Gay in the UK video blog (Ep. 23): Stonehenge

I still can't get the video to work

it might just be my computer though

It is indeed DESPERATE ROMANTICS. Hopeless is a Freudian slip I keep falling into. SORRY everyone!

If anyone wants to defend it from my disparaging remarks, please do, it might be that I'm an arty snob!

I was going to recommend a new gay singer I saw last night, but just found out he's married to a woman. He was wearing pink, had silver eye make-up, and some great dance moves! I'm one confused bunny thing week...

Tim

Yes - you're right it is. On Tim's recommendation I sat and watched this. I was a bit miffed when I saw it as Desperate Roms but I went with the flow and realised our mistake.

Either way - I'll make up for it with my take on this and my viewing of The Watchmen on Ep 24. Plus I think I'll introduce you to a gay artist creating a few waves this summer!

Gay In The UK

http://www.fyiradio.net

I know it's not fashionable, but I'm going to defend Big Brother. Obviously, the series is now in its 10th year and there's a theory that in British TV anything that makes it past the eighth year automatically becomes stale. Obviously, that doesn't apply to the soaps and other long-running series.

This year has seen a 28% drop year-on-year ratings, so it's perceived as being a flop. The drop in ratings is down to two things:

i) Channel 4 has cut the live streaming daily feeds and restricted Big Brother's Big Mouth to just one show a week as opposed to five. The channel has also drastically cut the marketing budget for the programme (just as it's cut budgets across the board).

ii) The tabloids didn't want to cover it. Partly that's the result of a deterioration in relations between the channel and specifically the Murdoch-owned press.

One of the reasons why the tabloids didn't want to cover Big Brother this year is because it has so many gay, lesbian and bi-sexual contestants. There are four gay/bi men (Charlie, Rodrigo, David, Freddie/Halfwit) and two lesbian/bi women (Lisa and Noirin). That's half the housemates. Given that the possibility of a same-sex love afair/lust affair is far greater this year (and there's already been some fairly innocent gay kissing and fumbling), most of the tabloids wouldn't want to subject their innocent family-values readers to this vile perversion. Also, the girls are less likely to get their tops off for the boys. And the current favourite to win is bi-boy Halfwit.

Despite this, it's maintained a fairly consistent two million audience and has regularly beaten the other two minority channels for audience share. What's more it's still out-performing any other programme Channel 4 has put in that timeslot, and - most importantly for the channel - it has increased its proportion of 16-34 viewers, so the channel is making a ton of money from the show.

The only reason I've gone into this detail is because it's been the tabloids mostly talking down the programme (the broadsheets started talking it down about five year ago). The tabs (apart from the Daily Mirror) don't want to cover gay/lesbian funny business.

It's a pity that so many people seem to be buying into the tabs reasoning because like it or not, at the moment Big Brother is the most visible depiction of gays and lesbians on British TV.

I watched it last night and wanted to pull my hair out with every scene.

The show was dull and tardy...the tabloids may not show it because of the gays in there, but for the past two years the media coverage has decreased and often because they publish what is 'public interest'. the public just aren't interested. I love entertainment and gossip at the worst of times and I find nothing interesting here.

While it is a visible depiction of gays and lesbians on British TV - I can't say that even as a gay man they are interesting to watch - nor entirely representative.

Gay In The UK

http://www.fyiradio.net