Speaking as an ex-broadcast pro, I thought the prog was HORRIBLE.
Everything from the presenter's patronizing attitude, the camerawork (even that word is being generous!) and the format were all terrible.
It was evident that the production team (who are giving farming the same treatment next week, incidentally) know pretty much NOTHING about joinery, not even what it's properly called, as someone else pointed out! And if they were looking for 'Carpenter of the year', you'd expect that guy to know everything about framing, green Oak, etc., but not necessarily anything about 2nd fix, nor kitchen fitting!
That's the joinery trade dispensed with in an hour, now we can forget about putting "skills" onto TV for another year. When you compare that with the wasteful drivel that is "The Apprentice" (around 20 HOURS of drivel every year, plus talk show appearances, spin-offs etc.), what hope is there for a revival of craft skills and standards that are so desperately needed? We certainly don't have enough IT or even call-centre jobs for everyone leaving school, we have to get back to making stuff, and that means a new respect for crafts, trades, and manual, practical skills.
So I think one could love it or loathe it as a game show, but not as a serious competition.
The whole thing left me fuming about how TV standards have plummeted. The fact that it was BBC (my old employer) made it worse.
Sorry, but I'm getting wound up just writing about it.
I too, thought the lad from Windsor was quite badly treated. Amongst the myriad of things they didn't explain, nor seemed interested in were the tools: did they use their own or have to use some provided? What about things they'd normally have used but didn't have available, for example pin punches? I could bang on for ages, but it wasn't very revealing of the contestants' overall skills.
Sorry. I'll dismount and walk off...
E.
