Life on Mars

[David Bailey]

What the bl00dy hell is going on with this scheduling, huh?

I tune in to see it, as normal, on Tuesday - all fine, Episode 4, got my fix

Then I turn to BBC4 hoping to see "next week's" episode, and they've decided to repeat episode 3

What's that all about? Is BBC4 the "repeats" channel now? Why can't the Beeb sort out their scheduling and stop interrupting their programming for any random sports event that turns up.

Grrr...

[Barry Shnikov]

What the bl00dy hell is going on with this scheduling, huh?

More importantly, how come Liz White was the only woman at the swingers party who didn't have to get her kit off?

[David Bailey]

More importantly, how come Liz White was the only woman at the swingers party who didn't have to get her kit off?

Yeah, it's a ripoff, so to speak.

Oh, and how come all the wives looked so good (tanned, toned) with their kit off? Are swingers parties all like that? I don't think so, I've seen probing documentaries on satellite telly you know

[Freya]

Just Watched the First two episodes of LOM! The Second Series! I Missed the first Series and I'm gutted! Really enjoying this but feeling slightly lost at some bits!

[Frankie_4711]

Just Watched the First two episodes of LOM! The Second Series! I Missed the first Series and I'm gutted! Really enjoying this but feeling slightly lost at some bits!

DVD box set is out so you can catch up!

[Barry Shnikov]

Yeah, it's a ripoff, so to speak.

Oh, and how come all the wives looked so good (tanned, toned) with their kit off? Are swingers parties all like that? I don't think so, I've seen probing documentaries on satellite telly you know

...tee hee, he said 'probing' - ahh-umm!

[Rhythm King]

I'm going away on Monday for several weeks. Could some kind soul tape the remaining episodes for me - pretty please!

[Barry Shnikov]

I meant to say before:

I taped Primeval last week.

Good grief, what rubbish it is.

They appear to have chosen the six dumbest people in the British Isles to protect the world from the vicious jurassic predators that come to our world through (dun dun de-e-errrr) anomalies.

Among last weeks dumbness: not having the intelligence to close the curtains so that the flock of mini pterodactyls couldn't see your temporarily blinded workmate whose blood they had scented; and my particular favourite, when being pursued on a golf course by a carnivorous flying dinosaur with a thirty foot wingspan, do not nip quickly left or right, where there is a satisfactory collection of trees which will inhibit its flying more than somewhat, but instead RUN DOWN THE FAIRWAY, giving the animal maximum amount of time to triangulate on its target and you no chance whatsoever of escape.

If this and Torchwood are the best we can do in terms of modern thriller-type entertainment, then I'm even more grateful for Life on Mars. With things like Supernatural, Ghost whisperer, Invasion, and the mighty Buffy rolling off the US TV production lines, our money seems to be better spent importing than giving the job to the writers and directors still left over here.

[Barry Shnikov]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

[Barry Shnikov]

The Camberwick Green pastiche at the beginning of today's episode was a stonker! Absolutely brilliant.

I'll miss it when it finishes.

NB See Thursday, 9pm. BBC1 - Hotel Babylon; ITV - The yellow house, a drama about van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles; Channel 4: House, superlative drama with Hugh Laurie. So which of those am I going to watch? Actually, none, I'll be dancing, so which will I tape? And which 2 will I miss?

Yet look at Monday 9pm or Friday 9pm and there's nothing of much interest. Why do they do that?

I'll probably tape The Yellow House, 'cos House is on every week and Hotel Babylon - well, it's for Heat readers really, isn't it?

BTW John Simm from Life on Mars plays van Gogh.

[Paulthetrainer]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

I think you know WAY too much about history Barry!

Does it make you feel physically sick if you discover a historical inaccuracy a few days AFTER you thoroughly enjoyed a film or TV show?

[Barry Shnikov]

I think you know WAY too much about history Barry!

Does it make you feel physically sick if you discover a historical inaccuracy a few days AFTER you thoroughly enjoyed a film or TV show?

Why do you think I'm locked in a dark room with a wet towel on my head?

Anyway, it doesn't take much historical expertise to know that ladies of that era did not dye their hair - it would have caused a scandal.

[Lynn]

Among last weeks dumbness: not having the intelligence to close the curtains so that the flock of mini pterodactyls couldn't see your temporarily blinded workmate whose blood they had scented; and my particular favourite, when being pursued on a golf course by a carnivorous flying dinosaur with a thirty foot wingspan, do not nip quickly left or right, where there is a satisfactory collection of trees which will inhibit its flying more than somewhat, but instead RUN DOWN THE FAIRWAY, giving the animal maximum amount of time to triangulate on its target and you no chance whatsoever of escape.

I know you like paying attention to detail Barry so... it wasn't a large dinosaur chasing the man down the fairway, it was the flock of smaller dinosaurs - that was the whole point, they originally thought it was the large one that had got him, but it turned out to be the hunting flock. Which would have had no problem with a few trees.

(I only watch it for the cute guy.)

[Mezzosoprano]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

Not enough time in 1 to 2 hours to do the book justice either...

[Barry Shnikov]

Not enough time in 1 to 2 hours to do the book justice either...

How true.

[Barry Shnikov]

I know you like paying attention to detail Barry so... it wasn't a large dinosaur chasing the man down the fairway, it was the flock of smaller dinosaurs - that was the whole point, they originally thought it was the large one that had got him, but it turned out to be the hunting flock. Which would have had no problem with a few trees.

(I only watch it for the cute guy.)

I think you are wrong. I'll explain why. They realised it was a flock of tichy dinos, and therefore not the big fella, that were killing people. (One of the 'scientists' did a Gillian McKeith and tasted its poo and was able to definitively state (arf arf) that it had only been eating animals, not people.) Then they started talking about the incident where the guy was running down the golf fairway, and they said that 'it' must have been after the animal, and not the guy (he has this extremely unconvincing little-puppy-cute CGI dinosaur, doesn't he?)

So he wasn't running from the flock, but from the giant.

[Lynn]

I think you are wrong. I'll explain why. They realised it was a flock of tichy dinos, and therefore not the big fella, that were killing people. (One of the 'scientists' did a Gillian McKeith and tasted its poo and was able to definitively state (arf arf) that it had only been eating animals, not people.) Then they started talking about the incident where the guy was running down the golf fairway, and they said that 'it' must have been after the animal, and not the guy (he has this extremely unconvincing little-puppy-cute CGI dinosaur, doesn't he?)

So he wasn't running from the flock, but from the giant.

Thought you were referring to the opening scenes where a golfer was running down the fairway from something flying which then killed him and at least partially ate him. We were supposed to think it was the big dinosaur.

The other incident you described was with a regular character who wasn't killed.

So two 'running down the fairway' scenes.

[Freya]

Just watched the 5th episode of "Life on Mars"

Loved the opening sequence with the little plasticine models! Very Clever!

[Barry Shnikov]

Just watched the 5th episode of "Life on Mars"

Loved the opening sequence with the little plasticine models! Very Clever!

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green. That was the children's program from the 70s that featured a carousel music box up from which this week's main character would come, and the narrator would talk to him/her while they would 'mime' the answers - wave hand for 'hullo', head in hands for 'oh no!', and so forth.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?

Anyway, not a chainsaw in sight.

[Freya]

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green. That was the children's program from the 70s that featured a carousel music box up from which this week's main character would come, and the narrator would talk to him/her while they would 'mime' the answers - wave hand for 'hullo', head in hands for 'oh no!', and so forth.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?

Anyway, not a chainsaw in sight.

I don't remember Camberwick green but I do remember Trumpton! They repeated that when I was a child!