Gold, Frankincense and Merc?

We all know the story... three travellers from a distant land spot a star in the East and head westwards on an arduous, challenging quest.

Okay, so there's no biblical evidence that there were only three magi and the star may have been a number of perceived astronomical events... not necessarily a single star. Yes, I'll even grant you the fact that the wise men of old were not even in the nativity scene, but actually made their visit at a later date (hence being acknowledged during Epiphany rather than at Christmas). However, that didn't stop me getting excited and pricking my ears up when I saw this trailer:

 

I wasn't so excited by the New York Christmas special... but I was going as giddy as a kipper with the second special... where Clarkson, Hammond and May seem to be starting a journey in Iraq, that requires them to acquire gold, frankincense and myrrh...

... destination Bethlehem anyone?

I'm particularly excited about this because about a year or so ago, I actually wrote in to the Top Gear offices with a suggestion along similar lines. I doubt the producers have drawn inspiration from anything I put forward... after all this idea is a sitter isn't it? I mean come on... three kings/magi... three presenters; an epic journey (Top Gear have recently made a big thing of making specials that feature extensive road trips); and finally, it's Christmastide. All these ingredients make a Christmas Top Gear Magi Special seem to be an until now, overlooked inevitability. So as I said, I doubt my contribution via email all that time ago has had much resonance... but I can dream can't I?

Now... I wonder whatever happened to my idea for a Doctor Who Christmas story involving multiple incarnations of the Doctor and the Magi....

Steven Moffat are you listening?

Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (Spoilers and Speculation)

Having watched "The Waters of Mars" on Sunday, it's been an interesting couple of days catching up with various people's opinions, theories and tweets about the special Doctor Who episode.

So what did I make of it?

Frankly, I spent the first 20 minutes freaked out by the image of the"water possessed" crew members. I was transported back to the old days of Doctor Who... the days as a child when you spent a great deal of time watching the show from behind a sofa. I must confess that I was quite literally watching those freaky people through my fingers... until I'd "adjusted".

I'm quite a sensitive soul really... when Obi Wan Kenobi died in Star Wars, I was so freaked out I couldn't watch it... I think that must have been the case until I was er... 12.

The story was set on the 21st November 2059... an auspicious date in the calendar for me (God willing, I shall be celebrating my 85th birthday).

It was good to see that Shane from 1980's Neighbours found himself a new job some time in the distant future. Is Doctor Who becoming a refuge for Aussie soap stars in the same way that The Bill has become one for ex British soap stars?

I did feel that the pacing in the first half was off... and it seemed to drag a little. However in the last 20 minutes as the episode reached it's climax, it more than made up for this... it was literally as if a switch had been flipped and the script was running on a burst of nitrous oxide.

It was a very intriguing end and it has left my friends a little divided. Half of them feel that they didn't like it because of the dark way The Doctor was being portrayed. The rest of them (and I am in this camp), thought that it was fantastic.

I think it is important to realise that the Doctor is not a black and white character... he is flawed, just like everybody else. He has a streak of darkness that runs subtly through his valour and nobility. I think some times people are a bit too idealistic and like to sweep that under the carpet.

In his tenth incarnation alone we've seen some pretty intense moments of anger. He nearly blew the head off his daughter's killer... OK so he held fast and described himself as "a man who never would", but you really got the impression from the way David Tennant played that scene (particularly in his eyes), that there was only a thin veil between that pledge and the alternative.

Then lets not forget the way that he dealt with The Family of Blood. He ran away as an act of kindness... but then when cornered he unleashed the fury of a Timelord by forcing his enemies to eternally endure their own personalized Hell. If you look at the way he dealt with them... it's not unlike the way the Greek gods dealt with their enemies.

And that is where the Doctor has ended up at the end of The Waters of Mars... playing the part of God. The concluding scene doesn't show quite the full intensity of the Doctor's emotions (as seen in the few minutes prior to it), but it drives the point home well enough I think:

The Timelord victorious is a created being claiming mastery of the created order. Adelaide Brooke was right in her assertion... it's not right.

It's nor right, not so much for the things that one in that position might do (even a good character like the Doctor), but more for what you'd inevitably become in the process of doing those things.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

There's a moment when the Doctor realises he's pushed the boat out too far. As he turns, he hears Adelaide's suicidal gunshot (an odd decision for a character to make - was it driven by her sense of needing to restore what she perceived as the natural order of events... or out of spite at the Doctor's arrogance in trying to change them? Or perhaps it was both). He turns once more and senses the presence of Ood Sigma. It is then that he has a sudden flash of remorse for his rash action... even the TARDIS picks up on it as it mournfully tolls the Cloister Bell.

However, it is a Rubicon moment. The Doctor has resolved to cross the line (from the character exposition it seems clear he is quite literally Hell bent on bringing Gallifrey back from the abyss); having stepped into the waters... he knows full well that the die is cast...

... or to borrow a line from another science fiction franchise "the avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote".

Whenever someone rises up to assume the part of God... be that in fiction or fact, they inevitably find that there is a price to pay... and quite often that price is very high indeed.

Here is a brief trailer for the final Tennant double-bill, Doctor Who: The End of Time:

It seems way too obvious that The Master is the would be assassin who will knock four times. Look at who the Doctor is talking to the most in that clip. I think the tenth Doctor's killer is going to come out of left field. I think that Wilfred Mott is going to be put in a terrible position. I think the Doctor is going to go momentarily off the rails (some people have speculated on the influence of the Valeyard) and inadvertently do something that endangers the existence of Earth. I'm hedging my bets that this might have something to do with an attempt to recover Gallifrey (principally because we have Timothy Dalton making an appearance playing yet another Timelord). It does seem as if Russell T Davies is restoring a status quo so that his successor, Stephen Moffat has a clear run to do what he wants with the Whoniverse.

I think the Master is a big bluff. I think that Wilfred Mott with heavy heart and deep regret, his eyes full of tears... is going to be the one to pull the trigger (or whatever the fatal mechanism may be).

Whatever happens, I think that it's going to be epic.

Tune in to BBC 1's Children in Need on Friday to see a further clip of Doctor Who: The End of Time.

Real Reality TV

Take a good look at yourself in the mirror.

No, really... take a long hard look.

Do you like what you see? Do you think you measure up sufficiently to the standards of those around you? Do you think they would approve of you being seen in public?

You probably don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about.

Following on from my recent post entitled Lepers, Shades and Pariahs; it wasn't long before a very real and disturbing example of the kind of prejudice and discrimination I was talking about, surfaced on the news...

CBeebies TV presenter Cerrie Burnell, was the unfortunate target of some pathetically bigoted parents here in the UK. What was her crime?

Cerrie was born without the lower half of her right arm.

This doesn't in any way affect how she does her job, but some "worried" parents voiced concern that her appearance might disturb their children, stop them getting a proper night's sleep and terrify them.

Shall I tell you what terrifies me?

The fact that there are adults out there who share that opinion. Sometimes there is nothing as bigoted as parents who are full of their own self righteousness.

It's people like that who have in the past helped to neutralise my own sense of self worth. You see, I myself have a slight disfigurement - a scar on the centre of my chest... but I'm extremely lucky "tis but a scratch!" I can cover it up... the convenience of that fact is quickly substituted for cowardice and without exception I hide my scar away.

The fact that there are people out there such as Cerrie, who not only cannot hide their differences, but furthermore say "why the heck should I hide?" is a source of great inspiration. I do not believe she chooses to do this to provoke a reaction or make a point, she just does what feels natural and comfortable to her... and that is the real point.

Children will not be terrified - true... some kids who have been raised poorly (and sadly there are a number of them), will mock, but the vast majority of children will probably insatiably curious at first (as children so wonderfully are), and then they will just shrug and get on with it. Children don't start out with discriminative attitudes... these are learnt as they grow up.

I never used to be bothered by my scar as a child, but it all changed when I grew up and I never really understood why... it was a puzzle to me. However, it's through this recent turn of events (which I am reliably informed by a transatlantic friend has now hit the US national news), that I think I have finally grasped what a significant part of that puzzle might be...

As a child, I thought like a child. I didn't care about adults opinions of what I looked like, I just wanted to have fun and... be a kid. However, when I grew up... suddenly the opinions of adults started to matter a lot. I've talked recently about the danger of being defined by others views about yourself... and I know I promised to return to that subject (I haven't forgotten). It's yet another example of caring too much what people think. I don't think the timing of this is entirely coincidental for me, as I'm on a part of my journey where I will perhaps have a chance... no, maybe even a necessary opportunity to challenge that.

There's a certain level of unfair expectation on television here in the UK. People are known to get their noses out of joint even when presenters retain their regional accents (I was very surprised when my current favourite weather presenter was criticised for this... even though I think her accent is slight). Society is enthralled by so called "reality TV", but if we are genuinely serious about reality on our televisions; then surely true reality is not merely showcasing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but breaking down barriers and allowing people who don't fit the traditional stereotypical roles, to be extraordinary people in ordinary circumstances.

Humans come in all shapes, sizes and designs... why shouldn't they all find equal representation on the glowing magical box in the corner of our living room.

Personality Check

I'd forgotten that some time ago, I had joined Youniverse, a website that enables you to assess your personality by choosing images in response to questions that are posed within online quizzes.

Having been away from it for some time, I was drawn back by a recent feature on BBC's Webscape programme on their website. Well it wasn't long before I got hooked into having a go and I was seriously surprised to see that some of my attitudes that have been subtly changing over the past year or so... are really beginning to shine through. Here are some of my results:

Doctor Who: The Stolen Earth (SPOILERS)

So we near Journey's End:

If you missed the episode... what do you think you are doing reading this article???? Follow this link if you need to see the episode, or want a recap. Sorry folks I think the BBC iPlayer will only work in the UK.

I really loved the way we were thrown straight into tonight's episode.... and with a relentless pace that just carried right on through to the dying moments.

I also loved the welcome return of so many old faces. You get the impression from all that went on, that we only have half the pieces to the puzzle... that there's a lot going on we don't even know about yet.

I get the impression that next week's finale is either going to be very very good... or very very poor. It obviously looks like there is going to be a regeneration... but as Mark Twain said: "Never make predictions... especially about the future". The ending interrupted the regeneration process, which left us in the annoying position of having a triple cliffhanger.

Rumours are rife... not least because David Tennant is reportedly staying on for at least four specials. Some have speculated that the regeneration will be botched or different. One outlandish theory has suggested that the energy from regeneration hits the Doctor's severed hand (kept in a jar by the TARDIS console), and causes it to grow a new 10th Doctor along with whoever emerges from the proper regeneration. You can see the start of the regeneration sequence in the clip below:

My suspicion is that whatever happens, the device that Martha holds... the Osterhagen key, will be some kind of Deus Ex Machina... something that will alter the events that lead to this regeneration being altered. However, I hope in some ways that I am wrong... because that would make it all too similar to last years conclusion... and Doctor Who is not Dallas. It shouldn't rely on everything always being... just a dream. By the way "Osterhagen" is an anagram of among other things, the phrase "Earth's Gone".

For an atheist, Russell T Davies seems to explore the idea of sacrifice and resurrection quite a lot... he's done it a lot in Doctor Who, as you can probably tell from other episodes I've blogged about. Let's see where next week takes us.

So the big questions then:

1. What is going to happen with this regeneration?
   
   
2. Will Sarah Jane, Ianto and/or Gwen survive?
   
   
3. Just who or what is inside the Supreme Dalek?
   
   
4. What other effects has Caan's trip to the timelocked "Time War" had?
   
   
5. What is the Osterhagen Key and what will happen if it is used?
   
   
6. Is someone going to make a supreme sacrifice (certainly seems possible given the title)?
   
   and...
   
   
7. Most importantly all... did anyone try and contact the Doctor using 07700 900461?
   

*UPDATE* as of Sunday 29th May

Well, here's the trailer for the final specially lengthened episode... but it doesn't really give much away:

If you think you know what is going to happen,I'd love to hear your comments.

Don't Get in a Flap

I think i managed to navigate April Fool's Day pretty much unscathed today... how about you?

Did anyone catch the hilarious April Fool's gag/BBC iPlayer advert that ran this morning. What is unique about it, is that the story was apparently broken as a joint effort on the part of the BBC, GMTV and at least one national newspaper.

