In a bizarre turn of events, viewers across the UK have found themselves glued to their television screens, watching with a mixture of horror and fascination as the news programme News at Ten has taken an increasingly surreal turn.
According to Bristol resident Clare Griffel, the show’s plotlines have become “increasingly deranged” in recent years, particularly since the introduction of a “weirdly orange-coloured character” named “Donald”. Griffel says that despite the show’s descent into the bizarre, she and many others remain captivated, unable to look away.
This sentiment is echoed by readers who have written to The Update Desk in response to a previous article on the strange TV shows that have captured the public’s attention. One reader, Tom Stewart from Romsey, Hampshire, even suggests that the show’s lead character should be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics “for his ability to distort reality”.
Another reader, Ian Grieve from Steyning, West Sussex, wryly questions whether someone could “just check the spelling” of the “Bored of Peace” committee the character is supposedly a part of, as “President Trump is getting weirder by the minute”.
The surreal nature of the news programme has also prompted reflections on the state of modern journalism and the role of the media. John Clarke from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, notes that while he “didn’t think [his] daily newspaper would ever cost £3.20”, he is willing to pay the price “not when Richard Smyth’s column (Country Diary, 21 January) arrives with such erudition, poetry and joy.”
Meanwhile, Moira Fleming from Jedburgh, Scottish Borders, ponders the “most northerly instance in the UK of the perception of ‘south'”, suggesting that the Norse rulers of Orkney, Caithness and Sutherland may have viewed the latter as the “southern land” from the ninth century.
As the nation continues to be captivated by the bizarre happenings on their television screens, it remains to be seen whether the news programme will continue its descent into the surreal, or if a return to more grounded reporting is on the horizon.
