Oh, as to naff viewing habits -- have you seen the "Real Housewives of Orange County (Atlanta, New York, Washington D.c., ad nauseaum)? I can't believe anything else on either side of the Atlantic approaches that series for pure train wreck dysfunctionality, crassness and vulgarity and display of borderline personality disorder! Well, maybe perhaps Bridezilla. I don't know as to viewing figures, and you'd have to be crazy to want to own a DVD, but given the number of off-shoots and sequels the original has spawned, there must be a dedicated cult following!
Those shows are waaay down in the ratings - along with the zillion shows involving obesity, deformity, pimp your ride/house/grandmother etc. etc. - yes, I appreciate that a vast amount of tosh does emanate from the US, but that doesn't mean we're all watching it, lol. (What made me laugh was Blue-Eyes' pompous belief that I'd somehow rigged the viewing figures to make the talent shows and soaps come out on top - sorry dear, but it is what it is!)
Those shows are waaay down in the ratings - along with the zillion shows involving obesity, deformity, pimp your ride/house/grandmother etc. etc. - yes, I appreciate that a vast amount of tosh does emanate from the US, but that doesn't mean we're all watching it, lol. (What made me laugh was Blue-Eyes' pompous belief that I'd somehow rigged the viewing figures to make the talent shows and soaps come out on top - sorry dear, but it is what it is!)
Perhaps, then, the collapse of Western civilization is not yet upon us.
Perhaps, then, the collapse of Western civilization is not yet upon us.
If you watched some of the shows that I do, you would be worried. House Hunters - not so much the content but the fact that it is a show about people looking for a house, but it's fun to guess which one they're going to pick. Lock Up - it is on Saturdays late night for like 4-6 hours on MSNBC where this film crew actually goes into prisons and does an episode about it. That is where you see the true decline of civilization. I have seen it so often that I know which prisons are better or worse than others. It is hardcore and not for the faint of heart, but is a very thoughtful and well done show. They get the prisoners to open up and talk to them, and you end up caring about them and hope they succeed. But it does make you worry about the world.
If you watched some of the shows that I do, you would be worried. House Hunters - not so much the content but the fact that it is a show about people looking for a house, but it's fun to guess which one they're going to pick. Lock Up - it is on Saturdays late night for like 4-6 hours on MSNBC where this film crew actually goes into prisons and does an episode about it. That is where you see the true decline of civilization. I have seen it so often that I know which prisons are better or worse than others. It is hardcore and not for the faint of heart, but is a very thoughtful and well done show. They get the prisoners to open up and talk to them, and you end up caring about them and hope they succeed. But it does make you worry about the world.
It seems to be a constant trawl for wacky new subjects that haven't been covered yet, however invasive the programme may be - some of this is vaguely interesting, but it also attracts the worst kind of inbred weirdos who are only too happy to take the money and run. (The latest 'reality' show being peddled over here is 'Duck Dynasty' - I took one look and thought, "Not another bunch of bearded rednecks!" I don't know who actually does watch these shows over here - nobody I know! Although my OH does occasionally sneak a peek at Pawn Stars and Storage Wars, lol.)
Someone on here once had a brief online conversation with Jack Lothian, before S4 finale aired. I know that's a long time ago, but if that person is still with us, or anyone remembers, would you PM me and tell me how it was done?
JL contacted me about a YouTube vid I uploaded. I gave someone his YT channel info but I can't remember who it was.
Wow, just looked at that Wiki entry, and I see that the DM viewing figures in my BARB lists are the lowest ones since the 2006 Xmas special! :eek: That explains a lot - the scriptwriters are clearly going nuts trying to drag the show back up the ratings (I hadn't realised how popular it's been in the past). I'll be interested to see the figures for the last episode - and how the future of the show will pan out.
