I WROTE a year ago about the dire programmes on TV over the 2008 festive season. It is hard to believe, but this season was woefully worse with 21 repeats on BBC/ITV alone on Boxing Day. I lost count on other channels.

What made it far worse is now knowing the many hundreds of thousands spent on directors’ expenses, fees, “jollies”, dinners and unnecessary worldwide travel (never heard of video-link?). Also, we are now afflicted with the curse of the voice-over before a programme ends and disappearing programme credit titles.

A classic of the latter, to me, was James May’s Toy Stories on BBC 2 on Christmas Day when model rail enthusiasts linked up ten miles of track. Brilliant work by thousands was totally spoilt by the credits to all involved disappearing to pinpoint while banner items and voice-over told of the next two programmes.

ITV should be renamed “The Advert” or “Sofa-Channel” with 12 minutes of programme to four/five minutes of adverts.

What are the Radio/TV Times publications for and the hundreds of newspaper supplements? It’s all there for viewers. The present promotion and set-up exasperates like an unwanted telephone sales caller.

R Harbron, Norton, Stockton