It's not unusual for the media to pull stunts to commemorate the date, but this is the first time I can think of when differing media companies have conspired together on the same story, to increase the chances of some poor gullible sap falling for it.

The Beeb have done well out of it, as the trailer serves as an advert for their iPlayer service.

If you didn't see it, here is the clip in question:

All that it remains for me to do, is say that I hope you enjoyed this day of fiendish pranks, tall tales and good natured hilarity... and that you survived it relatively unscathed.

Just Like Us

I promised I'd talk about the BBC's new version of The Passion. If you haven't managed to catch episodes 1 and 2 yet, you should still be able to watch them on BBC's iPlayer if you are quick:

Episode 1

Episode 2

I really do like the way they've portrayed Jesus in this latest adaptation. They haven't kept strictly to the chronology of Christ's ministry (moving earlier teachings into Holy Week), but this is both understandable - filling in the gaps between the "big" events... and also not unbelievable - you can well imagine Jesus would reiterate major parables/messages to new audiences; modern speakers do much the same when they tour. Highlights for me are the way Jesus has interacted with people. I do believe - especially scenes such as the one where Jesus speaks to a prostitute, that they have stayed true to the essence of Jesus' character.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the writers opted to focus on the humanity of Jesus.

I think this was the right choice.

The predominant image of Jesus in western culture, is that of the man with long wavy hair, doe eyes and a serene look on his face. Religious art has often made the mistake of focusing on Christ's divinity at the expense of his humanity. We see in our minds eye this airy fairy image of a man walking on clouds with a halo behind his head... and if we are not careful, it can lend more credence to fantasy than faith.

We have to remember that the strength of the Gospel message lies not just in the truth that Jesus is God... but in the fact that he is also human. One of the names attributed to Christ is Immanuel - God with us. The whole theology of our salvation is founded upon the basis that God was so determined not to be separated from us any more- and knowing that we could not in ourselves do anything to change this, he decided to become one of us. He experienced the joys, the pains, the sorrows, the anger... all those emotions that can be summed up as the human experience. He lost friends and relatives to sickness, death and disagreement... just like us. He loved being around his friends... just like us. He got excited when people understood something that was important to him... just like us. He knew what it was like to be popular, he knew what it was like to be lonely... just like us.

Personally, I don't believe any man comes as close to Jesus in fulfilling the ideals of what makes a man, in Rudyard Kipling's poem, If.

In his ministry, Jesus often referred himself as "the Son of Man". It's a title that occurs frequently in Biblical prophecy. However it also seems to me that whenever Jesus uses the term in respect of himself, he is trying to reaffirm his link to us as humans. The Bible teaches us that Jesus (knowing he was already God), didn't make a big deal about pushing his divinity:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus lived as a man not only to sacrifice himself for our sins... but also to teach us how to aspire to live a life that pleases God. We need to remember that Jesus died that we may have life and have it in all it's abundance. We need to remember that abundant life actually comes from obeying the God who loves us. I know for many of you reading this, that a life of obedience may seem slavish... but in truth a life outside of God only carries a deceptive freedom -it still compels us to slavishly obey something or other less worthy than what we were designed for. The book of Galatians teaches us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Jesus died so that we would have the freedom to reject sin's control of us.

The deal doesn't end there either. We might say that a life like that is too hard... we are bound to fail. But you see that is exactly another reason why Jesus emphasised his humanity:

"For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Hebrews 2:17-18

You see, in sharing our humanity... Jesus isn't just sympathetic to our struggles, he is empathetic. He understands our trials and tribulations... and he is prepared to support and stand by us right through them.

The question is... are we prepared to do the same for him?

BBC One: The Passion

I'm very much looking forward to this year's coverage of the Easter story by the BBC.

I managed to catch the trailer on the Beeb the other night...and I've been searching everywhere for a version I can embed here. I haven't succeeded yet, but rest assured should a copy surface I'll have it up and running in no time. In the meantime however, you can watch the trailer on the homepage for the drama. There's a lot of information on it, it's worth taking a look at.