One thing to remember when you look at the ratings from 2 years ago and 4 years ago is that you didn't have all the viewing options that you have today. You pretty much had to watch the show when it was broadcast or you didn't see that episode. There was also some DVR time shifting then, but I think those went into the ratings because they couldn't tell if you were actually watching or the DVR was just recording. Now, so many people watch their favorite shows using Apple TV, Roku, laptop computers and tablets. About the only television I watch live any more are local sporting events and news. Just this week I was catching up my favorite US show, Modern Family, and watching the episodes from the last four weeks on my iPad using the ABC app. This is also how I watch Corrie (yes, I have been watching for almost 40 years now) on the ITV app.
So, none of my viewing of my favorite shows show up in the ratings and there are millions more like me (the ratings only count live views and online views in the next hour) . Comparing ratings from 2, 4, 6 years ago to now are like comparing apples and oranges.
One thing to remember when you look at the ratings from 2 years ago and 4 years ago is that you didn't have all the viewing options that you have today. You pretty much had to watch the show when it was broadcast or you didn't see that episode. There was also some DVR time shifting then, but I think those went into the ratings because they couldn't tell if you were actually watching or the DVR was just recording. Now, so many people watch their favorite shows using Apple TV, Roku, laptop computers and tablets. About the only television I watch live any more are local sporting events and news. Just this week I was catching up my favorite US show, Modern Family, and watching the episodes from the last four weeks on my iPad using the ABC app. This is also how I watch Corrie (yes, I have been watching for almost 40 years now) on the ITV app.
So, none of my viewing of my favorite shows show up in the ratings and there are millions more like me (the ratings only count live views and online views in the next hour) . Comparing ratings from 2, 4, 6 years ago to now are like comparing apples and oranges.
As far as I know, BARB's figures are mainly taken from ITV and ITV+1 (which started in 2011, so yes, that would skew the figures) - they have to have a benchmark.
As for my comment above about Wikipedia, I should ignore that - I've done some sums and their figures just don't add up at all (certainly don't tally with BARB's).
Did you see my longer post above? (It's here - http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=69393407&postcount=720.) (I wasn't ribbing you, but you did make me giggle when you wanted to throw out the soaps and the talent shows, lol! ) I've tried to provide some useful information for you about the show - done my best with what I could find.
What do you mean - "sorry"?! :rolleyes: I've quoted accurate figures from BARB for the dates shown - I haven't made this up, you know! I've only shown figures down to DM because this is a DM thread and that's what people are interested in. I took the figures from BBC1, BBC2, ITV and C4 - I looked at other channels but the figures were so low that it wasn't worth including them. On the dates shown (the latest ones available), TGBBO was below DM, which is why I didn't show it. No doubt it will be much further up there when the next lot of figures come out.
I'm terribly sorry if you're squirming with embarrassment at the thought of revealing our naff viewing habits to our cousins across the pond - but there it is. Even if you don't watch talent shows and soaps - 10,000,000+ do, lol!
Thank you for your research SapphicGirl.
Someone asked why Americans on this board are so analytical
about the characters in Doc Martin. It might be the desire of those on the US for self-improvement as evidenced by many self-help books and other media. Those from the US want the Doc, especially, to change, improve his behavior, be happy
Not sure the Brits or many other world citizens share our mania for self help. We are a country striving for self actualization
Someone asked why Americans on this board are so analytical
about the characters in Doc Martin. It might be the desire of those on the US for self-improvement as evidenced by many self-help books and other media. Those from the US want the Doc, especially, to change, improve his behavior, be happy
Not sure the Brits or many other world citizens share our mania for self help. We are a country striving for self actualization
Thanks. I was actually one of those people (I asked if you were all doing degrees in psychoanalysis, lol). I think here in the UK, we are very much "it's only a show", and we don't take it half so seriously as some of you do. You seem to read volumes into what has come out of the pen of a scriptwriter, which I must admit does seem a little odd to a Brit (we're born cynics, lol). When we read heart-rending embellished versions of what happened in an episode, and excited accounts of having discovered a children's programme called 'Listen With Mother' (known and loved by every Brit of a certain age!), I'm afraid we have an unfortunate tendency to snigger. Please don't hold it against us! We mean very well, but our sense of humour can come over as wry and sardonic. 'Taking the mickey' is a rather British quirk, and we often assume that everyone has a skin as thick as ours.
