, but I'm wondering if it's on KZbin or how can I find it in the US? I'm going to check into it now to see what I can find. Thank you very much for your kind suggestion. It sounds like a fantastic idea and I do appreciate it.

[@Jc-lk7wn]

I’m old now Richard & your comments have perfectly encapsulated what I couldn’t put into words myself… of course TV has now been completely usurped by smart phones as a way to subdue the masses going forward…🙏

[@fpwrankin]

Well said! Ten years ago I was watching Newsnight before renewing my TV licence via the internet. Paxman was hectoring his guest and I realised he had not made any preparation for the interview and had resorted to bullying with the result that I was learning nothing! I did not renew the licence and "parked up" my television. It is one of the best decisions I have made and given me back many hours of alternative enterntainment. Incidentally, I too have a lovely Esse!

[@ODOB]

Just found your channel today. For a moment I thought it was me talking. It seems we share very similar view points on TV. I have stopped watching all mainstream medias for almost 15 years now. Good riddance, especially BBC. My children have all gotten use to not watching TV too. I was always fearful of the "subliminal messages" and how TV could kill young mind's imagination. I am glad I did and have never looked back. No social media either except for certain programmes on youtube (you just have to learn to discern the good from the bad :). Thanks for sharing.

[@RichardVobes]

Thanks for watching

[@adrianburn7178]

My family didn't own a television until I was 16, largely because my parents thought it would discourage me and my older brother from reading and doing things outdoors. I don't think I really missed anything. I have one now but use it selectively. It's a more reliable source of information than social media platforms, which seem to be the default source of news and information (or misinformation) for too many people.

[@ladysudaandthegoddessmorri3217]

KZbin us much much better than telly. With youtube there is so much to explore and we get to find content that we like and that aligns with our interests and hobbies. People get to showcase themselves and their passions too, so it's a brilliant platform. 👏

[@googoo554]

Totally agree Richard. Thank you for getting this out there. Love yr videos!

[@jackielowe7377]

As a kid we had black and white tv, years after colour came out, 'Rent Granada!'. If it went wrong a guy used to turn up to fix it. Later I lived without tv for a couple of years in a house share and didn't miss it. We used to talk, listen to music, sing, and do arty stuff. Now as a single person I like having a tv. I like finding a film or documentary to watch. Just binged Bleak House which was excellent. My thoughts are my own, but I like to know whats going on. Ps Yes there were some awful men shaming ads- can't load a washing machine etc. I used to rant to anyone who would listen that if the ads were about shaming women there would be a national outcry!

[@ProjectCamper]

I remember when the BBC stopped broadcasting at midnight and channel 4 started, I don't watch tv now, just streaming and making my own KZbin videos

[@philippaboast8866]

Thank you for this broadcast. You make valid helpful points - people can learn from this.

[@alanleggett6637]

I couldn't agree with you more Richard I got rid of my TV a few years ago now, don't miss it either 👍

[@whysa4]

Cancelled my licence back in the summer as part of the Defund the BBC movement , was watching very little live TV anyway by that time as I was watching more and more KZbin. Have not missed it , still watch KZbin as the primary source of entertainment and info with the occasional on demand service excepting the iplayer now that I don't have a licence.

[@johnbyrne2756]

Just as the Internet today, is blamed -- and rightly so -- for the breaking down of community, so was the TV 50/60 years ago. But interestingly it was not TV that started this rot. That 'accolade' fell to the combine harvester. Villagers would turn out in their droves 75 years ago to gather in the harvest, it took many hands and many weeks to attend to a threshing machine and became a focal point during those distant gloriously simple autumns. Today the radio is the finest form of entertainment, allowing the listener to move around to do other things, whereas the TV pins its viewer to the spot.....

[@RichardVobes]

People were part of a community back then and depended on the harvest to survive. The allure to help Tesco stack shelves with freshly imported tomatoes isn't there.

[@johnbyrne2756]

And Sainsbury, answered he facetiously !!

[@johnbyrne2756]

There'll be an almighty great world hack on the internet one day, from which we will never recover. The whole planet will go back to pencil and paper. But that's when the problems will really start because no one will know how to write or even think anymore.

[@johnbyrne2756]

Throughout the internet's 30 life the hackers have had the upperhand, they are ALWAYS one step ahead of the game and there is no reason to believe this will change.

