116 - Continuation

 Arguably there was no real point to yesterday's post; other than ensuring there was at least a post a day so far this year on the blog. I guess to me it's a psychological thing, as a completely utterly meaningless post like that is still a post, and it keeps the streak going. Not posting breaks the streak, and there's a chance that something similar to last last year might happen, and I'd stop posting.

I don't want that to happen. 

The same argument could be made about this one, too. But I had something in mind this morning to post about, but now I can't remember what it was. Maybe I should have started writing it earlier, at least giving it a one word title, and a note as to what it would be about. 

I'm sure it would have been amazing. 

Or at the least mildly interesting. 

115 - Tired

I feel tired. Sleepy. 

Yawn...

114 - Mona

 Was it Dennis Potter who said there is a power in cheap pop music? Or was he quoting someone else? I can't remember.

As I write this post, I have on BBC4 which is showing old editions of Top of the Pops from 1990. Right now, Craig MacLachlin and his band, Check 1-2 are singing a song called "Mona", which absolutely doesn't rip off the Rolling Stones... no, sirree...

But it takes you back. When the two editions they are showing today were repeated it was the summer after i took my GCSes, and I was awaiting the results. We'd finished school in late May, or was it early June? Whatever, that was when the last exams were and we just kind of filtered away from school... nothing until the start of September when A-Levels were to start.

Looking back, I find I actually recall little of that summer. The summers as a kid/teenager seem to blur in to one with thirty and a half years' worth of distance. 

But the music is there. Mona makes me think of the Aussie telly I'd have been watching at the time - Neighbours, Home and Away, A Country Practice (where else could the wombat obsession have come from, and late at night, Prisoner Cell Block H.

And the thing was, as we lived in an area where we could get three different ITV regional channels (remember them?) I could watch PCBH at differing times in its run, depending on whether it was Central, HTV West, or TVS. I recall that Central was furthest ahead. A Country Practice was at different points in the run, too. Still, and any fule kno, the best era of ACP was the Simon/Vicky/Molly/Brendan era. Oh... Molly... when I get to watching that episode on my big DVD box set of the first third of ACP (which, I think, has all these episodes in it) I think it's going to be tough... it affected me at the time when I first saw it as a teenager... but now... it's tough enough even typing about it.

And I think of other things - Nicky Campbell's late night discussion show on Friday nights on Central - Friday Night Live, I think it was called. I loved that. And he's still sort of doing the same thing - albeit with a narrower focus and without "late night" topics - on a Sunday morning as The Big Questions. He's brilliant. 

And Dave Barrett's late night discussion programme on the radio - GWRFM - I listened to that loads. He was a great presenter, and it's so sad he died. 

It's these things that almost act as anchors, linking your present to your past. Reminding you of where you came from, and how you got to where you are, and maybe about how decisions you made back then affected your whole future, even if you didn't know it at the time. And how hindsight gives you perhaps a better idea of what you should have done...

...but then if that thing had been different, what kind of rippling effect could that have had on the rest of my life? What if I'd taken a pen with me to West Side Story? What if I'd been a bit braver about various things? What if I'd actually thought "what's the worst that could happen"? 

Oh, I dunno...

Hmm. Madge is singing about Hanky Panky...

And me calling her "Madge" has immediately made me think about Smash Hits, which is where that nickname for her came from. I read that every fortnight. In hindsight it was probably the best music magazine there's ever been. It was just fun. And all those nicknames... it took me ages to realise why the person who answered the letters in the letters page was called Black Type, though. Yeah. I was just slow. 

I guess this is one of the most very "wsd" posts I've made on this blog, as it's all just me waffling, going from one subject to another... digressing. And it's all from Henry from Neighbours singing Mona on an old TOTP...

After he left Neighbours, Craig defected to Home and Away where he played a character called Grant Mitchell. He was a very different character from his namesake in EastEnders... 

And Craig was robbed. Mona stalled at number two, kept off the top of the pops by that mediocre Sacrifice song that Elton John did. Craig followed up Mona with a song called Amanda; leading to people speculating that all the songs he ever released would be named after girls. I don't recall his third single. Maybe it was called Ethel... I could Google it, but that rather defeats the purpose. 

But songs are never quite the answer, just the soundtrack to a life. And they are important. Music is important. Whether it's a record, or live music, it can transport you to another place, another time, and the right song at the right time can totally change you mood. And make you happy. I could be happy. 

We're in to the second show now, July 26th. Aside from Craig most of the last one was meh, hence me not mentioning that many songs. The guide says they're playing The Soup Dragons on this one. I'm Free... what a blinder of a song. That is another one that takes me back - like I said, this was the summer after GCSEs and that was a song that seemed to suggest that anything was possible, and it was a song I listened to loads. Even the rubbish rap bit about the granddad. 

It was many years later I found out it was a cover version. Well, I was young and foolish then; I feel old and foolish now. 

Even then I tried to put song lyrics in to things I said. Still do it now. There's a couple above. 

I guess the whole point of this post - wait, there is one, I hear you cry - is that sometimes it's good to wallow in nostalgia, to remind yourself that there were times when things were different. 

Oh, interjection; Suzanne Vega... Tom's Diner. Oh... nostalgia. The remix. Which was the first version most people heard, I think. The acapella version seems... wrong, somehow. Was Sting's Englishman In New York around this time, too? I have it in my mind it was. 

So, yes. When things were different. It's good to have a wallow every now and then, but you can't live in the past. You've got to live in the here and now, and take things as they come. Plan for the future, but be aware that events can totally scupper it. The past gives us nostalgia, the future gives us the possibility that we can do anything, guide and shape our own destinies... because at the end of the day, your decisions are on you. What you decide today can shape not only tomorrow or next year, but the whole of the rest of your life. 

