I’m not sure whether to be impressed by the BBC’s new online Programme Catalogue. On the surface, and a pretty ugly surface it is too, it’s just a web front-end on an impressive database. If there’s something worth celebrating, it’s the fact that people have been doing such sterling work maintaining the database in the first place. (One interesting aside, though: according to ex-BBCer Tom Coates, it’s built using Ruby On Rails. I haven’t seen that mentioned widely.)
Dig a little deeper, though, and there’s a gem of a function struggling to get out. Ever wondered what was on TV the day you were born? Take this example – http://open.bbc.co.uk/catalogue/infax/on_this_day/1985/7/13 (Live Aid day, not the day I was born) – and change the year, month and day at the end. Cool. But I wonder how many visitors to the site will have spotted it?
Responses
Hi Simon: I came accross your blog the other day and have been reading over it before I decided to leave a message. I am a student of media, who is also a writer/blogger, and podcaster. i am very interested in television/film and radio production and am finding your blog an interesting read. I invite you to check out my blog, and if your interested in further communication to get in touch! Keep Blogging… and I think the BBC programming right now is pretty bad too, if you want my take on it.
I am an American living in the UK and was witness to something really horrible the other day on BBC 4, a commercial for Lonesome Dove where the voice over was supposed to be an American from the southern states but was actually someone putting on an American accent, and badly too. It was so poor, I intended to write to the BBC about it.
I am a bit of a voice over person myself and know I could have pulled off that commercial a hundred times better convincing, being that I am American. Just thought this little story would be relavent.
Blog on. -Sebastian Prooth of Seb’s Random Thoughts and From the Director’s Chair Podcast
Great job guys…