I have watched shopping television since the later 1990s and written about it since the early 2000s. I’ve seen most of the well known channels that have come and the many that have gone over those years. The good, the bad, the more accomplished, and the shaking scenery, cringemaking variety. I have bought from QVC on a number of occasions, from the previous versions of Ideal World, and at times I have seen items I at least considered buying from the others along the way. What is unique with this latest version of Ideal World, is that in six months or so of broadcasting, it has never even come close to showcasing a product I would either give house room to, or if one was of the remotest interest to me, at a price point that offered any incentive to take the risk and ‘Ave a Buy’. In the main, just countless examples of low rent, uncompetitively priced, unbranded, plastic-type items, Chinese made watches, fragrances I’ve never heard of, deadly dull bedding, and rent-a-tent type clothing. The only thing that has kept me watching is the entertainment factor of just how bad it all is. I try and picture their typical buyer, and I genuinely cannot visualise one in anything other than in a pastiche, ‘Carry On Shopping’ stereotypical way.