Are we forgiven? We're really just gently teasing, honestly!
Thanks. I was actually one of those people (I asked if you were all doing degrees in psychoanalysis, lol). I think here in the UK, we are very much "it's only a show", and we don't take it half so seriously as some of you do. You seem to read volumes into what has come out of the pen of a scriptwriter, which I must admit does seem a little odd to a Brit (we're born cynics, lol). When we read heart-rending embellished versions of what happened in an episode, and excited accounts of having discovered a children's programme called 'Listen With Mother' (known and loved by every Brit of a certain age!), I'm afraid we have an unfortunate tendency to snigger. Please don't hold it against us! We mean very well, but our sense of humour can come over as wry and sardonic. 'Taking the mickey' is a rather British quirk, and we often assume that everyone has a skin as thick as ours.
Are we forgiven? We're really just gently teasing, honestly!
Having spent a fair amount of time in England in the last several years (my daughter is married to an English citizen, has a permanent settlement visa, and my 3 granddaughters speak with a very British accent!) I have some idea of what you are driving at.
I have also read Sarah Lyalls book: The Anglo Files: A field guide to the British. She was for a period of time, an expat American living in England (now divorced and back in the States, I think.) At any rate, her discussion of British sense of humor, and irony and understatement is very much in line with your post. (Hope none of you English Forum members truly hate this book!)
Having spent a fair amount of time in England in the last several years (my daughter is married to an English citizen, has a permanent settlement visa, and my 3 granddaughters speak with a very British accent!) I have some idea of what you are driving at.
I have also read Sarah Lyalls book: The Anglo Files: A field guide to the British. She was for a period of time, an expat American living in England (now divorced and back in the States, I think.) At any rate, her discussion of British sense of humor, and irony and understatement is very much in line with your post. (Hope none of you English Forum members truly hate this book!)
Now that's something I'd like to read - I've never heard of it! I'm a terrible tease generally - just born that way! - and I usually manage fine on DS. Tellingly, non-Brits sometimes just don't get what I mean and occasionally take offence, but I always explain myself and not just leave them with a flea in their ear (like some do here!). I do try to be kind and helpful, because I think that helps the world go round a little bit - hiding behind sarcasm just because you can is not conducive to good international relations.
Continuing my own post here. It seems that Grandpa Henry Ellingham is going to be an enigmatic character here. He was a great surgeon. He had three children who were brought up to show no emotion and each had their issues. I still can't forget that Dad Christopher was a sob even if we know that Mummy Dearest was a physical and emotional abuser. What was Henry's relationship with little boy Martin? He doesn't sound like a warm fuzzy character. Martin fixed his clock...he was pleased to have it for some reason. I believe Martin wears his watch....and it is a minute behind the clock. He doesn't correct it because the slow watch gives him one more minute to spend with Louisa before she leaves ( someone else's idea, but I thought it sounded good). At age 5 Grandpa Henry gives Martin a frog to dissect....inappropriate because a 5 year old is just a baby. Then what happened? Ruth has seen Martin as a sensitive 4 year old and then as a shutdown and distant 6 year old. Hmmmmm? Martin comes home and sees a toy on the stairs...a little frog....he picks it up and pockets it like a token before he has his discussion with Mummy Dearest. There are quite a few coincidences.....but that's kind of what this show is about. Virtually everything in Doc Martin has a meaning. That's why scripts are torn apart and put back together as BP says. Brilliant!
Excuse my insanity...it's half the fun.
Mofromco:
I think you've stumbled on to something here. ME has spent his entire life "fixing" things. The clock did not work, he spent hours working on it until it did. The occupation he chose, surgery is one of "fixing" the vascular system of people.
