This is a weekly documentary that goes for half an hour. Each week, it has a title linking the first segment with the last eg. 'Spike Milligan to Swedish Dust Mites'.
The host starts out say in the place Spike Milligan was born, and speaks with a wheelchair bound neighbour about him growing up, giving us some interesting info about him etc. After a few minutes, the host asks the man about his wheelchair - he tells him it was made in Spain by a company called 'El Rollos Inc'.
We cut to the host in Spain at the factory where the chairs are made and we get an insight into how wheelchairs are made. The man at the factory has a rather long moustache, and the host asks him about it.
We then cut to the host walking the streets of Spain asking people about moustaches and what they think of them. At some point the host finds another tangent, and off they go to find out about it.
This continues of course until we end up in Sweden talking to a health expert or other such person about dust mites - 'Ja they do give me the nasty itches' etc etc
The job of host for 'Tangents' should be scouted from the members here at Halfbakery . . .-- benfrost, Mar 23 2001 His Grandfather's Old Ram, by Mark Twain http://www.ocf.berk...sons/twain/ram.html [beauxeault, Mar 23 2001] "Make a Wish" http://www.tvparty.com/lostwish.html [beauxeault, Mar 23 2001] Spike Milligan: More than just a Goon http://news.bbc.co....1550000/1550507.stmSpike Milligan's obituary. [Aristotle, Feb 28 2002] Connections (1979 - TV) http://us.imdb.com/Title?0078588Baked, but a little more coherant than what you want... [gb2000, May 29 2002] [admin: moved to "TV series", but PeterSealy is right, you could have done it yourself.]-- jutta, Mar 23 2001 Another previous version of this is a 70's TV show in the U.S. called "Make a Wish," and starring Tom Chapin, brother of Harry Chapin. Yet another version of this is a wonderful short story by Mark Twain called "His Grandfather's Old Ram."
Even so, I think I'd enjoy the show as benfrost describes it.
BTW, I once could recite "His Grandfather's Old Ram" from memory. Does this qualify me to be the host for "Tangents?"-- beauxeault, Mar 23 2001 James Burke is definitely one of the more interesting purveyors of TV 'edutainment'. He had a number of good series on British TV during the 70's and early 80's. However, I think that Grandpa Simpson should host the show. I was certainly hearing his voice when I read the story in beauxeault's link.-- DrBob, Mar 23 2001 get tv companies to lift the game- reality tv sux, but this is something i'd watch!- granpa simpson or ren and stimpy commenting...i don't think a live person could do it...-- fish_bok, Mar 29 2001 Duhuhhhhhhhh! This describes every meandering episode of Monty Python's fly-ING cir-CUS that i have ever seen! Big rip off, man!-- caffiend223, Mar 29 2001 Kinda Baked as a film - Robert Altman's Shortcuts.. with the added benefit that all the seemingly unconnected characters are part of a wider tapestry - wow deep, just like life maan.
Still Pastriable I reckon as a TV show. Would be good if it had a sinister story arc, like a mystery figure turning up in each episode somewhere, and gradually taking over all the segments, or a detective story going on entirely in the background....-- Danzarak, Feb 28 2002 Does the title *dictate* the start and end points of the show (ie "let's see if we can find a route from X to Y") or does it just describe where the documentary maker happened to end up, after following up random whims and distractions? If the former then, yeah, it's Connections, but if the latter then it's completely different and ACE. I love the idea of just pottering about like that, with no particular destination in mind. A 'real life' version of what happens when you try and research something on the web.-- Saveloy, Feb 28 2002 'Wafflogue', I like that...Would love this show...-- StarChaser, Feb 28 2002 "Because if you're not flying off on a tangent, then you're going round in circles."-- General Washington, Aug 29 2002 random, halfbakery