I was passed on this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRdJ49ItMnc) last night and after viewing it . . . :eek:

One of the most popular chat show hosts has been Oprah but ever since the emergence of Jerry Springer, other shows have tended to follow suit.

In the UK, there is Jeremy Kyle . . a judge in a recent court case criticised the show (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Kyle-Show-Denies-TV-Beer-Baiting-Claim/Article/20070941286235?lid=ARTICLE_1286235_Kyle%20Show%20D enies%20TV%20'Beer-Baiting'%20Claim&lpos=Home_0) for baiting a guest into attacking another.

Are chat shows now more about entertainment rather than trying to help their guests solve their problems?

As viewers, are we more interested in seeing entertainment through controversy and watch the likes of Jeremy Kyle, Springer and Maury?

Would you rather watch shows such as Oprah? A much more mellow and heart warming show that deals with peoples' problems in a more dignified way.

Or are you just opposed entirely to people sharing their problems in public?

I don't watch any chat shows.

I do remember seeing Jerry Springer once whilst I was in hospital and flipping through the TV stations - I actually rang for the nurse to show her - "Have you seen this?? :eek: :eek:". She laughed....

And if you look at the proliferation of shows that show 'real life' issues now, it's obvious that the general populous enjoys watching other people...there's a new show started here called "Find My Family" or something, where they film an adopted child meeting their natural parents for the first time etc.

Not for me to judge other people really, but there are a lot of things shown on television that, to me, are far too private and not really of anyone else's business.

Probably why I don't watch much TV.

At 3 mins 35 secs - what's up with her head? Wibble wobble ...

Personally I hate stuff like Springer or Kyle, but I know when I get home from work at 6.30pm the wife is switching it over to something else, I guess its her secret guilty pleasure that I'm not supposed to know about.

On the odd times that I have had to sit through an episode it leaves me feeling grateful that I have a boring normal life, with no freaks in the family having sex with each other or pets, we don't live in a trailer park and drive General Lee replica cars, shoot fish, or rip our tops off when we fight.

PS Nothing against trailer parks - I had an ex in Alabama who had one that was 1/4 the length of my street - lovely lovely air-con :razz:

Junk food for the brain. Washing your filthy dirty laundry in public is something I was not brought up to do, and I do not understand why people would want to do that, or to watch it. It's like watching a train wreck. It gives people a chance to flaunt anti-social behaviour, and for those who care about them to watch them do it, well, it's not fun and games for them. And all that to a background of a braying audience? Yuk.

Shows like Oprah, frankly I find them self-absorbed and trite. I've no problem with people talking through whatever difficulties they are facing in life - that's healthy. But the way they dress it up in pop-psychology and seem to try to find every excuse in the book to make whatever problems they have be someone else's fault - well, that just irritates me.

And I'm in total agreement with Saffron - some things are private and should be kept that way.