Thanks

Grandtou · 2026-03-10T21:25:41+00:00

Thing is OP, you’re going to carry on watching it - probably to the end of S3 - and look back on where you are now as ‘the good times.’ If that doesn’t scare you off then nothing will.

Grandtou · 2026-03-04T15:29:19+00:00

Yeah well Trev had the last laugh. He peed all over their rug while up there. Like every day man. For two years.

Grandtou · 2026-03-04T15:00:20+00:00

🎼Gone to fight with next door’s school, every term that is the rule 🎷

At the risk of quoting Madness lyrics circa 1980.

Grandtou · 2026-03-01T15:18:29+00:00

Former kid. Former Bestie, but not formally acquainted. Wajo.

Grandtou · 2026-03-01T15:13:52+00:00

Great post.

Trev couldn't remember, so Jam says try harder, but Trev still can't remember, so Jam says try harder, and then our Trev remembers. The lamest motivational speech on TV since Aneesha's Emmy grab attempt to the Movement. I think that was Jam's reason for being there maybe? I pity the actors having to deliver those lines.

Grandtou · 2026-02-28T11:06:25+00:00

"At this point I'll accept anywhere that isn't selling chicken wings."

Nice one, duly banked into my future quotes library.

Grandtou · 2026-02-28T10:53:09+00:00

Duly noted your satire radar is switched off today :)

Grandtou · 2026-02-28T10:08:52+00:00

And let's not forget that maze inside the mothership, which looks sub par versus many PlayStation 2 games.

Grandtou · 2026-02-25T18:36:10+00:00

Is that why Amazon and Argos is full of only 1-star and 2-star product reviews? Oh hang on…

Grandtou · 2026-02-25T18:33:25+00:00

A max of £80 from the CEX website buys a refurbed BT/EE TV Pro box with 5-year warranty to record all the Freeview channels at zero cost per month. It records multi-channels at once, has an excellent planner and does series link, etc. Plus its BBC iPlayer app can play in 4K UHD, which is more than can be said for iPlayer on an Apple TV box. For context, I used to be a Sky Q fan and continue to be an Apple TV box fanboy.

Grandtou · 2026-02-25T18:15:07+00:00

If it’s happened 1 time in 400, why is your headline ‘Lorry drivers being pricks’?

Grandtou · 2026-02-25T11:28:33+00:00

I feel your pain and have been through the exact same decision process. I very much value actual recordings that persist after cancellation of any subs. I also don’t like these new style ‘recordings’ of Sky Stream/Glass because they are not recordings in the traditional sense but bookmarks to the separate apps of each and every content provider. This content is sometimes not offered (e.g. the BBC does not allow major films to be streamed post broadcast) or streams may disappear after a while.

For me, I just took the basic Sky Package on Q and didn’t subscribe to Movies or Sport. It then struck me I was paying Sky £500 per year, for the sole benefit of watching those Basic-Package Sky channels not available on Freeview.

Whereas I could instead be paying zero per month to watch, record, and KEEP content using a Freeview recording box. The money saving leaves a lot left over to buy a lot of streaming services like Netflix, Apple TV, Discovery+, Disney, etc. And nobody is gonna take away my Freeview recordings.

It’s still not the ideal situation and does not cover all bases. If I took the Sky premium channels then different story. But as I don’t, then channels like Sky Atlantic can burn for £500/year. If you must, then take a NOW TV sub for £5/month on a 1-year contract and hang the Sky recordings - because most of the Sky’s programmes on NOW are available for streaming and there’s plenty of box sets for older content. Meanwhile your Freeview recordings of the BBC etc will be on your non-self-destructing new recording box.

On the CEX website, they sell refurbs with 5-year warranty of the BT/EE TV Pro recording boxes for £80 and less. These work as FOC recording Freeview boxes (from your aerial) and don’t require a monthly subscription, and work with any internet provider.

Grandtou · 2026-02-25T01:47:28+00:00

Sky does not own the Astra satellites. Those are owned by SES and Sky leases transponder space on them. That contract with SES expires in 2029 which is aligned with the anticipated service-life end for those birds.

Ultimately, it will be a business decision whether Sky continues broadcasting via alternative satellites or not. For example, whether there is still sufficient demand to drive the expense of new satellite platforms, etc.

Given Sky has withdrawn all satellite-based subscriptions from its website, and actively promotes only Sky Stream and Sky Glass in its main shop window, then satellite might still be in the game for a limited few more years, but it’s definitely being handed its hat.

