EVERYDAY LIFE

In dealings with leisure we are concerned not just with how people occupy themselves but with the cultural significance of their hobbies and practices. This applies to group and individual activities. We may divide the leisure pursuits which British people engage in into domestic and public.

The dominant medium for cultural exchange in Britain is television. On average, people in Britain spend 230.6 minutes watching the television or video every day, which is more than in any other European country. These days, rather than talking about the weather, it is probably more accurate to say that television programmes provide a favourite topic of conversation for British people (according to market research, 46 per cent of the UK population discuss television programmes with their friends or family). Television is clearly the basic component of the national culture.

RADIO AND TELEVISION

The BBC might be said to be the ‘mother of information services’. Its reputation for impartiality and objectivity in news reporting is, at least when compared to news broadcasting in many other countries, largely justified. This independence is as much the result of habit and common agreement as it is the result of its legal status. It is true that it depends neither on advertising nor (directly) on the government for its income. It gets this from the licence fee which everybody who uses a television set has to pay. However, the government decides how much this fee is going to be, appoints the BBC’s board of governors and its director general, has the right to veto any BBC programme before it has been transmitted and even has the right to take away the BBC’s licence to broadcast. In theory, therefore it would be easy for a government to influence what the BBC does. Nevertheless, partly by historical accident, the BBC began, right from the start, to establish its effective independence and its reputation for impartiality. This first occurred through the medium of radio broadcasts to people in Britain. Then, in 1932 the BBC World Service was set up, with a licence to broadcast first to the empire and then to other parts of the world. Today, The World Service still broadcasts around the globe in English and several other languages.

- British politicians were slow to appreciate the social significance of ‘the wireless’ (this is what the radio was generally known as until the 1960s). Moreover, being British, they did not like the idea of having to debate culture in Parliament. They were only too happy to leave the matter to a suitable organization and its director general, John (later Lord) Reith.

Reith was a man with a mission. He saw in radio an opportunity for ‘education’ and initiation into ‘high culture’ for the masses. He included light entertainment in the programming, but only as a way of capturing an audience for the more ‘important’ programmes of classical music and drama, and the discussions of various topics by famous academics and authors whom Reith had persuaded to take part.

The reference to this man is in the inscription, which is in the entrance to Broadcasting House (headquarters of the BBC).

THIS TEMPLE TO THE ARTS AND MUSES

IS DEDICATED

TO ALMIGHTY GOD

BY THE FIRST GOVERNORS

IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1931

JOHN REITH BEING DIRECTOR-GENERAL

AND THEY PRAY THAT THE GOOD SEED SOWN

MAY BRING FORTH GOOD HARVESTS

THAT ALL THINGS FOUL OR HOSTILE TO PEACE

MAY BE BANISHED HENCE

AND THAT THE PEOPLE INCLINING THEIR EAR

TO WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY AND HONEST

WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD REPORT

MAY TREAD THE PATH OF VIRTUE

AND WISDOM

In terms of size of its audience, television has long since taken over from radio as the most significant form of broadcasting in Britain. Its independence from government interference is largely a matter of tacit agreement. There is no advertising on the BBC. But Independent Television (ITV), which started in 1954, gets money from advertisements it screens.

Although the advent of ITV did not affect television coverage of news and current affairs, it did cause a change in the style and content of other programmes shown on television. The amount of money that a television company can charge an advertiser depends on the expected number of viewers at the time when the advertisement is to be shown. Therefore, there was pressure on ITV from the start to make its output popular. In its early years ITV captured nearly three-quarters of the BBC’s audience. The BBC responded by making its own programmes equally accessible to a mass audience. Ever since then, there has been little significant difference in what is shown on the BBC and the commercial television. Both BBC1 and ITV show a variety of programmes. They are in constant competition with each other to attract the largest audience (this is known as the ratings war). They do not each try to show a more popular type of programme than the other. They try instead to do the same type of programme ‘better’.

