Julian Ballantyne

ShoppingTelly

Help Support ShoppingTelly:

Don't know who Peter Simon is. As for shopping telly in general, I think the worst presenters are Caroline Lindsay (TJC) and Chloe Marshall (TJC).
Poor Julian Ballantyne! I wonder what the real reason was behind his departure from QVC?

This is genuinely shocking. You don't know Peter Simon? The man who sends selly telly back to the 70s
 
Julius, there are tons of Peter Simon threads on the IS forum, you're missing out on some of the funniest thread contributions on this site if you confine yourself to the QVC threads. Just as only watching QVC deprives you of presenters and presentations from shameless to disreputable to smutty and beyond. Try it and you may never look back :up:
 
Julius, there are tons of Peter Simon threads on the IS forum, you're missing out on some of the funniest thread contributions on this site if you confine yourself to the QVC threads. Just as only watching QVC deprives you of presenters and presentations from shameless to disreputable to smutty and beyond. Try it and you may never look back :up:

I'll have to check it out! I do sometimes fleetingly tune in to TJC just for a laugh at their awful presenters. Right now I'm in Carcassonne, Southern France, so I shall probably do a bit of sightseeing during the day.
 
Ahh Carcasonne a lovely place with the canal etc. I thought you would be in Cannes this week Julius.
 
Just for the record, both Caroline Lindsay and Chloe Marshall were presenters on IW when it started 18 years ago.. so if that doesn't sell you on how much you will love to hate IW, then I simply don't know what will.
 
Btw,where in my previous post it should have said IW, the flaming autocorrect turned it into IS, grrr!!I

A more overweening ego than Peter Simon's would be hard to find, although on IW they are not give the chance to promote their side gigs on air, thank goodness.
 
Ahh Carcasonne a lovely place with the canal etc. I thought you would be in Cannes this week Julius.

Carcassonne doese me fine. It's a very relaxed place. Shame I have to go home tomorrow :( It seems it's only when I start to enjoy a place I have to go home again.

Wouldn't go to Cannes if they paid me - not that they would - I'm not important enough for anything like that - thank goodness! I'm actually very anti-showbiz. I guess it's one of the reasons I find shopping telly so amusing - all those divas thinking they're on the back end of something glamorous - loooooooool!

The nearest I ever got to anything "red carpety" has been the National TV awards which was quite a hoot. I also had to cover a Paris fashion show once (at the last minute - there was nobody else to do it) and I got into huge trouble as I ended up writing very little about the fashion and more about what the models got up to behind the scenes. The males would manipulate their bodies in a certain way so as to make a certain area appear more prominent! I thought this was hilarious so I ended up writing about it. They ended up having to print it and people loved reading and talking about it - so in the end that got me off the hook. They could hardly get rid of me when I wrote the most popular feature of the week!

One of the things I do like about QVC / shopping telly is that there's never any bad news on there. They very rarely refer to events happening in the world (unless it might beef up the sales of an item) so it's really nice to have some escapism from what otherwise can be a news / current affairs overload.
 
Just for the record, both Caroline Lindsay and Chloe Marshall were presenters on IW when it started 18 years ago.. so if that doesn't sell you on how much you will love to hate IW, then I simply don't know what will.

I'll have to check out IW as it sounds fun. Chlo Marshall is an odd character - kind of like a slightly shouty Sloane from the 80s.
As for Caroline Lindsay - words fail me when it comes to describing her awfulness - Jill Franks is a million times more bearable than her.

I remember Ellis Ward, too. She always seemed a bit hyper. I always thought she'd have made a great children's TV presenter, but the way she'd carp on about some plastic, mass-produced jewellery was something else.

TJC is very funny and much, much closer to how QVC used to be back in day. I generally find their presenters are quite likeable. Gemma Hadley, Vicki Brown, Marina Berry are all very down-to-Earth and fun. I used to find Derek Marks very entertaining and really miss him on TJC. I'm sure I saw him on some other channel selling some spinning mop type of thing. Cris st Valery is also very fun, particularly when awful Amit comes on as a guest.
 
Carcassonne doese me fine. It's a very relaxed place. Shame I have to go home tomorrow :( It seems it's only when I start to enjoy a place I have to go home again.

Wouldn't go to Cannes if they paid me - not that they would - I'm not important enough for anything like that - thank goodness! I'm actually very anti-showbiz. I guess it's one of the reasons I find shopping telly so amusing - all those divas thinking they're on the back end of something glamorous - loooooooool!