The most prominent member of the cast (at, least in terms of audience awareness/pop culture)is probably James Nesbitt (Cold Feet, Jekyll, Murphy's Law, and if you are really desperate... the very funny yellow pages adverts). Nesbitt is portraying Pontius Pilate; he describes his interpretation of the character as "a weary warrior dealing with something he doesn't want to".

Jesus - the man himself, is being portrayed by highly acclaimed relative newcomer, Joseph Mawle. He describes the responsibility of playing the role of Christianity's central figure as an awesome one that is full of depth, and he thinks of Jesus' journey as a character as a lonely one. Mawle suffered from a viral infection that left him partially deaf in both ears, requiring him to use hearing aids a lot of the time. One random and completely irrelevant fact is that he was born exactly 8 months before me.

From what the trailer is suggesting, it'll very much be done in the same style as the BBC's recent Roman History productions (Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire, Attila, Hannibal). This will be a good thing as it re-establishes the historicity of the Gospel story. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they realise ancient Judaea at the time of Christ.

If you want to catch The Passion, the schedule is as follows:

Episode 1: Sunday 16 March, at 20:00 on BBC ONE
Episode 2: Monday 17 March, at 20:30 on BBC ONE
Episode 3: Friday 21 March, at 21:00 on BBC ONE
Episode 4: Sunday 23 March, time TBA, on BBC ONE

Here is a link to a page giving a brief synopsis of each episode.

I for one am getting quite excited... I hope to review each episode and share my thoughts with you.

Are any of you planning to watch this? Do you have any pre-emptive thoughts you'd care to share?

Update as of 17th March:

For those of you who missed the first episode, I've managed to source a copy of the trailer for youto see what you are missing:

I've found her!

A few posts ago I spoke about the new Npower Wembley advert... or more specifically, the actress in it. Here she is:

Well I've finally managed to track the advert down... the one on the Npower owned site is a little jerky, so I decided to plumb for this version.

I think she's really sweet, but have no idea who she is. She kind of looks familiar... a bit like the archetypal girl next door. Maybe that is why I find her attractive.

It's kind of hard to look for people on IMDB when the only credit you know of is "Wembley advert girl".

Any ideas?

Anybody... anybody?

Update as at 21st July 2007

OK, so here's the deal. I believe I have found out who she is... but I am sorely tempted to keep this information to myself. However I feel I have a duty of honour to the hordes of people who have come here via search engines in search of the an answer to this question. I shall update my tags to help out as well.

Yeah yeah I know... "just shut up Nick and tell us already!"

My source - darth_librarian, over at B5TV.com, suggested that the actress might be Alice Henley... and upon closer scrutiny of the CV he kindly linked to, it appears he is correct. You might vaguely recognize her as being Octavian's new wife in the HBO/BBC series Rome. Although for one reason or another I prefer her look in the advert.

I discovered a couple of other things in the course of my research... but I think you can take it from here. I've fulfilled my "obligation".

So if you happen to drop her agency a line, do me a favour and say where you heard it first! Oh and if you are her agent and you are investigating this link due to an increased number of hits on her cv r your own website. Please tell her I said a very warm and friendly "hello."

Alan Johnston Walks Free

You may have noticed over past weeks, that I have been supporting the appeal to get the BBC Gaza reporter Alan Johnston released, with a banner on my blog:

I am obviously delighted to be able to remove it from the sidebar, following the news that he is now a free man. Footage of his release can be viewed here. His release was facilitated by Hamas, who no doubt are taking every opportunity they can to gain credibility with western governments, who still regard them as a terrorist organization (understandably given their militancy and their stated objectives).


I can't condone their desire to see Israel removed from the map, but I respect the efforts they have made on behalf of Johnston. It is also very interesting to hear Johnston's comments that it was when Hamas started occupying Gaza that his abductors (the Army of Islam), started to get their feathers ruffled. It is interesting because we appear to have two separate factions of Islamic hardliners with two very different philosophies with how Westerners should be treated. I'm not in anyway endorsing Hamas. I am saying that we should question what the Army of Islam is really about, if they demonstrate a different approach and fear in the face of an organization that adheres to the same religion as them, with equal zeal.

It was very poignant and gracious that Johnston publicly re-affirmed his previous experiences of Palestinians as largely being hospitable.... and described his captors as an aberration.

