Forces TV to close

[Brekkie]

TV channels closing isn't something we see very often as most either rebrand as something new or are yanked off air unceremoniously due to financial or regulatory issues. The ITV News Channel perhaps the most obvious example of getting a farewell - not sure what happened with the various Disney closures last year.

[JetixFann450]

Essentially, Disney Channel aired a full day of DCOMs (Disney Channel Original Movies) while the other Disney channels went out without a whimper. Even Disney Channel essentially just pulled a "Box Hits" and froze on a screen.

[Steve in Pudsey]

A possibly controversial opinion, but I appreciated that they managed to find a cheerful rendition of GSTQ rather than the funereal dirge version we so often hear.

[TVenthusiasm]

Not sure what happened with the various Disney closures last year.

The Disney channels closed in 2020, not 2021

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A very nice traditional closedown complete with National Anthem and a reminder to switch off your set. Very classy!

https://youtu.be/Z7y2W5V8rR8

Kudos to Forces TV - clearly realised there would be TV enthusiasts watching and recording the closedown to be preserved for the future by basically handling closedowns like it's the 1980s and for that, BFBS should be applauded.

[harshy]

Yeah such a shame just hope the programming makes it onto another channel rather then dusting away in the archives like a lot of the shows it seems

[JK1985]

It seems now for people who want nostalgia TV, Talking Pictures TV now seems to be the only main home.

Such a shame that channels such as GOLD and ITV3 don't utilise their archives better on these channels, as there are so many old ITV sitcoms, dramas etc and BBC sitcoms that could fill both channels easily.

GOLD seem to be content with being the Only Fools and Horses channel, supplemented by a few other sitcoms.

[London Lite]

It seems now for people who want nostalgia TV, Talking Pictures TV now seems to be the only main home.

Such a shame that channels such as GOLD and ITV3 don't utilise their archives better on these channels, as there are so many old ITV sitcoms, dramas etc and BBC sitcoms that could fill both channels easily.

GOLD seem to be content with being the Only Fools and Horses channel, supplemented by a few other sitcoms.

While there's a cult following for these cheap as chips Freeview channels showing archive shows not aired for years, I have no issue with UKTV running a tight schedule of shows on Gold of timeless classic shows such as OFAH with recurring shows and the occasional new commission.

It may not suit those who like to see 40 year old sitcoms from ITV which haven't been aired since then, but Gold still brings in the numbers which for a linear multichannel behind a paywall is still an achievement.

[Larry the Loafer]

I wonder how feasible/cost effective it is for these kinds of shows to find a home on a streaming service. I'm not a Britbox subscriber, so I don't know how wide a range it has of those more "forgotten" archive shows. If you dig deep on Prime Video, you can find some ancient American TV from the 50s and 60s that is genuinely fascinating to watch from a modern perspective, and would definitely never see the light of day anywhere on linear TV channels in the UK.

[Brekkie]

Some of them are already on streamers anyway - Brittas Empire is on BritBox for example.

[all new Phil]

I’ve always found Forces TV interesting, in that if I was serving in the forces, I can’t imagine having any inclination whatsoever to watch it. Who the hell was it aimed at?

[JAS84]

I assumed it was aimed at EX-servicemen.

[CocuGrimshaw2001]

One of the best closedowns in recent history and a good example of how to send off a channel. Good job to the team at Forces TV.

[London Lite]

I’ve always found Forces TV interesting, in that if I was serving in the forces, I can’t imagine having any inclination whatsoever to watch it. Who the hell was it aimed at?

It was a strange brand. The main purpose was to show British Forces News to members of the services in the UK, which was padded with shows not shown on mainstream tv in some cases for decades, which That's TV UK has evolved into as well.

Instead it gained a cult audience who liked the random scheduling of old shows. I get the whole Talking Pictures TV concept which is wonderful, but considering Forces via BFBS received funding for the MoD for this channel, it was an odd way of providing that service.

[James2001]

If you dig deep on Prime Video, you can find some ancient American TV from the 50s and 60s that is genuinely fascinating to watch from a modern perspective, and would definitely never see the light of day anywhere on linear TV channels in the UK.

The Roku Channel too, if you have a Roku box. Been watching "The Danny Thomas Show", which from what I've seen on old videos was shown in the UK on the old Lifestyle channel (not sure if it was ever shown terrestrially, certainly not listed on Genome, so the BBC never showed it at least). Though rather annoyingly they don't have the first 3 seasons, and only one random epsidoe from the fourth- I always like to follow a show from the start and work through it with its development and evolution). That show was on prime at one point, though only seasons 5-7... and in typical Prime fashion, it was taken off when I was only part way through watching it.

Funnily enough there is a market for these shows in the US and there's several channels there showing this sort of stuff.

[London Lite]

Ideally those who like the Forces/That's TV UK archive shows would become part of a FAST channel which is perfect for that type of format.