Living in the past?

One of the things that sometimes rings my bells is the number of misconceptions that people in general have about TV today.

That ringtone gets loudest the moment someone says "constructive criticism" . . like an email I had the other day.

This gentleman decided to share his expertise with us all:

I believe you have the makings of a first class product that can attract a very good audience but you have to first get a professional presenter and not someone who appears to make the programme just as a way to supplement his pension.

The makings of a first class programme? With over 100 shows now broadcast over 4 years, one every 2 weeks, and showing to an estimated audience of 180,000 viewers per edition, The Caravan Channel is certainly one of the biggest, if not simply the biggest, niche show on satellite TV. It has an income that surprises me, and employs a couple of people quite a lot of the time.

I am sure the presenter knows what he is talking about but firstly he is not very photogenic and secondly his voice makes everything seem so boring.

The reason it's presented by me is two-fold - first, because when it started, there was no money to pay anyone (even me!), and secondly because I happen to be very much against the cult of "celebrity" that seems to pervade mainstream TV today. I've always tried to make programmes where the content carries the show, and that's what I'll continue to make . .

I have gone back to caravanning after 20 years of using hotels and it is great to see the new models, the new accessories and the sites which I find informative although the sound quality is similar to that of a 1940’s B movie, so while I would like to see many improvements I am very fond of the channel just please consider upgrading it into the 21st century.

All this chap is saying that he doesn't like me as a presenter, and bluntly that worries me not a jot - it just annoys me that (a) he isn't sufficiently aware of satellite budget restraints that make hiring a "presenter" impossible, and that (b) he doesn't comprehend the simple fact that I acknowledge that not everyone who likes caravanning, motorhomes or camping is going to like either me, the show, or it's style.

In today's hugely diverse TV spectrum, there's a surprising absence of variety and individuality, and all this fellow seems to want is a celeb presenter, and a flashier style . . and content created by TV hacks who do a workaday job with not much enthusiasm, and with no interest in the topic - the tired old recipe as before.

I'm sorry if what we show is different . . perhaps he'd be best off watching 100th-time repeats of "Caravan Sights" and "The Caravan Show", last made in 2003, on terrestrial broadcast budgets, five times the size of ours!