Rest and Reconnect with Your Fave Films and TV

Rest and Reconnect with Your Favourite Films and TV, Thanks to TV Licensing

This post is a collaboration with TV Licensing (a trademark of the BBC), but all thoughts and experiences are my own.

I admittedly watch more news, TV shows, children’s TV and films on TV as a busy working mum of three, than ever before. TV is pretty much my social life, to be fair. With children aged 3 to 15, my living room is where I spend most of my downtime be it watching forever favourites, Dragon’s Den and the Apprentice, or rewatching the simple genius and tummy-achingly funny and authentic Motherland on BBC iPlayer and its hilarious spin-off Amandaland, which I’ve seen three times over, once with my approving teen to boot. The funniest line, which we’ve now adopted as a family saying is, ‘Greedy birdy’. If you know, you know, and if you don’t, you must watch the show!! So, when the BBC reached out about the Rest and Connect campaign, I knew it was a perfect match for our family’s cherished downtime ritual.

The BBC is renowned for its award-winning programming and eclectic mix of quality shows, from breaking news bulletins to riveting documentaries, gripping drama and sophisticated comedy. This means I utterly depend on them and pay for my TV Licence to stay informed, educated and entertained in line with their Reithian values. It’s my go-to channel and consistently provides excellent programming for the whole family. 

One of my first jobs was a work experience placement at the BBC in London when they were based in White City. I was studying for my BA at Goldsmiths, University of London at the time before I embarked on my MA.

I worked across CBeebies, getting on-set experience of studio-based shows, and then on a music documentary as a runner when it was in post-production. Fast forward two decades (eek) and, whilst I’ve pivoted from a screenwriting and directing career to a mostly online one, everything I learnt in those formative years has influenced my current job, which depends on storytelling, visuals and, ‘getting emotion on-screen’ equally.

Whilst I’m frantically busy, I rely on TV to help me relax and I even play my comfort shows in the background whilst I make my deadlines and work on my book on my laptop.

My daughter, Florence, has learnt and gained so much from her beloved TV shows such as the laugh-out-loud funny Bluey. I’m just as obsessed with; Supertato and Hey Duggee, to name just a few. Like her older brothers, Mr Tumble, Andy’s Adventures and Baby Jake are also top contenders for her favourites list and watching those shows again, years later with my young daughter, means I can relive those precious times when the boys were small. 

They grew up with the BBC, as I did. Take Heart presented by the nation’s favourite artist Tony Hart was unmissable and nurtured my passion for drawing and painting. I also distinctly remember tuning in to Neighbours every single day throughout my childhood and beyond with Kylie and Jason being the equivalent of Romeo and Juliet for us elder millennials. The BBC contributed to so much of my identity and outlook. It has been an honour to contribute to many of their news programmes and radio shows since starting this blog in 2011. Our relationship continues. 

Live TV is also something I cherish on the BBC, be it the joyful annual Eurovision Song Contest to Premier League footy games and watching tennis at Wimbledon. 

New shows that I can’t wait to get stuck into include the following: 

Ten Pound Poms

Dope Girls

and the new series of

Am I Being Unreasonable

and Borders.

Are you a BBC TV addict like I am and if so, please leave your recommendations below in the comments?

Here comes the science bit (hehe)!

Your TV Licence lets you enjoy a huge range of TV. It covers you for:

• All TV channels, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave and international channels – but you don’t need a licence if you only watch non-BBC channels on-demand
  • Pay TV services, like Sky, Virgin Media, and BT – but these are platforms that could have both live and on-demand services
  • Live TV on streaming services, like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video
  • Everything on BBC iPlayer.

This includes recording and downloading. On any device.