I imagine maybe that's why he gets so frustrated as a medical clinician. He will give advise and prescriptions, but unless people follow his advise, they will not get better.
Then there's the frog. He was given the frog to dissect. I imagine that as Martin, the child, thought if he dissected the frog and then put it back together, it would live again. His grandfather might have not been aware that children at age 5 have no concept of death. Martin was expecting the frog to come back to life when he put all the pieces back together. He blamed himself when it never came back to life. He thought he did it incorrectly.
Again, we're back to one of the reasons why he became a surgeon. This undoing process. (Very Freudian)
Someone asked why Americans on this board are so analytical
about the characters in Doc Martin. It might be the desire of those on the US for self-improvement as evidenced by many self-help books and other media. Those from the US want the Doc, especially, to change, improve his behavior, be happy
Not sure the Brits or many other world citizens share our mania for self help. We are a country striving for self actualization
I think many of us are constantly in self analysis, I know I am! I am always questioning my motives, and walking a fine line to determine what is the root cause of my feelings. I work hard to assess the psychology of my co-workers and determine their possible pathologies so that I understand what is making them angry or frustrated so that I can better tolerate them. I look for the meaning of everything. I even have my own set of traffic rules - if I am not in a hurry I give way to the people that are so that when I am in a hurry I don't feel guilty about cutting someone off. I know a lot of people who are just like me or Woody Allen who are trying to find the meaning of life when we are in line at McDonalds.
So it is logical for me to analyze Doc Martin and all the nutty people in Port Wenn. I question what his motives are and wonder what is the root cause of Louisa's anger. Every time I watch the show I am doing this.
Maybe British people don't have to work as hard as we do. Maybe you are doing it but don't even know it because it comes natural to you! Maybe you think we are nuts and it's a good thing you're not responsible for us any more because we are so high maintenance that we are a drag to be around. You would grow tired of always having to prop up our lack of self esteem.
Maybe British people don't have to work as hard as we do. Maybe you are doing it but don't even know it because it comes natural to you! Maybe you think we are nuts and it's a good thing you're not responsible for us any more because we are so high maintenance that we are a drag to be around. You would grow tired of always having to prop up our lack of self esteem.
Ooh, stoppit - you're not all nuts or high maintenance or lacking in self-esteem, there's nothing wrong with trying to make sense of life. (What you need is a healthy dose of self-belief and a good British stiff upper lip, lol! Hang on, I've got a spare one around here somewhere.......)
Haha, Shop Girl - I've already removed the soaps for you, I can't just 'throw out the talent shows' as well, lol - I mean, how skewed do you want your figures to be?! Talent shows currently rule the roost on British TV whether we like it or not - we can't just ignore them! And if I was to be entirely honest with you, and replace the soaps, the real figures should have looked like this:-
w/e 13 Oct 2013
BBC1 - STRICTLY COME DANCING - 10,899,000
ITV - DOWNTON ABBEY - 9,922,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 9,031,000
BBC1 - STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE RESULTS - 8,952,000
ITV - THE X FACTOR RESULTS - 8,791,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 8,783,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 8,343,000
ITV - DOC MARTIN - 7,971,000
w/e 6 Oct 2013
BBC1 - STRICTLY COME DANCING - 10,333,000
ITV - DOWNTON ABBEY - 9,891,000
BBC1 - STRICTLY COME DANCING: THE RESULTS - 8,848,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 8,838,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 8,730,000
ITV - CORONATION STREET - 8,455,000
BBC1 - NEW TRICKS - 8,260,000
ITV - THE X FACTOR - 8,144,000
BBC1 - EASTENDERS - 8,009,000
ITV - DOC MARTIN - 7,974,000 (Source - BARB)
(Sorry about the messy appearance - I just couldn't be bothered to work all that spacing out again!)
