Talk:Broken News

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This was the biggest pile of shit I have ever seen. --Differentgravy 22:09, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

I've got to admit, I didn't exactly think it was hilarious but obviously we have to keep a neutral point of view in the article proper. It was certainly no The Day Today. ThomasHarte 00:30, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

Obviously, this was the only place I could express my outrage at something that the Radio Times billed as "hilarious". Oh yes, and I don't think there should be seperate pages for the news networks, because they say exactly the same thing as the main article! --Differentgravy 13:35, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree with you on the separate pages thing - and the poor quality of the TV show. On the topic of which existing stations the fictional ones parody, I saw a strong element of Yorkshire's Look North in Look Out East, but I'm not sure whether to add anything because of the fairly generic nature of local news. ThomasHarte 14:15, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

I always got more of a feel for the old style (Richard Whiteley-era) ITV Calendar News. The locations are clearly East Anglia based, though (I definitely remember Swaffham in one episode). It could of course be a meta-joke based on the fact that it's virtually impossible to get Anglia Television in Norfolk; I lived in Hunstanton for 18 years and we could only ever pick up Yorkshire TV... Kinitawowi 11:16, 21 March 2006 (UTC)

Yep, they (the sub-articles) need merging in, before they get out of control. Morwen - Talk 15:50, 1 November 2005 (UTC)

I added various "mergeto/from" tags to reflect that sentiment. I can't imagine anyone will oppose, but wikipedia is meant to be about consensus, so... ThomasHarte 15:11, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for putting the merge things in. It was another tried-to-be-funny BBC comedy, can anyone remeber a decent one apart from The Mighty Boosh? --Differentgravy 14:21, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Although the second series was shockingly poor, I'm pretty sure I quite enjoyed the first series of Nighty Night - although it's hard to be sure now with my memories so badly tainted. Although I'm not persuaded it was really a comedy, I also enjoyed My Life in Film. It's a shame they seem to concentrate on rubbish like this and Blessed for their "mainstream" output. ThomasHarte 22:37, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

I quite liked it, not amazing but good. Agree with merging the articles, they seemed a bit pointless. The Loon 20:37, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Day Today section

Is this section entirely fair? While I won't deny certain elements appear to have been lifted from The Day Today ("a slab of frozen urine"), is it fair to say that 'News presenters and reporters with ridiculous names' and 'An American news station parody' was invented by TDT? smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 12:06, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

I agree. It sounds like it was written by a disgruntled The Day Today fan. BillyH 17:31, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Which bits could be trimmed? I'd keep the slab/spear of urine and CNN/CBN:CBS/IBS bits, but I don't think the above ones or 'Parodies of over-elaborate graphics' are fair. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 18:09, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

I've already had a go at trimming it, but was rvted by what I assume wasn't a disgruntled TDT fan. See the page history. fuddlemark (fuddle me!) 18:24, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

I've cut out a few items from the list. I also made a few minor additions, so it doesn't get confused with vandalism. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Talk)} 18:44, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Not that I would dream of saying it in the article, of course, but I think this was one of the best new programmes on TV this year. But then I was never very into The Day Today, so maybe that makes a big difference. --OpenToppedBus - Talk to the driver 14:24, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

These comparisons with The Day Today are entirely fair and accurate. As for some preferring this show to The Day Today, well, Im sure some people prefer The Bootleg Beatles to The Beatles. - bingo99, 2 April 2006

Finally; someone I agree with! smurrayinchester^{(User), (Ho Ho Ho!)} 15:34, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

The reason it resembles the day today is simple - The Day Today parodied multiple news channels, so does Broken News, as someone who actually watches the news these things (to a lesser degree) actually happen! I watched the first episode and then turned over and watched the news on BBC1, a very surreal experience since I could see Aronovitz Business News with real presenters, and any Film review show will never be the same. The Day Today, to me, lost the air of pseudo realism by going too far and being too extreme, whereas Broken News did more of "Real" presenters doing very odd news stories in the style of real News Programmes/Stations

By caompairing them you assume that if The Day Today was remade today it would be Broken News (or apparently a much better Day Today) ... This is not bourne out by what the makers of The Day Today have actually been doing? ^Jaster 13:13, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Yeah right, and Shakin Stevens is nothing like Elvis (but he's better than him). The Day Today is one of the greatest comedy shows of all time, Broken News is a missing the point of everything facsimile of it that has been mercifully forgotten by almost everyone. bingo99, 5 September 2006

