I'm currently watching the Season 3 DVD of Without a Trace. It's an American cop show about Missing Persons. Truly superb. It's a subject which has always interested me. More than 100,000 people disappear each year in this country. How is that possible? Where do they go? What becomes of them? It's difficult to imagine what their familes go through. If I'd become an MP it's a subject I'd want to devlop a specialist interest in. The great thing about Without a Trace is that it's almost totally devoid of the schmalzy sentiment normally associated with such programmes. Believe me, there's not always a happy ending. Some of the storylines are truly gut-wrenching. It's astonishing this series isn't shown on prime time. Instead it's hidden away on E4 or More4. Treat yourself to the first series on DVD. I guarantee you'll then buy the next two.Sunday, July 30, 2006
Without a Trace: Top Telly
I'm currently watching the Season 3 DVD of Without a Trace. It's an American cop show about Missing Persons. Truly superb. It's a subject which has always interested me. More than 100,000 people disappear each year in this country. How is that possible? Where do they go? What becomes of them? It's difficult to imagine what their familes go through. If I'd become an MP it's a subject I'd want to devlop a specialist interest in. The great thing about Without a Trace is that it's almost totally devoid of the schmalzy sentiment normally associated with such programmes. Believe me, there's not always a happy ending. Some of the storylines are truly gut-wrenching. It's astonishing this series isn't shown on prime time. Instead it's hidden away on E4 or More4. Treat yourself to the first series on DVD. I guarantee you'll then buy the next two.
"If I'd become an MP it's a subject I'd want to devlop a specialist interest in."
ReplyDeletePlanning to do a john Stonehouse even before you get there ian. Now THATS being prepared!
LOL I always was ahead of my time!
ReplyDeleteIt's been on Channel 4 recently, at about 11am during the week. Think it's disappeared for the school holidays though.
ReplyDeleteIt has been run on Ch 4 - 10pm on Mondays was the chosen slot. For some reason, the presence of the lovely Poppy Montgomery draws me to the show...
ReplyDeletePeople disappear for a lot of reasons - some want to, some are victims of murder or suicide, some just become backbench MPs and are never heard of again....
You could start off by looking for Gordon Brown!!Where is he when all the shit is hitting the fan.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly what one might expect from someone who seeks the highest office???
They venture on to Hampstead Heath and get spirited away by the (used) Condom Fairy to the Wham! mansion.
ReplyDeleteEventually, they re-emerge from a giant UFO with WW2 navy pilots (hello sailor) etc.
The End.
I like this show too!!!
ReplyDelete...and not a word on the demise of the West Wing...
ReplyDeleteSo glad you decided to return to Sunshine Desserts Reggie - you didn't get where you are today by running away.
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to plug something, at least make it something good. Iain Dale, crimestopper extraordinaire, how absurd.
ReplyDeleteGeuine, perhaps I'm being thick, but what the hell are you on about? Am I not allowed to say in my blog that I like a particular TV programme? Jeez. Sometimes I wonder why people read this blog if all they do is whinge about what I write. End of whinge.
ReplyDeleteIain, you have mispelt my alias, perhaps you got a little carried away there. I don't know why you write a blog if you expect only comments that laud you and agree with you...actually no wait I do know why you do that. Please try not to be so personally affronted. End of comment.
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong but aren't most of the missing persons only missing for a few days?
ReplyDeleteObviously there are still a significant number that remain missing, but it is a minority of that 100 000.
Then again the figure might be an underestimate because of people who go missing and are never reported, when Fred and Rose West's victim's were uncovered many of them had been dead for decades without being reported, even children.
On a lighter note 'Without a Trace' does confirm the foolishness of those who claim that without a strong public service broadcaster good television can't be produced. The USA has been making so many high quality television dramas for the last 15 years or so, wheras quality output from the UK including the BBC is very scarce indeed.
According to The National Missing Persons Helpline, 'According to Home Office estimates, about 210 000 people are reported missing in the UK each year. The vast majority return safe and sound within 72 hours - but thousands do not; the distress experienced during this time is when families need us most. State agencies such as the police are sometimes unable to help, leaving NMPH to fill the gap. NMPH receives thousands of missing persons reports every year, but on a positive note the charity helps to resolve 70% of cases it works on. Its helplines handle more than 150 000 calls per year.'
ReplyDeleteThe The UK Police National Missing Persons Bureau provides figures for 'the average number of missing person reports received each year by the bureau. These averages are based on the last four years. In line with the role of the PNMPB these represent persons missing for 14 days or longer. However, not all forces submit all of their reports to PNMPB.' They have an average of 3332 reports on their books (almost 2000 of them adults) and 2886 are subsequently cancelled.
It's not clear how many of the alarmingly high number of under-14s who're reported missing are, in fact, actually with a parent who's also gone missing, but I'd suspect many of them must be.
Surely one should want to tackle the problem at it's source instead of the symptoms of it, no?
ReplyDeleteross f - It's clear enough that the US can produce quality drama commercially, but that experience doesn't directly apply to this country because we have many fewer people, and therefore less advertising money to fund it.
ReplyDeleteWhat's less clear, even from the US, is that a commercial approach produces quality factual programming that actually is fair and balanced. A market ensures that people get the drama they want to see, but also the news they want to hear.
I "went missing", when I was about 8 or 9 years old, with my 5 year old sister.
ReplyDeleteWe went for a walk, got a little ambitiousd and didn't return for about 5 hours. We got home completely oblivious to the trouble we had caused, until we noticed a policeman in the kitchen.
Is it just less people, and less advertising revenue?
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's the order of priorities. In the US, they have teams of scriptwriters for shows like The West Wing, producing scripts which attract decent actors (whether established or up and coming).
In this country, by contrast, all too often the programme makers (particularly ITV1) just go for the latest actor who's left Eastenders (or is popular with focus groups), put golden handcuffs on them, and build dramas (usually psychological thrillers or cop dramas) round them. So if it's not Robson Green, it's Martin Kemp,Ross Kemp, or Peter Davison, and so on. Yawn.
That said, Bodies and Conviction (both shown originally on BBC3) were excellent, so there's hope yet.