Coronation Street is a venerable institution in the UK, it has been on our screens since 1961, and can't just be airily dismissed as any old soap. As you can see, our viewing is dominated by soaps and talent shows, whether you (or we) like it or not. When a good drama series comes along, it will (if it's lucky) edge its way into the top ten (e.g. New Tricks), but not always - Downton Abbey is really just a posh soap. DM is considered pretty much of a hit, but I think it's taken time to get there. (I never watched it until the last series, it just didn't appeal - but then I got fed up with my mum's constant phone calls, urging me to watch - we once holidayed in Port Isaac, and she kept seeing things she remembered. And I have lusted after Martin C for 20+ years, so I don't know why I didn't watch really!)
However, real-time TV listings are a bit unfair really - it doesn't give a true picture of the popularity of the drama against other dramas, which are shown at all different times of the year. The reason I say that DM isn't standout is because there have been other successful shows earlier on in the year.
The popularity of a TV show is often measured over here in terms of DVD sales - that's the definitive way of sorting the 'sheep from the goats'. (Don't forget that our biggest viewing figures are drawn from the BBC and ITV - these are free channels. The BBC is a state channel and we pay a small licence fee each year to watch it - ITV is a commercial channel. So DVD sales are important - they equal income!) However, trying to find up-to-date and accurate figures of current DVD sales is well-nigh impossible (and will all change after Christmas - DVDs are probably the most popular Christmas present here). The latest list I could find was for July, and DM was nowhere on that because it wasn't on TV at the time.
If we look at a very general popularity list, about the nearest and most representative one I can find is IMDb's "Most Popular TV Series With Country of Origin United Kingdom". If you look at that, you will see that DM is down at no. 30. These figures are based on popularity since the inception of the show, and since DM has been hanging around since 2004 and attracts an older audience, that might be why it's further down (it's been overtaken by brand new shows such as Atlantis and The Wrong Mans, which are being shown on TV now). Read into this list what you will - I was just trying to find a reasonable level of comparison, but it's not easy to find, despite the leviathan which is the Internet.......
Very, very informative. Thank you for this, Sapphic!
A pleasure - many many years ago I used to work for the BBC, and was involved in compiling the 'pop charts' (long before computers!), this was a bit like old times!
(These are BARB figures, and are ITV and ITV+1 added together.)
If you like, I can keep an eye on the BARB ratings and update this as and when the new figures come in?
(PS. Wikipedia figures should be ignored - they're fiction!)
If anyone has been around the forum a while, they might know my opinion for depending solely on Wikipedia info, as I personally have found mistakes in it and realize the potential for misinformation to be found in it. (I taught school age children who figured out they could "edit" it.) So, while I used it for viewing stats in a recent post, I would take them with a grain of salt.
But then again, this whole discussion about viewing stats is so ripe with WHICH stats (overnight, weekly, monthly, yearly....), INCLUDING what (demographic group, ITV player, +1, vpn views.....), throw in DVD sales eventually in the mix, and we can't even think about downloading sites, Youtube, etc. etc. ......... so that it just reminds me of the saying: "You can prove anything with statistics." (Just my thinking thrown in as an aside and how I want numbers to mean something, but it just isn't that easy sometimes. Let's just say, "It's complicated.")
And to think it all started with the question: "What would be considered a massive hit?":D
Answer:
MC appearing at my back door, just having to speak to me about my lovely veggie garden, (or wanting to talk about my stripey lawn and the way I mow it) and inviting himself in for dinner.
Mofromco:
I think you've stumbled on to something here. ME has spent his entire life "fixing" things. The clock did not work, he spent hours working on it until it did. The occupation he chose, surgery is one of "fixing" the vascular system of people.
I imagine maybe that's why he gets so frustrated as a medical clinician. He will give advise and prescriptions, but unless people follow his advise, they will not get better.