Of particular importance in the ratings war is the performance of the channels’ various soap operas. British-made soaps and popular comedies certainly do not paint an idealized picture of life. Nor are they very sensational or dramatic. They depict (relatively) ordinary lives in relatively ordinary circumstances. So why are they popular? The answer seems to be that the views can see themselves and other people they know in the characters and, even more so, in the things that happen to these characters.

· Soap operas, also called soaps, are amongst the most popular television programmes. They are stories about the lives of ordinary people that are broadcast, usually in half-hour episodes, three times or more each week. They are called soap operas because in the US they were first paid for by companies, who made soap. Most soap operas describe the daily lives of a small group of people who live in the same street or town and go to the same pub, shops, etc. The most successful soaps reflect to worries and hopes of real people, though the central characters frequently have exaggerated personal problems in order to make the programmes more exciting. In Britain soap operas are broadcast in the early evening.

It became obvious in the early 1960s that the popularity of soap operas and light entertainment shows meant that there was less room for programmes which lived up to the original educational aims of television. Since 1982 Britain has two channels (BBC2 and Channel 4) which act as the main promoters of learning and ‘culture’. BBC2 is famous for its highly acclaimed dramatizations of great works of literature and for certain documentary series that have become world-famous ‘classics’ (the art history series Civilisation and the natural history series Life on Earth are examples).

THE PRESS

British people watch a lot of television, but this does not mean that they have given up reading. They are the world’s third biggest newspaper buyers; only the Japanese and the Swedes buy more.

Each of the national papers can be characterized as belonging to one of two distinct categories. The ‘quality papers’, or ‘broadsheets’, cater for the better educated readers. The ‘popular papers’, or ‘tabloids’, sell to a much larger readership. They contain far less print than the broadsheets and far more pictures. They use larger headlines and write in a simpler style of English. While the broadsheets devote much space to politics and other ‘serious’ news, the tabloids concentrate on ‘human interest’ stories, which often means sex and scandal!

Both types of papers devote equal amounts of attention to sport. The difference between them is in the treatment of the topics they cover, and in which topics are given the most prominence.

The reason that the quality newspapers are called broadsheets and popular ones tabloids is because they are different shapes. The broadsheets are twice as large as the tabloids.

The way politics is presented in the national papers reflects the fact that British political parties are essentially parliamentary organizations. Although different papers have differing political outlooks, none of the large newspapers is an organ of a political party. Many are obviously in favour of the policies of this or that party (and even more obviously against the policies of another party), but none of them would ever use ‘we’ or ‘us’ to refer to a certain party.

What counts for the newspaper publishers is business. All of them are in the business first and foremost to make money. Their primary concern is to sell as many copies as possible and to attract as much advertising as possible. The British press is controlled by a rather small number of extremely large multinational companies. This fact helps to explain two notable features. One of these is its freedom from interference from government influence, which is virtually absolute. The press is so powerful in this respect that it is sometimes referred to as ‘the fourth estate’ (the other three being the Commons, the Lords, and the monarch). The freedom is ensured because there is a general feeling in the country that ‘freedom of speech’ is a basic constitutional right.

None of the big national newspapers ‘belongs’ to a political party. However, each paper has an idea of what kind of reader it is appealing to and a fairly predictable political outlook.

LEFT CENTRE RIGHT

TABLOIDS

THE SUN

THE DAILY MIRROR

THE DAILY MAIL

THE DAILY EXPRESS

THE STAR

BROADSHEETS

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

THE GUARDIAN

THE INDEPENDENT

THE TIMES

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

Some of the tabloids have almost given up even the pretence of dealing with serious matters. Apart from sport, their pages are full of little except stories about the private life of famous people. There are still serious newspapers containing high-quality articles whose presentation of factual information is usually reliable.

This emphasis on revealing the details of people’s private lives has led to discussions about the possible need to restrict the freedom of the press. This is because, behaving this way, the press has found itself in conflict with another British principle which is as strongly felt as that of freedom of speech – the right to privacy.

At any well-stocked newsagent’s in Britain you will see rows and rows of magazines catering for almost every imaginable pastime. Among these publications there are a few weeklies dealing with news and current affairs. Some of these periodicals manage to achieve a circulation of more than a hundred thousand.

