Hi,
Just searched over the next few weeks in Digiguide on RAF and Luftwaffe, nothing, except a repeat of the oft repeated prog ‘classic British aircraft (Blenheim Gladiator Gannet Shackleton Rapide Anson ), well at leasts its British, for as we all know most TV channels are USA sourced and they simply dont want to know about RAF or Luftwaffe, its always a B or P prefix aircraft !
and it all starts at D day as USA dont consider WW2 prior to 6 June, testified by the progs I have seen over 30 yrs.
Unless a British company decide to cover what is the biggest spectator attraction, aircraft, yes fact, more folk go to airshows than football matches, we wont get to see anything much.
I have recordings going back years but fascinating as they are, they wont get seen again as they are 4:3 ratio, considered lower quality than new standards. Flatscreen TVs cannot play Standard Definition anyway, they fuzz it up compared to CRT. They wont broadcast such. New progs could be made using new lenses etc, looking at the history of the RAF, each notable aircraft and looking at the cockpit, never ever do they point a camera at the cockpit interior, ditto Luftwaffe, ditto Japan, not USA as we have seen it all from them !
Pluck out notable happenings in the history of aviation. USA did a series on dogfights, again all their own aircraft, just think of what the RAF v Luft have to offer. I have read accounts that would have the viewer on the edge of the seat. USA prog creators though dont read books on the Battle of Britain and the 1941 trips over the water to Germany. I expected at least a documentary on the raising of the Do17Z, nothing. There are events in the Battle of Britain that I read on, which would make for great progs for starters. The media are useless when it comes to aviation , everything is a lancaster or spitfire so it seems. Looking at what is shown on TV, there is a lot, far too much , of sheer dribble, for the one brain cell human. Its not as if there isnt space for such progs, its that there is a lack of intelligence in the media.
Unless a UK TV company with brains get proud of our awesome aviation heritage we are heading for aviation void on UK TV.
DBenz
By: Cherry Ripe - 19th January 2016 at 13:33
Why would enthusiasts watch TV programmes about historic / any era of aviation, anyway? They’re not going to learn anything from them, other than how to build fake tension.
You’d be better spending an hour on Youtube, frankly. Or have a poke around ITN Archives for old news reports:
Set ‘Search by’ to clip and off you go.
http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/ITN/1958/03/10/FS100358014/?s=bristol%20britannia
By: charliehunt - 19th January 2016 at 13:17
Quite so but making the assumption that the entire population will be watching everyday is straining the bounds of credibility, isn’t it? In any case I think there is enough evidence to disprove the claim and have to admit the soccer wins the day!!:(:)
By: AlanR - 19th January 2016 at 12:51
Although, a lot of the major shows are held over at least two days, and four for Bournemouth.
By: charliehunt - 19th January 2016 at 12:39
I have always assumed the figures quoted for seaside shows are at best wishful thinking and at worst wildly optimistic. I think they multiply the population by the number of days and pluck a big figure out of the air for visitors. Since they are free it is nigh on impossible to calculate an accurate figure.
By: ozplane - 19th January 2016 at 11:03
Without flogging this to death, I wonder where the 1.2 million attendance for the 2014 Bournemouth show came from. as the combined population of Bournemouth and Poole is 340,000. So assuming everybody attended (unlikely) you’d still need another 860,000 to wedge themselves on to the promenade. Even if the figure is correct it still doesn’t take the numbers anywhere near football attendances.
By: Moggy C - 19th January 2016 at 08:22
Around 14 million attend Premier League matches each year – this without the remaining minor leagues, internationals and cup matches.
Moggy
By: sconnor - 19th January 2016 at 08:14
seaside shows perhaps 100,000 each (though how many pay is another question).
FYI Bournemouth Airshow got 1.2 Million people in 2014, Sunderland got almost a million I know they aren’t paying customers but they still went to an airshow!
