Paddington Station 24/7 - Channel 5

[Envoy]

I wonder where that crossing was the women jogger was on, maybe she was taking a shortcut?

Yes, and did you notice that to emphasise how busy this line was that they soon showed ‘another’ IET going in the other direction with red TAIL LIGHTS ON - so they obviously reversed the footage on the first train. Do they think we are stupid?

 

[JN114]

Yes, and did you notice that to emphasise how busy this line was that they soon showed ‘another’ IET going in the other direction with red TAIL LIGHTS ON - so they obviously reversed the footage on the first train. Do they think we are stupid?

I’d lay a fairly hefty wager the majority of their target audience wouldn’t notice, and if they did wouldn’t know the significance.

 

[yorksrob]

You'd have thought I'd be bored of Paddington by now, but no, still enjoying it.

Not as good without the IC125's though.

 

[RichardKing]

Anyone else notice in last Monday's episode that one of the clocks in the ROC showed the date of 4 July, but the day was shown to be Wednesday? For anyone that remembers the significance of that date, it was Super Saturday (emphasis on the Saturday), when pubs reopened.

The last time 4 July fell on a Wednesday was in 2018, so either C5 are routinely using fairly old stock footage or someone needs to look at the clocks.

 

[LAX54]

Anyone else notice in last Monday's episode that one of the clocks in the ROC showed the date of 4 July, but the day was shown to be Wednesday? For anyone that remembers the significance of that date, it was Super Saturday (emphasis on the Saturday), when pubs reopened.

The last time 4 July fell on a Wednesday was in 2018, so either C5 are routinely using fairly old stock footage or someone needs to look at the clocks.

ROC / PSB / IECC clocks thend to be Radio Controlled.

 

[RichardKing]

ROC / PSB / IECC clocks thend to be Radio Controlled.

Ah, must be old stock footage then.

 

[Ashley Hill]

TBH I'm not enjoying the current series. It's just treading the same old ground. The Yesterday channel has been re-running 'The Railway-First Great Western' which was a far more competent and informative program.

 

[Horizon22]

TBH I'm not enjoying the current series. It's just treading the same old ground. The Yesterday channel has been re-running 'The Railway-First Great Western' which was a far more competent and informative program.

It's still moderately entertaining, but with lockdown and reduced travellers & incidents, I guess there just isn't the same content out there to film.

 

[trainophile]

TBH I'm not enjoying the current series. It's just treading the same old ground. The Yesterday channel has been re-running 'The Railway-First Great Western' which was a far more competent and informative program.

I agree. Great to see the footage of the Dawlish repair work again. Last night's Paddington seemed very disjointed, and there were bits that I couldn't even follow.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Last night's Paddington seemed very disjointed, and there were bits that I couldn't even follow.

And that's part of the problem with Padd 24/7,it's all over the place! It can't stay on one subject for more than a few minutes before switching to one of the other items,but it's not alone in this,many of these "reality" shows follow the same format.
Also this season tends to follow Network Rail more than GWR so the viewer is only left with one half of the story.

 

[rebmcr]

It's still moderately entertaining, but with lockdown and reduced travellers & incidents, I guess there just isn't the same content out there to film.

Two weeks on the trot now they've covered jobs that included thermite welding, and failed to show us any thermite welding (save for a few seconds glimpse of the mould yesterday). That's good content being passed up.

 

[GusB]

And that's part of the problem with Padd 24/7,it's all over the place! It can't stay on one subject for more than a few minutes before switching to one of the other items,but it's not alone in this,many of these "reality" shows follow the same format.
Also this season tends to follow Network Rail more than GWR so the viewer is only left with one half of the story.

God forbid that you just want to watch the bit you're interested in and move onto another channel. This hopping around between topics annoys me intensely. I watched one episode of the Architecture the Railways Built and stopped watching for precisely this reason.

 

[Requeststop]

God forbid that you just want to watch the bit you're interested in and move onto another channel. This hopping around between topics annoys me intensely. I watched one episode of the Architecture the Railways Built and stopped watching for precisely this reason.

This is what you get now that graduates in "Media Studies" at Minor University's are in positions of Producer and Directors and Editors of these programmes.

 

[ashkeba]

This is what you get now that graduates in "Media Studies" at Minor University's are in positions of Producer and Directors and Editors of these programmes.

