TV Worth Blogging
by David Thiel, Program Director for WILL-TV
An insider's view of public television programming and the issues that help determine what and how you watch
Election Day Approaches!
The onset of March brings with it WILL-TV's own experiment with democracy, our annual Great Britcom Vote. (Saturday, March 1 at 7:00 pm.) This will be the ninth year for this spring tradition, during which we set aside one night of our fundraising drive to ask the audience's help in selecting a British comedy for our schedule. We will air sample episodes of five "candidates" and invite viewers to call in for the one they prefer. At the end of the evening, the show with the most votes will be purchased to air sometime during our next fiscal year.
The concept of the Great Britcom Vote sprung from a desire to make our British comedy pledge breaks more of an event. While other public TV stations had previously aired comedy marathons that asked viewers to choose a favorite, we took it a step further by empowering our loyal Britcom audience to have a direct impact on the lineup.
I love the idea for a number of reasons. In addition to its success as a fundraiser, it also provides a testing lab for new programs I'm considering for the schedule. Murder Most Horrid, Father Ted, Coupling, My Hero and Next of Kin were all introduced during previous Britcom Votes and eventually made it into the weekly lineup.
Another plus is that it demonstrates, in the most obvious manner, the difference between a commercial network or cable channel and a locally-owned and operated station such as WILL-TV. We can directly communicate with people right here in Central Illinois, gather their immediate feedback and use it to influence our program offerings. While there have been promotions on other networks in which viewers have been invited to vote for a favorite episode to air, I've never heard of any other broadcast or cable outlet allowing its audience to select an entire series.
This year's focus is on old favorites, though there's one new-to-WILL show in the mix. The candidates are:
7:00 pm Mulberry - I've made it a tradition to give last year's runner-up another shot at the crown. This one, which won our second Britcom Vote back in 2001, is a short series starring Geraldine McEwan as Miss Farnaby, who hires an enigmatic, charming stranger named Mulberry to handle her domestic tasks.
7:40 pm My Hero - Another former Britcom Vote winner (2002), this series stars Ardal O'Hanlon as sweet-natured George Sunday, who is secretly the superhero Thermoman. However, the focus isn't on heroics but rather on his quirky relationship with earthbound nurse Janet Dawkins.
8:20 pm Open All Hours - Never before aired on WILL-TV, it stars Ronnie Barker as the mercenary owner of Arkwright's Emporium, a traditional British corner store. Arkwright constantly fights a losing battle to transform his lackadaisical nephew Granville into a worthy heir to his commercial empire.
9:00 pm Are You Being Served? - Long-time viewers will remember this perennial about the misadventures of the sales staff in charge of men's and women's garments at Grace Brothers' department store. It was so wildly popular with our audience that we were afraid to take it off. It left our schedule in December 2001, but not before we aired the entire run more than 25 times. Is it time for it to return?
9:45 pm To the Manor Born - The winner of the very first Britcom Vote in March 2000, it features the indomitable Penelope Keith as the snobbish Lady fforbes-Hamilton, who is forced to auction off her estate. Should this one win, we'll also have the opportunity to purchase the brand-new 2007 Christmas special which reunites original cast members Keith, Peter Bowles, Angela Thorne and Gerald Sim.
I hope that you'll tune in on Saturday, March 1 at 7:00 pm to join in the fun! Watch some comedy favorites, preview a potential new Britcom, and cast your vote! And don't forget to make your pledge of financial support; it's the only way we can continue to afford to bring you the British comedies you enjoy six nights a week on WILL!
Image: Mollie Sugden as Mrs. Slocombe from Are You Being Served, ©1981 BBC
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