Sorry, gone off-topic somehow. I was only checking the thread to lament the demise of British Sci-Fi. The satellite channels are awash with American pap - and moronic 'Superhero' movies which are even poorer than poor sci-fi. Doctor Who was the last vestige of it. And back in the first few years after the re-lauch in 2005 there were a few thought-provoking stories among the silly ones. But that seems to be all over now. Maybe the original Quatermass stories should be re-made with a good cast and a decent director (but not by the ultra-woke and PC BBC). One of the best Quatermass TV min-series was the one broadcast in 1979 starring John Mills. That was made by ITV.
The original Star Trek was proper sci-fi. Cheap as chips, ridiculous science, but great storylines from top writers, and a variety of characters you could identify with. Wasn't Spitting Image supposed to be coming back? They'd better hurry or Corbyn will be gone before they get a chance to lampoon him.
The huge surge in the popularity of SUV's worldwide is the latest signal that nothing will be done. In the last 35 years since we were warned, all the evidence is that we are doing what we can to accelerate Global Warming. Shooting the messenger is another example.
ONE in FIVE new cars sold or leased in the UK is an SUV. Utterly unnecessary, just for prats to pose around in. How many bearded tree-huggers who block London's streets own an SUV? Quite a few of them I think. Hypocrites. Sorry! Off-topic again. Peter J Hammond did some excellent low budget British sci-fi with Sapphire & Steel at the beginning of the 1980's (again on ITV). Two stories in particular I thought were very good - the 'ghost story' one set in an old abandoned railway station, and the one about a man who could move in and out of photographs (set in a creepy old junk shop). Hammond wrote a couple of episodes of Torchwood too for BBC Wales about ten years ago, one of them a re-hash of the photograph story, with two characters coming out of an old reel of movie film instead. No prizes for originality that time, but he told the stories well.
I read in the Currant Bun that the producers of EastEnders want to mark it's 35th Anniversary (yes, it feels like it has been running every bit that long) by killing off one of the 'major' characters. For pity's sake. Why not do us all a favour and kill them all off.
Not as bad as Alan Brazil and Ally McCoist on TalkSport some mornings. Like listening to an episode of Rab C. Nesbitt...
EVERYBODY knows that motorways with no hard shoulders can never be safer. No management, no cleverness or trickery can ever make it so. This is so blindingly obvious that I still cannot believe 'smart' motorways ever got out of the first planning meeting where they were suggested. It is far dumber even than leaving street lights turned off at night on dangerous rural dual carriageways to save money - and yes, that really does happen.
Many of the shots that they showed were of motorways with fairly light traffic, no need for the extra lane. Since they came in the number of near misses has increased twenty fold.
Smart motorways were introduced on the M42 Motorway by the then Secretary of Transport Ruth Kelly in the Blair/Brown Government