The nearest I ever got to anything "red carpety" has been the National TV awards which was quite a hoot. I also had to cover a Paris fashion show once (at the last minute - there was nobody else to do it) and I got into huge trouble as I ended up writing very little about the fashion and more about what the models got up to behind the scenes. The males would manipulate their bodies in a certain way so as to make a certain area appear more prominent! I thought this was hilarious so I ended up writing about it. They ended up having to print it and people loved reading and talking about it - so in the end that got me off the hook. They could hardly get rid of me when I wrote the most popular feature of the week!

One of the things I do like about QVC / shopping telly is that there's never any bad news on there. They very rarely refer to events happening in the world (unless it might beef up the sales of an item) so it's really nice to have some escapism from what otherwise can be a news / current affairs overload.

What sort of newspaper would send someone last minute, who by his own admission knows nothing about fashion, to cover one of the most prestigious fashion events of the year? It wouldn't be a high end newspaper/magazine because they have these events sorted at least a year in advance, and it couldn't be a "red head" one, because they're only interested in celebrity trash and boobs, and I doubt they'd get in anyway. I wonder which news paper or weekly free paper has an "editor" that will run a piece that he's not happy with. Are you sure you wasn't watching Spider-Man? who knows? who cares? :mysmilie_17:

Why would put yourself down "not important enough" to bigging yourself up "they could hardly get rid of me when I wrote the most popular feature of the week" so, which one is it? Not important enough or can't get rid of you because you write popular features?..........please note, these are rhetorical questions :mysmilie_3:
 
What sort of newspaper would send someone last minute, who by his own admission knows nothing about fashion, to cover one of the most prestigious fashion events of the year? It wouldn't be a high end newspaper/magazine because they have these events sorted at least a year in advance, and it couldn't be a "red head" one, because they're only interested in celebrity trash and boobs, and I doubt they'd get in anyway. I wonder which news paper or weekly free paper has an "editor" that will run a piece that he's not happy with. Are you sure you wasn't watching Spider-Man? who knows? who cares? :mysmilie_17:

Why would put yourself down "not important enough" to bigging yourself up "they could hardly get rid of me when I wrote the most popular feature of the week" so, which one is it? Not important enough or can't get rid of you because you write popular features?..........please note, these are rhetorical questions :mysmilie_3:

Oh Shopper, everyone knows. I get a lot of scathing comments about my work on here from people that really don't understand how it all works. It's true that so called on-diary events are planned and allocated in advance. It's also true that such events are allocated to people with relevant insight. People like me who are relatively junior can get to do absolutely everything and anything, but we tend to get the dreary stuff. Recently I had to spend time knocking on doors trying to find out stuff about someone who'd passed away. Doing such "death knocks" is something I personally hate. It's annoying to the people who are bothered and disrespectful to the deceased, however it's all part and parcel of the job. There's only so much you can get from Twitter.

I've always been able to cope with whatever I've been sent to, save for one time I had to interview an opera star at the ROH. I approached it by saying I know nothing about opera and letting them talk me through it.

When things don't go according to plan it very much depends on the timing and the circumstances as to what happens - as well as what the original brief was. Some briefs are highly specific and others more generalised. In the case of Paris there was some leeway, and the events I wrote about had not been widely covered or discussed before so it gave an insight into the other side of a glamorous world - and as such it was a hugely popular piece that people enjoyed. At the time I was relatively new to such things and was finding my feet, working out what works and what does not.

I wouldn't be too dismissive of redtops, either. They love looking into how the other half live - and they love finding out something salacious underneath it all. That's what makes the world go round, dear!
 
This thread reminds me of something/someone....Smashfruit.... Anyone? :mysmilie_17:
 
I'll have to check out IW as it sounds fun. Chlo Marshall is an odd character - kind of like a slightly shouty Sloane from the 80s.
As for Caroline Lindsay - words fail me when it comes to describing her awfulness - Jill Franks is a million times more bearable than her.

I remember Ellis Ward, too. She always seemed a bit hyper. I always thought she'd have made a great children's TV presenter, but the way she'd carp on about some plastic, mass-produced jewellery was something else.