In some conservative Christian churches... particularly in America, there is a rather simplistic view that Palestinians are all on the opposite side. Irrespective of any political views I may have in support of the sovereignty of Israel, I feel that this is rather unfair... especially considering the fact that there are around a quarter of a million Palestinian Christians (figures vary wildly, so this is a rough mean average), living in Israel and the Palestinian territories today. Many others have left the region... and it isn't surprising. They receive little or no recognition from the west and despite being largely sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, they are wary of the involvement of Islamic militants because of the risk of persecution.. Wikipedia cites various forms of ranging from harassment to the more extreme.

You can read more about Palestinian Christians, here.

In conclusion, returning to the original story... I give thanks that Johnson is now out of harms way and pray for his recovery (emotional, physical and psychological).

One cause down, one to go... Madeleine is still missing.

Life on Trumpton?

I wonder, have you caught the truly inspired promotional teaser trailer for the second series of BBC 1's Life on Mars yet? If not, you are in for a real treat:

I was in stitches when I saw that. The drama series of course is set in the 70's - the Golden Age of Trumpton and Camberwick Green... and although the programme is much grittier than the trailer implies (although it does have extremely comedic moments too), lampooning Trumpton is a very appropriate way to promote it.

Whoever dreamed up the concept of Life on Mars, must be a genius. You get to do a cop show with all the 70's prejudices and nostalgia... yet maintaining the moral high ground as we see it through the eyes of Sam Tyler, a detective who is either in a coma, insane... or quite possibly trapped 33 years in the past. Although this is the second series, we will definitely find out the truth... because it is also rather sadly, the final series.

My personal belief is that Sam has travelled in time... in his mind. He is in the body of an entirely different Sam Tyler from 1973. He has been sent back to put right a few wrongs... and when they are accomplished, he will awake from his coma in 2007. He will get back to his office and check the records and discover the truth. That he was in the body of another man from the past. I believe they have borrowed several ideas from Quantum Leap. Nelson the barkeeper seems very important... and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he were God... and the test card girl were Satan.

Whatever the truth is, we will find out together from February 13th as once more we'll be "'avin 'oops", whilst watching the adventures of Gene Hunt and Sam Tyler.

Oh and I couldn't resist uncovering this little gem of an advert from Quaker Oats, which is not wholly unconnected:

Good old Windy Miller and his Uncle Goober!

State of the Union Address

No... not the President of the United State's annual speech, but my own thoughts and concerns about the state of the relationship between the nations that make up the United Kingdom.

It all started this afternoon when I read the main story on the BBC News website:

UK's existence is at risk - Brown

From reading that, I started to browse the comments in the "Have Your Say" page relating to the story, I even left a comment myself.

What I read there saddened me greatly.

There are clearly a lot of angry people on either side of the England/Scotland border. Those who are Scottish are angry that they do not have a fully independent identity and economy. Meanwhile, those who are English are angry at the amount of Scottish MP's voting on matters that only affect England... and the payment of large subsidies to support the Scottish economy.

I'm not with either of those groups.

I am perhaps one of the most unusual pro-union people I know. I identify myself as British, not English. I love my brothers and sisters in Scotland and Wales and feel more connected to our common Celtic heritage, than I do to the stereotypical Edwardian idea of Englishness. In my eyes... we are one.

It's like a marriage that is starting to go a sour. The parents argue and the children are forced to choose which parent they wish to go with; whilst the loudmouthed angry nationalists on either side of the fence are quick to boast of their proud choices, they pay little heed to those of us who would feel orphaned by such a choice.... and I'm not talking genetics here (both my parents are of Anglo-Saxon stock), I'm talking about social identity.

Should the day come when a national divorce occurs (and I do not believe such a thing could ever be wrought peaceably), I won't be flying the cross of St. George first and foremost... I will still treasure the Union flag above it...

...even if it means I am the last of the British.

Is the Bad News Over?

So police have arrested a man - Tom Stephens, over the murder of 5 prostitutes in Suffolk. I have been praying for a swift and accurate resolution to the case since the middle of last week.

I only hope they've got their man.

