I wish people would not assume "authentic" or "traditional" mean "unchanging". In folk music, change itself is surely traditional and authentic. If I say "I like my folk music traditional" it doesn't remotely mean "I like my music the same as it was 100 years ago".But of course this doesn't mean any kind of change is traditional or authentic. People are entering the usual minefield of wilful mutual misunderstanding.
Now, to return to the subjecxt of the thread, the Seth Lakeman programme. Here is a question, to which I haven't got an inkling of an answer. Channel 5 is a commercial programme.Making programmes costs money. I was involved in a comparable scale TV folk programme more than ten years ago, and I think the budget may have been about £50K. Now, this Lakeman prog was longer, and things cost more nowadays.So how much would it cost? £100K? I havent a clue, but maybe something around that?. Now, programmes on Channel 5 are paid for by adverts aren't they? Now, people have drawn attention to a few Karine Polwart and Catharine(sp?) Williams and Bon Jovi ads that went with the programme. Now, I dont imagine 11AM is exactly peak time, would that programme have really pulled in that much in advertising revenue? And, if not, where does the money come from? How does it work? Anybody know?