Choose wisely. 

---*---

PS; the Pixies, Velouria at number 28! And that sparks a memory; I recall buying the album this came from, Bossanova, on tape in WHSmith when on holiday in Weston-Super-Mare. The girl who served me was absolutely beautiful. She went to 11. I recall she dropped the tape accidentally on the counter as she went to put the price in till, and said "sorry", and I said it was okay, and she gave a little smile that lit up her face. I wonder what might have happened if I had struck up a conversation? Probably nothing. But possibilities and potential... 

Across the two shows today, Velouria was clearly the best song in either of the Top 40s... but did they play it...? Grr... 

Another song I didn't realise was a cover until many years later; California Dreaming, by The River City People. 

113 - Nonsense

 I do sometimes think I spout a whole load of nonsense on this blog; but then it is my blog, and where better to spout nonsense? I mean, virtually every post on here is just written off the cuff the evening it's posted, and it's always pretty much - typos and the occasional bit of rubbish phrasing - an unedited stream of consciousness, which means it can start off talking about one thing, and end up talking about another...

But that's part of the whole ethos of the place... I mean, it's called "...when somebody digresses..." the clue is in the name! 

I do sometimes wonder if I should do some more structured posts; posts that are written in advance, properly edited, and aren't just a bit of a bibble. But then I think that might take away the charm of the place. 

I have also tried to get posts to link in with their numbers so the topics relate, like when post #101 waffled on about Nineteen Eighty-Four. Doesn't always work according to plan. Post #108 should really have been about Lost, but It's A Sin absolutely correctly changed that plan. 

I wonder if post #119 will be about what that should be about...? 

112 - Prioritisation

 I know I said I didn't want this to be a virus blog, but there's one more thing I want to mention and that's around prioritisation of the vaccine. 

To my mind, once you've got the absolute most vulnerable people out of the way, prioritisation then shouldn't be by age, it should be to those who are most likely to catch or transmit the virus as part of their job. 

This would include your NHS workers, teachers (to enable schools to fully reopen as soon as it possible), police officers, shop workers, and so on.

Basically if your jobs involves regular contact with those outside of your household you should be at the front of the queue. 

If you can work from home in your job, you should be at the back of the queue. 

It should all about prioritising those that have the greatest risk of catching, or of transmitting, the virus. To me that seems and entirely logical, and sensble, way to decide who gets it. That would be the way to get things moving as soon as is possible. 

And if you think I'm suggesting this because it would mean I'd get the vaccine sooner; no. By my suggestions, I'd be at the back of the queue. 

111 - 100,000

 I don't want to end up writing a load about the virus on this blog, but today's the day our death toll here went up past 100,000. 

To anyone who says it's just like a bad flu; you're wrong. It's much worse.

To anyone who says that they shouldn't wear a mask; you're wrong. Get wearing it. (See post #98 if you think you should be exempt.)

To anyone that says the lockdown doesn't work; look at the numbers of new infections and how much they're going down.

To anyone - bar those who have severe allergic reactions - that think they shouldn't get a vaccine; grow up, stop believing the conspiracy loons, and get your vaccine when it's your turn. 

To anyone that thinks we had the right idea here about how to deal with the virus; look at the difference between Boris Johnson's and Jacinda Ardem's approaches, and how different the situation in each country is right now. One country is in a much better shape than the other.

We got it wrong. We're doing things now we should have done at the start of March last year. 

Epic fail. 

110 - Worldbuilding

 The news. or rumour, of some kind of Harry Potter spin off TV show has got me to thinking again... if there can be a whole load of HP spin offs, a host of Star Wars spin off TV shows, mountains of Marvel TV shows and films, and a rapidly growing number of Star Trek series... why isn't Doctor Who doing the same...?

This was something that had actually started when Russell T Davies (him again!) was in charge of the show, with the two spin offs Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures, which all ran for a few series. The only other spin off, which aired much later, Class fared rather less well, only lasting a single season. 

So, why did the spin offs falter? Where are the new ones? Where are the limited run series?

I mean, seriously, who (at least prior to the Day of the Doctor storyline nixing it continuity wise) wouldn't have loved a ten part Paul McGann starring Time War TV show? (Or possibly even longer?)

Looking at the most recent, run, how about a spin off with Jo Martin's pre Hartnell Doctor? Or maybe something else with this whole seam of continuity opened up by the Timeless Child revelations? I know the reaction to this was, shall we say, mixed, but if something decent could be done with it... it could redeem it. 

Heck, how about more Torchwood? Or if that couldn't happen, a new Captain Jack series? Heck, there's still Jack's missing years of memory that's never been filled... 

(The BBC tried to do a thing recently called "Time Lord Victorious", with stories in pretty much every medium... except the TV show. The impression I had was that it was rather a mess, in that there were suggestions you could just dip in and watch/listen to/read whatever you wanted and you'd still get the jist of the thing, which made no sense. It was just confusing. The little of it I read I didn't get any real notion of what it was all about. So much for just being able to dip in... put me off the whole thing.)

It would be a fairly easy thing to set up spin offs in the main show; I mean, there are all sorts of stories where once the Doctor leaves a planet/space station/esatate on Earth and you wonder what happened to the character next. That in itself could be a spin off... an anthology called "What next...?" where we see what happened after the Doctor left, and whether things did all go well for the characters. It wouldn't work for many stories, but there's enough it would. 

The most obvious potential "What next...?" would be what happened next to the meta-crisis Doctor and Rose trapped in that parallel universe? They'd be without any kind of Tardis, and thus no time travel, but there's a whole world there to deal with. 