TJC is very funny and much, much closer to how QVC used to be back in day. I generally find their presenters are quite likeable. Gemma Hadley, Vicki Brown, Marina Berry are all very down-to-Earth and fun. I used to find Derek Marks very entertaining and really miss him on TJC. I'm sure I saw him on some other channel selling some spinning mop type of thing. Cris st Valery is also very fun, particularly when awful Amit comes on as a guest.

Ellis did use to be on children's tv but at the minute can't remember the programme. She did mention it on IW more than once.
 
Oh Shopper, everyone knows. I get a lot of scathing comments about my work on here from people that really don't understand how it all works. It's true that so called on-diary events are planned and allocated in advance. It's also true that such events are allocated to people with relevant insight. People like me who are relatively junior can get to do absolutely everything and anything, but we tend to get the dreary stuff. Recently I had to spend time knocking on doors trying to find out stuff about someone who'd passed away. Doing such "death knocks" is something I personally hate. It's annoying to the people who are bothered and disrespectful to the deceased, however it's all part and parcel of the job. There's only so much you can get from Twitter.

I've always been able to cope with whatever I've been sent to, save for one time I had to interview an opera star at the ROH. I approached it by saying I know nothing about opera and letting them talk me through it.

When things don't go according to plan it very much depends on the timing and the circumstances as to what happens - as well as what the original brief was. Some briefs are highly specific and others more generalised. In the case of Paris there was some leeway, and the events I wrote about had not been widely covered or discussed before so it gave an insight into the other side of a glamorous world - and as such it was a hugely popular piece that people enjoyed. At the time I was relatively new to such things and was finding my feet, working out what works and what does not.

I wouldn't be too dismissive of redtops, either. They love looking into how the other half live - and they love finding out something salacious underneath it all. That's what makes the world go round, dear!

Oh I'm sorry Julius, I've read shorter novels so I just skipped to the end bit, the "dear" comment at the end is a bit patronising don't you think? Did they not send you in a correspondence course on your YTS? I haven't read any newspaper for a long, long time and if your comment is anything to go by, they're still full of bullpoop. :mysmilie_17:
 
I'll have to check out IW as it sounds fun. Chlo Marshall is an odd character - kind of like a slightly shouty Sloane from the 80s.
As for Caroline Lindsay - words fail me when it comes to describing her awfulness - Jill Franks is a million times more bearable than her.

I remember Ellis Ward, too. She always seemed a bit hyper. I always thought she'd have made a great children's TV presenter, but the way she'd carp on about some plastic, mass-produced jewellery was something else.

TJC is very funny and much, much closer to how QVC used to be back in day. I generally find their presenters are quite likeable. Gemma Hadley, Vicki Brown, Marina Berry are all very down-to-Earth and fun. I used to find Derek Marks very entertaining and really miss him on TJC. I'm sure I saw him on some other channel selling some spinning mop type of thing. Cris st Valery is also very fun, particularly when awful Amit comes on as a guest.

I remember a few years ago when Amit had a thing for putting himself in these ridiculously expensive adverts, one where he is in a white suit next to a pricy yacht, springs to mind.

In my opinion IW is basically the worst elements of qvc but with the ex-bid tv presenters... it is quite glorious in it's shiteness.
 
I remember a few years ago when Amit had a thing for putting himself in these ridiculously expensive adverts, one where he is in a white suit next to a pricy yacht, springs to mind.

In my opinion IW is basically the worst elements of qvc but with the ex-bid tv presenters... it is quite glorious in it's shiteness.

Absolutely love the expression, "Quite glorious in in its shiteness! Sums up I/W in a nutshell (and most of its presenters!).
 
Smashfruit was the skateboarding granny who modelled and also own a health shop near Harrods. Came along and told us all wonderful tales of how she was bringing her own line to QVC, even went into great details about the best products to use for different skin problems and not waste money one expensive brand sold on QVC. They actually seemed very knowledgeable(but all the same info available online if you searched). They told us no way would she let AY talk over her when she went on air. This went on for quite a while many fell for it but others behind the scenes had little chats about well this smells very fishy.

Then one day she put up a photo of this glamorous older lady in white boots and suit standing on a skateboard saying it was one of her modelling photos. Until another member pointed out that this was a photo taken from a website of a totally different person who was a mature model. The real model did not own a healthfood store near Harrods and was not going to bring a fabulous skin care range to QVC. Many members on ST very very hurt as they totally believed Smashfruit. They actually waited hoping said Smashfruit would come back and just explain it all. But they never ever came back.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top