Scrapheap challenge

Hello chaps, watched it,can only be described as,Brilliantly Hillarious,and did,nt they do well. John.

Though how many scrap yards do you know have functional turn of the centuary steam engines and certified pressure boilers in them? I can't see the HSE letting 'em run a pressure boiler without it being certified. The odd old tractor and baggage truck aren't so rare...

I do like this programme, but just cannot watch it in real time. There is so much padding, fill, hype, explanation, personal profiling and pure rodomontade that I tape it and whiz through the rubbish - and the ads! - and watch the 12 - 14 minutes of technical stuff that I really want to see.

I am attracted by the basic premise of Scrapyard Challenge, but grow irritated at (for instance) the calm assumption that steam engines and the

*right size* of certified boiler are to be found in scrapyards. Shall we make a guess at £2-3ks worth of kit? Bah, humbug! And I wonder who did the high pressure plumbing and subsequent certification? And when? Didn't see a lot about that, did we? Bah, humbug twice!

But I still watch it ....................

As I have a bit to do with TV production from time to time, I am probably super-critical, but I do continually wish for an occasional programme which assumes its audience have an engineering background and a basic understanding of the physical world. Programmes like this can and do work well: in another field altogether, The West Wing operates on just this level. It assumes the viewer will have a better than basic interest in - and knowledge of - American law and political structure. A smattering of a Classical education and a pretty good working knowledge of global ecological concerns, international politics and the use and deployment, strategy and tactics of armed force will not go amiss either. And this award winning programme is in its seventh series.......

Regards,

Kim Siddorn

We are seriously discussing dropping the TV licence altogether and just having radio.

There is such a dearth of decent programmes on these days that we have watched less than 3 hours TV this week, partly because we have been busy at the factory but also because a quick look through the programmes on a Sunday morning elicits the same "nothing much on again" response that we have had for the best part of the year.

Scrapheap Challenge I never found to be really interesting or convincing, and the other one whose name I forget now, which spent too much time on personalities and not enough on the nuts and bolts was similarly a non-start after the first couple of episodes.

Most people with cable TV seem to spend the evening channel-hopping amongst the 65+ channels in the hope of finding something watchable. We can't get Freeview or Channel 5 where we are, and digital TV is going to be a big black hole if this current generation of programmers and controllers don't get their asses in gear and sort TV out. Digital Radio ditto, I can't think of any good reason to get either at present, and I am reasonably 'technically savvy'

Peter

-- Peter A Forbes Prepair Ltd, Luton, UK snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk

Didn't see a

programme which

strategy and

programmers

Digital

Hello again folks, did anyone recognise the make or model-manufacture of the steam engine plant,they used for the Train engine wagon pull. It looks as if it would be an intersting bit of research for a possible Model build. All the best for now, John.

Addict, SHC was the only TV I've watched this week. Similary can't get DTTV or Ch5, half interested in Freesat but more for the kids than me.

It used to be reasonable, but they seem to be going for the bigger more spectactular builds that require more than your average miscellaneous vehicle/metals scrap yard can provide.

I guess last nights was really a special but they did gloss over (read ignore) some quite serious technical issues. Less of the puff more on the build/technical stuff please.

As it happens our club had the Captain of the Barley Pickers along to do a talk on Sat night. Very entertaining indeed. He more or less confirmed that the heap is seeded with what the experts reckoned they would need. I quite enjoy it but do find all the contrived controversy/risk an irritating waste of space. It a spreading disease which now seems to have found its way, along with: nauseatingly hushed/reverential tones, irrelevant reconstructions, "clever" camera work, and wild claims totally free of any evidence, into far too many hitherto interesting programmes. (Horizon, Timewatch, Meet the Ancestors, and about 99% of archaeological progs). ttfn Roland