Oz TV

There are several things I never really understood (well OK there are countless things, but this is a couple of them)

First this desire for massive plasma and tft televisions. For the life of me I could not see why anyone would want some 60" monster dominating their living space.

The other and perhaps more mystifying is the rise of unreality talentless TV, the likes of X factor, Strictly come dancing and all those endless looky likeys.

Now I think I have finally got it. After my surprise going away do at St Audries, My girls Heather and Rachel together with Paul retired to his place for a cup of tea and 'wind down'. The girls wanted to see the X factor semi (or some such) finals recorded earlier.

Paul and I actually had great fun bitching about the various contestants and ripping them to shreds, but actually there was something more then that. Everything was so brightly coloured, the locations were exotic and sunny, the settings were so carefully staged and frankly sumptuous and I have to say the whole thing was alluring and seeing it on this massive high definition screen just emphasized the lushness.

OK The late teenage girls with two colour nails screaming at each other I can well do without, and I hope never again as long as I live to witness anything as vomit inducing as grown men throwing themselves to their knees in front of a 'throned' Simon Cowell.

But I got it, this is OZ TV, this is where reality Kansas is dreary and black and white but the land of Oz is in dazzling vibrant colour. This is a window into another world (OK as fake as the land of Oz, maybe more so) but nonetheless a glimpse of a world totally unlike the continuing car crash we all seem to be living through.

I don't think it's good, or even good for us, but I do at least get it now and maybe the next TV will be a 35 or 40"...