Reporting Scotland: Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalism

We are huge fans of the national Scottish news programme Reporting Scotland, but for all the wrong reasons as it leaves us in hysterics every night. We shouldn't laugh though as BBC Scotland have brand new, state-of-the-art, multi million pound offices in Glasgow's Pacific Quay, so you would assume that their flagship news programme would be a big, sparkly, finely polished affair. That couldn't be further from the truth, over the past few years this programme has become progressively worse, it sometimes feels like the only thing holding it together is some blu-tack, masking tape and week old chewing gum. The production is practically non-existent, the reporting is woeful and the story selection is fucking hilarious. That's why we love it though, it's become a ritual at HMS Friday's HQ to sit around the television, buckle ourselves in and watch the car crash unfold.

But tonight Reporting Scotland televised something very special, a landmark incident, an indelible mark on the history of broadcast journalism. This event was so awesome it left our mouths open and our ham and cheese toasties on the floor and it had nothing to do with the full five minutes of silence which had happened earlier in the programme, due to a problem they were having with the sound. No, tonight we watched a female reporter interview a dog.
How did she do this? How on earth did she manage to interview an animal? Well she basically approached the dog in the street and asked it a question. Simple as that.
The "news" item she was reporting on was about Susan Boyle and the singer's chances of winning the Britain's Got Talent grand finale. During this segment the reporter "hit the streets" of West Lothian to gauge public opinion, (vox pop), and spied a dog on a lead with it's owner, but instead of interviewing the human she used her skills as a journalist to shake things up, she took broadcast journalism outside of the box, as she approached the dog with microphone in hand and shouted at the canine "Are you supporting Susan?" The dog, fearing for it's life, barked at her, the reporter laughed, the dog's owner laughed and our necks back home went bright red, as we looked at each other in a silent shared and cherished moment of total disbelief.

Take a look for yourselves HERE

Jade Wonderful Jade

Turns out my runaway imagination isn't so runaway these days, as pop culture in Britain has hit such a serious low that plans are now afoot to turn Jade Goody's life story into a genuine west end musical. Not just that, oh no, why stop there when so many more avenues can be exploited for profit with such wonderfully rich source material. As well as the musical a TV show is also planned, a reality TV show where you the public can watch as lucky hopefuls audition for the lead part in front of a panel of judges. Mmmm I wonder who would judge such an event....Oh how about whatshisface? Max Clifford. Yeah he'd be great, because after all he made a fucking ton of money knew Jade best. STORY HERE

"I Suppose I Look Quite Hot"

A few posts back we introduced you to Scotland's next top model, Ross something or other, and here he is again this time without all the slap and neon leg warmers. I'm not suggesting for a second that television is trying hard, I mean trying so very, very, very, very fucking hard to dumb down viewers by turning them into self- obsessed, narcissistic strokers, but programmes like this do make you wonder. Och I'm just being silly now, me and my runaway imagination. I'll be telling you next that at this rate they'll be turning Jade Goody's life into a west end musical. What am I like?

What The F**king F**k!

British TV is crap. There is no denying this with every channel hosting banal, lightweight, reality TV based programmes, unimaginative game shows, (Hole In The Wall, anyone?) and soul sucking soap operas. As a viewer searching for programmes of substance, like a Lion searching for prey across the sun baked Serengeti, I am starved. Imagine my delight when I heard that BBC 2 had bought up the rights to show the critically acclaimed crime series The Wire. Overjoyed and anxious I then discovered to my horror that BBC 2 will be airing the entire five seasons of The Wire, with an episode a night, at the prime time of 11.20pm. Who the f**k is going to stay up every week night to watch each episode at that time, unless you have some fancy-dan technological recording device. British TV has arsed about for over four years to air this brilliant series and now they have it, they shaft everyone by giving it a wholly unreasonable time to show it. Well done British telly, well done.

Steve-O Does Strictly

Just discovered that Steve-O, he of Jackass fame, is a competitor on Dancing With The Stars, (the American version of Strictly Come Dancing), and I feel a bit cheated as I won't get to see it. I don't watch programmes like this, usually because I'm busy out robbing banks and seducing supermodels, but I'd actually set aside time to watch this character, because deep down something tells me he may be the next Fred Astaire.

RIP Good TV

Here's a collection of photographs taken by some guy who posted them on a website which details abandoned places. So far, so boring, but the pics are of the various different soundstages used in the critically acclaimed television series The Wire. As you can see the crew have left a mountain of stuff at their arse, (someone else's job to clean up). The Wire was TV at it's very finest and as you glance over these slightly depressing snaps think about how a show like this will probably never be made again, yet programmes like Big Brother, Celebrity Boot Camp, School Of Love Pump Celebrity Drug Addled Rock Stars With Mild Memory Loss continue to succeed.

MORE PICS HERE