Help Me Anthea, I'm Infested
Encyclopedia
Help Me Anthea, I'm Infested is a 2007 factual entertainment television show produced by RDF Television for BBC Three
, presented by Anthea Turner
and Mark Coltman, a professional pest control expert. The presenters visit people whose houses have pest control problems, give them advice and help them to exterminate vermin.
Originally slated for six episodes, the BBC cut the series short after the third episode was broadcast. According to an interview with Anthea Turner, only the first three episodes were planned to be on bug infestations, although she did not specify what later episodes would cover.
Critical reactions were very negative: James Watson at the Daily Telegraph described it as being both boring and exhibiting "grinding, excruciating pointlessness", while The Guardian
s Nancy Banks-Smith described it as "frightful". Charlie Brooker
thought Turner came across as "a hard, judgemental piece of work who spends most of her time haranguing the human inhabitants for living in filth", and the resulting programme feels like "a strange psychodrama in which the punters are caught between unfeeling vermin on one side, and an unfeeling former Blue Peter
presenter on the other". Jeremy Paxman
used it as an example of the perceived low quality and lack of public value of BBC Three programmes in an interview with the BBC chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, on Newsnight
along with My Man Boobs and Me, My Dog Is As Fat As Me, Freaky Eaters
and Fat Men Can't Hunt. The novelist P.D. James listed it as one of the BBC's "most embarrassing programmes".
Rentokil Initial
list the show as one of a small number of pest control
-related television shows.
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
, presented by Anthea Turner
Anthea Turner
Anthea Millicent Turner is an English television presenter and media personality.-Education:Turner was educated at the independent St. Dominic's High School in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent....
and Mark Coltman, a professional pest control expert. The presenters visit people whose houses have pest control problems, give them advice and help them to exterminate vermin.
Originally slated for six episodes, the BBC cut the series short after the third episode was broadcast. According to an interview with Anthea Turner, only the first three episodes were planned to be on bug infestations, although she did not specify what later episodes would cover.
Critical reactions were very negative: James Watson at the Daily Telegraph described it as being both boring and exhibiting "grinding, excruciating pointlessness", while The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Nancy Banks-Smith described it as "frightful". Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
thought Turner came across as "a hard, judgemental piece of work who spends most of her time haranguing the human inhabitants for living in filth", and the resulting programme feels like "a strange psychodrama in which the punters are caught between unfeeling vermin on one side, and an unfeeling former Blue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...
presenter on the other". Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Paxman
Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...
used it as an example of the perceived low quality and lack of public value of BBC Three programmes in an interview with the BBC chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, on Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
along with My Man Boobs and Me, My Dog Is As Fat As Me, Freaky Eaters
Freaky Eaters
Freaky Eaters is an observational British documentary series produced by independent television production company betty for BBC Three. Series 1 was narrated by the actress Jill Halfpenny and series 2 by Sharon Horgan...
and Fat Men Can't Hunt. The novelist P.D. James listed it as one of the BBC's "most embarrassing programmes".
Rentokil Initial
Rentokil Initial
Rentokil Initial is a major British business services group. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
list the show as one of a small number of pest control
Pest control
Pest control refers to the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest, usually because it is perceived to be detrimental to a person's health, the ecology or the economy.-History:...
-related television shows.