The Economist is of the same type as Time, Newsweek, Der Spiegel and L’Express. Its analyses, however, are generally more thorough. It is fairly obviously right-wing in its views, but the writing is of very high-quality and that is why it has the reputation of being one of the best weeklies in the world.

The country’s bestselling magazine is the Radio Times, which, as well as listing all the television and radio programmes for the coming week, contains some fifty pages of articles.

SPORT AND COMPETITION

Sport probably plays a more important part in people’s lives in Britain than it does in most other countries. For a very large number, and this is especially true for men, it is their main form of entertainment. Millions take part in some kind of sport at least once a week. Many millions more are regular spectators and follow one or more sports. There are hours of televised sport each week. Every newspaper, national or local, quality or popular, devotes several pages entirely to sport.

The British are only rarely the best in the world at particular sports in modern times. However, they are one of the best in the world in much larger number of different sports than any other country (British individualism at work again).

Many kinds of sport were first played or its modern rules were first codified in Britain. The public schools of the Victorian era believed that organized competitive games had many psychological benefits. These games developed the British sense of ‘fair play’. This concept went far beyond abiding by the written rules of a game. It also meant observing its unwritten rules, which governed behaviour before, during and after the game. You had to be a ‘good loser’. To be a cheat was shameful, but to lose was just ‘part of the game’. Team games were best, because they developed ‘team spirit’.

Modern sport in Britain is very different. ‘Winning isn’t everything’ and ‘it’s only a game’ are still well-known sayings which reflect the amateur approach of the past. But to modern professionals, sport is clearly not just a game. These days top players in any sport talk about having a ‘professional attitude’ and doing their ‘job’ well, even if, officially, their sport is still an amateur one. Nevertheless, the public-school enthusiasm for sport and the importance placed on simply taking part has had a lasting influence on the nature and role of sport in Britain today.

· The middle class origins of much British sport means that it began as an amateur pastime – leisure-time activity which nobody was paid for taking part in. Even in football, which has been played on a professional basis since 1885, one of the first teams to win the Football Association Cup was a team of amateur players (the Corinthians). In many other sports there has been resistance to professionalism. People thought it would spoil the sporting spirit. Not until 1968 were tennis professionals allowed to compete at Wimbledon. In cricket there was, until 1962, a rigid distinction between ‘gentlemen’ (amateurs) and ‘players’ (professionals). Even when the two played together in the same team. These days, all ‘first class’ cricketers are professionals.

The importance of participation in sport has legal recognition in Britain. Every local authority has a duty to provide and maintain playing fields and other facilities, which are usually very cheap to use and sometimes even free.

Every year the Boat race and the Grand National are watched on television by millions of people who have no great interest in rowing or horse-racing. Sometimes the traditions which accompany an event can be seen as important as the actual contest. Wimbledon, for instance, is not just a tennis tournament. It means summer fashions, strawberries and cream, garden parties and long, warm English summer evenings.

It is not only the British who tune in to watch. The Grand National, for example, attracts a television audience of 300 million. The worldwide enthusiasm has little to do with the standard of British sport. The cup finals of other countries often have better quality and more entertaining football on view – but more Europeans watch the English Cup Final than the other. The standard of British tennis is poor, and Wimbledon is only one of the world’s tournaments. But if you ask any top tennis player, you find that Wimbledon is the one they really want to win. Every footballer in the world dreams of playing at Wembley, every cricketer in the world of playing at Lord’s. Wimbledon, Wembley and Lord’s are the ‘spiritual homes’ of their respective sports. Sport is a British export!

Cricket

Judging by the number of people who play it and watch it, cricket is definitely not the national sport of Britain. When people refer to cricket as the English national game, they are not thinking so much of its level of popularity or of the standard of English players but more of the very English association that it carries with it. Cricket is much more than just a sport; it symbolized a way of life – a slow and peaceful rural way of life. Cricket is special because it combines competition with the British dream of rural life.

One of the expressions which have entered the everyday language from cricket is – It’s not cricket – it is not the proper or fair way of doing something (cricket is supposed to be the perfect example of the concept of ‘fair play’).