"The Greatest Comedy Show of all time" ? So why did very few watch it? Why has it not been repeated? Why di they not make more shows? Why is it never mentioned on the endless compilation shows? Perhaps because it was a show of it's time, (and wasn't very funny even then)

It has been repeated a number of times. And to quote Screenonline "The Day Today (BBC, 1994) was the most radical satire seen on British screens since the 1960s, and marked the arrival of a new generation of comic talent. Despite lasting just six episodes, The Day Today's influence extended well beyond its short run. The programme's core team would go on to some of the most innovative television comedy of the next few years" http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/946730/index.html

And this quote from the Off The Telly website: "Here's a good question: what is the most subversive TV programme ever broadcast in Britain? I would say there are only two possible answers to this question: Brass Eye and The Day Today. The 'Eye probably shades it, being so perfect, so extreme, that no-one, not even Chris Morris himself, could take it any further. But TDT was the most devastatingly accurate demolition of its target (specifically, pompous, pseudo-authoritative TV news, and more generally the trend towards lowest-common-denominator tabloid TV). Most British satire simply isn't worthy of the name - either it's pseudo-"anarchic" outrage-by-numbers (we're talking The 11 O'clock Show, the equivalent of those losers who were still punks in 1985) or bumblingly ineffectual Daily Telegraph gentility (Rory Bremner - Who Else?). By contrast, TDT jumped in, bit the hand that fed it up with a rare ferocity, and ensured we could never take television news seriously again." http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/daytoday.htm

As for compilations. I've seen it in a number of thes tatty compilations shows.

"Channel 4 - Britain's 50 Greatest Comedy Sketches 18. The Day Today - Swimming Pool 19. The Day Today - Bureau de Change http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest/comedy_sketches/vote.html - bingo99, 6 September 2006

Apparently Austrailians are saysing it's a rip off of "CNNNN: Chaser Non-Stop News Network" which no-one in europe has even heard of ... but apparently is very funny

The Day Today predates CNNNN by about eight years. And its initial radio version "On The Hour" by about 12 - bingo99, 6 September 2006

So important it doesn't get a mention on News satire?? Isn't an updated copy of That Was The Week That Was which got a rather larger audience?

Can we stop this now ... Ok so It wasn't that good (but some people liked it) but that is opinion so it won't go on the page It's a bit like The Day To Day and there are some fanatical fans of that show out there who compare every other news satire show to it but why is there a section of the page with uncited comparasons on it ...? the only quote/reference in the section says it's not like The Day Today .. So if no-one puts some references on this section I'll remove all but the most obvious ones i.e. the slab/spear of urine and CNN/CBN:CBS/IBS bits ^Jaster 12:52, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Quick go to Making The News and put loads of comparasons to The Day Today on that to ....

The criticisms arent that they are both satirical news shows. The criticisms are much more specific and less broad than that, especially as neither is a topical satire show. Both attack news presentation in an extremely similar style - bingo99

The problem is that they are both programs that satirise news programs themselves (not the content) and there are very few others (I can only find CNNNN that does) so the Day Today advocates start comparing the two, unfortunately they cannot see that they are different programs and the similarities are because they are satirising the same thing, and News programs have not improved ... Regional news programs were this bad and still are! Most American news networks do speak earnestly on "major" news then trivialise other important news, and reporters are still sent on pointless Live interviews etc..etc... ^Jaster 07:40, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

And identical jokes being used, and TDT's unique style slavishly copied and specific characters being almost identical. It's sets, visuals, characters, entire tone ripped off. TDT has been lauded as one of the most iconoclastic show ever, if your show is similar, it's not accident. If it's that similar, it's Xerox TV - bingo99 - 3 October 2006

Ironically, the show that John Morton created before Broken News was the original and funny People Like Us. Do check it out - bingo99 - 3 October 2006

[edit] Quotes

I've started a Wikiquote page (q:Broken News) to sort a lot of the quotes that have accumulated here. smurrayinchester^{(User), (Ho Ho Ho!)} 16:25, 7 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Weather

How can information be "over-useful"? The quote given ("The northern Tajikistan province of Gorno-Badakhstan has experienced no weather for over four months now") is not at all useful as it does not make sense. One of the series' running jokes was that presenters talked about "no weather" or "some weather coming in" when they meant rain/clouds.