Opinion: British television desperately needs some new ideas
Where are the big bold new TV ideas to shake things up?
![British television](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9JWCMbiJgLjZNwijvW67Qg-320-80.jpg)
I write this as within 24 hours ITV has announced it's bringing back the 1990s challenge show You Bet!, while the BBC has just announced a Gladiators Christmas special. Come on folks where are the big new entertainment hits?
The UK TV entertainment cycle is just looking tired and needs fresh ideas. The upcoming autumn/winter line-up feels like Groundhog Day. Strictly Come Dancing 2024 is on its way and it will be celebrating its 20th anniversary! I'm A Celebrity is also coming back and that's been on even longer! I'm A Celeb has now been on our screens since 2002! Then come early January Dancing on Ice will likely return having been on our screens since 2006.
There’s nothing wrong with old favourites but it gets to the point where television needs new ideas to keep it fresh and entertaining. If the old shows aren't cleared out every so often there's no space for new great shows. Do we really want to be watching Strictly, Dancing on Ice and I'm A Celeb for another 20 years?
It's obviously safer for television just to stick to tried and tested ideas but with that attitude, nothing would ever change. It's great to watch something new and bold. There must be inventive people with great ideas for TV shows which are getting blocked by the fact British television doesn’t appear to want to take any risks.
ITV couldn't resist bringing Big Brother back. When Big Brother launched in 2000 by Channel 4 it was truly revolutionary. People were excited and talking about it. That's why it made our Top 100 TV shows of all time list. More than two decades on it's impossible for it now to have that level of excitement for it. As an avid TV watcher that's what I want from television: to be excited and entertained. That's part of the reason Squid Game was such a success on Netflix [obviously it was a drama but it led to an entertainment version, Squid Game: The Challenge]. It was bold, different, and new.
It’s always tempting to go back to classic TV shows but television must go forward. It must innovate otherwise it risks losing its audience.
ITV achieved some of that excitement when they launched The Masked Singer, which felt fresh and fun when it began in 2020. But wind forward and if it's still on the air in 10 years time it will no longer feel exciting.
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Please, please, please can we have some big bold new entertainment shows that will have everyone talking? Let's make British TV the envy of the world again.
David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.
Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough.
David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.
Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!