What makes a good film or TV adaptation of a book?

I’m currently watching a BBC version of Dracula from the 70s which claims to be the most faithful adaptation of the story ever made. It’s got the events and the dialogue and the period trappings more or less right, but seems to have missed the point that Dracula is meant to be a horror story. [...]

"Lard"

Does anyone know what happened to Mark Riley, aka ‘lard’from the mark radcliffe and Lard’s Radio One show? I miss Lard, though I enjoy Radcliffe and Marconie of a weekday evening. I cant help feeling that there’s something missing? I’ve included a picture (showing Lard, top left) Frank Sidebottom is also included for no particular [...]

My television is currently displaying only a single 3mm high line across the screen on every channel and when I attempt to play DVDs. Do you know what may be the problem? More detail below.

My television (conventional cathode ray, Alba. 14 inch) has sort of died. Perfect sound but displaying only a single 3mm high horizontal line across the middle of the screen by way of visuals on every channel and when I attempt to play DVDs. Also gives a limited response to the remote control unit. It is [...]

Actors generally have a ‘playing’ range of ages that they think they are able to perform. What is the largest gap between an actor’s real age and the age of the character they are playing (where the viewer is expected to believe it!)

For example, Jeannette Crankie must be nearly 60 but still plays a 12 year old. That said, she’s not meant to be a credible school boy! What are the best examples? Please note that scifi is excluded from this – immortals played by 20 year olds don’t count!

Vomiting on TV – should it be permitted or encouraged? What about other bodily functions?

"I’m a celebrity" has celebs barfing live to the nation. The anti-binge drinking campaigns have people throwing up left, right and centre. And yet vomit is one of those things, for some people, that actually induces queasiness – my wife can’t watch someone being sick without it turning her stomach. So should it be shown [...]

Which are the best classic dr who stories?

Some of mine are:Remembance of the DaleksThe Five DoctorsThe Three DoctorsGenesis of the DaleksThe Time MeddlerThe DaleksThe InvasionRevelation of the DaleksCity of Death and(shamefully) The Trial of a Time Lord

In how many soap operas has Stephanie Beecham made an appearance? What are they all?

Please note – posting me a link to her page on IMDB is not a helpful answer to this question, as I don’t know which American series’count as sopa operas. Numbers, names and dates, please!

Is there any completely fair way of making decisions by TV voting?

If you look at shows like Britain’s Got Talent, often the most successful stars are the ones who come from geographically highly populated areas. This is probably due to local press promoting them and encouraging a vote for xxx to be a vote for, say, Manchester or Scotland. Is there any way of these shows [...]

Why does ITV commission such short series?

I found out that the final episode of Demons is due to air on Saturday – ITV only commissioned six in the first series, and yet you usually find with really successful dramas (Buffy, Star Trek, Stargate, etc.) that it takes longer than this for a series to get properly established. Primeval is similarly cursed [...]

How easy is it to hijack a TV station? Is it easier with satellite, analogue terrestrial, digital terrestrial or cable TV?

Just curious how someone managed to replace the Superbowl with pornorgaphy [sic] this weekend – was it a ‘genuine’ mistake, or was it actually a deliberate attempt to sabotage the most-watched TV programme of the year?

Swearing? is there any need for the amount of swearing in tv programmes?

I have just heard a 12 year old swearing on a tv programme, it was supposed to be funny, but i just didn’t find it so. Why do programme makers feel the need to have so much swearing?

Fictional fancies. Most squeezable bird or bloke.

Ahhh, Miss Peel, or should I say Diana Rigg? You hated playing the part of Steed’s sidekick, especially when you found out that the cameramen were earning the same, or more than you were. I have always thought her to be the most beautiful female character I ever saw, strong confident, and sensual. A real [...]

When are all the movie awards and big events?

Eg. the Baftas, Oscars etc. Are there any that are worth looking out for, that are not as common as the previously mentioned?Are any of them aired on terrestrial?

The bus to nowhere!

Can anyone point me in the direction of the pictures of the punk ‘nowhere tour’ bus please? It was a combined tour from the early punk days and boasted the Clash and The Pistols among others. I think it may have been organised by Stiff records? I really want the piccies of the coach with [...]

Is the tradition of ‘Christmas specials’ a purely British phenomenon?

I know that when US series are on air, they will quite often produce a Christmas episode to co-incide with the festive season, but what about those shows that are not showing over the winter months? Do any other countries re-assemble the cast, in the style of ‘Gavin & Stacey’, ‘Doctor Who’ and many other [...]

James Whale was sacked from Talk Radio for openly telling listeners to vote for Boris Johnson. Is this really abuse of his position as a broadcaster?

The guy is known for being opinionated and outspoken – that’s why he was given the job he had. So is it right that he should be sacked for voicing his own political views, given that he voices his views on every other subject under the sun, from immigration and religion to sexuality and crime? [...]

Anna McPherson

Anna McPherson is one of Australia’s leading etiquette experts. She has worked at Triple M, The Morning Show, June Dally-Watkins and MX Newspaper.

Brian Schodorf

Brian W. Schodorf is an American television and documentary film producer. Originally from Wichita, Kansas, Schodorf relocated to Chicago, Illinois in 2003. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago, earning a B.A. in Television Directing in 2006 and an M.A.M. in Media Management in 2008. Schodorf’s documentaries focus on social and political issues. He directed a [...]

Mogulus

London Mogulus is a website that provides an Internet television platform for live video streaming. The free-access website is privately owned and operated by Mogulus LLC. Users can watch, create and distribute television channels on the Internet without downloading or purchasing software. The website has over 100,000 user generated channels and more than 3,000,000 unique [...]

Jane Kournikova

Moscow Jane Kournikova Jane Kournikova is a fashion model, she has worked in both the Television and the Music industry. Born in Moscow,Russia on the 2nd May 1980. Jane appeared during 2007 in the channel 5 Australian TV documentary Neighbours on Five with Alan Fletcher. She also appeared with James Blunt in his music videos [...]

Victor Tognola

Paris Victor Tognola (Cheiron) is a man of many talents, expressing his innovations and creativity in radio, journalism, television, cinema and advertising. Victor Tognola began his career at a very young age by working in the then glorious Radio Monte Ceneriwhere he created a successful show called The moon is broken, a milestone in the [...]