Football

The full official name of ‘soccer’ (as it is called in the USA and sometimes in Britain) is ‘association football’. Everywhere in the country except south Wales, it is the most popular spectator sport, the most-played sport in the country’s state schools and one of the most popular participatory sports for adults. In terms of numbers, football, not cricket, is the national sport, just as it is everywhere else in Europe.

Animals in sport

Traditionally, the favourite sports of the British upper class are hunting, shooting and fishing. The most widespread form of hunting – is foxhunting. This is a popular pastime of the higher social classes and a few people from lower social classes, who often see their participation as a mark of newly won status.

Killing birds with guns is known as ‘shooting’ in Britain. It is a minority pastime confined largely to the higher social classes; they often organize ‘shooting parties’ during the ‘season’.

The one kind of ‘hunting’ which is popular among all social classes is fishing. Between four and five million people go fishing regularly. When fishing is done competitively, it is called ‘angling’.

Horse-racing is a long-established and popular sport in Britain, both ‘flat racing’ and ‘national hunt’ racing (where there are jumps for the horses), also known as ‘steeplechase’. The former became known as ‘the sport of kings’ in the seventeenth century, and modern British royalty has close connections with sport involving horses. Some members of the royal family own racehorses and attend certain annual race meeting (Ascot, for example). The chief attraction of horse-racing for most people is the opportunity it provides for gambling.

· Royal Ascot is a fashionable British horse-racing event held at Ascot each year in June. Members of the royal family attend some of the races, and many people go there for social reasons rather than sport. The third day of Royal Ascot is usually Ladies Day for which many of the women present wear large and elegant hats. The Royal Enclosure is a special area of the grounds at Royal Ascot. People are only allowed in if they have a ticket, and there are strict rules about the dress. Men must wear very formal suits and women must wear skirts that reach below the knee.

· The Season is the name given to a number of fashionable sports and cultural events held in Britain every summer and attended by many rich, famous or ‘upper-class’ people. The main events are Glyndebourne (an opera festival), Derby Day (a famous English horse-race without jumps), the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley Royal regatta (rowing races) and some others. Tickets are very expensive and difficult to get.

Gambling

Even if they are not taking part or watching, British people like to be involved in sport. They can do this by placing bets on future results. Gambling is wide spread throughout all social classes. It is so basic to sport that the word ‘sportsman’ used to be a synonym for ‘gambler’. Every year billions of pounds are bet on horses. The central role of horse-racing in gambling is also shown by one of the names used to denote companies and individuals whose business is to take bets. Although these are generally known as ‘bookmakers’, they sometimes call themselves ‘turf accountants’ (turf’ is a word for ground where grass grows).

Apart from the horses and dogs, the most popular form of gambling connected with sports is the football pools. Every week more than ten million people stake a small sum on the results of Saturday’s professional matches. Another popular type of gambling, stereotypically for middle-aged working class women, is bingo.

The central place of sport in Britain is indicated by the very large number of sporting expressions and metaphors which have entered the everyday language. Here are some of them.

on a sticky wicket – in a difficult situation

on an easy wicket – in a fortunate situation

play with a straight bat – do something in an honest and straightforward way

saved by the bell - saved from a bad or dangerous situation by a sudden event

throw in the towel – admit defeat

first past the post – the winner

to be given free rein – to be allowed to do exactly what one wants, without restrictions

win hands down – win easily

go to the dogs – start to lead an aimless and self-destructive life

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the most popular occupation of British people when speaking about leisure?

2. What is the history of the BBC? What were the purposes of setting up the organization?

3. What is the reputation of the BBC? What accounts for its reputation?

4. What kind of programmes are soap operas? Why are they popular?

5. What are the main characteristics of the national press?

6. What is the difference between ‘quality’ and ‘popular’ newspapers?

7. What role does sport play in British people’s lives?

8. What sports are most popular in Britain? Why?

9. Why is cricket called the national sport of Britain? What is it associated with?

10. How popular are sports where animals take part?

11. What are the favourite sports of the British upper class?

12. How widespread is gambling in sport?

13. What sports do some popular expressions come from?

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1177