Is an hour sometimes too long for a programme?

Bill ClintonBill Clinton Posts: 9,389
Forum Member
Some of you might think that I'm making a strange point, but sometimes rather than wishing favourite programmes were longer, I sometimes wish some types were shorter as they are a lot to commit to. Half an hour is a nice length for programmes on certain subjects and I feel there is a trend these days for making almost any old thing into an hour long programme.
Whilst in the 90's or 80's say most prime time slots on magaziney style subjects were just half an hour, think of Holiday, This Is Your Life, Tomorrow's World, if they were around today they'd probably be an hour long, Watchdog is one of those programmes, it IS still around today and you guessed it, it goes out in a one hour slot.

Making programmes such as Masterchef, The British Bake Off, Who Do You Think You Are, Watchdog an hour long has its upsides and downsides, one is if you are a fan of these programmes and really enjoy the content you are nicely settled for nearly a whole hour, but on the other hand if you just want to watch a bit of TV you often now find that almost every programme is an hour long one one very samey subject and you start to get the feeling of having bitten off more than you can chew.
The trend is towards what I would call more "magaziney" shows on food, celebrity geneaology, celebrity fronted docs on this and that, consumer affairs and property, I don't think Rogue Traders would have stood up to a full hour which is probably why they absorbed it into Watchdog.
What could be next to upgrade The One Show to a full hour each weekday, I'd often thought of how much less variety there seems to be in peaktime now, but I have only just thought that more and more one hour long shows are also part of being the culprit, if there's one sure way for there to be less variety it's not only to have the same types of shows repeatedly but to have less shows go on for longer!
«1

Comments

  • Ginger DaddyGinger Daddy Posts: 8,507
    Forum Member
    Most programmes that are an hour are justifiably an hour long.

    Its when you get programmes like Deal or No Deal that are padded out to an hour where there is a problem.
  • AngusMastAngusMast Posts: 5,153
    Forum Member
    Channels want you to stay tuned to them for as long as possible for minimum cost to them. So they make hour long programmes even when the content doesn't justify an hour, then spin it out with previews and re-caps

    On the other hand, with the amount of adverts these days you can't get so much into half an hour
  • RadioKnowerRadioKnower Posts: 2,272
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Most programmes that are an hour are justifiably an hour long.

    Its when you get programmes like Deal or No Deal that are padded out to an hour where there is a problem.
    Deal works perfectly well over an hour.
  • runfor yourliferunfor yourlife Posts: 118
    Forum Member
    Although i still like it, i think Benidorm worked better as a half hour
  • lundavralundavra Posts: 31,790
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    A lot would be better if edited down tighter. Some of the recent Top Gear programmes would have been much better if the films had been edited down to half an hour.

    Channel 4 documentaries are frequently too long and again would be a better programmer if edited tighter. But of course an hour programme has more time for adverts than a half hour one.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 802
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Most programmes that are an hour are justifiably an hour long.

    Its when you get programmes like Deal or No Deal that are padded out to an hour where there is a problem.

    I agree.

    If it is a drama like Game of Thrones then an hour per episode seems perfect.

    Having lunacy like DONO stretched out to an hour or more beggars belief, though.
  • Ginger DaddyGinger Daddy Posts: 8,507
    Forum Member
    Deal works perfectly well over an hour.

    It was fine as 45 minutes. Now it is stretched out, there is more grief, backslapping etc..

    No need for it.
  • Bill ClintonBill Clinton Posts: 9,389
    Forum Member
    Zora wrote: »
    I agree.

    If it is a drama like Game of Thrones then an hour per episode seems perfect.

    Having lunacy like DONO stretched out to an hour or more beggars belief, though.

    Deal was OK at about 45 minutes, half an hour would be even better. If TV is a guilty pleasure sometimes it's better to get in tighter and more manageable doses than ending up having to sit out your entire day and evening with hour long programmes.
  • derek500derek500 Posts: 24,887
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Zora wrote: »
    I agree.

    If it is a drama like Game of Thrones then an hour per episode seems perfect.

    Have there been any GOT episodes as long as 60 minutes?
    “There’s almost another full episode’s worth of extra minutes spread across the season,” Weiss says. “One of the great liberties with HBO is we’re not forced to come in at a specific time. We can’t be under 50 minutes or over 60, but that gives us a lot of flexibility.”

    “A super-sized season, as befitting Storm of Swords,” Benioff adds. “Last year we had a lot of 52-minute episodes. This year is a lot of 56, 57.”

    http://screenrant.com/game-thrones-season-3-longer-episodes/

    And of course if you're watching on UK TV they run 4% faster.
  • DragonQDragonQ Posts: 4,807
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    derek500 wrote: »
    Have there been any GOT episodes as long as 60 minutes?
    I've just started watching it. The first episode is 61 minutes long and the rest are between 50 and 60 minutes long.

    Similar thing with The Newsroom, the first episode is 72 minutes and the rest are 50-60.

