The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post
The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post.
Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy.
www.philevans.co.uk
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I DIDN’T CHOOSE TO HAVE SO MUCH CHOICE.
I did something this week that I haven’t done for years. Steady now! This is a family newspaper; the only boobs on display are my spelling mistakes.
‘Money To Burn’ Evans splashed the cash on a TV listings magazine.
I can’t say which one because then I’d have to mention all of them. Suffice it to say that its Big Bold Colourful pages weren’t just informative about the particular hour each TV show started, but also mentioned the radio times.
I’ve always relied on the South Wales Evening Post television page to inform me what’s on my massive 14” telly, perched over the fireplace so I always get a warm reception.
And once I start watching a series I like, I usually remember when the next episode’s on. If I don’t like it, I’m even better at remembering never to watch it again. As with a recent four-part ‘thriller’ that the trailers promised would be ‘Appointment TV’. It was. Half-way through the first episode, I switched off and telephoned a colleague to make an appointment.
So, I bought a listings magazine to help me plan my viewing. As I settled down with a mug of tea to glance through the schedules, something immediately hit me between the eyes.
It was the teaspoon I’d left in my mug.
Then, checking the listings using a magnifying glass - because some channels were only given a quarter-inch square – it became apparent the number of channels available is phenomenal.
Movies; comedy; horror; science fiction; drama; crime; game shows; arts; lifestyle; sport and loads more.
All crying out to befuddled viewers...“Please watch me!”
When we only had BBC One and Two and ITV , if your two favourite programmes were on at the same time on different channels, you had to choose one and miss the other. Tough cheddar!
So when Channel Four started in 1982, we thought it would lead to chaos! Luckily VCRs appeared around the same time to save our world.
But the choice today has reached a ludicrous level. How can you choose from 600 + channels? Is it possible that the trend to give us ‘More Choice’ is self-defeating?
It certainly is in my case.
I put the listings magazine in the recycling, made another mug of tea, sat back and listened to a soothing CD to ease my headache.
Yes.
I’d hit myself between the eyes with that spoon again.
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Pembrey:
On Sunday, I decided to blow away the cobwebs with a trip to Pembrey Country Park.
We are so lucky in Wales to have places like this on our doorstep, with activities such as dry slope skiing, pony trekking, archery and acres of beautiful open fields and woodland to explore.
Let’s face it; Mother Nature has supplied us with the foundations of a great day out, so why do the council then spoil it by charging £5 per car to park (I witnessed two cars full of families turn around and drive away instead of paying).
Yes, times continue to be hard.
The cafe area was very run down, toilets were dirty and on speaking to a few other people there, apparently the shower facilities were shocking on the caravan site, with only two showers for the whole site!
We have the makings of a gem of a day out here.
Come on, Carmarthenshire Council, start getting creative by making this park accessible to all and something to be proud of.
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What a week it has been!
I very narrowly avoided being knocked over on the pavement by an elderly gentleman driving a rather big car, who decided to mount the kerb, collide with a bin and remove it from its footings, the impact of which then managed to bounce his car back onto the street.
With the street packed with shoppers of all ages, it was by sheer luck no one was hurt.
His defence?
Poor eyesight and confusion.....
I'm now more convinced than ever that people over a certain age should be retested...
I am sure this isn’t the only age bracket that causes problems on the roads, but it is uncanny that most near misses I have personally witnessed recently haven’t involved young drivers.
DVLA sources show that 14,000 people aged over 70 were banned from driving on health grounds last year and my sources inform me that the figure could be even greater for this year.
Following this incident, it is clear to see why.
Last time, I wrote something in this column about elderly drivers, the editor had to put his letters page sub-editor on overtime duty.
The sub-editor in question is on stand-by again . ..
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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk
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