10.3.12 Whitechapel

So, the second series ended this week, and we can all now relax to consider Whitechapel as worth £60, but not worth building houses on, let alone a hotel.  Away from the pairing with the 'Old Kunt Road' on Monopoly, Whitechapel is the police/crime series, which has for two series now delighted in milking creepy locations and associations with past times.  It appears that no one committing any crime in Whitechapel does so without first reading up on local history and deciding which old crime to copy.

Once the scriptwriters have come up with yet another far-fetched story, the actors all do their best to create compulsive viewing.  The 'apparently' hour-long programme, though, is spoilt.  9.00pm to 10.00pm is the billing, but of course there are advert breaks, and also silly scuttling noises repeatedly played to 'spooky' scenes lasting a few seconds where we're supposed to be scared.  So, we have just 44 minutes of actual programme.  The advert breaks make a mockery of the drama, and serve to make one completely forget what was happening.  Maintaining the suspense is impossible when ITV fucks up your mind and any hope of concentration.

The second advert break in this week's final episode managed to remove all suspense.  We cut from the scene of a dead man, strung up by his feet.  His body had been drained of blood, which had then been used to paint an entire wall red.  - Cut to -

Advert from the sponsors, to plug 'Magnum Mini'
Advert for some hair products by John Frieda
Advert for shit food from Mr Kipling
Nauseating and long advert for Santander
Animated advert for Twinings
Information about the Digital Switchover
Advert for Compare the fucking Market dot cunts
Advert for Landrover
A TV trailer for an episode of 'Kidnap & Ransom'
More from the sponsor, quoting 'Magnum Mini'

Being made to consider this weird range of things fucks up the mind.  Then we're back to the drama and suspense!  Only on BBC is there a chance that anyone can concentrate on a programme, get proper continuity and not be short-changed.  The only exception to this rule is the benefit gained by all of humanity with the Jonathan Ross Show now being on ITV - and losing a few minutes to adverts.  Hurrah!  (Not that I watch the smarmy git).

...