Do we know who the Scottish guy killing people is? And do we know why he wanted to kill the old lady?

He works for Imelda Staunton, he's trying to find the locket, he questions people and then kills them afterwards or if they've got no info.

I didn't know he worked for Imelda Staunton but I knew he was looking for the locket. Did the old lady have anything to do with the locket that we know of?

I think all we know about her so far is she helps out Jelly in his magic act, and she's also the great aunt of the guy who wanted her dead for her money

If there's anything else, I don't remember it. I don't know why Mr Jelly was at the nursing home looking for her too.

Wasn't the old lady with them all at the end of the first series? When the Mental institution place gets blown up
I figured he's just looking for anyone who was there or has been involved with the main characters

I've finally started watching Arrested Development properly and have nearly finished the first series. It really is rather funny, isn't it?

You've made a huge mistake. (In not watching it sooner.)

Next in "Series People Keep Telling Me To Watch That I Downloaded Ages Ago And Haven't Got Round To Watching Yet" is either The Wire, The Shield or Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Wow, that's a bounty of riches. I'd probably go with The Shield first, just because I watched it more recently than the others and it was, to use the parlance of our times, pure fucking ownage.

Watch The Wire, because who wouldn't want to watch a programme with a cat this cool named after one of the main characters?

I've only just realised that Ann is Roxy Richter.

And she's also the president's daughter in Independence Day.

Really? Her?

That's my favourite running gag in AD after the chicken dance.

That was a fun edition of The Apprentice.

I can't help but really like Tom.

I'm also not sure if I fancy Natasha or not. Sometimes she's got a smouldering thing going on, but then sometimes she looks a bit severe.

Is anybody else watching FX's final ever showing of The Wire. I've really got into it. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it all the way through, though.

Yes. I am doing yet another re-watch.

Why won;t you make it all the way through? Do stay with it. It gets more awesome.

I've already seen it and I don't know if I'm going to have the stamina to go through all five season on a weekly basis. I think I gave up some time during the third season when it was on bbc and then it was on almost every night.

Did anyone else stick with The Event? Finally got round to watching the last episode of season 1 last night. It was 24 with added aliens. Is there is a S2 planned?

NBC canceled it, but there's talk of bringing it back on Syfy as a miniseries.

Shadow Line is bloody great. The idea that we may have an Anthony Sher vs Stephen Rea moment again is a little mouthwatering

Cheers. It did have the look of a "one season wonder"; file under: No Ordinary Family. A series I enjoyed but, seemingly, no-one else did.

I've actually missed episodes 4 and 5, so I'm thankful that BBC iPlayer have Shadow Line as one of their "stacked" shows.

I wasn't too sure after episode one, but I like it now. Apparently episode four is an absolute corker.

Horrible Histories has been predictably brilliant this week, but I expect nothing less. And last night's Psychoville - fuck me, there's some loose ends need tidying come Monday. And they managed to make the ending both horribly squick-making and genuinely moving. Astounding. And I cannot believe they bumped off Tealeaf, I didn't see the nazi-switcheroo coming at all

The little bits I managed to catch of that I quite liked, but never sat down to watch it properly.

Oops, upside yo' head.

Also, I never expected Tealeaf to be killed off either

Something about that doesn't add up - he was so calm and matter of fact, he didn't even look shocked. I can't decide if it's just because he's that sort of person, or he isn't really dead.

Psychoville 2

Brilliant end to the series. Laugh out loud funny and very sad in parts too.

I'll be definitely catching up on League Of Gentlemen.

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace

And a fascinating end to that series as well. I think the main thing to draw out of the whole series is that whatever humans do, there's inevitably a flaw. Brilliant television.

I enjoyed both of those too, although I didn't think All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace was as good as Curtis' other documentaries even if he is the master of "but then".

I also watched the Mr T thing, even though it was just the type of cctv mishaps that are all over youtube I did enjoy it.

Case Histories and Psychoville were both great. Thank you BBC *thumbs*

Gonna watch the last Psychoville later.

Thought Case Histories was great though, I want to get the book now.

I got halfway through 'One Good Turn' and got distracted. Not the book's fault, it was great, I think I left it at home and started something else...

Anyway, may try and read the end before next week's Case Histories double bill - or maybe not... can't decide whether it's better to find out who the murderer is in prose or via Jason Isaacs.

Anyhoo - anyone who didn't watch, catch up on iPlayer now. Really quirky and entertaining detective type stuff, with an amazing cast and a beautiful Edinburgh backdrop.

They're adapting the first three of Kate Atkinson's excellent Jackson Brodie novels in 6 episodes over three weeks.

There was a good documentary on BBC Two on Sunday about Murray Walker, which was followed by the return of Coast with Nick Crane as the main presenter once again (much better than Neil Oliver imo!).

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace.


