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

How about now

http://i.cr3ation.co.uk/dl/s1/jpg/2b2b34238cf8cc58e522c62cf6cd2bcb_22419554457d6cdae8f4.jpg

>>Sorry, I do know what you meant. But just read that line again and tell me it's not funny<<

Yep, but there really was no better way of phrasing it.

>>t's hard to know what to compare it to, so I'll try a short list:

Primeval. A primetime Saturday night family show about time travel with extensive CGI and monsters. Probably the closest comparison possible, given that it's also British and is contemporary with Who. How many gay characters? How many gay background characters? How many jokes about people being gay? How many single-sex couples even mentioned, let alone seen?<<

I've never seen Primeval so I have no way of knowing. I suppose you could look at Merlin, Who's (apparently weaker) stablemate but I've never seen that either.

>>Battlestar Galactica: harder to compare as it's American and hardly aimed at a family audience, but it's contemporary sf with a large cast. How many main characters gay? How many supporting characters? (I won't ask about jokes because I've seen every single episode, and one of the defining things about that show was its defiant lack of any sense of humour whatsoever. Seriously - in five years, I can't remember a single funny line.)<<

First of all a -off - BSG has plenty of funny moments:

"No more Mr Nice Gaius!"
"Everyone here knows you tried to kill me, and you missed. Butterfingers!"
"People are getting so desperate they're eating paper." "Is that helping?" "No - paper shortage"
"Take me to your leader"

BSG has Gaeta as a gay/bi main character, and Hoshi and Admiral Cain as gay supporting characters. Indeed Cain's sexuality is important to the plot of a few episodes (and arguably a critical factor in the S2 finale which has repercussions for all of S3). Caprica 6 and D'Anna Biers also seem to have a sexual relationship with each other while they're with Gaius on the Basestar.

Although Gaeta isn't outed until midway through the final series, it was pretty obvious from early on that he had a crush on Baltar.

Finally, Caprica has a major gay character and his husband and we're shown that Bill Adama was basically brought up by these two guys.

Corrie, Eastenders and Emmerdale all have gay characters at the moment. I only watch Eastenders (I don't do ITV) and not only does it have two gay characters, one is a Muslim.

I'm not saying Doctor Who isn't unusual: it's exceptional in just about every way and that includes the way it treats sexuality. It's still unusual to have a show that is so full-on in its treatment of sexuality (though True Blood gives it a run for its money) but that doesn't mean it isn't accurate.

It also has a disproportionately big effect because of how popular it is with kids and how large an audience it reaches. I think it might well be unique.

Perhaps another way of seeing it is that NuWho is generally a very moral show: it deals with racism, slavery, democracy and the power of individuals and always comes down on the liberal side. Its treatment of gay people is just part and parcel of that.

"I'm not saying Doctor Who isn't unusual: it's exceptional in just about every way and that includes the way it treats sexuality. It's still unusual to have a show that is so full-on in its treatment of sexuality "

Now, just hang on a moment. In post 36 you said:

"it's certainly not overwhelming and it's not like attention is brought to it"

And somehow now, four days and NO new episodes later, the SAME SHOW is "unusually full on" and "exceptional" in its treatment of sexuality?

Do you even know what you think?

Do you even know what words mean?

Something can be full-on without being overwhelming or even having that much attention brought to it. With the exception of Captain Jack, who demands attention, attention isn't brought to gay characters. They are restricted to casual references.

It's unique in its presentation of gay folk without making a big deal about it. That is not the same thing as what you are claiming.

A couple of years ago I noticed that the BBC2 'Thursdays are funny', which was heavily trailed and generated BBC2s highest audiences, was fronted entirely by gay men (Never Mind the Buzzcocks with Simon Amstell, Beautiful People, and Graham Norton's show) and nothing was made of it. It was unusual but attention wasn't brought to it, pretty full-on without being immediately apparent. No-one started screaming gay agenda then.

' enjoying the discussion, despite not being at all familiar with almost all of the programs discussed '

"BBC2 'Thursdays are funny', [...] was fronted entirely by gay men [...] nothing was made of it"

Have you seen any British television in the last fifty years? Or listened to any radio or been to a theatre, come to that?

How about this: you're in programme planning. I'm the channel controller. For one night only, I want you to give me an evening of programmes for BBC1 and BBC2. I have a simple stipulation - I want it fronted and featuring only heterosexual Gentiles.

Good fLIcking luck with that mission, is all I'm saying.

"Something can be full-on without being overwhelming or even having that much attention brought to it. "

It is at this point that I back away, making calming motions with my hands, and saying "Yeah, OK, whatever..."

