I hate almost everything about the Dave channel. I have nothing against the Top Gear repeats, or the BBC panel shows that they broadcast; in fact I like them. I think Dave puts out more shows I enjoy than any other channel, except for Dave+1 which has at least as many good programmes.
Other than the programmes themselves though, almost everything about Dave is just wrong.
Let’s start with the obvious: “Dave” is not a name for a channel. A channel should be named in accordance with the type of programmes it shows, or the company that owns it. It should have a name like Paramount Comedy, or Virgin Media, or Red-Hot Gay Porn. It should not be given a person’s name, because it’s not a person. You wouldn’t call your new born baby “ITV2″ (unless you’re Bob Geldof), so don’t call a TV channel “Dave”.
Dave’s slogan, meanwhile, is “The home of witty banter”, which is also irritating. I think it’s partly because no informed person would use the phrase “witty banter” — banter is supposed to be witty. If banter’s not witty then it’s not banter; it’s tiresome conversation. Why does the channel have a slogan anyway? No other channels I can think of has bothered with one, presumably because there’s no point –people aren’t going to think any more of a channel just because it calls itself “the home of witty banter”, the same way that people wouldn’t like me any more if I started referring to myself as “Magnificent Matt”.
The Cobra Beer adverts that they transmit during prime time are a pain as well. They’re little cartoons of two people having a Cobra Beer and sharing some of that “witty banter”. One cartoon person will ask the other a question, the other will answer, and then they’ll both chuckle smugly.
Example: Man A asks, “Why is barbecuing the only kind of cooking that men enjoy?”
Man B replies, “Because it’s the only kind of cooking that leaves a hand free for a beer”.
The advert is stupid on several levels. The question is redundant because it’s built on a false premise: that men only enjoy cooking at barbecues. And the answer is plain incorrect. Barbecuing requires one to use one’s hands no more or less than any other type of cooking. The only people stupid enough to find an advert like this amusing are 8 year-old boys, who aren’t legally allowed to drink anyway.
It would be so much better if Dave could let its programming speak for itself, without trying to dress it up as something more exciting than a regular cable channel, and begging us to think that it’s cool. I like the programming it shows, but the way it goes about showing them just seems so undignified.
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But you ARE Magnificent Matt!
I think Dave is a nice change from the usual boring channel, actually. It speaks volumes for them that we’re STILL talking about the channel name and look and everything, let alone their programming. In an age where people don’t really care what channel they watch – it’s all about the programming these days – the fact that the concept of Dave is still talked about proves it was a bit of a masterstroke.
Maybe the popularity of Dave is a sign of the generally weak state of British TV at the moment?
Or the public’s growing MTV-style Attention Deficit Disorder?
What shall I watch? Oh look, there’s a 3 year-old car program on… Men driving badly – hilarious!
Dave used to be called UKTV G2. It showed exactly the same programmes but was far less popular. In fact, people surveyed would watch the programmes but claim that they didn’t watch the channel, which is the exact opposite to the usual way that market research gets skewed. When they changed to the name Dave, both ratings and brand recognition shot up.
People are at least aware of what they’re watching now, even if it does seem slightly smug and maybe even a little bit patronising. I hated it at first, I thought it was going to be along the lines of smutty Nuts or Zoo magazine rubbish. But I don’t think it really takes itself that seriously – and, it is kind of funny that there is a TV channel with the name Dave….
What a load of rubbish, Dave is one of the most entertaining channels on tv, the identity of it is one that everyone knows and recgonises, this is what they set out to do. Why would you call a channel your trying to reinvent the same as every other channel in the world? Boring and uninventive. with the exception of Dave.
AKA PERFECT MARKET RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION
I’m going to have to agree with you there my friend.
I know you wrote this ages ago. But Dave Ja Vu?
Wow, so inventive my brain has exploded with such cleverness.
I now call people who are like that ghastly channel to be of Dave Humour or Generation Dave. I agree with you on everything. Why do they dress it up? And even cut the Top Gear America episode to pieces?! It’s just pointless.
Yeah sure it’s got its views back up, but I preferred it as UKTVG2, and even earlier UK G2. Uh? We know it’s UKTV. Hmm, UK, is it broadcast in Pakistan? Hmm.
The slogan yes does contradict itself, and the whole general sense of humour is annoyingly patriotic and sucks big giant testicles!
I’m not being sarcastic. It just gets on my nerves. I was even more annoyed that UK Gold changed to GOLD. They’re trying to make it clever by making it an acronym.
Grr.
Cable TV, aint what it used to be.
End of rant.
Who’s dave?
Every single time this channel is selected its ADVERTS ADVERTS ADVERTS. I know commercial channels need advertising, but it’s nearly impossible to watch a programme for more than 10 mins before, yes, you guessed it, more ADVERTS ADVERTS ADVERTS followed by SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY on and on and on.
Utterly pointless.