Personally, I'd love a Romana and K9 spin off... but I suspect that could never happen. 

But there is so much potential there. So much possibility, and it's all being wasted. 

109 - Flows

Sometimes it flows, like yesterday, and sometimes... well, like today... 

...it doesn't...

Besides, I'm tired. 

And I want to go to bed.

I had a little drink about an hour ago.

And it's gone right to my head. 

I don't even have a boat.

Does that mean I need a bigger one? 

Probably...

108 - Sin

 Had all gone according to plan, as mentioned, yesterday's post would have been about the first episode of Russell T Davies new show, It's A Sin. But other events got in the way. 

So, I sat down yesterday to watch the first episode, and then realised the whole thing would be up on the All4player straight after the first episode ended... so when it did, I turned to the All4player, and ended up watching the whole series - all five episodes - one after the other in a big ol' binge, finishing just before 2AM...

It's A Sin is in many ways a companion piece to RTD's earlier shows, Queer as Folk and Cucumber. Both these shows were contemporary in nature, with QAF showing a group of gay men in the 90s, and C showing a settled gay couple in the 21st century. And, due to the decisions made as to what the shows were concentrating, HIV and AIDS were largely absent. In QAF, for example, its influence was there in the background, with even the most promiscuous of characters being seen to be using condoms; but it hasn't been at the core of an RTD drama until now. 

In IAS we follow a trio of young gay men after they arrive in London in 1981, and as the episodes progress we go through a decade until 1991. We see the initial wild partying, the rumours of a new deadly virus, and its growing impact on the trio and their friends as the decade progresses.

Although filming for iAS was completed late 2019, there are parallels with the current situation the whole world is in now with Covid-19; there's one scene, for example, where one of the main characters rubbishes the whole notion of this new virus, and underplays its impact. It's so very reminiscent of the mask refusers and anti-vaccine idiots around these days that it's hard to believe it's all a coincidence. 

I remember much of 1981-1991, and how the HIV/AIDS situation developed. The lens through which I observed the unfolding pandemic was rather different from the characters here (and I was exactly 10 years younger than the main characters, too), as I was a straight boy living in a small town, and it was a time when there was rampant homophobia in all parts of society. From comments in school when someone saw someone they perceived to be gay, "bums against the wall, lads", right up to the highest echelons of government and Thatcher's incredibly damaging Clause 28, which prohibited anything in schools that could be deemed to be promoting homosexuality. No wonder so many boys (and girls) would have kept themselves firmly in the closet.

Then, on top of this, you have a virus spreading that for a while was only thought to affect gay men... and you have a recipe for disaster. 

As the decade progressed, HIV and AIDS were used as a stick to beat gay men with, and the sense of fear there was increased seemingly exponentially. The "don't die of ignorance" advert spread a huge amount of fear, and then when it became obvious (as it should always have been) that it wasn't just restricted to the gay population this fear rocketed. Especially with all the talk of the many different ways you could catch it; and there were many different ways mentioned that were just utter nonsense. But so much of the nonsense was believed. 

So, for me IAS shows me a whole new perspective of this time that I just wasn't previously aware of. So many details. I wasn't aware that when so many of the boys died of HIV or AIDS that their families often lied and said it was cancer or something else, or the burning of all their possessions, or the locked isolation wards. So many things.

IAS opened my eyes to all this; but that in itself wouldn't have been enough if the drama wasn't any good. And, boy, is this good. What we have here is five absolutely stunning episodes of television. It starts off with the trio each having a great deal of fun, in their own ways, in 1981 London. It's so joyous, and happy, and heart warming. 

But then the virus slowly arrives, and works its way in to their lives. It's almost incidental to start with, but by the end it's absolutely at the core of all their lives. Even before you start watchin it you know you are going to be put through the wringer. There are so many moments, even from the first episode, that will have tears in your eyes. Oh, there's a moment very close to the end of part 5 that you know is coming, it has to come, it's inevitable; but when it does, the nature of it, how it actually happens... it's like a punch to the guts. 

The drama doesn't just deal with the core characters and their reactions to HIV/AIDS, but also how their parents react to it, too. A picture is painted here of people who just don't understand the illness, and are often struggling to come to terms with it and its implications, coupled with the latent homophobia that (as noted earlier) was present in the decade. Their struggle is very real. 

But it's not all grim. There are moments of brilliant comedy in there, too; there's a very notable moment in part 4 involving coffee that not only made me laugh uproariously, but was also a clear message from RTD to the individual concerned.

(Just as an aside; I am trying very hard here to avoid spoilers, but this next paragraph might be deemed too spoilery by some.)

One scene in the final episode, where a character is on his death bed, is particularly poignant; he's looking back at all the fun he had, the time he spent partying, the boys he's had, and despite this lifestyle contributing to his early death he doesn't regret it. It's a terrific piece of writing from RTD. As is the whole show. The details. The character moments. No-one does it quite like him. A character talking about a bit of mould on the wall should be dull, but here it's entrancing. The show's full of these little moments. 

This is a show that everyone should watch, it is absolutely brilliant. I would imagine if you were gay and lived through this period it will have an extra level of resonance that it doesn't have for people like me. For me it's an insight in to a part of the world I didn't really know about, things going on elsewhere. 

Everything about this show is just brilliant. The performances, the direction - there's a sequence in one episode with Keeley Hawes going up and down a corridor from one room to another and back that is visually stunning (I know it doesn't sound it, but it is; trust me), with a style I've not seen before. The supporting cast is full of great performances, the aforementioned Keeley Hawes, Shaun Dooley, Stephen Fry, and the legen-wait for it-dary Neil Patrick Harris spring most to mind. 