Cambridge is a Minor University now? (series director Tim Pritchard of Paddington 24/7 went there)

It's just calculated commercialism. These jumpy programs mean either you watch more advertising while waiting for the next bit of the story that interests you or you buy a PVR.

 

[65477]

Some years ago I attended a series of lectures on producing history programmes for TV. Amount the lessons I learnt were

You are not the target audience for the programme.
Apart from the BBC, programmes are made to deliver audiences to advertisers.

What we may see as a lack of intrresting technical detail is down to no 1. Keeping the viewer hooked via come back later to see what happen is due to no 2.

 

[Dai Corner]

Some years ago I attended a series of lectures on producing history programmes for TV. Amount the lessons I learnt were

You are not the target audience for the programme.
Apart from the BBC, programmes are made to deliver audiences to advertisers.

What we may see as a lack of intrresting technical detail is down to no 1. Keeping the viewer hooked via come back later to see what happen is due to no 2.

Whereas at the BBC programmes are made to deliver audiences so that managers commission further episodes?

 

[Horizon22]

Whereas at the BBC programmes are made to deliver audiences so that managers commission further episodes?

I guess the difference is the BBC is the national broadcaster, so they have a responsibility to produce programmes that may not be as enticing to audiences but is "vital" content in the "national interest".

 

[trainophile]

I'm getting annoyed by the staged angry passenger in every episode.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Tonight's episode (Monday 14th December 2020) was quite interesting, but surely Barmouth viaduct isn't part of the Paddington / GWR network these days, is it?

 

[Mojo]

Looks like there may be another series (talk about flogging a dead horse...) I was at Paddington last week and there was a film crew (it was actually just one camera operative) there filming a member of staff. They said that it was for Paddington 24/7.

 

[Dai Corner]

Looks like there may be another series (talk about flogging a dead horse...) I was at Paddington last week and there was a film crew (it was actually just one camera operative) there filming a member of staff. They said that it was for Paddington 24/7.

As long as ad revenue exceeds production costs they'll keep commissioning, I'm sure.

 

[Ashley Hill]

It's a shame so much time is spent in NR control rather than GWRs. Perhaps if the public were shown how difficult resourcing traincrew and traction is during disruption they would be a little more understanding.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Tonight's episode (Monday 14th December 2020) was quite interesting, but surely Barmouth viaduct isn't part of the Paddington / GWR network these days, is it?

I was wondering that myself; I couldn't see any reason for including it - no matter how interesting it is ( and they could probably easily make a full length documentary on the history of the bridge that would pull in viewers ) it's way off topic for the routes in and out of Paddington.

 

[Hardcastle]

Me too I did wonder how the repair of Barmouth bridge came in to this it's nowhere near.

 

[JN114]

It's a shame so much time is spent in NR control rather than GWRs. Perhaps if the public were shown how difficult resourcing traincrew and traction is during disruption they would be a little more understanding.

They’re in “the room” so to speak - control is shared between us and NR; and GWR staff are occasionally on the periphery of featured discussions and are often in the background of shots. But our camera guy seems much more interested in spending time with the Incident Controllers and Route Control Manager. This may or may not be a conscious decision by our/NRs management.

 

[malc-c]

I wonder how many repairs were covered but not included because they went smoothly, got done ahead of time, or had no logistical issue. I know it makes for "interesting" TV when they add "but there's a problem" and refer to a technician not having the correct spanner or something similar that puts both them and NR is such a bad light. No I don't work in the industry, so can't really comment on why things are done the way they are, but even the wife said something about sending in a team of engineers to repair a fault on a point and not being able to access a box that controls it... needing another team of engineers...

 

[trainophile]

It wouldn't be an episode with at least one "but there's a problem...".

 

[Ploughman]

Was there a lesson to be learned from last nights episode?
Don't forget to pick up your scrap rail.

Yes, all the usual arguments, time, money etc but that is what can happen.
At least it was a slow speed incident and the driver was able to stop the train.

 

[Ashley Hill]

With Colthrop barriers I thought a spare boom was required at each crossing? The one on telly came from Didcot.

 

[Andyh82]

It wouldn't be an episode with at least one "but there's a problem...".

“And if they don’t get the problem fixed or the train moved or the train back into service, the evening peak will be put in jeopardy effecting thousands of commuters”