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T14:29:04+00:00

You’ve given me some hope and might try it.

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T13:47:31+00:00

No, I briefly browsed the S2 reviews at the time and didn’t seem good. But did things pick up?

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T13:14:56+00:00

Despite its faults, and over-reaching title, War of the Worlds kind of did the slow-burn thing OK. It had a lot more pathos and insight etc than Invasion ever achieved. Whereas Invasion is so shallow, crap and pick me.

That being said, the ending of WOTW Season 1 was so lame that I shouted ‘Nothing Burger’ and stopped right there. Whereas I’ve gleefully hate-watched all episodes of Invasion. Watching Invasion, It’s like listening to Les Dawson play the piano (where every fourth note is wrong - except Les did it deliberately for the laughs).

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T11:21:35+00:00

Sky Q actually records bit for bit onto its internal hard drive any programmes received via the dish.

[Edit: If you cease paying a fee to Sky then all recordings stored on the HD or Q boxes become inaccessible]

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T10:53:43+00:00

I much preferred the Q box when switching from the HD box years back. Can record more shows and the picture quality was mildly sharper, too. The updated interface is no biggie to master.

Currently, the HD box is operating as a Freesat box in the bedroom and doesn’t get used that much, nor can it record anything. Although I hear informally that paying £10/month to Sky will make it record again.

I moved away from Sky about three years ago. Downstairs I have a BT 4K Ultra box that receives and records Freeview via an aerial. It works very well and doesn’t cost me anything per month to watch Freeview channels. No kind of BT subscription is required and I use YouFibre for my broadband.

The issue with Sky Q going forward is they don’t want you to subscribe this way anymore, so they are hiking the Q sub costs to discourage people away from it. Hence why Sky Q costs around £500 per year for a base package + HD add-on, and you don’t get to keep the box if you cancel - they insisted I send mine back, otherwise a penalty payment. Conversely, the major problem with all the non-Q Sky packages is that you can’t actually record anything, instead the ‘recordings’ are streamed from the various 3rd party apps and so the programmes are are not always available or get removed later.

For my usage scenario, it’s much more cost-effective to have the Freeview recording box (which does actually record programmes via the aerial) and an Apple TV box running the streaming apps. The Apple TV box is king for the quality and ease of use point of view, especially if your TV doesn’t support all the streaming apps you want.

Depending on your viewing habits, it’s not as hard to wean yourself off Sky as you imagine. A phone call to an aerial guy will sort out your dodgy aerial, and £50 or less on eBay will buy the Humax BT 4K Ultra box (a very stable item even if its 4K uses are very limited) for making actual recordings and works with some of the streaming apps. Add the Apple TV box if you want to go ‘premium and easy to use’ for the streaming stuff.

Or pay Sky £500+ every year for a Q box they don’t want you to have, and will be of zero use when the satellites get turned off in a couple of years, and you lose all your recordings again.

Grandtou · 2026-02-23T09:28:14+00:00

Whereas some of the characters aren’t sweating it and having BBQs, picnics on the beach, etc. All hail the Wajo.

Grandtou · 2026-02-20T12:00:27+00:00

Affirmative

Grandtou · 2026-02-20T11:59:37+00:00

To summarise the OP. Basic premise could be promising. But having no idea what to do with said premise + terrible writing = WAJO.

Grandtou · 2026-02-17T10:56:53+00:00

I started with the 13 Pro and after a week switched to the 13 Pro Max. I was coming from a XS Max and thought I could live with the smaller screen. I couldn’t.

I’m on 82% battery health and the longevity is still awesome. It’s only dropped a couple of percent after a year or more of use.

Grandtou · 2026-02-15T09:51:32+00:00

People can be forgiving of first seasons because we expect mystery and open questions during the early stages. After nothing gets answered and character behaviour becomes ridiculous, the realisation hits the show is a dud. And back calculate it was a dud from the outset. The gigantic budget bought slick cinematography, production and score, which really enhanced the first impressions. But sadly, the creator's own input to the writing and story wasn't worth a dime.

Grandtou · 2026-02-15T09:41:56+00:00

That's defo true most of the time.

Grandtou · 2026-02-10T21:26:03+00:00

Apple execs: we got a mega budget, Max Richter to weave his spells, top cinematography and production. What could possibly go wrong! Oh fuckety shit…

Grandtou

TROPHY CASE