Television is a constant nowadays. Every time I visit someone the TV seems to be on in their houses. When I had building work done recently, the TV had to be disconnected and I didn’t have one for several weeks. I have to say that I didn’t miss it. In fact, I rather enjoyed not having a TV, which I realised is usually on just as background.
so now that it’s back again am I watching it? A little. But being quite selective. There’s so much tripe on our screens nowadays and I find that although I have many,many channels with my sky subscription, I can hardly ever find anything I want to watch!
As a young child, there was no TV in our house. My dad resisted getting one until mum started watching Payton place at her brothers house on our weekly visit.. He relented and we got a set; black and white of course and rented. People didn’t seem to buy TV sets but instead rented them – we had a Rediffusion set. I wasn’t allowed to watch the new tv very often, but some of my earliest tv memories are of Batman, with Adam West and Burt Ward; Tarzan and the flintStones.
Later, I remember Tales from Europe, which was a series of tales in other languages, dubbed into English. My favourite was The singing ringing tree, a scary tale but I loved it!
Robinson Crusoe, White Horses and Follyfoot, Dr. who of course, the double dockers and the banana bunch all evoke pleasant memories. Then later, when mum started with her illness, I watched Crossroads avidly every day. When I took a over her care, I got a lot org rubbish daytime TV, but I do recall the cedar tree, an early daytime soap. TV at that time was a lifeline for me. Throughout my teens, looking after a mother with Alzheimer’s who didn’t know who I was most of the time, left me quite lonely and isolated. so TV was my link to the outside world during the times I was a carer.
After she died and I left home, I don’t think I saw a TV for several years!
Pits amazing to think that during my lifetime technology has changed that little black and white rented TV set with 3 channels into a huge wide screen, flat device With hundreds of channels.
Shame technology has not improvrd the quality of the viewing…..
Barbara Murray Art 