But it's the trio at the core of the show, Callum Scott-Howells, Roscoe Babatunde, and Olly Alexander that the whole thing hinges on, and all are absolutely brilliant. The performances totally convince, and as the three of them go through the good and bad times you get totally drawn in to them, come to enjoy their company, and hope that all three survive to the end and all live... of course, not all do (really; it's no spoiler to say that, as it's obvious from the get go that not all will live), and as they're put through the wringer you feel every emotion with them. 

I think this is a show I'll probably end up watching several times, and get the Blu-Ray when it's out (hopefully with an RTD commentary), and find it just as affecting each time. 

There's actually lots more I could say about this show, so many aspects I've not touched on. One day I might write another, spoiler filled, piece about various things I've only hinted at. But for the moment, I've waffled on for long enough, so I'll just end with;

I actually think that IAS is quite probably the best thing he has ever written, and will be regarded as a masterpiece of television. To my mind it's the best piece of British television this century. The more stuff he writes the more convinced he should be regarded as one of this country's greatest TV writers, up there with Dennis Potter I would say. He's that good. 

I just can't wait to see what he does next...

107 - Delenn

 I think today's post, had things gone to plan, would have been a post about how brilliant the first episode of Russell T Davies new TV show, It's A Sin, was. I've not seen it yet. Other events have overtaken it.

Today i'd like to pay tribute to Mira Furlan, best known for playing Ambassador Delenn in Babylon 5, who died two days ago.

Throughout her time on Babylon 5 she gave a powerful performance (as did the actors portraying all three of the main ambassadors), and was always engaging. Her character could be quite mysterious at times, and this added to the intrigue. Delenn was a character who knew many secrets, and slowly you learnt them. 

She also gave a terrific performance in Lost as Rousseau; despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, probably no more than about ten of them, she had such an impact. 

Take a read of Joe Straczynski's tribute to her, which can be read here; though be warned, it'll bring a tear to your eyes. 

RIP Mira. 

106 - Flamin'

Every now and then I catch an episode of current Home & Away and find I hardly recognise anyone. With the episode today today I just recognised Alf "Flamin" Stewart, Marilyn, and Brendan from A Country Practice (though I really only recognised him as ACP's Brendan Jones, and I still don't really know anything about his H&A character).

There was a version of Roo in the episode, but played by a different actress; and she doesn't feel like she's really Roo because of the soapy head swap. They're never quite the same.

One quote exciting moment in the episode (and you may think is some strange usage of the work "exciting" that you weren't previously aware of) was when Alf name-checked Colleen Smart, though sadly we didn't see her. It would have been good if we did. She'd be about 108, though!

The other characters... well, meh...

As an aside; I've still got just over 200 episodes of the first 400 episodes to watch on Amazon Prime. And Alf *still* hasn't said "flamin" in any of them...

105 - Countdown

I love it when I'm watching Countdown and it's the numbers round, and I get the answer and neither contestant gets it. This doesn't happen often, mind you, as I say I probably only get between a 1/3 to a 1/2 of the numbers. 

Sometimes I'm amazed when there's a simple one that neither of them gets. The one I'm putting in this post I got in less than 10 seconds, and was thinking "Easy!" and expecting both contestants to get the correct answer...

...but neither did, and declared their best efforts as being a few numbers away. To me it seemed like one of the really easy ones. Here it is.

The target was; 850.

The numbers were; 75, 7, 3, 4, 1, 5.

See... easy! 

I still don't like it when they go for six small, or 4 large and 2 small. One from the top is always best. 

104 - Forgetting

 Earlier today, I saw something and thought to myself "now, that's what I'm going to do a blog post about tonight...

...now we get to tonight, can I remember what it was? Can I 'eck as like!

I really, quite probably, should have made a note as to what it was. But I didn't. And now I just don't remember what it was. 

Oh, well. I'm sure the topic I had in mind was quite interesting. 

Unfortunately, this post is not...

103 - Rhapsody

The question is; if you're making a movie based on a true story, how close to the truth should you be? Clearly it is absolutely impossible for every single detail of a movie to be exactly as it was, as there's no way of knowing exactly what is said, or exactly what happens, behind closed doors.

So, some licence has to be taken; especially if you're trying to condense many years of life in to a two hour movie. Events are often abbreviated, or conflated, or simplified, to give the essence of what went on, rather than ensure that every single precise historical detail is there. After all, it's a movie, not a documentary. 

To my mind, however, the line that shouldn't be crossed is blatantly making things up 

One more recent film that's guilty of this is the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. The thing is, it doesn't need to do this. The performances in it, and the strength of the characters is such that it has no real need to make things up. But it does. 

(I'll gloss over here the fact that the movie absolutely, and massively tones down various elements of Freddie's life; particularly his love life. If Freddie's real life was turned up to 11, here it's about a 4...)

Certainly there's simplification, and conflation going on in the earlier parts of the movie, and some songs aren't in the right order, which is mall potatoes, really; but the closer it gets to the stunning Live Aid climax, the more stuff they make up. 

The movie makes great play of the band getting in a huff, and coming close to splitting for good when Freddie goes off and does his solo album. Mr Bad Guy, with other members of the band whinging that him going off and doing this solo album is almost treasonous. This is despite the fact that other member of the band - Brian May, and Roger Taylor - had both done records away from Queen before this.

Then there's the band's initial reluctance to do Live Aid; the film has them wary because they've not played live for such a long time (due to the fictional huff the band had with Freddie...). Whereas in real life, the opposite was true; they were worried they were burnt out as they'd been playing live so much. January 1985 they'd played to 300,000 people in Rio, and then been touring April-May of that year. 

And there's Freddie's AIDS diagnosis; reports vary as to when he was diagnosed, but it wasn't until 1986-87, and he didn't tell his bandmates for a couple of years (though they may have had their suspicions), not just before the Live Aid appearance. 

These manglings of the truth took me out of the film somewhat; and the script could so easily have been re-written to be closer to the truth. You could have had the band feeling burnt out. Getting in to rows over this. The drama is there. You don't need to make stuff up. You also could have had Freddie getting worried about AIDS; starting to make the connections. That could have had just as much impact as what we had. But I guess they wanted the moment where Freddie tells his bandmates as a part of the film, and as they'd made the choice to end on the Live Aid performance (and don't you wish the movie had the whole thing; it cuts two songs) they had to shoehorn it in somewhere. But it's an un-necessary addition, and as noted it takes you out of the film if you have any knowledge of what really happened. 

I imagine many who watched it just weren't bothered by any of this; if you don't know the story, you'll probably not care. I guess that's fine. There's probably other movies I've seen where I've not known the subject and everything's seemed fine to me... and somewhere there's someone who's had a rant just like me. 

Oh, well...

102 - End

I'm watching a programme on the TV right now about the end of the planet due to the sun exploding - which is in about 8 billion years! Though by then all the water on the planet will have evaporated and there'll only be superheated steam, or something. At least for a while! 

I suppose it does all make you think about how all things must come to an end. You also wonder what will happen to humanity over the coming millions of years... and whether or not we're able to find our way off the planet in search of a new home... 

Almost sounds like it could be TV show in itself.

101 - Changes

Well, yesterday when I wrote post #100, I alluded to the subject of the post when I mentioned it on FaceBook and Twitter... I knew what I would post about. But today, I don't feel like it...

I was going to talk about Eric Blair and his contribution to literature, society, and so on, but when I think about what to write, I can't help but think it's all been said before, and what's the point of reheating someone else's leftovers?

I guess the one thing I would do is urge anyone with any interest in his most notable work, Nineteen Eighty-Four, is to buy a copy of the hardback book that reproduces the surviving pages - just under half the book - of the original typed manuscript, with handwritten notes and corrections in Orwell's own hand. It is a thing of true beauty. 

The frustrating thing, of course, is that it doesn't have the whole book. But there are all sorts of interesting differences between this text and the final published version. I'll not go in to them as part of the fun is discovering things yourself. 

Also, it's not a small book; it's not the size of a regular harback. It's more a coffee-table book (though not quite a Taschen), as the pages with reproductions have the manuscript as its actual size, with white space around to allow the pages to breathe. I got a copy a good few years ago, and it's one of the most impressive books I have (the Taschen Kubrick book, and large format Fat Duck book, Pixies photograph book also spring to mind). 

I can't help but hope that, somehow, more of the manuscript is found, but I think it's unlikely as Orwell never kept his works in progress, notes, or manuscripts. The survival of even this section of the manuscript is quite something, as according to his widow, this was all there was; she put it up for sale in a charity auction not long after his death. I would imagine that if there were other documents or manuscripts they would have turned up at that auction.

Still, just under a half of the manuscript is better than nothing. 

(Now, when do we get a DVD release of the 1954 version of Nineteen Eighty-Four that starred Peter Cushing...?)

And look, I started off by saying I wasn't going to talk about it, and then I talked about it... Who'd'a thunk it...? 

100 - 100

 When you reach a milestone like a hundred posts in a blog (it only took five and a half years) I suppose there's an expectation that the post should be something special, and that it should may be something profound. Or it should look back at the glories of the blog so far... glories... HA!!! 

But, no, this is just a rather ordinary post, which arguably only exists in order fulfil my stretch goal of doing a post every single day this year. I guess I could have tried to plan a specific post for #100, but when I've tried to do this it's not really been successful, and I've only half written posts. I like it better when it's like this, spontaneous, as I know I've got the space to fill before the impending deadline.

Deadlines help to concentrate the mind. They give a bit of a prod to make sure you get something done. Not everyone copes well with deadlines; Douglas Adams used to say that he loved the whooshing sound they made as they passed... me, I find them very useful. I work better with a deadline. If it's all vague; do it when you get around to it, then often it doesn't get done. But if you know something has to be done... it gives you a prod.

When I started this post, I didn't know I would get around to talking about deadlines. It grew, naturally out of what I was writing. I started on one thing, and then digressed to something else. I like it when somebody digresses; it's more interesting, and all... Holden was right about that. 

It's now almost 11 years since JD Salinger died. I could have waited until the 27th to talk about this, but I refer you back to paragraph two. A few years back, 2015, maybe? There was talk that by this sort of time they'd start publishing some of the writing he'd done. Talk of a war story, more from the Glass family, and possibly more of Holden. None of it has yet come to pass. 

Part of me would look forward to something else with more Holden. I mean, I lapped up "You're Crazy", and "Slight Rebellion of Madison", but they were essentially works in progress, which were reworked in to Catcher in the Rye. Holden has a different number of siblings, and in one of them his middle name is revealed... Morisey. No. Really. It is. 

Another part of me thinks that there's no need for anything other than Catcher. It tells the story it needs to tell, briefly, concisely, and with a great deal of wit. There's more crammed in to Catcher than many trilogies of books. It is, to my mind, the best novel ever written, and the second best work of fiction in any medium. So, if there were to be something more, the bar is set very high indeed. 

If there were another Holden book, I can't help but think that I'd end up buying it as soon as it's published, and never actually get around to reading it. I've got form for that! One day, maybe, I'll get around to reading Go Set a Watchman...

You see this pos; it's what happens when somebody digresses... 

