I've never understood why I'm supposed to suspend my critical faculties when watching a programme like the Transatlantic Sessions - or any other programme for that matter. I really like a good deal of what I see and hear in this series - and some of it I genuinely find less interesting. Is making a fair comment about the series - which I think Canalwheeler has done (and he's echoed other commentators in his assessments) - just "whinging"? Of course it isn't - it's just fair comment - and it's perfectly acceptable in my book, as long as it's fair.

I bought the DVD sets for series 1 and 3, so I'm not antipathetic in any way, but I certainly haven't spent money on series 4, 5 and 6 - much as I eagerly anticipated them - because I genuinely believe the formula is now a little tired. It's good in parts but it appeals less than it used to. That's my assessment and I see no reason to not have it.

And as for the idea that, just because it's all we have on the TV, it's better than nothing - and therefore somehow immune from comment - I don't follow that line of reasoning either. If the series was really poor - which I don't believe for one instance, by the way - would we still accept it simply because there was nothing better? To do so would be an insult to the music as a whole.