Reality Television vs Drama

(27) Comments - “Reality Television vs Drama”

1. John Barnes commented:
   Comment posted: November 1st, 2006 - 5:15pm

   I don’t like “reality” TV at all!
   We have produced a large number of fine actors here in Australia, and in addition to those mentioned above I can think of dozens of others, including Rowena Wallace, June Salter, Judy Morris, Helen Morse, Bryan Brown, etc,etc.

2. Alan Kroiter commented:
   Comment posted: November 1st, 2006 - 5:43pm

   Firstly, Hello Bud. This is a great opportunity to participate in part of Australia’s great history of TV, namely your work. I love your work and think you have an absolutely superb voice.

   I would like to cross topic boundaries and take this opportunity to agree with Jim Belshaw’s comments re Australian drama. I too feel starved of Australian Drama. We have over the years had a whole crop of superb local dramas, so many of which found a market overseas.

   That leads me to my comment about reality TV. I have very little time for most reality TV shows both Australian and overseas. So many of them are poor quality and frequently boring an an insult to the viewers intelligence. I sincerely hope that it doesn’t squeeze out any more Australian drama. I was delighted to read your comment that Reality TV is approaching the cost of creating a drama programme. My hope is that it will encourage the production of an increasing volume drama productions. Anything you can do to help bring that situation about would be wonderful.

3. Justin K commented:
   Comment posted: November 1st, 2006 - 9:27pm

   Hi Bud, Just wanted to say that I love your work and have done for many years now…oh, so many. I particularly like your work in The Castle not just because the film made me laugh but also it presents truth to every family in Australia.

   I recently read the play Top Silk by David Williamson. What do you think of that particular play, and also his work?

   Cheers,

   Justin.

4. Tim Chmielewski commented:
   Comment posted: November 2nd, 2006 - 9:10am

   I think reality television is now an ongoing part of the various shows available. It will not go away, but I don’t think it will be as popular as it once was.

   Overseas dramas and comedies are very popular, look at the success of Desperate Housewives, Lost, 24, the Sopranos and OZ. My favourite TV show at the moment is My Name is Earl due to all the interesting characters and funny situations.

   It is very expensive to produce local drama and the networks don’t even give most of the shows a chance to warm up. Neighbours is pretty much the only Melbourne-produced drama production now so it is very difficult for people to get work.

   Although I didn’t see it, I have heard good things about a show called Last Man Standing, which managed to fall by the wayside despite being written by a talented young writer and having quite a good cast. It is available on DVD now, but as there are many thousands of titles available it will be difficult to find.

5. Jacob commented:
   Comment posted: November 2nd, 2006 - 11:09am

   I think it is a shame more that the public want to watch this than that the networks want the shows.

   Sadly NBC in America is going to cancel a great new drama called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The show is set behind the scenes of a late night sketch comedy show and written by the same guy who did the West Wing. I’ve been able to watch it via the internet and is one of the best shows of the millennium.

   But sadly its ratings are poor and NBC have said next year it will be filling the timeslot, all week, with cheaply made game shows and reality TV.

   I thought it would have by now, but let’s just hope that this reality TV fad dies, and dies quickly.

   Cheers,
   Jacob.

6. Barbara Peterson commented:
   Comment posted: November 5th, 2006 - 1:27pm

   Don’t have anything to say on the topic of this blog, but wanted to say how very glad I am to have found your site! I’ve only seen a little of your work - the Marple films and the Avengers, your Thunderbirds voice work - but your performances in them stand out!

7. Gina commented:
   Comment posted: November 13th, 2006 - 9:09pm

   One reality show I’m enjoying immensely is Project Greenlight on Foxtel (www.projectgreenlight.ninemsn.com.au).

   Although its ‘reality tv’, its providing aspiring filmmakers with an opportunity to break into the industry, as well as funding a number of short films.

   I saw Mr. Tingwell featured in one of the shorts by the contestant John, and I thought it was absolutely lovely!

8. Sue Latimer commented:
   Comment posted: November 20th, 2006 - 4:26pm

   Unfortunately I have to agree that reality tv is now a regrettable part of our viewing choices. However ‘choice’ is our perogative and I elect to use that choice whenever reality tv invades the loungeroom by either turning to another channel or turning the tv off. If everyone did the same - no ratings, no program! As for Australian Drama, on tv we need to stop emulating some of the American rubbish and get back to what Australians seem to do best - self deprication! Look at the success of Kath and Kim, The Chaser and other similar shows. Highlight more of the excellent work produced on stage by Australians and bring some of that to tv! OK - I’ll get off my soap box now and say congrats Bud for all the wonderful contributions you have made over the years and hope there is much more to come!

9. Ian Heydon commented:
   Comment posted: December 11th, 2006 - 7:03pm

   What a great website, congrats Bud!

