Random musings and general banter.

[Duke of Cheese]

I cannot bear watching the pair of them. Him with his seedy double entendres and her with her endless droning on about her family.

 

[Duke of Cheese]

He was just going on about the grey rattan furniture again, like he did last night. No thought for the people who got ripped off by £500 or £600 pounds in the final weeks of IW2. No shame at all.

It actually seems to amuse him. I remember him and Van Smashupp smirking at one another a few rattan shows from the end over something connected with the production staff’s long-term future (was it?), or something along those lines. Are we supposed to seriously believe those presenters in the final days selling that high ticket rattan furniture didn’t know the channel was about to shut down?

 

[Jazzydrury]

Who thought these two are a good pairing

 

[Herring]

It actually seems to amuse him. I remember him and Van Smashupp smirking at one another a few rattan shows from the end over something connected with the production staff’s long-term future (was it?), or something along those lines. Are we supposed to seriously believe those presenters in the final days selling that high ticket rattan furniture didn’t know the channel was about to shut down?

They absolutely did know. It's improbable they didn't or couldn't know the writing was on the wall. Even as viewers we could tell something was up with the endless rattan, increase in middle-of-the-day repeat hours, and fewer presenters.

Plus, a few of the presenters and production team made references/alluded to the fact that the channel wasn't being run properly in the days after it closed, saying it was sad but not a surprise etc.

And in his final few days Mike of the Everyone Wants What We've Got's was giving on-screen codified reminders about your general rights as a consumer (and not the "30 day money back guarantee" variety) which seemed very odd at the time but made a lot more sense just a few days later.

IW was (and likely still is) a comparatively close-knit operation in terms of how it's run, the production team, and the on-screen "talent". They have to chat off air, they discuss expectations, stock, issues, targets, what's happening, who and when presenters/guests are scheduled to appear, what's coming up, theme weeks etc — it'd be far more weird if in all of those conversations no-one was thought a shutdown was imminent.

Finally, in the press reports on its close it was said the then owners had been exploring options for months to keep the channel on air - word of that MUST have made its way to the presenters, and even Pedro wouldn't think "this channel is safe" hearing that the people who run it are fighting to stay afloat…

tl;dr the presenters knew.

 

[Duke of Cheese]

Just what I’ve always never wanted - a plastic flower pen that would suit the lapel of any washed up television presenter in particular.

 

[Herring]

Just what I’ve always never wanted - a plastic flower pen that would suit the lapel of any washed up television presenter in particular.

BUY ALL!

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

It actually seems to amuse him. I remember him and Van Smashupp smirking at one another a few rattan shows from the end over something connected with the production staff’s long-term future (was it?), or something along those lines. Are we supposed to seriously believe those presenters in the final days selling that high ticket rattan furniture didn’t know the channel was about to shut down?

To be honest, I'm not sure what to think about it. One side of my mind says they knew, or had an inkling, the other side says how much info will the Fraser Group have given any of them to what is going on, none is my guess.

 

[Duke of Cheese]

Mason was actually trying to give a coded warning of consumer rights at the time. But he was still flogging the gear. Others just smirked.

This was designed ‘primenary’ Simon says. Mr. Malaprop that he is…

 

[Dr Quincy MkII]

I wasn't watching then so I can't say. You could well be right about them knowing. But working for a well known organisation before and being told all sorts of nonsense that wasn't true by the company I tend to give the benefit of the doubt. But then I wasn't shafted by them, didn't pay for unreceived furniture so I can understand the thinking. My name is Dennnnnn was giving some sly digs when she thought Shop Extra was her 'forever home' about some of the other presenters

 

[Herring]

I'm baffled hearing people kid themselves no-one outside of the Fraser Group knew a shutdown was imminent when:

1) It was obvious on-screen to viewers that something was wrong (and you think the presenters didn't clock?)
2) At the time of the closure staff said they had been hoping a shutdown could be avoided - why would they hope a shutdown can be avoided if they didn't know a shutdown was coming? - and that they knew the day they would be off-air by if no buyer/investor could be found
3) If production staff knew of woes, the idea that they wouldn't "talk shop" with presenters is ludicrous - both are employees and will be worried about their literal day jobs
4) The business press had been reporting on the financial woes of the owners for many months
5) Mike was on screen telling viewers about their rights to cancel Flexi-Pays if they don't receive goods!
6) Post-shutdown, some of the presenters mentioned how badly run they felt the channel was near the end

Occam's razor says the simplest explanation is (usually, not always) the correct one. It's simpler to accept the presenters knew things were going to sh*t than not.

That's not to say they knew exact financial details or whatever, but the basics of "are we going to be doing this job in a week?" must've been known. Production and office staff knew of the "deadline" date at which the channel would cease to broadcast if no investment was found. I can't accept the presenters wouldn't have known that date either.

And while I wouldn't trust most of them to tell me my own name I do accept that the ones selling to the end — dubious as it was — only did so because they were paid to.

 

[Herring]

On a lighter note, I keep being shown this on Facebook.

If I win £50 IW credit I'm blowing it on plastic flower pens.

 

[Jazzydrury]

Peter says Lucas could go to school with these pens, If he wanted to be builled yes

 

[Duke of Cheese]

Too much collateral damage going on around them all for them to just blindly carry on. The website crashing was rather key. Some few days it was down, wasn’t it? Bear in mind many of the presenters at the time, just prior to the end, were existing creditors of the previous crashed version. Of course, those very same people must have been highly vigilant for the same thing happening again. The crux is were the presenters (if they sought them out) given assurances that despite the perilous state of the business, those rattan sofas, for example, WOULD be sent out to anyone ordering them? In other words…the buyers were protected. If there were no such assurances given, then the presenters have to look to their own consciences in terms of any buying customers, on their sales pitches, who then never got the goods they were offering for sale during those last few days of trading. Just following orders, and nothing to do with us Guv, isn’t good enough.

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

It is common knowledge that IW2 was up for sale last year. They had set a deadline for expressions of interest by close business on Friday, June 30th, 2023. Over that first Weekend in July, something happended with some trading partners, (probably the fact they owed them hundreds of of thousands of pounds, and they maybe outlined an intension to petition the court for winding-up IW2, which made IW2 take the decision to suspend trading with immediate effect. They would have just continued on the same sorry path racking up more debts, if what happened with the trading partners hadn't occurred. If the staff were informed of whats going to happen, this will of been when it happened, even though most, if not all of them will have already had an inkling of whats going to happen.

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

At times Pedro comes across as a bit camp with his delivery, and it reminds me of that guy who used to say "Ooh! I could crush a grape!!"

 

[galesgal57]

This is the very last time you will see this shaver he says. I'm sure it won't be

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

It will be back with either Mike or Rob & Shona between 10 - 2.

 

[galesgal57]

At times Pedro comes across as a bit camp with his delivery, and it reminds me of that guy who used to say "Ooh! I could crush a grape!!"

I'm not sure whether he "bowls from the pavilion end", or whether it is all an act. He was very touchy feely last night with Joe, but he can also be pervy with women. Reminds me of Steve Whatley.

 

[Slipalong Trevaskis]

I always wonder when he goes on about banging in his backdoor, and putting a cucumber through his letterbox.

 

[galesgal57]

The cucumber through the letterbox gag was from Ken Dodd. He used to say "what a beautiful day for putting a cucumber through a letterbox and saying look out missus, the martians are coming". He was actually funny when he said it.