Earlier the BBC were a little lax with the story and published it on their website with the name, age and photograph of the man held, citing their source. If the man turns out to be innocent and released... what might the BBC say in their defence if the man receives pages and pages of abusive messages on account of their faux pas?

As yet I appear to be the only person who has picked up on this error. I just re-checked the story. They appear to have put the aforementioned image back up now.

My guess though is that the police would not have named him if they weren't confident that this was the man they were after.

In unrelated news, hopes of a resolution to the investigation side of Baby Lilly's death have been raised after the police arrested, questioned and subsequently bailed a South Warwickshire woman on suspicion that she had concealed a birth. Lilly herself rests in peace in Great Alne, at the church I attend. Sadly, it turns out that a 16 year old girl has admitted giving birth to another baby and concealing the birth... resulting in a police search of a quarry in Worcestershire. Twice in one year - this is terrible!

However in all these cases, it would appear that an end is in sight and for that we must be grateful. I will continue to pray about the Suffolk murder enquiry until I feel certain that police have brought the inquiry to a successful conclusion.

Life on Mars: A Review

Last night I tuned into the first episode of the new BBC drama serial "Life On Mars", it was touch and go because I was tempted to watch The Matrix on Channel 5. Dad wanted to watch the BBC drama as well however, so I decided to watch it with him. I'm glad I did, I was not disappointed.

Life On Mars is one of those "sore thumb" dramas that centres around an individual who finds him/herself in an unusual situation, where everybody else fits in except for them. Films/programmes with similar themes would include Back to the Future, Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day (I would say Buck Rogers as well but it's too cheesy).

Indeed, I would describe Life on Mars as a blend of ideas/influences that include Groundhog Day, The Sweeney, Back to the Future and Open Your Eyes/Vanilla Sky, and possibly Quantum Leap.

The hero of the story is DCI/DI Sam Tyler, a detective who after a bizarre car accident finds himself in what appears to be 1973. I say appears, because there is still a possibility (and this is made quite clear), that it is all a fantasy world that he has become trapped in while he lies in a coma in the 21st century. While he tries to figure out what is ACTUALLY going on, he finds himself becoming involved in solving the crimes of the day (the first one of which is directly linked to a crime he was working on in the 21st century - one with very personal high stakes, his girlfriend was kidnapped by a murderer following the same pattern. Along with this he has to cope with the culture clash (sexism is rife, the M6 motorway does not exist, mobiles phones do not exist ( a source for at least two jokes in the script), vinyl is the only available music format, the dawn of modern forensics and the computer age is yet to radicalise policework and most shockingly of all, diet coke is not yet available in local pubs.

At the end of the first episode, we are left wondering what is going on. Sam has interacted with at least one person in the 70's who he has met 30 years later, however we clearly see and hear glimpses of hospital activity which suggest he is in a coma. The logical conclusion for me at the moment is that both must be true. He has been transported back to the real 1970's, while he also lies in a coma in the 21st century. I do not think he will wake up until he has achieved what he was put in his abnormal situation to do (ala Groundhog Day and Quantum Leap).

The production values, script writing and acting are all of a high standard. Costumes and props all mirror the 70's era perfectly. I expect the programme to be a success because it contains elements of comedy, drama, suspense, science fiction and pure nostalgia - it has a very wide net to catch people with.

I wasn't born in 1973, I didn't make my debut on planet Earth until the following year, but I do have a few early memories of the seventies and I sincerely enjoyed this programme. Life on Mars continues at 9pm Monday on BBC 1.

Doctor Who

I thought I'd share my views on the final episode of the first new series of Doctor Who. I have to say first of all, that Christopher Eccleston impressed me so much in the role that, despite being highly skeptical of what he could bring to the role; I now find myself thinking the programme has lost a great asset.

Here are the things I liked:

• The Doctor sacrificing himself by absorbing TARDIS energy before it killed Rose
• Rose's turning of the tide by using TARDIS power.
• Cute Girl on Space Station 5
• The way daleks still say exterminate (albeit silently) in the vacuum of space.
• Jack's attempt to rally people
• Witnessing higher functions of the TARDIS like the defensive shield
  

Things I disliked:

• The daleks killing the cute girl on Station 5
• The way Rose was revealed as Bad Wolf, seemed forced.

