The ‘sockumentary’ – here to stay?

10 years ago reality TV didn’t exist. Hard to imagine, isn’t it?

Now its part of the fabric of the daily schedules, but why do TV execs have such an obsession with it? For one, in a time when budgets and ad revenues are being cut, they are cheap to make when compared to programmes with higher production values and actors to pay.

A decade ago it all seemed so fresh, now it just seems to be everywhere. Now we have a new beast to contend with. A genre which doesn’t even have a name. A format where real people act out their lives on camera, except the production is more soap than documentary. And we all know the programme I’m talking about here, right? Perhaps ‘sockumentary’ is apt? Well it works for me.

The problem with this new style is the very fact that it is a hybrid of two well established styles. Probably the most common question viewers ask themselves when they watch it is ‘is this real’. Even the programme makers ‘fess up at the beginning, warning that some content may be made up.

And surely here lies the problem. The very reason people watch these programmes is because the people are real. The problem is that increasingly what’s real and what’s not is becoming more obvious to viewers. This has been compounded by the stars becoming stalwarts of showbiz columns, meaning we follow their antics away from the show.

So, can the ‘sockumentary’ weather the storm when it inevitably comes? Yes, but it will need to continually change the people who star in it to keep it going. It will be a hard juggling act to do that and keep viewers on side.

What makes TV classic?

It’s a very open-ended question, I know. But what actually makes a TV programme a ‘classic’?

Is it the storyline? The characters? Perhaps just the fact that a lot of people watch it?

The list goes on and on and popularity is just a small part of the equation. Many classic programmes start out as unpopular sleeper hits – not many people watch them to begin with, but a proliferation of good reviews, water cooler chat and general word of mouth see them gain momentum to full-on classic-dom.

Or, of course, there is that status all TV execs have wet dreams about – the ‘instant classic’. That is, something that is great from the off and needs no reviews or goodwill to get that status.

Often you will find these little babies are productions from the other side of the pond, complete with high production values, A-list cast and often a Hollywood stalwart at the helm in either a director or producer capacity.

But do we produce instant classics here in the UK? The only one that springs to mind is the re-make of a well-known detective series which was close, but still attained its status by virtue of good reviews, lending the feel of a ‘sleeper hit’ more than an ‘instant classic’.

So, what are the traits that make good TV great; that makes it a classic? Over to you.

Yuppie love

Grandad or Uncle Albert? Pre-yuppie or post yuppie? We all have an opinion on our favourite characters and episodes from Only Fools and Horses.

In case you’re wondering, I’m very much an Uncle Albert and yuppie man myself. For me, series six and seven was when the programme was in its pomp – a brilliant culmination of what had gone before in the previous five series.

The whole yuppie theme was a perfect fit and not just for the Del, Rodney and Uncle Albert dynamic. Whether it was Mike upselling his pub-grub stews as ‘Beef Bourguignon’ or Boycie taking the opportunity to invest in some rather impressive satellite television long before Rupert Murdoch came along. Not forgetting the sign of things to come when Del muscles in on the burgeoning mobile phone market with just tear-inducing nasal pain to show for his efforts. Even Trigger got in on the act, escorting Del to a wine bar in the now ubiquitous bar scene.

Favourite episode? You have to go a long way to find anything better than Danger UXD, when Del thinks he’s struck gold with a consignment of blow up dolls. The episode plays out as a drama as well as a comedy, as the reason for Del getting them so cheap becomes clear. Watch out for Del’s line to the tramps around the camp fire in particular – one of the best one liners John Sullivan ever wrote.

Special praise should also go to the three episodes that effectively closed the programme (we don’t talk about the ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’ epilogue). If John Sullivan had had the same conviction of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant did with The Office he would’ve ended it there, with our three heroes walking off into the sunset as millionaires. To carry on was ill-judged – the fact that they had made their millions was all that mattered; we didn’t need to see what they did with it.

But John Sullivan won’t let his baby go – see the resulting Green, Green Grass and Rock and Chips as evidence. What we can celebrate is what went before – easily one of the greatest British comedies of all time.

So, what are your favourites?

Welcome - and cryptic title question answered

Welcome to Batteries not Included – a place to celebrate a time when changing the TV meant getting off your arse and moving, not getting an abnormally well toned thumb muscle.

To a time when batteries were not included for the main reason that the remote control didn’t exist.

So what can you expect? Well, due to factors I won’t bore you with right now I will be celebrating some glorious old shows and posing intellectual, discursive pieces that will take an informed look at classic TV. No, wait – come back. That last bit was a joke.

I hope you enjoy what you read. If you do, give me a shout here or on Twitter.

Until next time…