| Babestation | |
|---|---|
| Format | Televised sex line, soft porn, unscripted |
| Starring | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 24 hours |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Babestation (Sky ch 906)(Freeview ch 96 (01:00–0600))(Freesat ch 870), Babestation 2 (Freeview ch 193 (04:00–05:00)), Get Lucky TV (Sky ch 910) previously Game Network UK, You TV, Game Network Italia |
| Original run | 3 December 2002 – Present |
Babestation is a British soft porn TV sex line aired since 2002. The first and most well-known show of its kind in the UK, it allows viewers to communicate live with female presenters via a premium-rate telephone number or text messaging. It is broadcast daily, and since 2006 has had a dedicated channel on Sky.
Contents |
Babestation began in late 2002, as a post-watershed two-hour programme (11pm-1am) on computer game channel Game Network UK. Babestation featured two women taking calls (unheard by the TV audience) whilst the rest of the screen was filled by viewers' text messages and one presenter, who improvised and reacted to the messages. The presenter might alternate between the three women throughout the show.
The programme proved profitable to the channel and Babestation's makers. In time, Babestation was given bigger time-slots, becoming a three- and then four-hour-long show (11pm-3am), increasing the number of presenters to four or five per night, and improving the technology (the director could now put women on 'full-screen', having only been able to show them on one-sixth of it before, and hand-held cameras were introduced, replacing the poorer-quality static remote-controlled ones used originally). Babestation was also sometimes broadcast on Italian feed of Game Network.[1]
This, along with Game Network's waning commitment to 'video gaming' programmes (as Psychic Interactive was also given a large amount of airtime), caused Game Network to cease to exist in the UK; on 20 February 2006, the channel's name changed to 'Babestation', and on 28 February this channel was moved by Sky to the new "Adult" section of channels, it is also available on Freeview under the Adult Section.
Babestation was a unique style of TV programme in Britain. Despite not being popular, and having low production values, Babestation produced many clones that can all be seen as originating from its format; see televised sex line.
These programmes all differ slightly in format and explicitness – Babestation does not show genitals or sex toys, or contain very strong language; since 2004 camera phone technology has been used to allow viewers to send in pictures of themselves; and the show has always featured adverts for similar services in its commercial breaks. But the idea is the same – live, unscripted conversation, advertising a premium rate number to phone the girls, which makes it a profitable business.
Charlie Brooker in The Guardian newspaper accused both presenters and viewers of being "thick" and referred to viewers "begging them to blow kisses and jiggle about a bit".[2]
The women have almost complete freedom to say what they want. Presenters rotate nightly, often doing between one and four shifts in a seven-day week, and, for various reasons, they don't often remain in this line of employment in the long term. Babestation cast includes:
& More
Recently a new programme started on Babestation2 on the 7-12-2011 in the night hours. This programme featured some of the best babe channels mature girls,the girls that feature are: