h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

However, it would be different if we had a 'spoiler' option in posts which hid potential spoiler stuff. Unfortunately this seems beyond the resources of h2g2 (the BBC can pay for ALW's advertising but not a 'spoiler' wotsit on the DNA sites? The mind boggles.)

No offence to the italics: I know this is out of your hands.

>Open discussion will inevitably lead to spoilers<

Nah, just to idle speculation, surely. I'm subbed to both threads and find the idle speculation on this much more interesting than the spoilers, quite frankly.

But accurate idle speculation is a spoiler.

As I said, it's only a TV programme. It's a TV programme I love but life's too short to second guess anything you speculate on the off chance that it might turn out to be true.

If the BBC gave a flying toss about spoilers they wouldn't have allowed the Radio Times to publish episode teasers a few months back. This is a BBC site and even though I'm a steaming hypocrite I don't like hypocrisy.

Off my high horse now and unsubbing from the group. Still looking for ideas to fill the PS gap though!

"Only if we can have the same deal with you and a keyboard, Reef "

Oh thank you so much Jims, at least I can tell you to take a long walk off a short pier without the threat of Banishment hanging over my head now, so send us a postcard.

Think I might join you Roy, you're always welcome on Gateworld, the Who fan's aren't quite so rabid, you won't get eaten alive for daring to say the episode was rubbish and the have proper technology to deal with spoilers.

Tricky one. I'm subscribed to both threads and I don't think anything has been spoilered that the Radio Times hasn't already done. I agree that it is just a tv programme and I feel that some people would be happier finding out what's going to happen rather than actually watching what is presented to them. I can't deny that I've had fun with anagrams but I don't believe that there will be anything in it (don't want to spoiler so sorry if that sounds cryptic) but, on the whole, as soon as the next episode starts, I've forgotten all the gossip and just watch (except for Daleks In Manhattan, when, because of RT, I knew what the 'final experiment' was going to be.) I understand what you mean about idle speculation, Roymondo; my saving grace is that everything I think of never happens However, if someone else were to think of it and it came true... Mind you, I'm on the Harry Potter spoiler thread so I guess I'm a hypocrite too.

Can't help with replacement badges, I'm afraid.

>>Open discussion will inevitably lead to spoilers

I agree.
If we consider the way the production includes story-arcs and clues, they would have to strike a careful balance between making it intriguingly slightly mysterious , and just plain too difficult to understand. As soon as collective minds discuss the programme, those clues which would once have been mysterious, should all start to come together, with the result of having 'spoil-ed' it for us all.

>> Oh thank you so much Jims, at least I can tell you to take a long walk off a short pier without the threat of Banishment hanging over my head now, so send us a postcard. <<


Any perceived threat of banishment was self-imposed, Reef. You did, after all, inform us that you were leaving and wouldn't be back on a number of occasions, yet you're still here. The site must be doing something right...

Knowing the writer who you wished violence upon though, Reef, I did have to say something - however clearly jocular my comment was - on the grounds that she's always been one of the very nicest people I've ever encountered, while you were very nice to my face when we met at that meet-up, but were suddenly very rude when you were back behind your computer a week later. It's always been something that puzzled me. Maybe it's just a case of the written word not conveying the whole personality - or maybe you just enjoy having one foot permanently out of the door and shouting 'I'm going... no, I mean it this time... honest'.

Maybe we need three threads - if this doesn't seem like overkill. Spook's not been about much in the last few years, so I do feel quite protective of this group as its caretaker in his absense. I'd hope no-one felt compelled to leave the group because of the sensitivities (or otherwise) of members.

How about this:

- NO SPOILERS: A thread where those people who don't want to know anything in advance can discuss how much they enjoyed the recent episodes

- SPECULATION: A thread for those people who don't go looking for spoilers, but don't flinch if someone makes a leap of logic that could be accurate.

- SPOILERS: No-holds -barred - tabloid gossip, merchandising news that might indicate a future plot-line, press releases and gossip from the grapevine.

Sounds sensible to me!

Jims, re posting 4287, it works both ways matey, you were as nice as pie to my face at the meet and then you went back to being a tyrant afterwards, lets face you dislike me as much as I dislike you and nothing is going to change, we are both a boil on the bum to eachother so we are just going to have to put up with it, dodge the brickbats and try and ignore eachother, which is fine by me.

Oi! You two! Take it outside!

I have had it up to here with all the "Oh, someone disagrees with me, therefore my opinion isn't valid, so I'll leave" attitude on this site.
Sure, Jim Lynn's responses to my feelings about Love & Monsters were petty and really not constructive (trolling indeed!) but did I chuck my toys out of the pram? No. I just got on with it.

I think it's quite reasonable to not want spoilers on a thread that isn't specifically marked as containing them. And as for Gateworld... I think there may be a reason why the Who fans aren't as rabid there; it's a f... f... FLIPPING SG-1 site!

Now, let's have no more of this okay? This is a Doctor Who thread on a BBC-run site and therefore us Whovians have every right to be 'rabid'.

Oh and three separate threads is an ace idea.

"And as for Gateworld... I think there may be a reason why the Who fans aren't as rabid there; it's a f... f... FLIPPING SG-1 site!"

Not last time I looked, it deals with all sci fi

Okay, if you're going to be pedantic about it it's *primarily* an SG site!

Wow....that was all a fun read.

Three threads...good idea

You can talk about anything you like from Adam Adamant to Bill of Rights on OG - that doesn't change the fact that it's a Doctor Who site.

I tried last series to completely avoid spoilers and found it to be completely and utterly imposible. Mind you, I was working in a shop that sold papers and magazines at the time!

"Sure, Jim Lynn's responses to my feelings about Love & Monsters were petty and really not constructive (trolling indeed!)"

Um - could you point me at those petty and unconstructive responses? I can only find postings saying how much I enjoyed it, but recognised the reasons why many fans would not. No mention of trolling. Or was it somewhere else?

My response to your reaction to Doomsday, however, were entirely justified.

It'll take a while to find it (dashed lack of convo searching facilities) but you definitely told me I was trolling on at least one occasion when I made my feelings about Love and Monsters known.

Doomsday? I can't even remember my reaction, much less your response! Would you care to enlighten me?

Ahh, yes, you mean *this* reaction:

<<"So, Rose is finally gone.

I truly cannot express my feelings in normal speech, so I'm going to sing.

Ding, dong! The witch is dead! "

Mr D, you're dead inside.>>