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Room 101

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plymothian

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Did anyone see Room 101 on Friday, reference Nick Hewer's dislike for Train Managers? They went into Room 101 for over the top announcements. Still on iPlayer.
 
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Ivo

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I thought this thread would be about what in the railway system we would condemn to Room 101!

The one time I saw it just had to have Southend sent there didn't it? :lol:
 

SS4

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Yet he'd also condemn them to room 101 for not making enough announcements :roll:

There are a number of people you'll never please as they're only interesting in moaning to the greatest possible audience. Not even Nelson Mandela would please them
 

MidnightFlyer

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This will be the same Nick Hewer who has done much to make "Countdown" drop down the viewing ratings by his "wooden" performance.

Indeed. He tries his best there, but he's just so dour compared to Whiteley (as much as I disliked him), O'Connor, Lynam and Stelling.
 

Squaddie

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This will be the same Nick Hewer who has done much to make "Countdown" drop down the viewing ratings by his "wooden" performance.
Do you have any evidence to back up this claim?

According to the Channel 4 website, the audience for the current series is up by 22% compared with the average audience throughout 2011, and the audience is also more upmarket.
Countdown host Nick Hewer joined the much loved game show one month ago today and viewing figures have seen a boost since he's taken the helm.

So far ratings are up 22% on the show's average audience in 2011 and 4oD views on Channel4.com are up 50% on December's figures.

A Channel 4 spokesperson said "Nick is a class act and we're delighted that the viewers have taken to him"
I think Nick Hewer is extremely witty, with a very dry sense of humour. I didn't see his appearance on Room 101, but I've a feeling I'd have been in complete agreement with him.
 

SS4

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Do you have any evidence to back up this claim?

According to the Channel 4 website, the audience for the current series is up by 22% compared with the average audience throughout 2011, and the audience is also more upmarket.
I think Nick Hewer is extremely witty, with a very dry sense of humour. I didn't see his appearance on Room 101, but I've a feeling I'd have been in complete agreement with him.

It's too soon to tell any long term trends IMO, I'd want until at least six months to be sure
 

Squaddie

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It's too soon to tell any long term trends IMO, I'd want until at least six months to be sure
True, but that's not the issue. I was specifically questioning Paul Sidorczuk's claim that Countdown's ratings have fallen since Nick Hewer took over. Official figures show that they haven't.
 

Oswyntail

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a) Nick Hewer knocks the socks off Lynam and Stelling, who were both even more wooden, and gave the impression that words were a foreign language to them
b) Train Managers often do overuse announcements (10 minutes of announcements on one train before departure at Kings Cross a year or so back!) but then do not give relevant and timely information when useful (eg, we are arriving ten minutes late into Leeds on platform 8, so if you run like Bolt you might catch the Ilkley train on 3b)
Send them to Room 101 for training!
 

tsr

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Between the parallel lines
a) Nick Hewer knocks the socks off Lynam and Stelling, who were both even more wooden, and gave the impression that words were a foreign language to them
b) Train Managers often do overuse announcements (10 minutes of announcements on one train before departure at Kings Cross a year or so back!) but then do not give relevant and timely information when useful (eg, we are arriving ten minutes late into Leeds on platform 8, so if you run like Bolt you might catch the Ilkley train on 3b)
Send them to Room 101 for training!

EMT TMs generally seem to spend more than half of the journey between St Pancras and Luton making somewhat repetitive announcements. Considering FCC normally manage without anything much, it can be a bit annoying.
 

rdwarr

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I'm fine with announcements until somebody says "...please contact myself". For some reason the inability of TOCs to use the word "me" just winds me up. :)
 

bnm

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Re: Nick Hewer on Countdown.

I regularly watch the show and have always enjoyed the mental stimulation it gives me. Regardless of presenters.

That said, I do find it more difficult to concentrate on the letters and numbers these days. Carol Vorderman was a slight distraction, but Rachel Riley.....
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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I think Nick Hewer is extremely witty, with a very dry sense of humour. I didn't see his appearance on Room 101, but I've a feeling I'd have been in complete agreement with him.

You are perfectly entitled to your own view of the matter, as you can even say how much you would have been "in complete agreement with him", even though you admit to not seeing the Room 101 programme.

I would say that the circle of my ex-business acquaintances from our Consultancy and those of our immediate neighbourhood in a rather "select" part of Cheshire East are unanimous in feeling that Nick Hewer is the wrong type of person to present this programme.

So there we have it, we have both spoken from our own particular points of view, which is as it should be on a forum for debate.
 

Yew

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Could we put frank skinner in room 101?
 

tbtc

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Could we put frank skinner in room 101?

I'd like to put the new format in Room 101.

They've taken what was a reasonable format to allow "celebrities" to reveal a darker side of themselves - you could learn a lot from some of the irrational rants that people used to go in in the Nick Hancock/ Paul Merton days (compared to a common or garden interview). Sometimes you'd get a different perspective on the person interviewed or the subject they nominated for Room 101 (such as seeing sacred cows nominated).

However the new version of the show just has people taking lazy pot-shots at everyday gripes, turning it into a panel show version of Grumpy Old Men.

Much as I can enjoy Frank Skinner, I'd rather see the show encourage people to come out and admit to some strange phobia/ irrational dislike/ petty grudge (e.g. celebrities hating the colour indigo/ vinegar/ the smell of freshly cut grass) instead of coming up with a bland dislike (such as "I don't like traffic wardens").