99 - Trigger

There seems to be a bit of a hoo-ha today about how some episodes of The Royle Family now have a warning before them on the iPlayer saying that they contain language that some viewers may find offensive. To some this is political correctness gone mad mollycoddling the woke snowflakes, or something...

To me, this is an entirely sensible thing. Putting content warnings at the start of a programme gives the viewer a bit of a heads up that there's something in the forthcoming programme that they may not like. Whether it's "may contain offensive language", "may contain scenes of a sexual nature", "may contain outdated views and opinions", or "may contain disturbing scenes of Mick Hucknall", or whatever, it is about informing viewers about what it to come. 

It's not like they're removing these programmes (that's an entirely different, rather longer post I may write one day), they are still there. The caption doesn't change the programme. 

And it's not like it's a new thing. Warnings like this have been appearing at the start of TV shows and films for ages. Decades, even. So to whip up fake outrage over this...? Really...? Haven't you got anything less boring to do...?

98 - Exemptions

One of the things that has been to the fore in the current pandemic is the wearing of face masks/coverings in locations where the spread of the virus is most likely; predominantly indoor locations. 

Some people, due to health reasons, are exempt from the wearing of masks in such areas. 

Now, to my mind, this probably causes an increase of spread of the virus as there is a greater risk of both contracting and spreading the virus if people don't wear masks. The virus doesn't go around thinking "Oh, that person's not wearing a mask; I'll not try to infect them..." 

If it were up to me, I would say that everyone should wear a mask at all times when out of their home. Even outdoors. Just to add that extra layer of protection. 

"Ah, but I am one of those exempt due to health reasons!" some will declare. 

Well, at the present those who are deemed to be "extremely clinically vulnerable" are, essentially, advised not to leave their homes and to make arrangements for people to bring shopping, etc to them. 

I would argue that if a person has a health condition that means they can't wear a bit of material covering their mouth and nose this should, in and of itself, place them in the "extremely clinically vulnerable" category and they should, therefore, stay at home. 

Many of the conditions that people claim the exemption for relate to the pulmonary system, and that the masks affect their ability to breathe properly. If a person's condition is that bad, then if they catch the virus it is more likely to affect them to a greater degree than a person without an underlying pulmonary condition. 

So, if you have a condition like this, stay at home. If not, go out (for the specified legal reasons), but wear a mask. 

That way it would be clear that if you are out and about, you should wear a mask. It's annoying. It's inconvenient. It makes your face get a bit warm. But it saves lives, and that has to be the priority. 

Out of the home, you wear a mask. That makes it much simpler. 

(And don't get me started on those fools who wear a mask covering their mouth, but not their nose... Grr...)

97 - Representation

So, today the highly acclaimed writer Russell T Davies spoke about how the three leads in his forthcoming drama, It's A Sin, are played by gay people, and how only gay people should play gay characters. Whilst I see where he's coming from, I can't help but think that it's too restrictive. If an actor could only play someone the same sexuality as them, that would rather constrain the roles they play. 

I look back to Russell's earlier TV show, Queer As Folk, which also features a trio of gay men as its lead. None of the three actors playing Stuart, Vince, and Nathan were gay. At no point when watching that show (and I've seen it several times; it's absolutely brilliant) did it ever matter to me what the actors' sexuality were. All three play their roles to perfection, and all totally convince in their roles. 

And just to think of it; I don't know what the sexuality of the actors playing the two leads in Cucumber was. It never came to mind. I just enjoyed the show. Especially part six. 

On the flip side, when I first started watching How I Met Your Mother I had no idea what the sexuality was of the womaniser, Barney Stinson. I only found out after the writer Brett Easton-Ellis wrote an article saying how the character was only funny because he was a gay man playing a womaniser. I shrugged. I never knew that and I still found the character funny (he's very much a caricature; and there's the theory that Ted is an unreliable narrator, and he's overstating Barney's nature to make himself look better).

In fact, when watching TV shows and films I have no idea about the sexuality of the vast number of the actors on screen, and I just don't care. What matters is the performance. 

There's also the notion that trans characters should only ever be played by trans actors; and I can understand the rationale, but again I'm not sure I agree. The performance by Julie Hesmondhalgh as the trans character Hayley Cropper over something like 15 years in one of the UK's highest rating programmes, Coronation Street, did a huge amount for trans acceptance in this country, and a large amount of that was down to her performance. 

Pretty much the only thing that really should be taboo, again to my mind, is playing a character of a different race to yourself, especially if we're talking a real historical figure. You'd never cast a white man to play Malcolm X, as you'd never cast a black man to play Winston Churchill. 

(And I think even here there should be some limited exceptions; I'm thinking of the likes of Little Britain, or Come Fly With Me, or some of Harry Enfield's shows where you have a small cast playing a wide range of characters of all ages, race, and sexes.)

At the end of the day acting is about pretending to me someone you are not. If a performance of a straight man playing a gay character (and vice versa) is a convincing performance, then it shouldn't matter. There are all sorts of character traits an actor takes on to perform their roles; why should some be off limits?

96 - 96

 96 immediately makes me think of Euro 96, which immediately makes me think of that goal Gazza scored against Scotland in the match mentioned in The First Big Weekend, by Arab Strap...

95 - Googol

So, they've done another programme about Major Charles Ingram, and his appearance on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I know Chris Tarrant always used to say "It's only easy if you know the answer", but the Major's million pound question was probably the easiest one they've ever had. To remind you, this was the question;

A number one followed by one hundred zeros os known by what name?

A - Googol

B - Megatron

C - Gigabit

D - Nanomole

(Not that I'm bragging or anything, but I'd have got that before the options were announced...)

