MovieCat's profile

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Friday, February 23rd, 2024 8:16 PM

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Questions about major clean up on Come Dine With Me...

Come Dine With Me was in a complete mess, with no new episodes added for two years, episodes from the same season spread over 10, etc.

I've got an Excel spreadsheet out and I've been hacking away at it, and knocking it into shape over the last week or so. It's getting there, but a big job.

Anyway, two questions:

1. What's the policy on removing episode tags from images? I know it's difficult to get a main image thumbnail removed if you're not supplying a replacement, but there's some contestants that someone - in minor site vandalism - has added to around 60-100 episodes. (If you're not familiar with the show, they'd only likely be in 5).

The people are - with all due respect - quite distinctive, so recognisable:

A. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1717823/mediaviewer/rm3631460097?ref_=tt_rv

B. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1621462/mediaviewer/rm228502529?ref_=tt_rv

I've been removing the episode tags, as they're fine to be against the main title, but I don't know if they're being actioned, as there still seems to be a lot of them?

2. I have to be honest, it's slipped my mind what question 2 was. It'll come to me.

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7 months ago

Hi @MovieCat -

Image can only be untagged from the episode if it doesn't belong to the episode, in which case you would have to tag the correct episode, it can also be deleted if it does not belong to the series at all, if it does belong to the episode it would be considered factual information and we wouldn't delete it.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ Thanks Bethanny,

This was a problem I was having, as with over 600 episodes on the system it was hard to figure out which ones they DID belong to. I've now been able to identify the two people in question, so have put in remove image tags with this explanation.

I would have to see the episodes (5 for each) in question, though, to see exactly which one matches which image.

The images definitely belong to the series, just not 100 episodes of it.

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@MovieCat​ Oh yes images should only be tagged to 1 episode (the one it belongs too) all the rest should be deleted.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ Sorry, I hadn't explained it properly. When I said one on hundreds of episodes, I meant the same contestant.

Ironically the episodes where they DO appear didn't have them on it.

But you're saying I can't remove episode tags unless there's a replacement? Because with over 600 episodes sometimes I might not know.

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@MovieCat​ Ideally, yes, there should be a replacement.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ As it appears that most of them are from the same run of episodes, this might not be impossible.

Now I'm putting the episodes in order (another thing that wasn't done with the title) it's become clear that whoever added these images was putting screenshots from single episodes across 20-30 separate consecutive episodes. Strange site vandalism.

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@Bethanny​ I think I secretly enjoy cracking this case, though, especially as my submissions are now starting to be accepted.

Look at this one as an example: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620086/mediaindex

23 photos. I added one screenshot to the title myself, but the other 22 were all placed against individual (incorrect) episodes.

With over a thousand episodes, I might struggle to place some when the contestants look more generic, but that one was relatively easy to find with a quick "contestant with purple hair" Google search.

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@MovieCat​ And we do appreciate all the job you are doing by fixing all of it. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ Thank you, it's become an obsession now. :)

I don't know what possessed the original submitter, as if they were taking screen shots from a particular episode, they must have KNOWN that they were adding the images to random ones.

Here's one of the worst so far... 39 images. 38 of them were on other, unrelated episodes:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620120/mediaindex

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I think I must have changed the tags and added names to around 300-400 now. Some of them I scroll past as I think I've done them, they're practically duplicates.

I wonder what obsessed the person who did it?

Here's another one that's currently got 40 images (and I've put in for another 3 to go with it) that were all on other, individual episodes: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620086/mediaindex

(As two very obviously ARE duplicates there I'll put in a deletion request)

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@MovieCat​ Yes if they are duplicate definitely delete them.

Thanks a lot!

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@Bethanny​ I'd love to know what the person was thinking when they added all these... nearly 50 images from this one episode, which were all spread over individual (incorrect) episodes, and I'm still finding more:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620090/mediaindex

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@Bethanny​ I said at the start that I had two questions, but No.2 slipped my mind.

I've FINALLY remembered.... it was just that five episodes appear to have been ratings bombed.

Bear in mind this is a TV show that not many people vote on - so much so that some of these lowly-rated episodes fall under "Top Rated" - then there's a high number of votes for these ones, and all in the negative.

This one has 23 votes (probably just one of less than a dozen episodes to reach the minimum vote rating) and 20 of those votes were 1/10: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1447572/ratings/?ref_=tttr_ql_op_4

The following four episodes, all set in Dundee, Scotland with the same contestants, all follow the same pattern. Very strange.

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@MovieCat​ I have identified the user, so essentially he is adding images the incorrect episodes?

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@Bethanny​ 100%, yes. 

Not including ones that have yet to be actioned, so far I've transferred no less than 237 separate images. These images only feature 10 people, so would only be related to 10 separate episodes.

I don't see any way the person in question couldn't have known they were adding these images (237!!!!!) to random episodes.

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@Bethanny I hadn't even thought to look at the spin-off show, Couples Come Dine With Me, which contains many of the same images spammed onto the main title (along with a completely unrelated image that I've put in a deletion request for):

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3855202/reference/

Also Come Dine With Me Australia: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3517284/mediaindex?page=1&ref_=ttmi_mi_sm

(edited)

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7 months ago

Hi @MovieCat -

User adding the images was identified and steps were taken to avoid more being added and also we have informed our team in charge of ratings about that to take a look at the episode ratings.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ Thanks Bethanny. This one had 70 alone: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620090/mediaindex

I'm going through the other episodes to try and locate the other contestants... it appears to be episodes from 2018 spread throughout the entire 2005-2017 range.

