Once upon a time the only real way to discover when new programmes were being broadcast was either by buying the weekly Radio Times (which included BBC TV programmes as well as ITV programmes); or buy a daily newspaper which had all TV listings.
If a new programme was being introduced you had to rely on the information printed in the newspaper or the somewhat more detailed TV magazine.
You had to decide whether to watch the new programme or an old favourite on the other channel.
Nowadays you can get all the information you need and if the new programme appears interesting you can record it to watch later.
The point is how do you decide whether or not to watch a new programme?
At one time we would check the subject matter and the cast and make a decision based on that.
Months later you hear of a second series which everyone is raving about and you think: “I didn’t see the first series so I won’t know what’s going on.”
With modern technology you can look up the original series and watch it before watching the new series.
Of course, after watching a couple of episodes, you might consider it is not your cup of tea at all.
Nowadays we always watch a couple of episodes before deciding whether or not to continue.
This is because a new programme might take a couple of episodes to really get going.
Here is where the fact that we can call up programmes from years previously proves to be a boon.
This year a lot of people watched the Gavin and Stacey Finale and wondered why they had not bothered to watch the original series.
It is this series that first made us decide to give series at least two episodes before making up our minds as to whether or not to watch it all.
As it happens having seen The Finale we thought we would watch the series from the beginning.
We are now on series 2 and are finding it is as hilarious as it was the first time round.
It is amazing how many things you miss when you first watch a programme and don’t even catch some of them only after watching an episode three or four times.
One thing that puzzled me about the Gavin and Stacey Finale was the reaction some people had about.
Many comments have been made about the programme and most of them were favourable.
Some people reckoned The Finale was not as good as the previous programmes.
The ones that puzzled me, however, were those who attacked the whole show and taking pride in saying: “I have never watched a single episode because it’s rubbish.”
How do they know if they have never watched it.
Robin's Nest 