But, even if you didn't know the answer you could easily have worked it out based on the prefixes of each of the words alone. 

"Mega" refers to something that's a million of a unit.

"Giga" refers to something that's a billion of a unit.

"Nano" refers to somethings that's a billionth of a unit, so anything "nano" must be small, not big. 

So, those three answers could have been ruled out purely based on that premise alone, giving the only possible answer as googol. 

Of course, this isn't even getting to the point that Megatron is the leader of the Decepticons in Transformers, a gigabit is a unit of computer memory, and a nanomole is a fraction (a billionth, who'd'a thunk it...) of a mole (chemistry measurement; not small furry rodent). 

I kind of think at least one of the wrong answers should have been something that didn't have one of these prefixes in it... or at least had one that included a "hecto" prefix; a prefix that means 100 of a unit. 

Anyhow, this water flowed under the bridge a long time ago...

(Actually whilst I'm mentioning the Major, I would recommend all read this book; it's a very interesting read...)

94 - 4K

 I suppose one day I'll get a 4K telly and a player. I'd been planning on getting a Playstation 5 as the disc based model of that has plays 4K discs, but as is always the case with new games consoles the number produced is significantly lower than the demand for them. And when they've gone on sale, unless you happen to be online for the 37.8 seconds they show up you've got no chance of getting one, especially given that so many are bought up by bots... but that's another post..

I can tell there will be key films and TV shows I'll end up buying again on 4K; I mean, for example, I've bought several copies of the original run of Twin Peaks - VHS, US DVD, UK DVD, Blu-ray... I expect I'll end up with the 4K.

Though at the rate things are going, by the time I've been able to get around to getting 4K they'll start to release 8K stuff...

Oh, imagine how beautiful Twin Peaks would look on 8k...?

Though I guess there will have to come a point where there just can't be any further improvement to picture quality that will be noticeable to the human eye.

Just one more thing about 4K, though; back in the days when we could go to shops, I'd have a meander around the 4K TVs on occasion. More often than not, they were showing demonstration videos of things like wildlife, or city scapes, or some other specially filmed thing to show off the resolution of the TV. I tended to look at this and just think... yeah, that looks good... but what about showing an actual TV show or film? Or even just a compilation showing clips from actual films and TV shows. Then you can see what the stuff you'll actually watch on it will look like so you can see the improvement. And yes, occasionally I've seen such a thing, but it's very much the exception rather than the norm, and only on about two or three TVs out of 30 or 40, so you can't directly compare one with the other... 

I wonder if they'd let me bring pop in the Twin Peaks pilot episode from the single 4K disc from the last Blu-Ray set...? Hmm... now there's an idea. 

93 - D

I still find it hard to believe that David Bowie is no longer with us, yet in two days it will be 5 years since he died. As I type this, BBC4 are showing an evening of programmes about D, which are both so wonderfully brilliant and incredibly sad. The former because, well... it's D, and he was wonderfully brilliant. The latter because it does remind us of that brilliance, and how it was ended five years ago.

And the thing is, actually, when you look back at D's wide range of music I would imagine there are few people who actually adore everything he did. Eclectic is probably the best word to describe him. So many different style over the years. 

I look back and I have a very hard time trying to think what my favourite D song is. I mean, I instantly think of Heroes, and think that must be his best. Then I think of Starman, or Ziggy Stardust, or Let's Dance, or I'm Deranged, or Absolute Beginners, or Jump, They Say, or Hallo Spaceboy, or Where Are We Now?... i should stop here as this paragraph could end up being a list of dozens of D songs...

...and I didn't even mention Under Pressure. 

I think the saddest thing about Under Pressure is that Freddie and David never performed it live on stage together. It was a core part of Queen's set, and Freddie and co sang it live many times. Apparently the very first time D sang it live on stage was at Freddie's memorial concert when Freddie's part was taken by Annie Lennox who does a decent job of filling in for Freddie. 

A better job was done on stage by Gail Ann Dorsey, whose performance you can hear (and see) on D's Glastonbury 2000 set. It's a terrific performance, and one of the jewels in a career spanning set that's full of great songs. Everyone should experience it at least once. I've seen/watched it several times. 

The world is a poorer place without him in it...

92 - Ukelele

I now have a ukelele.

I am quite, quite, bad at playing it. But I have only just got it. With practise I will get better, and maybe get quite, quite, good at playing it.

And that's the thing about any skill. The more you practise it, the better you get. In whatever area you choose.

When you start, you will be bad. Then with each passing day you will get better. You've just got to stick at it, and not give up when you are still bad. 

'Cos you'll never get good...

91 - Loser

 Dude. You lost.

Get over it. 

Act with at least a little bit of dignity. 

Congratulate your opponent on his win. Participate fully in the handover of power. Act like a proper politician. 

There another election at the end of 2023. Try standing again then. 

Make it a best of three.

Hopefully you'll lose. 

But if you win, it will be the democratic will of the people. 

This time, though, you lost. 

Accept it and move on. 

90 - Wisteria

 I think what is exciting me more than anything at the moment is the prospect of a new David Lynch directed, and written, TV series. There are all sorts of murmurings about it. Its initial working title was reported to be Wisteria, though latest stories suggest it's now called Unrecorded Night. 

Both titles don't really give any hint as to what the show's about, which is probably for the best.

There were rumours last year (or was it the year before?) that Lynch had meetings with Netflix, and that both Laura Dern and Naomi Watts were involved. Whether that's linked to this new show is purely speculation... though there has clearly been some deal between Netflix and Lynch as one of his shorts, What Did Jack Do?, appeared on the platform on Lynch's 74th birthday...