[@joolzhillman4385]

Cancelled my TV licence a few months ago & it's one of the best things i'v done in ages. I don't miss it & my brain is not clogged with crap & misery. Still watch dvds on a portable player & read more again which I have missed 💚

[@Gray-zi5bp]

Yes you did a good thing. I got rid of my BBC licenced a long long time ago. Not having them programming my mind. Keep up the good work .💯🇬🇧🇯🇲👍

[@walleye364]

I only turn on my TV when the Green Bay Packers play. 99% of the other year It doesn't go on. Maybe once or twice in a year other than Football. I use to sit and Watch Dr Who when I was a kid. It came on at 12pm every Sunday on PBS. We could only get the shows from some of Pertwee, most episodes of Tom Baker and a few of Davidson's Doctor. I remember only watching a few shows when I was a kid. Hee Haw, Doctor Who, Gilligan's Island, and the Three Stooges. Also Saturday morning cartoons. The rest of the time I was in the woods. My dad had 20 acres so I would be outside. I do remember also watching Are You Being Served when I was younger. I am still a fan of that show.

[@MrGreatplum]

Television has its place but I could live without it. I must admit that it’s clear that you’ve not lived with a tv for a while because no one watches adverts anymore! I had a friend of mine who had no tv when I was a kid (his mother is a Quaker and didn’t like the influence of tv and she was worried about violence) but they were allowed computers. This was the mid to late 90s and networking was just coming in and the 3 brothers rigged a network up in their house and spent the time playing violent RPG games like Doom!

[@carolglew9065]

Well said.

[@philhodgkinson3532]

I dumped both TVs in the recycling skip years ago for the very same reason Richard and I have never looked back. What a weapon it has become.

[@SpeccyMan]

I've been without a TV now for almost 5 years and I do not miss it (or the hideous BBC tax) one little bit. I read. I indulge my hobbies (electronics and my modest music studio.) I go out walking or cycling when the weather and my health permit. I also enjoy baking my own bread - there's nothing quite like it. I consider quitting TV to be almost as important to me as quitting smoking (which I did back in 2004.) Finally, I watch a few videos on here on subjects that are of interest to me or connected with my hobbies. I can decide what I watch and when I watch.

[@markcumbriauk]

I have not had a tv in 22 years, and I have no regrets.

[@tooyoungtobeold8756]

Great video, as usual. I have watched a many of your walks and followed on behind with some too. Thank you.

[@Tuffydipstick]

Never had TV in my parents house until 1965. We listened to the wireless..

[@robtheplod]

We decided to ditch terrestrial TV and the licence fee last year after the BBC were not reporting on the news, they were giving an angle, and one I didn't agree with (anti Brexit). We've not gone as far as your Richard with still a TV, but we only watch the odd catchup service. I'm finding I'm much happier not paying the licence fee so don't get upset by BBC excesses anymore either! My in-laws watch TV all day long and have been in a state of utter terror since March with Covid news - convinced they will drop dead if they go outside, so definately not a force for good.... We try to give them a balanced view but their mindset is the BBC are the still the voice of authority (they are in their 80's) so live in fear....

[@danieljones1890]

100% Agree that tv can leave u sitting there. Everything can be piped from films that was once on stage, to people going on holidays to see and hear the wonders of the world with cultural buzz can do it from a screen. There’s good and bad in all things. It’s been 🤔 4-5 years since I had tv service, screen I have just dabbles the few hrs of the day on KZbin or a game with mates. My days are hrs are consumed by work from 8 til 6 (only 3 days) and other free days is helping with friend in garage (camper van projects).

[@RichardVobes]

Good man - sounds like you have a good life balance.

[@briandavis6984]

Without my TV I won't be able to watch you tube and your brilliant walk videos . If it's too wet to go on a walk I watch your videos . So TV is a must for me lol .

[@emetcole333]

My wife and I unplugged the telly for the last time jan 2000. Never felt better thanks💫💫💫

[@damianjones7554]

I too would have gotten rid of television from my house to but for the simple fact that I love my films and tv series, I have a large collection of feel good favourite dvds and sadly in order to watch them I must own a television and in order to use that screen legally I must pay a television licence. That's even though I don't watch the programmes on it, that's from the bbc and other channels available on the (so called) freeview. I have heard rumours that the bbc intends to scrap it's licence, at what point that time will come though is anybodies guess? As I do resent paying to use a screen that is my own property. The fact I've no interest in freeview, Virgin media, Netflix and all that other nonsense that most people seem to watch doesn't exempt me from this taxation from the bbc.

[@EnglishVeteran]

Owning a Television does not require you to Pay a TV License. If you watch live Tv or iPlayer is the only requirement for a License.

[@RichardVobes]

You can have a TV without a licence for what you use it for.

[@abicat6158]

You can use your tv screen to watch anything that isn't being screened live or BBC Iplayer. It is a con by the pro BBC mob to convince people they must remove their tv aerial or their TV set itself. Think of it as a large computer monitor.

