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

Channel 4's 'Film Four' that is

There've been teaser ads - and very good they were too with the likes of Dame Judy Dench, Euan MdGregor, Ray Winstone and Christian Slater - on TV for several weeks. Well now it's finally arrived and the service is going free-to-air for the very first time tonight.

I can't explain how stupidly excited I am about this

When the service first launched about six or seven years ago it was only available on subscription, bundled up with something or other from Sky and the like. You won't believe how aften I've wondered over the years whether to take the plunge and get Sky installed so that I could access to Film Four... but now I don't have to pay any money to the Dirty Digger ever

I'm looking forward to this too, they have some good films on it.

but now won't they have adverts

Its free - fab! We have Sky now but have never paid for Film 4 despite the good films they have Sky dont have ads in their movie channels - well not during the films anyway so hopefully they wont have to either!

It will be good to have the choice of their films too

* joins the excited brigade *

Argh! I've slept through most of Lost In Translation. Still, the DVD's in the wotsit ready for Sexy Beast.

This 'ere comedy sketch thing on C4's been pretty good too.

I was going to watch Lost In Translation but got seduced by the advert for Silent Witness instead. Which was excellent, as usual.

I'll keep an eye out for the repeat though, didn't Bill Murray *almost* win an Oscar for it?

He did indeed. Much like Sir Ben Kingsley almost won one for Sexy Beast - talk about killing Gandhi!

There are ad breaks in the movies. But this I expected. After all one can hardly ask Ch4 to go from a subscription based service to a wholly free service - that's just killing their revenue stream.

I'm happy to say though that the breaks are well done. There are good idents, the break is of the right length and its end is easily spotted, and they are placed sensitively through the movie so as not to break the dramatic flow of the film. It's nothing like say ITV where you'll have 'I Can't Believe It's Not Butter' or some such coming crashing through your screen every 25 minutes.

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Talking of idents: did anyone else see the one just before the film started? It was Euan McGregor in his now familiar tomato costume, standing by one of the fountains in Trafalgar Square doing the, also now familiar, "they don't get it, Film Four is now free" line, when some kid about 10 comes up and kicks him in the nuts. Class

I'd still prefer an ad free subscription based service to adverts ... I dislike adcerts big time.

I would have cheerfully paid six-quid a month for Film Four way back when. The trouble was there was no way that I could get that one channel I wanted without having it piggy-backed in on some package from Sky. That package would have cost me £20 a month minimum plus all the set up gubbins that goes with it.

I find it funny that my expansion sometime back to a freeview box hasn't really changed the scope of the channels that I watch. Previosuly I watched Channel 4 and BBC2. After getting a freeview converter this increased to E4, E4+1 and More4 (and now of course Film Four), plus BBC4 (ie BBC2 if we had more hours in the schedule).

The only additional non-BBC2, non-Ch4 channel that I've watched with any regularity was this last month with ITV4, because that's the channel that's been showing the Tour de France - which of course used to be a Ch4 show...

ITV4 does show a lot of the glorious Sherlock Holmes. Not sure how ITV managed to make a decent adaptation but I'm pleased they did. Jeremy Brett was great.

I heard something about this on the radio a few days ago - either on PM or a programme that was on before PM. I must say I'm very envious, recalling some of the Channel 4 films from the 1980s - Those Glory Glory Days, P'tang Yang Kipperbang and the like

Sexy Beast That's a very odd film. Ben Kingsley really isn't convincing as the bastard he's supposed to be. He's Gandhi fer cryin' out loud! Ian Mc Shane, however, came across as chilling in the extreme. And I'm always happy to watch anything with Ray Winstone in

I'd avoid the programme they made where Ray Winstone plays a football bos - its got more cliches than a Harry Potter novel, though it is filmed at the Ricoh Arena. (Home ground of my team.)

This one http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0757148/ ?

Aye - that's the bunny, looks like the reviewer agrees with me too.

Ah well. Every good actor's allowed at least one stinker.

Is also very pleased by this, although I was a tad disappointed that I've seen both films that were on last night.
Still, glad we're finally going to get a decent movie channel on our telewest package, the films are miles clear of those they show on the Sky movie channels too - which I have in my rented place in Wales.

Anyone know what prompted this sudden change to being free? Was noone subscribing anymore?

"The trouble was there was no way that I could get that one channel I wanted without having it piggy-backed in on some package from Sky"

Yes there was a way - it was available as a stand-alone on OnDigital from very early on. Even when I had no paid-for channels, just the freebies I could still get FilmFour if I wanted to.

I was disappointed when Freeview picked up ITVDigital and didn't include it, so I'm glad it's finally back again, and free! If I want to watch a movie without ads I'll rent one.

LiT is on again on Friday.

tried updating our setting on the digital TV freeview Card on teh PC last night... Picked up about five new channels, but no film four is it availible in all areas, or are we outside the reception areas?

I understand that if you can pick up E4 you should be able to get Film4.

well we get E4 maybe we just need to search for new channels again and hopefully will find it this time shall try later