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@Bethanny​ That's a thing of unbridled beauty, isn't it? We're not quite there yet, but a week ago every single episode in this season had an unrelated screenshot attached to it:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820392/episodes/?season=2&ref_=ttep_ep_sn_nx

Same with season 1, which should be clear this week (I've put them all through as updates, some yet to be accepted): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820392/episodes/?season=1&ref_=ttep_ep_sn_pv

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@Bethanny​ I've just been deleting plot outlines from 2009 episodes that, after investigating, are plot outlines for 2013 episodes on the Canada version. It's crazy how totally messed up this title was.

After looking into it, it turns out some of the screenshots were from the Canadian episodes, too.

Still, at least season one is now clear of mistagged images (the two that are there are ones I was able to get copies of... sadly quite blurred, as the first season episodes are rare): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820392/episodes/

(edited)

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We're really getting there now... no more episodes without a season number attached to them (ISTR there were about 60 or 70) and the first three seasons only have thumbnails that are actually related to the episode in question.

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@MovieCat​ Thank you so much for the hard work, if you encounter any issues on the way let me know.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ I think I might miss it when I've finished it... I've now only got about THREE screenshots that need to be sourced and correctly tagged.

I've still got to do the order of some episodes (should I add all the missing ones? I've done about 400, but there's still some to go) but now they're all in season order, chronologically.

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@Bethanny​ I've been able to source and look at one of the episodes that was rating bombed to see if I could identify anything. It was a pretty harmless, forgettable episode.

Some of the most famous episodes weren't even on there at the time, but there's only NINE episodes that have votes that take them past the minimum votes mark. Even then, it's just something like 7-11 votes, very minimal. 

But this run of four have up to 50 votes:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1447572

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1448850

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1449490

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450354

Maybe even stranger is that the fifth episode of the same week, featuring the same contestants, didn't make the minimum vote requirement:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450355

I'd have to assume it's someone who KNEW the contestants? It's really curious. 

The one I just watched: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1449490/ratings/?ref_=tttr_ql_op_4

47 people decided to vote that it was 1/10. That's REALLY strange.

(edited)

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I'm so curious I've sourced the one without the minimum votes... I'll see if my vote will take it over the line and what the other votes are.

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No, no change. So the last episode had 3 or less votes. Very odd.

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@Bethanny​ Just a small error that's come up that it won't let me edit from the page.

I've added around 500 missing episodes so far, but two got added together as one as I hadn't advanced the numbering.

This is okay, I've resubmitted the correct details, etc., but this one:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31828518/reference/

Now has at the overflow: auto;">

Also Known As
  • Lichfield, JP Goodyear-Martinez

It shouldn't be "also known as" anything.

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@MovieCat​ Additional title was deleted.

Cheers!

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@Bethanny​ Thank you.

There are a few episodes from 2013/2014 that have the wrong dates on the official Channel 4 website, so I've been having to go through newspapers to cross-check, etc.

I'll kind of miss it once it's done.

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@Bethanny​ Here's a curious one... I've just found a run of five episodes that was pulled from broadcast after the first two aired.

I've had to dig around to find out, and it turns out one of the contestants was sentenced to 11 years in jail and it was pulled for legal reasons.

But as the episodes were advertised, they EXIST, so should I create them? Further to this, as each edition ends with a "next time..." clip montage, I'll even be able to get a screen capture of at least the third.

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@Bethanny I can't get the system to let me make the "with" uppercase. Usually the title logo is all in capitals so it's impossible to tell, but.... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0928028/mediaviewer/rm3939792897

Over 1000 missing episodes added now. A lot more work than I realised/intended, but once I started...

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Hi @MovieCat,

The title of "Come Dine with Me" should be formatted as such, per the website the title's distributor: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/come-dine-with-me.

I hope this helps!

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@Ozzy​ They HAVE written it like that, haven't they?

It actually goes against the way it's shown on their own programme, eg:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10334298/mediaviewer/rm2511552769

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Just watched the last of the "rating bombed" episodes... I thought it was harmless fun. The narrator did do a Scottish accent a couple of times, but for a series with hardly any episodes over the minimum vote count, why did 23 people decide it was 1/10?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1450354/reference/

(or two people that it was 10/10, come to that)

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@Bethanny Still trying to discover why episodes were rating bombed, it's got me really curious. There's no episodes over 11 or votes, but suddenly, out of the blue, one gets FIFTY votes, and 90% of them are 1/10?

One of the contestants was a school teacher... pupils trying to get revenge? https://twitter.com/snakeeater_11/status/735228352756383745

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5 months ago

There we go... my initial plan was just to simply clean the title up a bit, as episodes and screenshots were all over the place. I certainly had no intention of adding all the missing episodes, as there's over 2000 of them and only around 550 had been created on the system.

But... I got carried away.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820392/episodes/

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4 months ago

The spin off show, Couples Come Dine With Me: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3855202/reference/

The vast majority of the 259 photographs are from the parent show (and already exist on there, it took me WEEKS to clean them up) while there's even one from a car show.

It's complete vandalism, but I haven't really got time to put in deletion requests for 250+ images.

I'd suggest just keeping the main image, and deleting the rest. There's no point even migrating them, as they're duplicates.

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4 months ago

The episodes broken down into smaller seasons by broadcast gaps now... took a few weeks: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0820392/episodes/?season=1

While I was there I noticed that four episodes hadn't been accepted (sometimes episodes were aired on the same day, and a few got rejected as suspected duplicates) so I've added them now.

I dunno if I'm 100% satisfied with that breakdown, there's still one season with 180 episodes, but generally it's more manageable.