[@JimNicholls]

I share your feelings. My KZbin channel and the comments people make on it, and the KZbin videos that I watch, are my main contact with the world. I have a Facebook account which I use perhaps twice a year, and haven't watched TV for many years, and I feel much better for it.

[@RichardVobes]

Far healthier :)

[@ciaran6171]

Absolutely spot on, mate!

[@steveroperfilms]

Good insights. Reminded me of our 6" set. With a magnifier screen it gave a huge 9". Cheers.

[@RichardVobes]

Think of the cinema size TV people now have!

[@spinynorman8217]

I have to say i have toyed with TV removal for a long time, l certainly don't watch much but l do watch too much You Tube instead and listen to too much music ( l say that knowing full well music is more important to me than TV) , l really do. I still enjoy drama in TV like Montelbano or Spiral etc and those nuggets are for me the reason l keep it. The wokeness which is what we are alluding to drives me potty and will be why l kick it out of my house in the end. MSM is awful and only Sky News Australia has what l consider a non left agenda and that is on You Tube.

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

You’re spot on, Spiny. It’s the Woke B.S. that finished TV for me. Used to listen to a lot of radio, but that also became unbearable a few years back. Why would anyone voluntarily subject themselves to all that woke f**kery?

[@mountain_mancumbria3798]

Unfortunately Richard, you have broadband, a phone,laptop and desktop. All this equipment enables you to view tv!! BBC player etc. You can not prove to a tv inspector that you don't view tv,so you still require ATV licence. I know people that have fallen foul to this. Please check and make sure these rules may not apply anymore. But you have now announced you do not possess a tv licence.

[@RichardVobes]

I don't think you are right on that score - just because you have the internet and a device to use it doesn't mean you have to pay for a licence. I have checked.

[@mountain_mancumbria3798]

I did say check didn't I? I know of people that were taken to court and prosecuted. You checked and found out it's not the case! I still would double check because if that is the case nobody would buy a tv license. However, your reply was not thanks but I've checked it's ok,no it was very patronizing and pompous.

[@nevillewalker6299]

Have not had one for 36yrs and never missed it. Occasionally switch on the set in a hotel room but soon swich the garbage off.

[@APHS-B]

Yes. Outstanding point. I have discovered the same, and also live with no TV, as it actually stays completely idle for more than five yeas, now. Closing the TV has affected my reality in every positive way.

[@stephanygates6491]

I gave up TV 13 years ago and was fine for 10 years. Now, KZbin has got me most of the time. The selection is much better. I do watch standing up.

[@maureensmith9328]

We stopped our TV license this year. We expected a free one when my husband reached 75. They changed the rules . TV was rubbish so we said no more.

[@chrisjones3901]

For a very long time my mum never let us have TV,our dog got so many walks so we watched neighbouring houses TV if curtains were opened,it was hard not being part of the corry set at school.All decree and Ken's goings ons lol

[@danypark3672]

Just seen this video Richard and I found myself nodding at everything you said, I can remember the very first TV and how it was a treat to sit in front of it for children's hour after school then we would have tea and go outside to play till bedtime, our lives were enriched by the adventures we had , like playing in the woods or swinging from the lampposts outside our houses, one of my special memories was going to the local shop with my brothers to get an empty veg crate then going to the tip to find an old pram for the wheels to make a go-cart which my father had taught us to build, we didn't need a tv to get instructions from we had our parents to pass on the information and I think that's whats wrong with kids today, they don't have imaginations because it's all there for them on a screen, I'm so glad I grew up in the 50s, I learnt so much more because we weren't connected 24/7 to an electrical gadget, we were free to play and explore and use our brains, thanks for another great video 👍❤️ ...ps .. Also People don't realise that the adverts are there to program your mind, even more so today and there are some that are actually subliminally altering your brain waves,

[@gail3318]

My boss used to put a cover over his TV. I used to think he was a tad bonkers, bless his soul, but I "get it" now. I will also ditch my TV and buy a cozy chair to replace it. Have enjoyed reading these posts - thank you!

[@marysampier7188]

Love that sweater!!! Stopped watching television a year ago. Far better quality of life without it.

[@christinelucas8371]

Totally agree with you. I stopped watching TV about 8 years ago and don't miss it at all.

[@ayaygabriel]

What an incredibly simple yet profound take on Media Is The Message. Thank you for this (and thanking the youtube recommendation algorithm, for once!) as I've found myself wondering as a Gen X / Y'er, what the effect the internet + it's screens will have on all the generations after mine !