AD. This post is a collaboration with TV Licensing (a trademark of the BBC), but all thoughts and experiences are my own. 

If you were to walk past my house on a Saturday afternoon it wouldn’t be a surprise if you looked in the window and saw us all sitting around staring at our own personal screens. Everyone with headphones on and in their own private world. This can be convenient and allows everyone to explore their own interests, but screens don’t always need to keep us apart. Watching shows and live sport on TV together can be an excellent way to bring families closer and create memories. 

Creating special memories watching shows and live sport on TV

The London Marathon 

One of my favourite things to watch each year on TV is the London Marathon. I start to watch early on, but it’s not the elite athletes, running at a speed that I can’t comprehend for a time that is extraordinary, that draws my family in, it’s the mass runners. My children love to watch it and spot all the crazy costumes: “look there’s an elephant”, “is that a fridge?”, “it’s a fish!”. I’ll regularly call my partner in from whatever he is doing to come see whichever celeb or sports personality is being interviewed, impressed with their dedication and fundraising. We find watching live sport on TV inspirational and entertaining. I love that the London Marathon is normally in April as it’s the perfect motivation for me to get running again if I have lost my mojo over winter. 

The Euros and Wimbledon 

I was asked to write a post for the BBC TV Licensing Moments That Connect Us Campaign and it really got me thinking of those memories we have as a family that have involved television. There have been so many memories, often involving sports, where we have been glued to the screen. Our favourites our the matches and events that are entertaining rather than nerve wracking. It was much more fun seeing how long *that* Wimbledon match was going to go on between Isner and Mahut all those years ago than watching England take penalties in the Euros. Can you believe that the record breaking tennis match was back in 2010? I still remember watching it with my partner and making jokes about it in the office the next day, because these special moments stick with you. 

The Olympics 

Then there is the entertainment of the Olympics. Our favourite sports to watch are the athletics and diving. Ask my older children what they remember from previous Olympics and they will tell you about seeing Usain Bolt whoosh to the finish line in a blink of an eye in Rio 2016 and Tom Daley winning gold and bronze in Tokyo 2020. It was before my children were born, but I have so many amazing memories of London 2012 when it felt like the whole country was part of the action. Following every event that was taking place in our country and watching those medals stack up. 

The Great British Bake Off 

Of course, it’s not just watching live sport that brings us together. We love watching competitive reality shows too like The Great British Bake Off. Who can resist those sticky buns and seeing whose flans flop? It’s such a great way to get children into baking. We also love to see what crazy outfit Noel is wearing each week. The orange penguin one was a definite favourite here. 

So while an average afternoon might see us on our own screens, the really special moments are where we watch TV together. It’s seeing those sporting moments that you know will go down in history. Whether you are into Love Island, GBBO or The Traitors it’s making sure you know the results (and the gossip) from the latest show before you hear it on the school run. It’s knowing the spoiler from your favourite soap before you discover it on social media. The “can you believe that happened?” talking about it afterwards is often as special as the moment itself. 

Additional Information 

Your TV Licence lets you enjoy a huge range of live TV. It covers you for: 

• All TV channels, like BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Dave and international channels – but you don’t need a licence if you only watch non-BBC channels on- demand 
• Pay TV services, like Sky, Virgin Media, and BT – but these are platforms that could have both live and on-demand services 
• Live TV on streaming services, like YouTube and Amazon Prime Video 
• Everything on BBC iPlayer. This includes recording and downloading. On any device