Isolation Day 49: Finding something to Watch

It’s not as easy as you think

We’ve reached that point of the lock down where we have watched everything on our Plex server that we both enjoy and have watched everything we like on the streaming services. “Why don’t you just watch TV?” I head you ask. We don’t have, nor want, a useable terrestrial or satellite tv feed in the flat. Pretty much everything is repeats from other channels and anything that I new is available online via video on demand catchup services.

I’ve also moved most of my daily/weekly viewing over to YouTube. YouTube has a wide variety of programming about a Hugh selection of subjects and not difficult at all to find something to watch. The only thing I miss is just being able to turn the TV on after a long day of work and not worry about picking what’s on.

Tangent

I had hoped that when YouTube launch YouTube TV it would be a piece of software that makes your YouTube subscriptions behave like a regular EPG. Where you could not only watch your latest videos but see related content as if it were live. So maybe during the day it would have family friendly stuff that also ties into what you and your family like. Then in the evening your more adult focused programming, would be shown. You could even help set the schedular yourself so you know you’ll always be able to catch the latest instalment from your YouTube heroes, at the same time every week.

Over the last couple of weeks there have been two standout programs for me, Red Dwarf The Promised Land & Charlie Broker’s Antiviral Wipe. Both of them took me back a few years to when TV programming was actually funny and thought provoking at the same time, not something you see much these days in my eyes.

Red Dwarf

Maybe thought provoking doesn’t quite apply to Red Dwarf, you may think. But there were times in the program that looked at a lot of different aspects of our lives from a different perspective.

There are many laugh out loud moments throughout the two part feature length story that help explain what happened to the CAT species since we last saw them. It also helped us see another side to our band of misfits.

I know I’ve not said much about the double episode but I really don’t want to give anything away. Just trust me when I say it is well worth the watch.

If you’ve not seen it yet, you are missing a treat. While it is one for fans of old I see no reason why anyone who hasn’t seen Red Dwarf before would not enjoy it. Check it out on UKTV Play.

Charlie Broker’s Antiviral Wipe

If you’ve not seen any of Charlie Brooker’s previous Wipe shows you have really missed out. In each of his Weekly Wipe & INSERT YEAR HERE Wipe shows Broker takes apart the weeks news and gives it his spin with hilarious results.

The Antiviral Wipe was no different and far funnier that his older series, maybe it is because he’s had so long to think about it or it could just be that I have missed his weird brand of comedy taring apart at the news each week.

The episode is a one off special based around the coverage of COVID-19, which itself feels like an episode of Black Mirror. From start to finish Brooker does not pull his punches, something rarely seen this days on TV, Well unless you count the mindless ramblings of that brain dead half wit on Good Morning Britain (why oh Why couldn’t America keep that pompous prick over there).

Not only do we have Charlie Brooker’s unique look at the world we also get to see Barry Shitpeas & Philomena Cunk come back too. Whilst Diane Morgan has worked with Charlie Brooker on a couple of Philomena Cunk projects over the years, nothing works for me quite like Moments of wonder. This episode a very real portrayal of what I would probably be like if I had to work from home and have video calls.

I wish that the BBC and Charlie could work something out to bring back weekly wipe at the beginning of each year, it may only be on for six weeks, but nothing has been able to replace it since.

Catch Charlie Broker’s Antiviral Wipe here

What have you been watching during lockdown? What YouTuber Channels would you recommend? Did you see either of the shows? What did you think of them? Let me know in the comments bellow.