Television, as it exists in the British Isles, has been a topic of discussion before. But there's an aspect that seems baffling to the North American mind, unless some time is spent over here.
One must understand, British folks like their sports. You'll see a far higher percentage of older folks over here kicking a football about.. or tossing darts at the Veterans Clubs.. or playing snooker in the Workers Associations.. Lawn bowls is a big one here too..
The thing is, they televise these sports during prime time. One recalls the look of horror on a relative who was visiting from Canada, when at two in the afternoon found three of the five available channels devoted to lawn bowls, snooker, and steeplechase racing. It was a matter of some incredulity that people actually tuned in to these telecasts, but be assured, they do.
Case in point, this evening Steven Hendry's taking on Mark Williams in the last ever Benson and Hedges Snooker Masters Tournament. Safe to say there's an audience in the neighbourhood of 3.5 millions, plus one.