Further ramblings of a self-made pauper

Having remained sanguine and even optimistic about the casting of Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor from 2010 onwards, I find myself rather less enthusiastic about this report that has appeared on MSN, suggesting that Lily Allen could be the new assistant for the Steven Moffat era.



This is the sort of casting that plagued the latter years of the John Nathan-Turner era in the mid to late eighties. Still, it doesn’t appear on either the BBC News website or the Who website, so maybe it is just idle speculation.

(Can you tell I'm bored yet?).

Does anyone know it this has hit the torrents yet?

I looked last night but couldn't find anything. I am assured that it is (or was) available on the web somewhere. If in doubt, I guess I shall wait until later in the month after its official US broadcast.

As I understand it, it is theoretically the 1st two episodes of seaon 4, but is in fact a standalone story dealibng with warcrimes and atrocities from the first cylon war.

You remember that last week I said that if they never made another Doctor Who episode, I'd be happy because that story was so well written and so well realised? You remember that last week I said that the two-parter, "Human Nature" and "Family of Blood" had gone straight to the top of my personal list of favourites?

I'm not sure it's still there. I think I have a new favourite story line.

"Don't blink.

Blink and you're dead.

Don't look away.

Don't turn your back.

And don't even blink.

Good luck!"

How many kids are crapping themselves at the sight of a statue tonight? Fantastic.

I have just spent a pleasant couple of hours lounging in front of the telly watching Bill Shatner on Channel 5 telling the world how he (or rather Star Trek) changed the world. Marvellous entertainment; there are few better than the old ham at sending himself up entertainingly and (relatively) informatively all at the same time.

I think it was the phrase (or actually, given my memory, paraphrase), "All the spods, geeks, spotty herberts and nerds in the 60s grew up watching Star Trek and wanted to make it come true". He then went on to introduce us the the middle aged developments of the same, ranging from the bloke who invented the mobile phone, to people who work at the JPL in California. They are still spods, geeks, spotty herberts and nerds, but they are extremely successful and affluent spods, geeks, spotty herberts and nerds.

Where did I go so wrong?

I have just watched the season 2 finale of Battlestar Galactica.

Once again, I am stuck because I don't want to drop any spoilers on those of you who are watching it on Sky, and who have most of the season left to go. Suffice it to say that the episode is longer than the usual 45 minutes, and for good reason. The series has a history of throwing up situations and leaving you to wonder how the hell they are going to get out of it this time, how it can possibly get worse.

I was worried for a couple of episodes that the writers had lost their way, but now I am happy to believe that they know what they're doing. But I really, really have no idea how they can possibly get back from this one.

Roll on season 3.

I will make one final observation, which gives nothing away: Bad Gaius. Naughty boy, no biscuit.