Ordinary Gweilo

In the beginning there was BBC Prime, and the people paid their subscription but found that it was not good.  Then it became BBC Entertainment, and the people wondered where Top Gear had gone and why they were still showing such very old sitcoms. 

Then the “BBC 5” was launched, and now we have Top Gear available all day every day (or so it seems), and plenty more besides.  The five channels are BBC World News, BBC Entertainment, CBeebies (kids) plus two factual channels – BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. 

BBC Lifestyle is a unique destination offering inspiration for home, family and life. It is the ultimate viewer’s guide to getting more out of life. Serving up six programming strands covering food, fashion and beauty, home and design, parenting, personal development and health, BBC Lifestyle offers a truly international “window on the world”.

BBC Knowledge showcases the best of the BBC’s award-winning factual and documentary programming. Explore and experience the world like you’ve never seen it before, with in-depth storytelling and state-of-the-art production. Available now in Asia, this is the channel where facts from the past, present and future come together to broaden viewer’s horizons.

According to their website, the BBC Knowledge programming strands are The World (that means Michael Palin), Science & Technology (that’ll be Top Gear, then), People, The Past, and Business. 

Well, up to a point.  Business-based shows such as The Apprentice and Dragons Den are on BBC Knowledge (as you might expect), but similar shows about running a hotel (the Hotel Inspector), a restaurant (Ramseys Kitchen Nightmares), or a shop (Mary, Queen of Shops) are on BBC Lifestyle.  Interestingly, none of those three programmes are shown on BBC channels in the UK, and it’s noticeable that they don’t make any claim about BBC programming.

BBC Entertainment is mainly BBC shows, but there are other shows that are on ITV (such as Footballers Wives and the upcoming Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach).  And far too many old sitcoms for my liking, if we are going to complain.

However, the point was not to complain but to praise, and there’s a lot to like about the “BBC 5”.