It's a curious feeling to watch a programme that pretty much details a lot of what I've been theorising and mulling over in my own head for the best part of 6 years, especially when I've been oblivious to it having been thought of already. Do I feel silly about that? To be honest...yes I do a bit. It said how George Price thought he'd been given the answer by God. I didn't think I got the answer from God but I did think it was amazing that I should come across such answers on my own. Or so I thought. Does that make me insane? Well, that's conjecture but if it helps I'm not planning on cutting my throat with a pair of scissors any time soon. Or ever.

The conclusion I reached, long before this programme, is that it's fine to know what's really going on but you have to then forget about it. Just watch the monkey dancing and ignore the machine that's making it dance.





Funny. Two men in white coats have just knocked on the door.

Wonder what they want.

I was a little upset that they shifted the first one from Cambridge to Edinburgh but having seen how they're adapting them I understand why. I'm looking forward to the next two, just need to get my hands on the fourth book now.

Do you mean the selfish gene theory?

Not genes as such, no. I connected it to the universe as a whole. Humans, along with animals, insects, objects, plants, everything are just prisms for matter to pass through to reach their destinations. Everything that's happened in the past is to ensure what happens now and that in turn causes what will take place in the future. But we are made to forget/ignore/be oblivous to it in order to react appropriately to given events to carry the pattern onwards.

That's my theory, anyway. I'm aware of the implications of it though, as was George Price, which is why I've largely held back on it. But having watched 'All Watched Over...' the last couple of weeks I see it's one of a few similar theories that turn out to be already very much out there.


Obviously I'm fully expecting my Nobel Peace Prize for half-arsed armchair philosophy and physics in the post tomorrow.

That is called Determinism.

Anyone else watching the Channel 4 Cash In The Attic/Dragon's Den hybrid 4 Rooms. It's jolly good stuff.

I finished the HBO miniseries of Mildred Pierce today, which was a very well-made and well-acted series that I never really got all that involved with. I thought the first three episodes, which were mainly concerned with Mildred (Kate Winsley) leaving her husband and setting out into the world to try to find a job to support her family, were very, very strong since they were very focused on her progression from someone who looked destined to let her pride drive her into poverty to someone who was willing to work, and even open her own business. It was also in these episodes that the series most effectively explored the fractious relationship between Mildred and her daughter, Ida, which starts out loving but curdles over the course of the episodes. By the time that Ida grows up into Evan Rachel Wood, the series loses a lot of its energy as it moves towards its finale. However, it's still a great piece of television with some brilliant moments - mostly involving characters being lost in reverie whilst listening to music - but one that I ultimately did not get all that invested in.

Most importantly, there is plenty of nudity involving Kate Winslet and Mike From Neighbours, so it should suit all tastes.

Angry Boys
So far so good. Opens with some great Little Britain-esque credits (I love the little Thor). Some really nice Lilley creations in the shape of Gran and the twins Daniel and Nathan. I don't think much split screen has been used for the twins (both played by Lilley) but rather it uses camerawork and editing to convince, and it works really well. I remember seeing previews and not being too excited by the Daniel & Nathan characters, but with Nathan dealing with increasing, irreversable deafness and Daniel's love/hate relationship with his brother, I found it all strangely moving.

I could never get background work on that show (it filmed in NY) - like Boardwalk Empire, they always want stupid long-haired women. Even though they end up putting wigs on you half the time!

I finished Arrested Development yesterday. Yes, you were all right, I should have watched it sooner. Now to go back and see how many times I can spot Buster with / around fake hands...

My favourite example of Buster/hand jokes is when he is standing to his plastic hand chair in Lupe's house and he says, "I never thought I could miss a hand so much." It's such a great line because it means nothing the first time through, but so much the second.

I did notice that every time he's sitting in the waiting room at the prison he's sat in front of a poster with a pair of disembodied hands on it.

Well that episode of Shadow Line had a few "what the fuck" moments. Top stuff.

Starting on Channel 5 on Friday 9pm.

One of the things I liked so much about 'One Good Turn' was how Kate Atkinson captured the atmosphere of the Edinburgh Festival. They seemed to have not bothered with that in the 'Case Histories' adaptation. Setting the violent catalyst to the action in a multi-storey car park, rather than by a busy queue for a comedy show, was a bit of a disappointment. As was the barely there commitment to a couple of posters stuck on a wall. Such a shame they didn't shoot during the Festival itself.

They also ditched the Rashamon style mutiple perspectives; but you can't really blame a show trying to fit into the conventional Sunday night detective show mould.

Anyway, still enjoying it. Isaacs is superb.

Logistics of this are rather difficult probably.



I have them all lined up neatly on iPlayer. Sexy Jason and familiar locations should given time.

Thanks for that! (I'll have to remember to set the video!).

American Gods heading for HBO in 2013

Good move, it'll work better as a TV series than a film.

Gaiman is writing it and is also executive producer, as it should be.

6 seasons though, blimey. I know the book is long, but would it stretch THAT far? Roughly 60 hours if they're 10 episode series.