Then there's the frog. He was given the frog to dissect. I imagine that as Martin, the child, thought if he dissected the frog and then put it back together, it would live again. His grandfather might have not been aware that children at age 5 have no concept of death. Martin was expecting the frog to come back to life when he put all the pieces back together. He blamed himself when it never came back to life. He thought he did it incorrectly.
Again, we're back to one of the reasons why he became a surgeon. This undoing process. (Very Freudian)
I wanted to go back and check about the frog story. When it was in S5E6. Martin tells Louisa he was give the frog to KILL and dissect. Grandad and/or members of his family wanted him to kill it first. Pretty sick for a 5 year old.
There is also another factor that some have brought up and that may play a part in the whole scenario....broken glass....starting with the glass and Holly's blood in S3..... Going on to the dream in S5 where he breaks the jar with the butterfly...which is really Louisa breaking his red glass tumbler ...then onto him dropping the plate when his mother touches him. It's not clear what the meaning of this is but I believe the theme is important. I am going to start a series rewatch and see if there were any hints we may have missed.
Thanks. I was actually one of those people (I asked if you were all doing degrees in psychoanalysis, lol). I think here in the UK, we are very much "it's only a show", and we don't take it half so seriously as some of you do. You seem to read volumes into what has come out of the pen of a scriptwriter, which I must admit does seem a little odd to a Brit (we're born cynics, lol). When we read heart-rending embellished versions of what happened in an episode, and excited accounts of having discovered a children's programme called 'Listen With Mother' (known and loved by every Brit of a certain age!), I'm afraid we have an unfortunate tendency to snigger. Please don't hold it against us! We mean very well, but our sense of humour can come over as wry and sardonic. 'Taking the mickey' is a rather British quirk, and we often assume that everyone has a skin as thick as ours.
Are we forgiven? We're really just gently teasing, honestly!
Sapphic I am much more like the Brits who see everything as an opportunity for sarcasm and that has gotten me into trouble as well! I agree that there are cultural differences and no where are they more evident than on this board.
Cheers.
I think many of us are constantly in self analysis, I know I am! I am always questioning my motives, and walking a fine line to determine what is the root cause of my feelings. I work hard to assess the psychology of my co-workers and determine their possible pathologies so that I understand what is making them angry or frustrated so that I can better tolerate them. I look for the meaning of everything. I even have my own set of traffic rules - if I am not in a hurry I give way to the people that are so that when I am in a hurry I don't feel guilty about cutting someone off. I know a lot of people who are just like me or Woody Allen who are trying to find the meaning of life when we are in line at McDonalds.
So it is logical for me to analyze Doc Martin and all the nutty people in Port Wenn. I question what his motives are and wonder what is the root cause of Louisa's anger. Every time I watch the show I am doing this.
Maybe British people don't have to work as hard as we do. Maybe you are doing it but don't even know it because it comes natural to you! Maybe you think we are nuts and it's a good thing you're not responsible for us any more because we are so high maintenance that we are a drag to be around. You would grow tired of always having to prop up our lack of self esteem.
With respect to what propels you, I don't believe all Americans are like this. There may be cultural differences between those from different countries, but I'm a little uncomfortable painting everyone from the UK or US with too broad a brush.
With respect to what propels you, I don't believe all Americans are like this. There may be cultural differences between those from different countries, but I'm a little uncomfortable painting everyone from the UK or US with too broad a brush.
I guess my skills of satire and irony need polishing. It was a joke.
There is also another factor that some have brought up and that may play a part in the whole scenario....broken glass....starting with the glass and Holly's blood in S3..... Going on to the dream in S5 where he breaks the jar with the butterfly...which is really Louisa breaking his red glass tumbler ...then onto him dropping the plate when his mother touches him. It's not clear what the meaning of this is but I believe the theme is important. I am going to start a series rewatch and see if there were any hints we may have missed.