It has the feeling of a box ticking exercise, rather than anything that tells me anything I didn't already know about the people involved.
 

SS4

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I'd like to put timewasting into room 101.

TV can shut down for the 18 hours gained each day <D
 

junglejames

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Yet he'd also condemn them to room 101 for not making enough announcements :roll:

There are a number of people you'll never please as they're only interesting in moaning to the greatest possible audience. Not even Nelson Mandela would please them

Eh, ive said myself that some guards make too many announcements, and some dont make enough. So am i another that is never happy?
It is possible to have 2 different types of guards. When at school/ work, have you never complained about one teacher/ boss, but commended another? If so, thats exactly the same sort of thing.
 

embers25

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On Virgin between Birmingham Euston Southbound on the one that stops at Rugby it is rare that the train manager is off the pa the entire way from New Street to Rugby as by the time he has finished his first announcement we have reached International and then Coventry and then Rugby. Finally on leaving Rugby we get some peace...unless we are on a late night one that also stops at Milton Keynes. The initial announcement is fine but the ticket validity announcement one is ridiculously long and also wrong as they always say tickets routed High Wycombe are not valid on this service when actually they are perfectly valid as far as Coventry.
 

SS4

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On Virgin between Birmingham Euston Southbound on the one that stops at Rugby it is rare that the train manager is off the pa the entire way from New Street to Rugby as by the time he has finished his first announcement we have reached International and then Coventry and then Rugby. Finally on leaving Rugby we get some peace...unless we are on a late night one that also stops at Milton Keynes. The initial announcement is fine but the ticket validity announcement one is ridiculously long and also wrong as they always say tickets routed High Wycombe are not valid on this service when actually they are perfectly valid as far as Coventry.

Does it really take ten minutes to make the various announcements? Agreed with the tickets routed High Wycombe - it would be better if he said they needed to change at the right place
 

Squaddie

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You are perfectly entitled to your own view of the matter, as you can even say how much you would have been "in complete agreement with him", even though you admit to not seeing the Room 101 programme.
But the thread contains enough information for me to build a reasonable picture of what he was unhappy about.
I would say that the circle of my ex-business acquaintances from our Consultancy and those of our immediate neighbourhood in a rather "select" part of Cheshire East are unanimous in feeling that Nick Hewer is the wrong type of person to present this programme.
That is an opinion that you are all entitled to, of course. (It's quite possible that you all dislike him more for his politics than for his presenting skills). But you made a rather more definite statement regarding the programme's ratings:
This will be the same Nick Hewer who has done much to make "Countdown" drop down the viewing ratings by his "wooden" performance.
which is factually incorrect. Far from "dropping down the ratings", the audience is up by 22% and the audience share by 17%.
 

Muzer

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I didn't know what to expect on Countdown, but he seems pleasantly surprising - a lot less cheesy and a lot more dry than is predecessor. I'm not a regular viewer, but I watch a bit of it occasionally, and he does at least faintly amuse me, whereas previous ones left me completely stony-faced ;)
 

Xenophon PCDGS

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Far from "dropping down the ratings", the audience is up by 22% and the audience share by 17%.

How are these ratings calculated and what was the actual number used in order to calculate these percentages.? Are there regional figures for ratings, which might show differences from area to area. I tend to disregard such "blanket" figure statistics. You have quoted these percentage figures...give actual figure breakdowns that will substantiate your statement.

Look at the figure breakdown that translates to percentages...area by area/region by region...from the voting figures from General Elections. You will find very wide variations in different parts of the country.

As far as I can establish, no-one that we know have ever been contacted to be quizzed on what we are watching.....or is there some "1984-style" monitoring of televisiory viewing, similar to that used by the TV Licensing agency to track down people who watch television without the requisite licence.

I do not know why you have brought political beliefs into the equation. Are you attempting to draw a link to the thread on this forum that made a statement concerning people with "left" and "right" political views as reported by a national newspaper.
 
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cuccir

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tbtc:998890 said:
However the new version of the show just has people taking lazy pot-shots at everyday gripes, turning it into a panel show version of Grumpy Old Men.

Much as I can enjoy Frank Skinner, I'd rather see the show encourage people to come out and admit to some strange phobia/ irrational dislike/ petty grudge (e.g. celebrities hating the colour indigo/ vinegar/ the smell of freshly cut grass) instead of coming up with a bland dislike (such as "I don't like traffic wardens").

I'm impressed, a very sharp analysis which expresses what I've not liked about the new series too.

As for the topic in general: it seems rather pointless to get annoyed about something in a show which actively seeks out what annoys people. It's not like this was an unprovoked rant in an interview - he had to pick SOMEthing for room 101!
 

tbtc

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it seems rather pointless to get annoyed about something in a show which actively seeks out what annoys people. It's not like this was an unprovoked rant in an interview - he had to pick SOMEthing for room 101!

True - something I am guilty of :oops:
 

Muzer

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As far as I can establish, no-one that we know have ever been contacted to be quizzed on what we are watching.....or is there some "1984-style" monitoring of televisiory viewing, similar to that used by the TV Licensing agency to track down people who watch television without the requisite licence.

BARB reporting (probably the place from which the figures came), I believe, uses special boxes attached to 5100 users' television equipment (with their consent, of course), distributed proportionally based on total number of viewers over BBC and ITV regions, also distributed proportionally among the demographics for each region. The people in the house must press a button whenever they enter/leave a room with a television, so that the individual people within the house (eg different ages) can also be tracked.
 
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