Blog 14. My Family

Website: http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/player/gorillavid.php?id=61mkbnrfwmps

The children decide to treat their parents to a Spanish holiday for their anniversary, but the flight turned out to be a living hell since Ben picks a fight with the other passenger and a virus break, which forces them into quarantine on arrival at the airport. Back home, Michael admits he paid the trip with Ben's credit card. Now all he needs is a fast way of paying it back thus he decides to sell some antiques but it appears to be worth nothing except for an old mantle clock that Susan adores. They sold it but replaced it with a modern clock. As soon as Ben and Susan arrive from their holiday, the modern clock goes off and Susan blames Michael and Janey.

I have been watching My Family since I was little. I find it a hilarious show. The children cause a lot of financial problems for Ben and Susan. The house is never quite. I find My Family a good TV show to help and improve someone’s English. This show also shows the British lifestyle of a normal family living in England and the problems they tend to get. I would advice students to watch this because it is spoken in the beautiful British accent and it is easy to follow the plot.

Blog 13. The Inbetweeners

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwmd8_xPEdM

Will decides the boys should go clubbing in London. Jay and Neil both warm to the idea, but Simon is reluctant to go, stating that his dad will kill him if he drives down to London. He is later persuaded to go because Carli and Rachel will be going as well. When the boys arrive in London, things begin to get out of hand. Simon is attacked by some men from a nearby bus stop. He also has to swap his trainers for a tramp's urine-soaked shoes in order to get into the club. The dates with the ladies did do not go well. After Neil is thrown out for masturbating in the toilets, the boys decide to call it a night. When they got to the car they noticed that it has been clamped by an Asian man.

I have never heard of the Inbetweeners until I went to Scotland. At first I thought that it was really dumb but if you watch more episodes, you realize that it is about young British lads who want to be popular and experience the adult life of a Brit. It is funny, but in a British way. This TV show shows the real life of young British lads, their opinion about beer and why they want to start to drink at that age. I think this is a very good show to help people understand more about the British culture. 

Blog 12. Jamie’s 15 minutes meals

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8IGryJXLVI

\Jamie Olivier does two meals in half hours time. He is showing how to make healthy and delicious food that can be done within 15 minutes. During this episode he first makes a Mexican fiesta with his hot chicken fajitas and secondly he makes a King Prawns meal. With both meals he uses the same format. At first he says what it will be and look like at the end. Step for step he explains what you should do and if you cannot find the proper ingredients, he gives alternatives that you could use. Whilst the first step is being done, he starts with the next step. Whilst everything is cooking, he explains where some ingredients come from.

The way Jamie presents this whole show is like creating magic in the kitchen. Everything seems to go smoothly and easily. The meals that he cooks do not just look delicious but whilst he is explaining what he does and what it is for, it sounds incredible. I would say the chicken fajitas are more liking in taste but I would not mind eating the prawns. I think he presents this show really well and entertaining and showing how to cook lovely meals within 15 minutes. That is amazing. Looking how it is made, I can easily interpret what it should be instead of following a recipe in a cookbook.  

Blog 11. Mr. Bean

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Rgb-AbB1O0

Mr. Bean falls from the sky in a beam of light like he has fallen out of heaven. Bean rarely speaks throughout the episode and there is a lot of physical humour. In the first act, Bean goes to a Laundromat and realizes that he wants to wash the underwear what he is wearing. Accidentally he gets his trousers mixed up with a lady’s skirt. This escalates the taunting he receives from a bully. With revenge, Bean substitutes the bully’s soap with black coffee. Later, after retrieving his mutated washing from the drier, Bean needs to retrieve his trousers from the lady's washing so he climbs into the drier to find them. The lady returns and closes it without noticing Bean is still inside it.

Watching Mr. Bean has been part of my childhood. I also liked that he came into trouble without really wanting to. This series I find is truly British humour by presenting it with physical humour and expressions. Mr. Bean is hilarious and giving an image of a child being in an adults body. Bean gives several unusual schemes and contrivances to everyday tasks. Yet, with rarely no words spoken throughout the entire episode one can still follow the whole story and know exactly what Bean is thinking, especially thinking of doing something mischievous. This is what makes this series such a hit!

Blog 10. Catastrophe Series 1 of 5 ‘Birth of the Planet’

Website: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xm6tgz_ch4-catastrophe-series-one-1of5-birth-of-the-planet_shortfilms#.UPfucifo4l0

The Birth of the Planet is one of the five British documentary series telling the story of the catastrophic events that shaped planet Earth. The presenter is Tony Robinson and this first episode explores the most violent event in the history of the Earth when, four and half billion years ago, it collided with another planet named Thea. According to Bill Hartman, this collision created the Earth 23° tilt. The last Lunar Surface experiment from the Apollo programme is also being mentioned and that the moon moving away from the Earth’s McDonald Observatory, which is measured by the Lunar Laser Ranging.

This documentary is extremely interesting. Knowing more about how the earth was formed and the catastrophe that came thereafter, I find it remarkable that life forms were developed from two planets that have collided. The way Tony tells the story is very intriguing and after watching this first of five series, I want to watch the other four as well. This is done by a Brit and the pronunciation and accent that is used is very clear and understandable, like most British accents. I have also learned that the moon is moving way from our mother earth and that will eventually have a negative effect on our beautiful planet.

Blog 9. The Bachelor

Wbsite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcbnMpagMaM

The first series revolves around a single bachelor, who is very eligible, and a pool of romantic interests which could include a potential wife for the bachelor named Jamie Williams. Conflicts occur, both internal and external, but this gives the show an elimination style format. The bachelor first goes on large group dates with the women and majority gets eliminated during a rose ceremony. After several eliminations, the process cumulates with hometown visits to the families of the final four women, overnight dates at exotic locations and with the bachelor’s family with the last two women. At the end of this series Jamie chose Jodi Plumb to be his future wife.

This series I find is mindboggling and weird. I would be ashamed of the idea of me throwing myself at a man and I have to fight it out with other women so that he could choose me. Usually the series has a good looking and eligible bachelor but I find it sad that he wants to go on television in order to find his dream girl. Despite the eligible man and the exotic places that you get to see, I would never enter such a reality show because I believe that there is for each person someone in the world and you just need to look harder. The bachelor gets to kiss all 25 women. Living with your boyfriends other dates is not my cup of tea. 

Blog 8. The Voice UK

Website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M606xNWAQig

It is an interactive reality TV talent show where it starts off by having blind auditions. Afterwards competitors are chosen and go through to the next round. The show has four judges/couches who are popular artists in from the UK. They are Sir Tom Jones, Will.I.Am, Danny O’Donoghue and Jessy J. This is the final Episode and the show is opened by Bo Bruce, a finalist of the show and from team Danny. Afterwards Lianne Mitchell, Tyler James and Vince Kido get to do their performance as well. All four finalists receive a standing ovation from all four coaches. Throughout the show guest artists, Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran get to do a performance as well. At the end Lianne has won the Voice of 2012.

The Voice UK come originally from The Voice of Holland thus knowing how it helps people being self conscious about their looks and not being judged on their looks but by their voice, is absolutely fantastic. In this final I find that each contestant has their own kind talent but my vote would go to Bo Bruce. Whilst listening to her, I got the goose bumps but eventually Lianne won the competition.  I think that this show will be still seen in the future because of its success and that more countries would want to have this show, because it is not judgemental.