TV chef Gordon Ramsay ... flying the flag for TV blokedom. Photograph: Rex
Many interesting things emerged from last week's discussion about the popularity of Top Gear. For the moment, we'll leave aside the curious obsessions with my byline picture, the hairstyle featured therein, my resemblance (or not) to Hitler, Mike Myers and James Dreyfuss and my penchant for pies (I'm not a fan of pastry, really, but never mind). Fascinating though it is, I'll also ignore the urge of many to comment on a blog that they think is hateful/worthless/stupid/not worth commenting on.
Instead, let's focus upon the feeling expressed that blokes were somehow neglected by television. Top Gear is popular because, according to ZaydTheCat, "apart from the football, it's the only bit of masculine TV on offer (on network TV)".
Is that really true? And what is "masculine TV" anyway? If Top Gear is one of the few examples of it, is everything else - drama, comedy, light entertainment, documentaries of all hues - "feminine TV"? Certainly some genres and tranches of schedule may be skewed towards a female audience - daytime, for example - but can we really divide telly down gender lines? (I've touched on the subject of a gender divide in drama before but is it true of the medium as a whole?)
With channels such as Bravo and Dave, Discovery and FX prospering - all of which seemed skewed towards male viewers - can blokes (and I'm not even engaging with the insidious homophobia lurking here) really claim that they're ignored by TV? Or do they just really enjoy whining?
Any discussion like this involves generalisations and simplification (I've seen Big Brother called "football for girls and gays" but I can't be bothered with the show) but is it really as simple as women like soaps and men like sport? Don't men watch Ant and Dec? Is it only women who tune into EastEnders? Is Planet Earth masculine or feminine TV? How about Gordon Ramsay's F Word? CSI? Damages? Imagine...? Location, Location, Location? Though Living may appeal more to women, is Virgin 1 a masculine or a feminine channel? How about Sky One? ITV2?
With television more obsessed than ever with targeting demographics, it would be daft for it to ignore "blokes" and yet some there's a feeling that they're overlooked. Looking at the EPG, there seems to be a feast of blokey TV on offer - and that's not even counting the porn channels. So why do men feel ignored by TV?