There's some speculation that this new show (13 episodes, allegedly) will be some kind of spin off from Twin Peaks. I don't know if this is really the case, as I'd kind of like Mark Frost to be involved in any such spin off, and there's no suggestion he's involved in the project. 

Part of me would love that, but another part thinks that as the third Season of Twin Peaks is as close to perfection as any television show could ever get it would be an ideal place to conclude the show. It is a show that does not give up its answers easily, and very much rewards repeat viewing; everything you need to know is on the screen, but it's far from obvious what everything means.

A new show, with new characters, and new situations would mean the show doesn't have to live up to the reputation of its predecessor, or have any concern as to whether it fits in with it. I would rather like to sink in to a new Lynch created world.

I suspect, as with all things, stories will start to spread as to what it's about. Part of me would like to tune in to episode one knowing nothing about the show, allowing it to unfold in front of me, discovering each moment as it happens. That sense of mystery... and of discovery... the prospect thrills me. 

I can't wait. But I have to...

And is it wrong of me to hope that once production of this finishes, Netlix gives Lynch all the money he needs to make, at last, Ronnie Rocket...? 

89 - Lockdown

Because of inactivity of the blog for much of last year, I never really wrote about the pandemic, bar that one post about Dominic Cummings. And I guess there's probably little I can say that will add to the conversation that hasn't already been said. I could rant about the covidiots bleating on about it all being a hoax and how it's not really that bad; but I really don't want to waste my time on those twats. 

I just want to keep it in my mind that we've come this far, 9 months down the line since the first lockdown, and that we can keep going. It won't last forever, and most of us will get through it. 

I know it's trite, but that phrase keeps coming in to my mind;

Everything will be alright in the end; if it's not alright, it's not the end...

Right now it's not alright. But it's not the end. 

One day it will be...

88 - Regeneration

 So, if the story in the Mirror is to be believed, Jodie Whittaker has handed in her notice, and once she finished filming the season of Doctor Who in production right now she's heading off.. and we do the regeneration merry-go-round once more.

This will, of course, lead to much speculation as to who the person will be that takes over from Jodie in the Tardis, but to my mind (and yes, I have been saying this since David Tennant regenerated; one day someone will pay attention to me) the person that would be the very best choice for the role is;

Adrian Lester

Franky, you know it makes sense.

He is a brilliant actor, with a great deal of range; you only have to look at how brilliant he was in Hustle to see this; just watch him as he slides effortlessly between portraying Mickey Stone, and the fake personas put on for many of the cons. And watch him in any of the other shows he's appeared in (I'll forgive you if you skip Bonekickers), as they all just go to show how great he is. 

A few years back, I saw him in theatre in London starring in Othello. He gave an utterly believable performance in that, acting everyone else off the stage. You might have guessed that I rate him rather highly, but to my mind that is deserved. 

You may be thinking of other names for the Doctor. But you're wrong. 

Adrian Lester is the right person for the job. 

And you know it!

I guess now it will be a case of waiting for the inevitable regeneration announcement. But there is a part of me that really hopes this doesn't happen, and the very first time it's confirmed that Adrian Lester is the new Doctor is at the end of Jodie's final episode when she regenerates in to him. 

And, for Amdo's sake, run it on Christmas Day! Not New Year's Day. 

(As an aside; there's no mention if the current showrunner, Chris Chibnall, is leaving as well; I guess we'll find out in due course...)

Mind you... Miriam Margolyes would also be pretty damn fantastic as the Doctor!

87 - Spoilers

 I suppose one thing I should mention is how I'll deal with spoilers on this blog; I'll try my best not to give away spoilers, but there will surely be a time when a spoiler is very widely known about. 

I would expect most interested people to know, for example, the big plot twist at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. However, I wouldn't necessarily expect everyone to know all the turns and twists of the latest season of The Mandalorian.

I'll not post big twists in headlines without warning here. I mean. I'm not Digital Spy, who have a lot of form in this area. They seem to be okay for a couple of days after a new episode has aired, but after that they seem to think it's open season and freely spoil twists on their home page. And blatantly, too.

Sometimes I may discuss things that could be considered spoliery, but there'll always be plenty of time to turn away, and I may even sometimes use Rot-13 to mention particularly spoilery things like;

Guvf vfa'g npghnyyl n fcbvyre. Whfg n ovg bs jnssyr. Ohg lbh unq gb purpx jung vg fnvq, qvqa'g lbh...?

https://rot13.com/ will decode that... :)

So, that's how things will be... 

Now, about that Hutt orgy in episode 6 of The Mandalorian...

86 - Fish

 I wonder if it really is true that the European Union's final words to the United Kingdom upon the completion of the "Brexit Project" were in fact;

"So long, and thanks for all the fish..."

Or maybe it was something I made up to make some kind of satirical point about the final sticking point being an agreement about fishing right, which the EU managed to squeeze more concessions out of Boris than he wanted, and tying it in with the dolphin's final words to humanity just before the Vogons demolished the Earth to make way for a hyperspace by-pass.

Or maybe the joke isn't funny if I have to spend a whole paragraph, comprised of just one long winded sentence that franky needed a lot of editing (but, oh, what's the point), explaining the thing. 

Either way, Brexit is now finalised. The UK is swooshing down the creek. The paddle is left in the boot of the car. And we've still awaiting Boris' announcement that the NHS will get the extra £350 million a week in the NHS budget.

After all, apparently all the promises of the 2016 referendum, and the Tories' 2019 election manifesto, are fulfilled in the UK's deal with the EU... well, that's what the official announcement of the deal claimed.  

Unless, like so many other things in the whole Brexit malarkey, it was another pack of lies.

Oh, well...