Observations on TV-Turnoff Week by Alice O'Keeffe

Halfway through the last series of Celebrity Big Brother, I realised that my life had hit a new low. It was 2am, I had come back from the pub, and I was slumped in front of the TV watching a bedroom full of celebrities who were sound asleep. What the hell was I doing? Why didn't I just turn the bloody thing off? Was I really enjoying watching people I didn't know snoring and drooling on their pillows? Or was I just a mindless, celebrity-obsessed TV junkie?

If you have ever experienced a similar moment of epiphany, now is the time to take action. From 24 to 30 April is TV-Turnoff Week, organised by the anti-telly pressure group White Dot. Participants are encouraged not only to switch off their own TVs, but to support their communities in trying to do the same. Hardliners can even purchase a TV-B-Gone keyring with which they can "zap" off TVs at their local bars and pubs.

Some pointers for how to get through TV cold turkey can be found on White Dot's website. The group has been conducting interviews in old people's homes to compile an archive of reminiscences of the pre-TV generation. Thus far, suggestions for passing the time have included a game called mumbly peg, "where we flung a pocket knife into walls", and building wigwams.

White Dot's director, David Burke, has an even more challenging suggestion: letting yourself get bored once in a while. "Television offers us the world on a plate. But there is something productive in boredom. Previous generations had to face up to boredom and loneliness, and as a result went out and found people. They had a much stronger sense of public service and community."

Those who find the strength to give up telly certainly seem to take to their new lifestyle with a messianic zeal. Amelia Hill, a journalist who wrote about dumping her TV a year ago, found that it profoundly affected her outlook on life. "So much TV is negative, encouraging you to compare your life with others. I have found that, without it, I feel less judgemental and less judged."

According to Burke, it's only once you give up TV that you realise what a difference it makes. "Not watching TV is as addictive as watching it. Once you give up, you get addicted to real life."

He admits, however, that he has a tough fight on his hands. And it's only going to get harder to shake the telly habit, with technological developments making our "friend in the corner" more difficult to escape. "We've already lost the habit of sitting around and talking in the evening," says Burke. "It saddens me to think that soon, when people are able to watch TV on their mobile phones, we're even going to lose little things like looking out of the bus window. Instead, everybody will be gazing at advertising on their phones. It's pretty sinister, when you think about it."

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