   On Reality TV I will paraphrase Len Evans on wine - every bad bottle you drink is a good one you missed out on. Every hour of Big Brother etc means the viewer missed a good drama or comedy and actors, writers, directors are denied the chance to display and hone their craft. I think Australian Idol has a place though because this year it produced some talent.

   On a personal note, Bud, when we met as fellow judges at the Toowoomba Shoot Out Film Festival the last two years we didn’t exchange contact details. I am currently researching and writing a book - I have a chapter featuring Grace Gibson and her contribution to the radio industry. While I owned Grace Gibson Productions for a while, I never knew the lady herself (Reg James has coloured me in a lot). Just wondering if you’d like to share your thoughts on this enigmatic Texan via email? Cheers!

10. Ian Heydon commented:
    Comment posted: December 11th, 2006 - 8:38pm

    Bud, agree that cost of Reality is rising and that it could be cyclical - we can’t watch fat people shed weight forever - but interactive Reality TV is underwritten by a share in the SMS and phone-in voting. So, what about a good CSI-type courtroom drama where both sides of a criminal case are re-enacted and put before the court with the viewers as jurors deciding the verdict? Like to play the Magistrate???

11. Shane K commented:
    Comment posted: December 12th, 2006 - 12:58pm

    Bud, I must agree with your comment about reality tv vs drama in Australia. The real value is not to be found in the short term entertainment of reality tv but in the long term and international recognition of Australian drama.

    We have had some realy great movies and dramas over the past few years with such films as Jindabyne, Kenny, 10 Canoes, etc …

    Some of the tv drama that has been released in the past few years includes Love My Way (Fox) and All Saints (seven network). Both of these have done well in the recent AFI awards.

    From this everyone can see that the future really is with great Aussie drama and features films.

    Thanks heaps for your great work in the industry and a fabulous blog - this is an excellent forum for public discussion on what’s best for the industry.

12. Mary-Anne commented:
    Comment posted: January 9th, 2007 - 4:43pm

    I first saw you in ‘The Castle.’ I have a DVD collection, like most people, and I happened to come across the Miss Marple series and realised Craddock was you. I’ve watched that series about 10+ times, since I bought it in Nov (?) 06.

    I am watching ‘Murder at the Gallop’ at the moment on my laptop and decided to see if I could find out something about you. Good old Wikipedia…and here I am.

13. Tom commented:
    Comment posted: January 19th, 2007 - 5:30pm

    Personally I think Australian TV is going to the dogs theres so much junk on at the moment all I can say what happend to the days of Charlie the Wonder Dog?

14. Tom Browne commented:
    Comment posted: January 22nd, 2007 - 5:13pm

    Have you ever heard of the show The Mole? I had a great idea for a new version of it. Get all the contestants to be moles and only have one person who is’nt the mole and is playing the game to win while evrybody else is tryiong to sabotage it. That would be awewsome if I ever get the chance to air it you’ll be my first choice for the host Bud.

15. Paul Hunter commented:
    Comment posted: January 29th, 2007 - 4:22am

    I don’t like Reality TV at all, but it’s a global phenomenon (and a carefully pre-planned one at that, I reckon); it seems to bring out the worst in the national character of whatever nations it’s in.

    The news that Reality TV is becoming almost as expensive to produce at some drama is potentially wonderful news, because costs were one of the things that endeared it to TV execs in the first place.

    I do hope that intelligent drama will make a resurgence in Australia and everywhere else, but as Charles intimates, it will not happen without some pro-active moves, some kind of pressure or campaign.

    The thing that disturbs me about reality TV is that a year before it was rolled out globally, it was being written about in media circles as a ’sure thing’ about a year before it actually happened. A bit like fashion and commentators saying “Oh, pink is in next season” - how do they know what the public will like? Has it in fact all been choreographed beforehand?

    That makes me think that a renaissance of decent plays etc will require some kind of concerted action.

    “The Castle” proved that low budget does not mean low brow, and is not only one of my favourite Australian films, but one of my favourite films.

    Great to see you still working Bud, one of the Australian talents I like a lot (John Williams, Rolf Harris to name a couple more).

16. Sam commented:
    Comment posted: February 1st, 2007 - 11:31pm

    Hiya Buddy boy,
    Long time fan, first time commenter. I couldn’t be bothered to read the article but i am sure that it was as good as the show ‘20 to 1′, Bert Newton sure is a great host!!! What is your opinion of this wonderful show???
    p.s. let the blogging commence…

17. Tom commented:
    Comment posted: February 3rd, 2007 - 5:24pm

    Bud get back on Tv already! We need you! I miss my daily doses of Celebrity Circus and The Sullivans! If you dont go back on TV I will be forced to watch more Wedge and I dont know if my brain can stand one more minute of that filth. How about a show called “Bud’s Back Yard”? Brilliant! It practically sells itself.
    Keep on trucking big fella!