Things I'm not sure about:

• Is station 5 a "tip of the hat" to Babylon 5, or is it just coincidence?
• David Tennant
  

I thought the writing of this episode was a bit sporadic. Sometimes it was great, other times it was not. I liked the twist of Rose being Bad Wolf... but not how we arrived at it. That was shockingly poor. There's no explanation as to how Rose was leaving herself messages. I assume she did it by using the power she had acquired to muck about with time itself. If that is so, what else might she have done? She wiped out the daleks and she raised at least one dead person. Could she possibly have restored Gallifrey and the timelords? That's be cool. I also liked the idea of the TARDIS being souped up a bit, bery funky.

Losing Christopher Eccleston has come as a disappointment to me. He had firmly established himself in the role in the short time he had. He played a blinder! When Tennant materialised, he seemed to lack the same level of gravitas. However, lets not judge a man on two lines of dialogue, lets see what he brings to the role. It could have been worse, he could have become Ant or Dec!

I don't think Russell T Davies understands sci-fi as much as he makes out. Technically, Gallifrey can never cease to exist, because the TARDIS can travel sideways in time as well. There are infinite alternate timelines for Earth and Gallifrey, a time war would never destroy all those realities, just the timeline for one of the possible Gallifreys. Complicated I know, but that's time theory for you.

Bottom line is, it's supposed to be on at a time when children can appreciate it. It's important not to get too complicated, and at least as Eccleston said... they stuck to hard hitting plot twists so that children can learn to appreciate good drama when they are older, and not bland stuff.
That's Eccleston's legacy as he departs the role.

The Monastery

I was fascinated by BBC 2's "The Monastery" documentary/experiment. It's been interesting to watch the personal journey of five men, from varied backgrounds, as they struggled to cope with monastic life for 40 days.

The monks always appeared placid, even in the midst of hostility and confrontation amongst their guests.

Tony, was a soft porn director at the start of the programme, and despite his growing spirituality he was never going to jack the job in. That was until the last two days. It was plain to see that the man had been moved by the presence of God, even if he didn't understand the depth of the experience he had received. Nevertheless upon returning to the "real" world, Tony eventually packed up his job because it was at odds with what he was coming to know. That took courage!

All of the men, came on leaps and bounds, one even considered the priesthood.

It just goes to show that if you are prepared to give God time... and not just five minutes. REAL time, time enough in the quiet to rid your head and heart of worldly stuff, he himself will eventually more than fill the vacuum.

Draw near to God... and he'll draw near to you.

Blessings

N

Doctor Who - Fathers Day

When I saw the trailer for the latest episode of Doctor Who last week, I was worried it would be a bit naff. I was surprised to find the storyline was one of the better ones offered.

First of all, you have a decent explanation as to the nature of time paradox theory, which is a pretty complicated subject.

However, I felt there was a very strong Christian parallel with last night's episode. You can view the sequence I'm referring to watching the video at the bottom if you have time, if not just continue reading.

Rose (the Doctor's assistant), saves her father back in 1987 when in fact he should have died at the hands of a hit and run driver. This causes a "wound" in time that creatures from another dimension feed on like bacteria. People all over the world are dying because of the change. Despite this, Rose is getting to know her father properly in conversation. The Doctor knows how to stop everything going wrong, but he keeps quiet because he values Rose. Instead he tries to find a way around the problem. His makeshift plan fails though, and he is devoured by an alien.

It's at this point that Rose's dad works out how to resolve the crisis. The car that should have knocked him down is travelling in a perpetual loop, appearing and disappearing at the point where the accident should have happened. To restore equilibrium, he has to lay down is life and let it end as it should have, but in the process sacrifice a future of seeing his daughter grow up. This is a theme that was explored previously in films like "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Donnie Darko" (the latter is a film that pays tribute to the former).

In this way Rose's father saves the world, by sacrificing himself.

In the same way there is a wound in our world, caused as a consequence of the Fall of man. We are constantly being tempted, corrupted and slowly destroyed by our sinful natures. It is for this reason that Christ came into the world and died. If you haven't already, you may want to contemplate the significance of that in your own life.... and how you should respond to it.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

So there's your proof that science fiction and God are NOT opposing forces.