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March 20, 2024
James reviews Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain and Garage Sale Mysteries: The Pandora’s Box Murders.
In his usual unapologetic manner, James reviews a jaw-droppingly dire chocolaty experience and a do it by numbers mystery from the states.
By the way, the image for this episode was generated by a free AI image generator with the prompt:
A colourful,...
In his usual unapologetic manner, James reviews a jaw-droppingly dire chocolaty experience and a do it by numbers mystery from the states.
By the way, the image for this episode was generated by a free AI image generator with the prompt:
A colourful, swirling painting of a woman falling down some steps holding a chocolate bar.
Transcript
1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000
Hello, and welcome to this brief introduction to the podcast ‘I Review Freeview’.
2
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,000
I’m James Brook, a retired old codger who watches Freeview TV. Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ all want paying once a month and, as we all know, monthly subscriptions have a nasty habit of going on forever. So I don’t watch them.
3
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,000
Now some people argue Freeview is the last relic of the broadcast age. They say the future will all be streamed.
4
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:04,000
But they are wrong. Freeview has loads of channels, lots of programs and enough diversity to swing a cat. Well, more or less. Ha! To put this another way: Freeview should see me out.
5
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Also, of course, it has the main broadcasters: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, etc etc. So it’s not only 20-year-old murder mysteries and rubbish films in black and white! Nope. You can watch new rubbish as well!
6
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Me, I quite like watching old stuff, and I’m pretty sure I’m not unique in that. However, if this podcast develops how I expect, you, the listener, will guide what I watch and what I review.
7
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,000
So, how will this work?
8
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:08,000
Each podcast should last around 20, 25 minutes. I will give my unique, often caustic and occasionally witty assessment of 4 or 5 programs.
9
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,000
At the end of each podcast, I will state which upcoming programs I shall review next time, which will give you - if you want - a chance to watch them in advance.
10
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,000
To begin, I’ll select what I’ll be reviewing, but after the first few episodes I’ll be picking up on suggestions from listeners. You can do that by emailing contact@ireviewfreeview.com or on the website ireviewfreeview.com. ‘ireviewfreeview’ is all one word, by the way, and - like most email and web addresses, isn’t case sensitive.
11
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,000
As a reviewer, I make it a policy to stay out of my comfort zones of old UK police procedurals, comedies I saw 20 years ago and now untopical topical quizzes. So no reviews - unless I get really stuck- of reruns of ‘Midsomer murders’, ‘Father Ted’ or ‘Mock the week’.
12
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,000
When picking programs, I try not to prejudge, so I only take a quick glance at the descriptive blurb and make an instant yes or no decision. Often I go just by the title alone. Which means I can end up watching rubbish. But sometimes a little gem appears.
13
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,000
A couple more things: unless you count the icecream van tune at start and finish, I don’t have any sound effects. Nor do I have any guests. It’s just me in my Grandpa annex with a big TV, a notebook, a second hand microphone from eBay and some audio editing software I barely understand. And interruptions for tea, toast and grandchildren wanting me to fold yet another paper aeroplane.
14
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,000
As it takes me a few days to write, rewrite, record, re-record and edit, I can’t watch and review a week of TV in under 10 days or so. So I aim to post episodes on alternate Wednesdays and Sundays. If you want to make a suggestion, choose something broadcast in the week after the next episode of I Review Freeview.
15
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,000
Clear? If not, don’t worry: it’s basically simple: you make suggestions for upcoming Freeview programs and if I can review them I will. Oh, and by suggestions, I don’t mean just the title. For instance, a request for me to ‘review Coronation street’ won’t work. I also need the channel, the date, and the time.
16
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,000
Anyway: just remember contact@ireviewfreeview.com and to search the website ireviewfreeview.com or search I review Freeview’ (3 words) and hope something surfaces.
17
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,000
And that concludes the introduction.
18
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:18,000
Thank you for listening and goodbye for now.
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000
Hello, and welcome to this brief introduction to the podcast ‘I Review Freeview’.
2
00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:02,000
I’m James Brook, a retired old codger who watches Freeview TV. Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ all want paying once a month and, as we all know, monthly subscriptions have a nasty habit of going on forever. So I don’t watch them.
3
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,000
Now some people argue Freeview is the last relic of the broadcast age. They say the future will all be streamed.
4
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:04,000
But they are wrong. Freeview has loads of channels, lots of programs and enough diversity to swing a cat. Well, more or less. Ha! To put this another way: Freeview should see me out.
5
00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,000
Also, of course, it has the main broadcasters: BBC, ITV, Channel 4, etc etc. So it’s not only 20-year-old murder mysteries and rubbish films in black and white! Nope. You can watch new rubbish as well!
6
00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:06,000
Me, I quite like watching old stuff, and I’m pretty sure I’m not unique in that. However, if this podcast develops how I expect, you, the listener, will guide what I watch and what I review.
7
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,000
So, how will this work?
8
00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:08,000
Each podcast should last around 20, 25 minutes. I will give my unique, often caustic and occasionally witty assessment of 4 or 5 programs.
9
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,000
At the end of each podcast, I will state which upcoming programs I shall review next time, which will give you - if you want - a chance to watch them in advance.
10
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:10,000
To begin, I’ll select what I’ll be reviewing, but after the first few episodes I’ll be picking up on suggestions from listeners. You can do that by emailing contact@ireviewfreeview.com or on the website ireviewfreeview.com. ‘ireviewfreeview’ is all one word, by the way, and - like most email and web addresses, isn’t case sensitive.
11
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,000
As a reviewer, I make it a policy to stay out of my comfort zones of old UK police procedurals, comedies I saw 20 years ago and now untopical topical quizzes. So no reviews - unless I get really stuck- of reruns of ‘Midsomer murders’, ‘Father Ted’ or ‘Mock the week’.
12
00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,000
When picking programs, I try not to prejudge, so I only take a quick glance at the descriptive blurb and make an instant yes or no decision. Often I go just by the title alone. Which means I can end up watching rubbish. But sometimes a little gem appears.
13
00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,000
A couple more things: unless you count the icecream van tune at start and finish, I don’t have any sound effects. Nor do I have any guests. It’s just me in my Grandpa annex with a big TV, a notebook, a second hand microphone from eBay and some audio editing software I barely understand. And interruptions for tea, toast and grandchildren wanting me to fold yet another paper aeroplane.
14
00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:14,000
As it takes me a few days to write, rewrite, record, re-record and edit, I can’t watch and review a week of TV in under 10 days or so. So I aim to post episodes on alternate Wednesdays and Sundays. If you want to make a suggestion, choose something broadcast in the week after the next episode of I Review Freeview.
15
00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:15,000
Clear? If not, don’t worry: it’s basically simple: you make suggestions for upcoming Freeview programs and if I can review them I will. Oh, and by suggestions, I don’t mean just the title. For instance, a request for me to ‘review Coronation street’ won’t work. I also need the channel, the date, and the time.
16
00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:16,000
Anyway: just remember contact@ireviewfreeview.com and to search the website ireviewfreeview.com or search I review Freeview’ (3 words) and hope something surfaces.
17
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:17,000
And that concludes the introduction.
18
00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:18,000
Thank you for listening and goodbye for now.