Friday arrived with yet another Blue Peter ‘scandal’. It turns out they’ve been using talented young actors in the challenging role of being guests on the show. I’m not sure if socks the cat is an impostor, or what other cobwebs may be lurking in the BBC’s collective closet but it’s only a matter of time until we find out.
Blue Peter’s reputation nightmare is the next step in what has been a torrid time for both commercial networks and the BBC. However, should we really be surprised? It seems the nation’s obsession with the paradoxically named ‘reality TV’ has turned the rest of television into something decidedly unreal. The cat’s got a fake name, the guests are actors and when we call, no-one is even listening.
Our TV nonchalance has obviously pervaded the networks to such an extent that they think we just don’t care. But is this true?
Myself, I feel mildly abashed that I’m being lied to on a daily basis (not that I watch Blue Peter anymore to clarify). However growing up in a world of misinformation, I have come to expect that much of what I read, listen-to or watch isn’t going to be completely true. As such these new ‘scandals’ are irksome at worst but never come close to invoking any higher levels of derision.
Granted people get fairly annoyed when they’ve been conned out of money as in the ‘phone-line scandal’ and I’m sure reactions would be different if the news media wasn’t largely based on fact. However, changing the name of a cat, or fielding a few fake contestants doesn’t seem to have annoyed anyone but the media – I certainly don’t care.
Entertainment television has done away with reality and people have done away with caring – tell me if you think otherwise.
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