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

Why didn't anyone tell me David Jackson had died?

I did think that the news headline in a certain sci-fi magazine - "Blake's Heaven" - was perhaps a tad unfortunate.

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What was that in? These days I only read SFX and DWM...

Erm, not sure... I think it might have been Dreamwatch, but don't quote me on that.

Oh, well. Dreamwatch. Hmm.

I think that's all I've got to say about that particular organ.

I've just been reliably informed by a fellow office geek that it was indeed Dreamwatch. And that the same issue had the lines 'Scotty beams up' and 'He's dead Jim', in reference to James Doohan. We really were on the poor taste wagon that day, weren't we?

I think I need to stop reading Dreamwatch. I should have done so after their editor gave 'Father's Day' 2/10.

I stopped reading Dreamwatch not that long after it went newsstand. It somewhere started to seem... shallow. All glosy pictures and no decent articles.

2/10 for 'Father's Day'? Blimey. That's hardly what I'd call a fair review - even if it's not your kind of story, it was astoundingly well made and even better acted. In fact, I think it's Eccleston's best acting of the season...

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I'd give it a 7. But that's a personal score of enjoyment, rather than a value judgment.

I can understand his reasoning, but it does mean I know we're fundamentally opposed in our viewpoint of what makes good TV. I can pick all manner of holes in the plot, but the fact remains, it makes me cry like a baby, so that makes it work. For me. And I can understand other fans who don't like emotional content in Doctor Who, I'm just not one of them.

I can pick all manner of holes in the plots of most stories. A test of a good story isn't whether the plot is water-tight, it's whether you notice them/care about them on first veiwing. If you're too busy caring about the characters that you don't notice the Trent bus sized holes in the plot, then it's a successful story.

I think it's just such a culture shock for Doctor Who to have characters you care about.

Or is that a little harsh?

It's telling that I think, prior to 2005, I've only been moved to tears twice by Doctor Who. Once when Jo Grant left in The Green Death, and the second was (believe it or not) in The Curse of Fatal Death.

Of course, I'm a lot older and more emotional now than I was when I first used to watch it, so that might have something to do with it.

Doctor Who's never made me cry. Having said that, neither have any other TV shows. The only film that's ever made me cry is Silent Running.

Whereas I'm such a big girl's blouse I quite easily burst into tears at anything. I think it's The Change.



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Been having hot flushes, Paully?

I refuse to comment on the grounds I might incriminate myself.



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What a jesse...

I have no idea who you're talking about.

Well, we were talking about the death of David Jackson, but now we're talking about what a big girl's blouse Paully is.