The Greatest Knight.

[anne whitfield]

I was watching on PayTv today a programme called The Greatest Knight, which heavily featured William Marshal and tournaments, etc. Very interesting for those interested in medieval era.
(sorry if this has been posted before)

[Ash]

Mmmm, based on your book, EC?

[Madeleine]

the BBC showed a doc about WM and tournaments about a year ago, as part of it's Timewatch series, I wonder if that's the one you've seen?

[anne whitfield]

Perhaps it was, Madeleine. it was on the History Channel here in Australia.

[EC2]

Anne, it would have been the absolutely crap Timewatch programme about William Marshal. I mean it was good that they gave him an airing and crap because they couldn't decided whether it was a programme about early tournaments or William Marshal himself. It fell between two stools and did no justice at all to the great man - you found out zilch about his character and his achievements beyong a microcosm of one decade of his life, and even that was patchy. What was all that rubbish about swiping cabbages off poles?
After the programme in the UK, the producers were supposed to come onto the Timewatch website and answer questions but didn't due to 'technical problems' but I has signed up to the website as an ordinary viewer and ended up doing all that part of it in an unofficial capacity. When one of the producers did come on to the list a few days later and was asked something, he got it completely wrong. I guess I shouldn't grumble. After that programme and my participation on that website The Greatest Knight shot in the Amazon UK top 100 and it had already been out for 3 years - so not bad going!

[Leo62]

Anne, it would have been the absolutely crap Timewatch programme about William Marshal. I mean it was good that they gave him an airing and crap because they couldn't decided whether it was a programme about early tournaments or William Marshal himself. It fell between two stools and did no justice at all to the great man - you found out zilch about his character and his achievements beyong a microcosm of one decade of his life, and even that was patchy. What was all that rubbish about swiping cabbages off poles?
After the programme in the UK, the producers were supposed to come onto the Timewatch website and answer questions but didn't due to 'technical problems' but I has signed up to the website as an ordinary viewer and ended up doing all that part of it in an unofficial capacity. When one of the producers did come on to the list a few days later and was asked something, he got it completely wrong. I guess I shouldn't grumble. After that programme and my participation on that website The Greatest Knight shot in the Amazon UK top 100 and it had already been out for 3 years - so not bad going!

You mean, TV producers are all dumbed-down airheads who don't do their research? Surely not! :eek:

Good result for you in the end, thought EC :D

[EC2]

You mean, TV producers are all dumbed-down airheads who don't do their research? Surely not! :eek:

Good result for you in the end, thought EC :D

LOL!
I think they are often pushed for time and funding to get a script written and I think they think their audience are the dumbed-down airheads. They generally pitch to the lowest common denominator. :mad:
If they were going to have someone from the team to answer questions online afterwards, why didn't they ask professor Crouch being as he was a contributor to the programme and actually had something useful to say!

[Madeleine]

Yes, I remember it was as if they'd forgotten that the prog was about William, as every so often they would mention him, almost in passing, and then went back to the tournaments. There's more info on this site than in that programme, what a let-down!

[Leo62]

If they were going to have someone from the team to answer questions online afterwards, why didn't they ask professor Crouch being as he was a contributor to the programme and actually had something useful to say!

But...this could be your chance to get on the Professional TV Expert gravytrain :p

It's so annoying when documentary-makers think that they have to talk down to their audience in this way - and very patronising. Don't they realise that aiming for the LCD will alienate the core of their audience?

[sweetpotatoboy]

I saw this a month or so ago (I'd taped it when it was on last year). Yes, I agree, it wasn't sure what it was about exactly. The presenter, Saul David (I think that's his name), was capable but the programme didn't go anywhere much or seem to justify its making.

[EC2]

But...this could be your chance to get on the Professional TV Expert gravytrain :p


I wish!:rolleyes::p

It's so annoying when documentary-makers think that they have to talk down to their audience in this way - and very patronising. Don't they realise that aiming for the LCD will alienate the core of their audience?

Saul David (Yes, I think that's right Sweetpotatoboy) said that their problem was pitching the idea in the first place. The difficulty seems to be with the programme commissioners. I also think that Saul David and the other guy (forgotten his name) got a bit hyper on the boys' own stuff. 'Tournament, yes, wow!' And William Marshal was a convenient coathanger. People like me who tuned in to know more about William were bound to be disappointed.