On Tue, 6 Mar 2001 21:22:19 -0000 "Fiona Moore" nydersdyner@yahoo.co.uk writes:

----- Original Message ----- From: Una McCormack una@qresearch.org.uk

...

Do you see the BBC's gradual dropping of all science fiction

programming

...

throughout the 1980s as part of a general trend in becoming more

reactionary?

It's an interesting suggestion, certainly.

I was recently reminiscing about the great SF of yore with a friend and we noticed that all the good shows (with one or two exceptions) seem to have either ended or gotten really rubbish round about 1985.

What, not 1984?

Seriously, though, shows seem to go in cycles. The first good SF show in a long time comes along, gathers lots of attention (partly for being 'new' and 'different'), lots of inferior imitations (who never grasp the 'new' and 'different' part) abound, along with a few original ideas that have been looking for funding for years but were spurned under the theory nobody would watch them (see 'new' and 'different' again, which, in TVese, is 'no evidence anyone was watching this last year'). The new ones also make money. More imitation is sparked. Some of the imitators lose money. Producers decide to play it safe by sticking more closely to the already successful formulas.

Soon, everyone is convinced they have seen every storyline you can possibly do for an SF show. Their eyes glaze over as soon as one come up (one could argue the same for the writers, come to think of it). Producers abandon their recycled (well, more like smelly compost) scripts, saying "SF doesn't sell."

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