18. Chris & Birgit Sarsfield commented:
    Comment posted: April 18th, 2007 - 10:30pm

    Dear Charles. Just a short note to let you know we are both ardent admirers and have recently acquired the 4 Miss Marple DVDs which we are enjoying. We encountered you recently at Macedon Sq, but at the time, were reluctant to acknowledge you, as most celebs find this tiresome. My wife Birgit now informs me you would appreciate a “hello Bud” and the next time we see you, we will say g’day. I do remember you at St Brigits Greythorn reading to the congregation…(I went to school there when it first opened and was subsequently married there…Yeah, we’re both getting on! Wishing you the best of health. Cheers

19. Tui commented:
    Comment posted: May 2nd, 2007 - 10:03pm

    Odd, I was about to write exactly the same comment as Mary-Anne already did.
    Watching The Miss Marple movies on my laptop… Murder at the Gallop too actually, and something about your smile kept irking me. I knew I’d seen you somewhere before. And then, I got it. The Castle has been an old favourite of mine for years… And thanks to Wikipedia, well, here I am too.
    Like a good wine, you’ve aged fabulously. Keep it up!

20. Mary-Anne commented:
    Comment posted: May 18th, 2007 - 8:49pm

    Now what are the odds of that?

21. Ian Grieve commented:
    Comment posted: June 3rd, 2007 - 5:16pm

    To Ian Heydon,

    Re Grace Gibson and that other great radio producer and actor of that era, George Edwards. It is a shame that Australian Radio has shown such a lack of interest in its history and the people who made a huge impact in early Radio. Grace Gibson should be in a Hall of fame along with George Edwards and many others who have been forgotten by the industry they fought for. Television has only half the history of radio, yet they celebrate TV history every few years. Maybe radio is too fragmented to do similar honours, but a ‘real’ Radio Hall of Fame covering the early years would be a good start.

    If we didn’t still have Reg James, where would you get the real story of Grace Gibson?

    Ian Grieve - Radio Researcher in Toowoomba

22. john o'brien commented:
    Comment posted: July 19th, 2007 - 6:09am

    Hi Bud,

    Read your website. What a lot of rubbish. Reality television is real. Ok it may be edited but they are real people, real like you. Actors are very overrated. They will say anything someone else writes, do anything. They are not real.
    What a waste NIDA is, teaching people to be someone else.
    The comments on your site are biased. No different views. What a waste to read comments all agreeing with you.
    regards

23. Brian McPartland commented:
    Comment posted: September 7th, 2007 - 2:01pm

    Bud–you’re absolutely correct.

    John–get stuffed (a comment I heard once in a reality television show….maybe “Celebrity Circus”)

24. Elvira McIntosh commented:
    Comment posted: September 9th, 2007 - 6:14pm

    Please either bring back the good old-fashioned Australian stories that used to have a beginning and a middle and an end!!!If TV is going to keep bombarding us with woeful American evening drama, perhaps it is time for Radio to bring back the good old- fashioned Australian serials we all used to stop work for, once upon a time.

25. Heather commented:
    Comment posted: September 25th, 2007 - 7:41pm

    I’ve never watched reality…I only even watched a couple of the garden shows, looked at my own yard, sighed and took up writing.

    The great negative of reality shows is that most of their lives are as unsatisfactory as our own. We have our dreams and goals and reach for them. I don’t need to watch someone else make it at twenty after “so many years of struggle to this point”…yeah…Not jealous, just frustrated.

    I much prefer a good drama, something that takes me away from my own real life for an hour or so and gives me something to think about or just feel good at the ending.

26. Phil Wright commented:
    Comment posted: October 3rd, 2007 - 8:13pm

    Although there are predicted costincreases for some reality TV shows I am convinced production companies will cut costs and therefore maintain profit margins by making ‘tackier’ programs with lower start up costs.

    The issue here is not any lack of talent when it comes to the ability to produce low cost drama but rather the public’s motivation to watch it and therefore make it viable.

    Fortunately in my view Australian Theater is alive and well but we still have to encourage others to vote with their remotes and make it to live performance.

    By the way I’ve been a Bud Tingwell fan since Emergency Ward 10…..It’s been a continual privilege to watch him.

27. Jack Tillmany commented:
    Comment posted: November 4th, 2007 - 7:45pm

    Hi Bud! Enough of reality TV. Let’s talk about something PLEASANT! I notice several contributors have already mentioned the Miss Marple films, which are how we USA fans became acquainted with you. After more than forty years they continue to provide welcome entertainment, as proven by the popularity of the DVD release and the comments above by other contributors and fans. What can you tell us about them that we don’t know already, and what it was like to work with Margaret Rutherford? The on-screen chemistry between the two of you was terrific;
    a look, a glance, a grimace said more than mere words, a lost art I’m afraid. She was such a fine actress it’s easy to assume that she and Marple were one and the same but of course they were not. Any behind the scenes stories would be most welcome! Thanks for the opportunity to communicate! Best Wishes, Jack Tillmany, Walnut Creek, California, USA.