Sorry, PC, none of this is of interest to me any more. I have no idea of any of these apparently important programs nor what they exhibit or inhibit. So I am gone ...

>>"BBC2 'Thursdays are funny', [...] was fronted entirely by gay men [...] nothing was made of it"

Have you seen any British television in the last fifty years? Or listened to any radio or been to a theatre, come to that?<<

Yes - how is that connected to my point that you quoted? I feel an attack of dozy bugger coming on so please be explicit.

>>I have a simple stipulation - I want it fronted and featuring only heterosexual Gentiles.<<

Since that particular group is still an overwhelming majority in British society, it's not that big an achievement. A bigger challenge would be finding a significant strand fronted by a small minority - oh wait, I've already done that.

To answer your challenge I give you last Wednesday (the 8th) and taking evening to mean 6pm to 11.30pm:

BBC1.

BBC News (all straight* except Jane Hill and she rarely does the 6 O'Clock News), The One Show (Alex Jones and Alexander Armstrong, both straight gentiles), Bang Goes The Theory (Liz Bonin, Jem Stansfield and Dallas Campbell, all straight gentiles), Waterloo Road (large ensemble cast, all straight gentiles), Crimewatch (Kirsti Young, Matthew Amroliwala and Rav Wilding, all (disappointingly in Rav's case) straight gentiles), BBC News (see above), Reggie Perrin (Martin Clunes and Fay Ripley, both straight gentiles), The Singing Detective (Robert Downey Jr and Robin Wright-Penn, both straight gentiles)

BBC2

Eggheads (Jeremy Vine, straight gentile), Climbing Great Buildings (Dr Jonathan Foyle, can't find any information about his sexuality or religion/ethnicity), Queens of Heartache (my weak link, I can't find any info about this weeks episode but chances are it was about a straight woman), Coast (Neil Oliver, straight gentile), Big School Lottery (narrated by Amanda St John, straight gentile), Grumpy Old Holidays (large ensemble cast, I *think* they're all straight gentiles), Newsnight (Jeremy Paxman, straight gentile), E Numbers: an edible adventure (Stefan Gates, straight gentile).

*Obviously, when I say straight I mean 'not publicly gay/bi' - some on the list might well be in the closet (or secretly Jewish) but neither of us can prove that unless we know them personally.

Please give me my prize of one Internets and I'll give you a napkin so you can wipe that egg off your face.

>>It is at this point that I back away, making calming motions with my hands, and saying "Yeah, OK, whatever..."<<

Ah, the old passive aggressive 'You're right but I'll die before I admit it' way of conceding defeat. You're a man of the classics SoRB, I'll give you that.

I Think Monday is GayJewDay on the BBC.

Radio 7 - 5.45am - Jennings Goes To School, read by Stephen Fry xx
Radio 4 - 6.30pm - Just A Minute, featuring Graham Norton x
BBC 4 - 8.30pm - Only Connect, presented by Victoria Coren x (new series, by the way)
BBC 2 - 10.00pm - Grandma's House, starring Simon Amstell xx, Rebecca Front x, and Samantha Spiro x

Rabbi Lionel Blue and Matt Lucas are away.

I just started to google Victoria Coren, thinking "She's gay?".

When I had typed in her name, google's search box suggested nine things I might like to type after her name.

The top one was "breasts".

Interestingly three others were "married", "boyfriend" and "David Mitchell" (?)

Her brother is gay, certainly, I didn't realise she was. Or is she?

Neither are, as far as I know. I gave one x for gay/Jewish, two for both.

http://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=23054.0

Ah, I see.

Also, it seem Giles Coren is NOT gay. Who'd have thought?

he only recently got married (shame, he's a bit of a pash of mine)

Remember SoRB never assume, assume makes an ass of u and me.

According to his Twitter activity, he's also a drink-driver and likes to tell people about his ablutions too.

Victoria Coren definetely isn't gay...she has got great breasts though.

Just saying...

There are four new wall games on the website (since none of you wanted to continue my forum)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/onlyconnect/quiz/

two more will be added after every Monday night show.

Out of interest Tiggy, what made you think Giles Coren *was* gay?

Three things:

1. An internet hoax. http://wikipediareview.com/blog/20091211/its-the-casting-director-lee-dennison-story/

2. He's called "Giles".

3. It's actually become my default assumption for media trendies, to the point that I'm more frequently surprised by finding out people are NOT gay.

Giles? Well, what you gonna do with a dad like theirs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hNVM4GUuEo#t=1m57s (contains lesbian)

Beyond the gay agenda, do you think there's a culture of orientation-nepotism then?

I just got a place on the guest list +1 for one of Mitch Benn's shows.