"M Holmes" wrote in message
...
In uk.sci.astronomy Weatherlawyer wrote:

I'll be at work on Monday morning and probably out shopping like the
rest of Britain on Saturday at about 12:30. Do people actually watch
BBC 4?

As with every other channel, if there's something interesting on BBC4
then it gets recorded for later perusal.

I gave up watching television during broadcast time some years ago.
There are simply too many advantages in recording programmes to watch
when I feel like watching them. One of those advantages is that I don't
care when a programme is broadcast. Indeed it is an advantage if it's
broadcast at a time when it won't clash with other programmes of
interest because I only have five recording devices.

The most major advantage is that I can skip through adverts. of course
this shouldn't apply on BBC channels. However they have a habit of
filling in a lot of guff and advertsing in between programmes and so for
a programme ostensibly lasting half an hour, I'll probably save myself 5
or 6 minutes. On advertising channels, one hour of programming can be
watched in something between 43 and 47 minutes.

Of course I'll probably only spend the time saved by watching yet
another
series of CSI...
The problem is when four things are all scheduled for the same time. I
have two HD videos, cable, and satellite, as well as a DVD recorder. I can
simultaneously record from the cable, satellite, and freeview, yet have
still known times when there are more things I want to see, than I can
save. Then you go weeks, when nothing is available. It is all part of the
brilliant 'master plan', by the program schedulers, to put _everything_ on
at what is seen as 'prime time', and almost nothing at other times (except
Sky at Night...).
The 'fill in' you are noticing on BBC programs,is why things like 'Planet
Earth', have a ten minute 'making of' bit at the end. Programmes are being
made on the assumption that they _will_ be shown at some point on a
channel with advertisements, so 'full' timing, is being avoided, and they
aim for about 50 minutes in the nominal hour.

Best Wishes