I wondered the same thing but not so much about the bottle, the jar or the red glass tumbler. The plate incident this series obviously triggered something, but what? That's the mystery oftentimes with this programme and the details that those of us in the US see or pay attention to but the Brits brush off. The backstory is often not revealed (if there is one) or it is subtly revealed over time. I think that's why it keeps me fascinated over the years. What will happen and why did it happen? It's fun to look back and see how minor things reveal themselves in a big way. Even this latest brain issue with L. Was it something that developed over time and was only caught in the recent scan or was it a result of her being hit by the car? All of those times she fainted in past episodes...is it just now coming to light why it was happening?
Comments
Perhaps, then, the collapse of Western civilization is not yet upon us.
If you watched some of the shows that I do, you would be worried. House Hunters - not so much the content but the fact that it is a show about people looking for a house, but it's fun to guess which one they're going to pick. Lock Up - it is on Saturdays late night for like 4-6 hours on MSNBC where this film crew actually goes into prisons and does an episode about it. That is where you see the true decline of civilization. I have seen it so often that I know which prisons are better or worse than others. It is hardcore and not for the faint of heart, but is a very thoughtful and well done show. They get the prisoners to open up and talk to them, and you end up caring about them and hope they succeed. But it does make you worry about the world.
2 Sep 2013 - 8,769,000
9 Sep 2013 - 8,199,000
16 Sep 2013 - 8,360,000
23 Sep 2013 - 8,098,000
30 Sep 2013 - 8,273,000
7 Oct 2013 - 8,277,000
(These are BARB figures, and are ITV and ITV+1 added together.)
If you like, I can keep an eye on the BARB ratings and update this as and when the new figures come in?
(PS. Wikipedia figures should be ignored - they're fiction!)
JL contacted me about a YouTube vid I uploaded. I gave someone his YT channel info but I can't remember who it was.
One thing to remember when you look at the ratings from 2 years ago and 4 years ago is that you didn't have all the viewing options that you have today. You pretty much had to watch the show when it was broadcast or you didn't see that episode. There was also some DVR time shifting then, but I think those went into the ratings because they couldn't tell if you were actually watching or the DVR was just recording. Now, so many people watch their favorite shows using Apple TV, Roku, laptop computers and tablets. About the only television I watch live any more are local sporting events and news. Just this week I was catching up my favorite US show, Modern Family, and watching the episodes from the last four weeks on my iPad using the ABC app. This is also how I watch Corrie (yes, I have been watching for almost 40 years now) on the ITV app.
So, none of my viewing of my favorite shows show up in the ratings and there are millions more like me (the ratings only count live views and online views in the next hour) . Comparing ratings from 2, 4, 6 years ago to now are like comparing apples and oranges.
As for my comment above about Wikipedia, I should ignore that - I've done some sums and their figures just don't add up at all (certainly don't tally with BARB's).
Did you see my longer post above? (It's here - http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showpost.php?p=69393407&postcount=720.) (I wasn't ribbing you, but you did make me giggle when you wanted to throw out the soaps and the talent shows, lol!
Thank you for your research SapphicGirl.
Someone asked why Americans on this board are so analytical
about the characters in Doc Martin. It might be the desire of those on the US for self-improvement as evidenced by many self-help books and other media. Those from the US want the Doc, especially, to change, improve his behavior, be happy
Not sure the Brits or many other world citizens share our mania for self help. We are a country striving for self actualization
Are we forgiven? We're really just gently teasing, honestly!
Having spent a fair amount of time in England in the last several years (my daughter is married to an English citizen, has a permanent settlement visa, and my 3 granddaughters speak with a very British accent!) I have some idea of what you are driving at.
I have also read Sarah Lyalls book: The Anglo Files: A field guide to the British. She was for a period of time, an expat American living in England (now divorced and back in the States, I think.) At any rate, her discussion of British sense of humor, and irony and understatement is very much in line with your post. (Hope none of you English Forum members truly hate this book!)