By: ozplane - 18th January 2016 at 11:25
Just catching up and I thought I would look at some numbers to prove/disprove that airshows attract more paying spectators than football. Well, according to my Sunday paper 651,681 spectators attended Saturday’ s matches in the four top divisions. Add on another 50K for the Conference and non-league games and a total of 700,000 could be about right. As for airshows, Duxford pulls in about 15,000 per day so 60,000. RIAT maybe 100,000 and 3 seaside shows perhaps 100,000 each (though how many pay is another question). If the airshow season is 30 weeks long and 10,000 at a show somewhere every weekend that all rolls up to a total of about 760.000. So the football crowd per weekend is roughly equal to a whole season’s airshow attendance and bear in mind the football season is 40 weeks long. I read somewhere that the original quote about airshow attendances being second only to football was dreamed up by an American promoter who was desperate to get the crowds in to his show. If anybody can be bothered to dig out the figures I could imagine that cricket, horse racing, motor racing and both codes of rugby would give airshows a run for their money.
By: Shorty01 - 17th January 2016 at 20:31
There are sometimes a few on the BBC Iplayer and yes there was one on the DO17 being raised. It had a bit of drama added with the fight against the weather/tide which was probably a godsend to the production team for adding that extra bit of tension. There are others including one on operation Crossbow, one on the Vulcan 607 story, several on the various Golden Ages of aviation in Britain and those already mentioned here.
I do agree it can be frustrating about the lack of British stuff sometimes but I imagine the production team are sticking to what they know will appeal to their local/largest predicted audience.
I’m not sure if any of this is affected by the reduction in the number of airshows and military aircraft types in this country. My young children enjoy airshows & aircraft especially the Vulcan, though sometime ago one of my children asked me “Why don’t we make aeroplanes here anymore ?” which hurt. Though not as much as the spell checker flagging up “aeroplane” as wrong & “airplane” as correct in the last sentence…
By: skyskooter - 17th January 2016 at 19:58
Was it not Jim Munro who was putting together a programme on the Westland Whirlwind but obviously having difficulty in getting anyone to screen it ?
By: Sabrejet - 17th January 2016 at 14:22
…….Or the story of TSR2?
Keith
Which would be a good start for a documentary…
By: Dev One - 17th January 2016 at 13:34
Perhaps titled: “Forum The Bell Tolls “.
…….Or the story of TSR2?
Keith
By: Pen Pusher - 17th January 2016 at 13:03
Movies4Men(Freeview) – 8.30am Monday 19th January.
The Bristol Blenheim
The history and development of the light bomber aircraft.
Brian
By: merlin70 - 17th January 2016 at 13:00
There’s been plenty of aviation programs on my tv over the past year. I’ve set a few record key words so any aviation, aircraft, planes etc get recorded. War digs was good viewing and included some forum Celebs. Forces tv has some good short progs including a recent interview with winkle brown.
For a specialist subject we don’t do too bad compared to other fringe interests.
By: Portagee - 17th January 2016 at 12:06
Realistically these days, it would take a company/organisation to approach an Indy TV company with their project. The TV company then have to consider how and what type of approach to take, so that they themselves could approach the Broadcasters.
Then there is scheduling, editing and post-production could mean that the programme ends up airing 6 months or more after the project was completed, unveiled and possibly flown for an airshow season.
As an enthusiast we might still be interested in the process, but broadcasters could see it as being to late for general public viewing.
By: baberair - 17th January 2016 at 11:03
Try PBS America or Forces TV 276 and 277 on virgintv 21:30 tonight on Forces, US Generals about Hap Arnold ‘architect of the US Air Forces’. Sadly the documentary channels seem to have dropped aviation mostly
By: Moggy C - 17th January 2016 at 10:42
Coat!
By: John Green - 17th January 2016 at 10:38
I have a programme idea – how about “Forum.. when egos collide”. A bit like Dallas, with larger-than life villains, laughter, tears, dastardly plotting and dark secrets. It’ll run and run.
Perhaps titled: “Forum The Bell Tolls “.
By: AlanR - 17th January 2016 at 10:35
You don’t even get the Farnborough airshow on TV these days.
Oh for the days when Raymond Baxter graced our screens on the Sunday afternoon.
It’s also a shame that there were no more “John Nichol Flies……………” on Discovery.
By: trumper - 17th January 2016 at 10:32
Last year was rather good for aircraft type shows.On my recorder from last year i have the Vulcan with Guy Martin,Britains Ultimate pilots – the Red Arrows pilots ,The live footage from Biggin Hill for the 75th B O B anniversary , The worlds greatest Pilot Eric Winkle Brown.
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January 16, 2016 at 10:29 pm