    Man, HBO makes some awesome stuff. Wish we had a channel like that over here. I know Sky Atlantic shows a fair amount of HBO stuff but the adverts kinda ruin it (and that's adverts on top of subscription costs, of course).
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
    Forum Member
    I think the problem with the BBC is that they don't really make 40 - 45 programs. So they either fit things into 30mins or pad into 1h.

    Off the top of my head the ones that are 45 minutes are all "Extra" programmes such as Good News, QI, HIGNFY, Room101.

    On Dave they stretch those into 1h with ad breaks.

    30min progs on Dave are 40mins and people will probably now be used to the schedule of things at 9pm, 9:40pm, 10:20pm etc.

    I'm just guessing that BBC1 don't want that. They want on the hour or half hour and the news at 10pm so there are restrictions on what they can do. BBC2 is similar on week nights although on Saturdays they tend to relax a little.
  • derek500derek500 Posts: 24,887
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    DragonQ wrote: »

    Man, HBO makes some awesome stuff. Wish we had a channel like that over here. I know Sky Atlantic shows a fair amount of HBO stuff but the adverts kinda ruin it (and that's adverts on top of subscription costs, of course).

    I wait until a few minutes after broadcast and all Sky1/Atlantic/Living shows are ad free on On Demand.

    Been nearly a year since I've watched the linear channels.
  • Ginger DaddyGinger Daddy Posts: 8,507
    Forum Member
    derek500 wrote: »
    I wait until a few minutes after broadcast and all Sky1/Atlantic/Living shows are ad free on On Demand.

    Been nearly a year since I've watched the linear channels.

    Or just record them live and start watching them about 15 minutes in.
  • derek500derek500 Posts: 24,887
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Or just record them live and start watching them about 15 minutes in.

    But the breaks still get in the way. Especially on premium cable shows where there is no natural break to put them.

    When C4 showed The Returned they were often going into a break in the middle of a piece of music and continuing it after the break.

    So intrusive.
  • DragonQDragonQ Posts: 4,807
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    derek500 wrote: »
    I wait until a few minutes after broadcast and all Sky1/Atlantic/Living shows are ad free on On Demand.

    Been nearly a year since I've watched the linear channels.
    Not an option if you want to record.
  • derek500derek500 Posts: 24,887
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    DragonQ wrote: »
    Not an option if you want to record.

    With Sky On Demand it's not streaming, they're downloaded to the box.

    I've got the whole series of Hannibal (and several others), on the planner, ad free, ready to watch.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,606
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Most programmes that are an hour are justifiably an hour long.

    Its when you get programmes like Deal or No Deal that are padded out to an hour where there is a problem.

    Agreed.

    An hour is fine for me when it's justified by the content. I have watched some programmes and it was blatantly obvious there was 30 minutes of content stretched out to an hour.
  • DragonQDragonQ Posts: 4,807
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    derek500 wrote: »
    With Sky On Demand it's not streaming, they're downloaded to the box.

    I've got the whole series of Hannibal (and several others), on the planner, ad free, ready to watch.

    But are they available to watch forever (as long as you have a Sky subscription), as a recording would be?
  • derek500derek500 Posts: 24,887
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    DragonQ wrote: »
    But are they available to watch forever (as long as you have a Sky subscription), as a recording would be?

    Some programmes have an auto delete date, most don't. It's stated on the EPG.

    The 'expiry date' is when it leaves the On Demand service and not a delete date.
  • albertdalbertd Posts: 14,341
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    The episode of Horizon on Dinosaurs the other night would have fitted into 30 mins quite well if they had chopped all the pointless whizz-bang graphics and stuck to the science.
  • simes188simes188 Posts: 190
    Forum Member
    Deal was OK at about 45 minutes, half an hour would be even better. If TV is a guilty pleasure sometimes it's better to get in tighter and more manageable doses than ending up having to sit out your entire day and evening with hour long programmes.

    Ratings for DOND would probably improve if the programme length was reverted back to 45 mins
  • smoothieahoysmoothieahoy Posts: 30
    Forum Member
    I remember wishing that The Gadget Show on Channel 5 would last an hour when it only used to be an half an hour long show, and then later on, I thought that it was getting too boring to watch for an hour! :rolleyes:
  • tvphiltvphil Posts: 985
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Yes

    I always think Restoration Home with Caroline Quentin only has about 30 minutes of content which has been padded out to an hour.
  • A.D.PA.D.P Posts: 10,328
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    An hour long X Factor is 59 minutes too long,

    Cut the first ten minutes with all the double introductions of the judges and presented dancing and zapp the long ads,

    Cut the false pantomime of who to choose and deadlock..
  • memomanmemoman Posts: 53
    Forum Member
    simes188 wrote: »
    Ratings for DOND would probably improve if the programme length was reverted back to 45 mins

    They could easily fit it in to 30 mins!

    As for Watchdog, they could cut that down by getting rid of Anne Robinson and the stuff in-between Rogue Traders.
Sign In or Register to comment.