Mofromco:
I think you've stumbled on to something here. ME has spent his entire life "fixing" things. The clock did not work, he spent hours working on it until it did. The occupation he chose, surgery is one of "fixing" the vascular system of people.
I imagine maybe that's why he gets so frustrated as a medical clinician. He will give advise and prescriptions, but unless people follow his advise, they will not get better.
Then there's the frog. He was given the frog to dissect. I imagine that as Martin, the child, thought if he dissected the frog and then put it back together, it would live again. His grandfather might have not been aware that children at age 5 have no concept of death. Martin was expecting the frog to come back to life when he put all the pieces back together. He blamed himself when it never came back to life. He thought he did it incorrectly.
Again, we're back to one of the reasons why he became a surgeon. This undoing process. (Very Freudian)
I think many of us are constantly in self analysis, I know I am! I am always questioning my motives, and walking a fine line to determine what is the root cause of my feelings. I work hard to assess the psychology of my co-workers and determine their possible pathologies so that I understand what is making them angry or frustrated so that I can better tolerate them. I look for the meaning of everything. I even have my own set of traffic rules - if I am not in a hurry I give way to the people that are so that when I am in a hurry I don't feel guilty about cutting someone off. I know a lot of people who are just like me or Woody Allen who are trying to find the meaning of life when we are in line at McDonalds.
So it is logical for me to analyze Doc Martin and all the nutty people in Port Wenn. I question what his motives are and wonder what is the root cause of Louisa's anger. Every time I watch the show I am doing this.
Maybe British people don't have to work as hard as we do. Maybe you are doing it but don't even know it because it comes natural to you! Maybe you think we are nuts and it's a good thing you're not responsible for us any more because we are so high maintenance that we are a drag to be around. You would grow tired of always having to prop up our lack of self esteem.
Very, very informative. Thank you for this, Sapphic!
If anyone has been around the forum a while, they might know my opinion for depending solely on Wikipedia info, as I personally have found mistakes in it and realize the potential for misinformation to be found in it. (I taught school age children who figured out they could "edit" it.) So, while I used it for viewing stats in a recent post, I would take them with a grain of salt.
But then again, this whole discussion about viewing stats is so ripe with WHICH stats (overnight, weekly, monthly, yearly....), INCLUDING what (demographic group, ITV player, +1, vpn views.....), throw in DVD sales eventually in the mix, and we can't even think about downloading sites, Youtube, etc. etc. ......... so that it just reminds me of the saying: "You can prove anything with statistics." (Just my thinking thrown in as an aside and how I want numbers to mean something, but it just isn't that easy sometimes. Let's just say, "It's complicated.")
And to think it all started with the question: "What would be considered a massive hit?":D
Answer:
I wanted to go back and check about the frog story. When it was in S5E6. Martin tells Louisa he was give the frog to KILL and dissect. Grandad and/or members of his family wanted him to kill it first. Pretty sick for a 5 year old.
There is also another factor that some have brought up and that may play a part in the whole scenario....broken glass....starting with the glass and Holly's blood in S3..... Going on to the dream in S5 where he breaks the jar with the butterfly...which is really Louisa breaking his red glass tumbler ...then onto him dropping the plate when his mother touches him. It's not clear what the meaning of this is but I believe the theme is important. I am going to start a series rewatch and see if there were any hints we may have missed.
Sapphic I am much more like the Brits who see everything as an opportunity for sarcasm and that has gotten me into trouble as well! I agree that there are cultural differences and no where are they more evident than on this board.
Cheers.
With respect to what propels you, I don't believe all Americans are like this. There may be cultural differences between those from different countries, but I'm a little uncomfortable painting everyone from the UK or US with too broad a brush.
I guess my skills of satire and irony need polishing. It was a joke.
I wondered the same thing but not so much about the bottle, the jar or the red glass tumbler. The plate incident this series obviously triggered something, but what? That's the mystery oftentimes with this programme and the details that those of us in the US see or pay attention to but the Brits brush off.